They are now sending out e-mails and making cold calls, to those of us who were taken in by them, offering "special discounts on current course fees". Now, I am no expert in the world of finance, but is this a sign of desperation, that they are now slashing prices for those who have already signed up to a contract? Or is their business in trouble and they are attempting a PR coup to appease the growing voice of dissent?

I'm glad we could be of help. Good luck in whatever you decide to do instead.

I got an e-mail direct from the Gold Field herself. Of course, it was the kind of hogwash one would expect from a joke organisation like HLC.

Testimonials from people who are/were allegedly Students with the HLC. Note how their eyes continually veer to the left. While I'm not a trained Psychologist, is seems they are either reading from a script and/or reciting pre-rehearsed lines. If you read through the "Citizen Free Press" investigative work, you will see that HLC is run by people with Marketing/Sales backgrounds, as opposed to being Academics. Therefore it's no wonder they try these stunts to create a positive PR spin.

If past experience is anything to go by, they may still withhold your deposit, although if I were you, I would pursue them all the way on that one.

Hmmm, food for thought there. I have posted my own thread on the HLC (feel free to comment if you wish) and am about to cancel my agreement, although I am well aware it will precipitate a legal fight, due to the fact I opened the course materials. Ultimately, I feel I have good grounds, due to the fact I have caught them out in blatant lies, as opposed to mere salesman BS. I just wonder what the ramifications will be with regards to my Credit rating in the short term while I'm pursuing them. Having said that, I don't have a credit card, mortgage or anything tied up in credit, so it will be of little consequence to me in the short-term.

Some interesting links on Youtube from HLC: IT Tutor who is allegedly part of the *cough* "1-1 support": ...and from the Horse's mouth, so to speak: The Academic Director himself!

Putting aside all questions as to your identity for now, I have to say, it is a very sad indictment on your joke institution that they have to have a representative trawling through online forums, performing what is essentially a damage-limitation exercise. Your days of ripping off people who are either vulnerable, trusting, or overly keen, are numbered.

Can they affect your own credit rating though, given that cancelling with them and/or claiming your money back is most likely a long and drawn-out process?

I have read the many references to this dubious institution on these forums and have a similar story to tell. I would urge all on here who have a grievance with the HLC to come forward and help devise a way of taking direct action against them. Check out this long investigative thread: SMEAR BUSTER - CITIZEN FREE PRESS: Con Home Learning College Now for my own experience, [EDIT]: I was hospitalised (twice) in Spring this year after a near-death experience. I shall not bore you with the details, but I was subsequently off work for over 2 months and made redundant 4wks after. After all of this, I wanted to turn my life around by retraining for a new career. I saw the endorsements on reputable and popular Graduate jobsites like Reed.co.uk, among many others, along with the (now PROVEN false) claims that the HLC are a Microsoft and Sage partner. Most of all, the NUS affiliation swung it, believing (as many of us would) that this is a "Gold Star" endorsement as to their legitimacy. I did of course find out later that the NUS simply allowed HLC to BUY affiliation, rather than earn it, but I shall stick to the facts for now. After reading this, I applied for the information pack online and received a few missed calls late in the evening from an unknown mobile number (after 9pm, no voice messages left). By the time I received notice of these missed calls, it was an hour later and so not wanting to ring anyone at that time, I texted and asked whom had called. They replied, saying it was HLC about a course I had enquired about. The next day, I eagerly called back, thinking this was a great opportunity for a new start in my life. An appointment was made, whereby a gentleman in a Black car with the large HLC logo arrived a few days later. First impressions of course were that this was a Salesman, rather than an academically-minded person, but I gave him a fair hearing. He claimed to also be a Lecturer (something I cannot verify and he has completely ignored my subsequent e-mails asking him to respond to the information I have since found, on here, elsewhere on the internet AND through talking to employers and agencies). He told me that in order to break into the IT sector, as was my desire, I needed (note: NEEDED) to take an entry-level course (which I can now prove is a lie, as I could have taken my 1st choice qualification without it AND at a fraction of the price). However, he insisted that I could only proceed by taking the entry-level qualification and that the HLC would offer a discount of over £100 if I signed up on the day. Under pressure and still not 100% of sound mind and body, I made the decision to follow my instincts and chase my dreams, so I signed up. I have now been stuck with a course I do not need and am paying £1700 for, with employers and agencies telling me I am wasting my time, as it is hardly worth the paper it's printed on! For the record, I am aware that they offer a 7 day cancellation clause, BUT when the course materials came, the label says this is invalidated if seal was broken, yet seal MUST be broken in order to check that not only were all materials sent, but that the course was right for me. The course Tutors promise "1-1 support" but replies I got to 2 quite different e-mails very copied and pasted straight from the FAQ section of the course I was enrolled on AND the assignment are computer-marked, with very few questions requiring a human being to mark. So much for 1-1 support there, eh? The Customer Service helplines, as has been pointed out on this forum, are also lacklustre and unresponsive. The prices of the courses are also up to THREE OR FOUR TIMES more expensive than what one would pay at their local College (the timescale for finishing them is typically much shorter as well, even though the evening class is only once a week in many cases!). For example, the HLC charge £1500+ for the CompTIA A+ PC maintenance course, yet my local College charges £500 for the entire thing, all inclusive! Given my health was still quite poor at the time, I was very vulnerable and feel SICKENED that these people, in their commission-hungry greed, would take advantage of this. I was unwell and had been through a traumatic time and only wanted to learn and turn my life around, but this man and his institution KNOWINGLY and WILFULLY missold me a course through false information. I will endeavour to do all I can to expose these frauds for what they are and ask anyone on here to do the same. Please feel free to respond to this thread with any ideas on how to proceed, or indeed PM me if you do not wish to share in public. Thanks for listening!