Skillstrain/Scheidegger - time for you to fight back

[ccridersuz]

Just a suggestion, but how about complaining to the advertising standards agency??? Their advert could be classed as miss leading!!! I had the impression it was some government site, until I looked deeper.

[walex]

I experts, I just got a lettter of ENFORCEMENT DIVISION - COURT WARNING NOTICE sent to me from Debt & Revenue Services about skillstraining course I was signed up with last year september. I had paid some money to them through Barclays Pertners Finance, But what I am now receiving letter from Career Development Finance that wasn't appear during the agreement with them when I stop paying them because the course was not good for me as I expected and I receive no assistance from them. Although, I had read what pertners finance means on Barclays website. It's a small scale business industry that needs to make sales through signing people into loan for selling their business. Please, Help me with this. Walex.

[mrsmith007]

Please sign this petition if you are unhappy with TP practices :-

 

http://petitions.number10.gov.uk/Skillstrain/

 

thankyou

[hozzy]

Hi guys, I am currently signed on to do a Security+, Network+ and Project manager course with Skills Train and i'm genuinely concerned about the age of the course material and now the organisation (after looking at the bad press/consumer comments they've received). I signed on to do the course end of May, but have had difficulties with payments due to being out of work. I sent the finance company a letter explaining my situation in mid July and another to Skills Train themselves mid August. Both have been rejected due to being 'outside' of the cancellation period. Firstly the cancellation period is a bit sketchy to say the least...the agreement states 7 days (I did not receive my web login for 3 wks!), but when you speak to them they say 21 days....which is it?!...and why was i not made aware of my cancellation rights at the time of the interview. Anyways last week i decided to bite the bullet and continue to do the course and sent them details to arrange a reduced payment...but now im sitting here looking at the course material and thinking why am i investing my time in this stuff which is obviously 8 yrs approx out of date (I have a degree in Business admin with Computing and working for PC World for 6 years during my college & uni), isn't certified by anyone and will not help me to get a job. The bad press, and Skills train's own facebook page of 'beating' people who question them (Skillstrain) just makes them look like a shoddy organisation.

 

Can anyone suggest the best way to go?

Thanks.

[Guest]

i had a similar experience with skillstrain, i wrote etc as you have done, they pestered for a while but i just kept sending copies of my original letter, they then wrote asking for a £50 one off cancellation fee which i refused to pay due to the fiasco and dis-satisfactory course etc, i have heard no more, its been 2 yrs....

[hozzy]

Thanks RubyTuesday. So with your situation they agreed to cancel your agreement...are they still taking direct debits etc?

[Rhia]

It looks like Skillstrain is fighting a hard battle to try and regain some reputation. I stand by every word posted eralier with regard to my son's experience and they never tried to get this emoved (to my knowledge).

[Guest]

no they arent getting any money, i cancelled the d/d with the bank and told them i had done this......

[Guest]

btw mrsmith007 i have signed that petition...

[calanorn]

Hey there,

 

I was wondering if any of you would have any advice on how to cancel my skillstrain course. like most of you I am completely dissatisfied with the lack of support and learning materials.

 

I recently wrote to skillstrain due to them selling me this course a year ago and claiming through the saleswomen and through there promo dvd to be accredited and approved by many top IT providers such as Cisco and the Institute of IT Training.

 

I am supposed to be doing cisco courses and these are a main contributor to why i signed with skillstrain. I have since spoken with both Cisco and the Institute of IT Training who both tell me skillstrain is not approved by them.

 

Skillstrain's reply to my letter said:

 

In so far as the accreditation is concerned we have had an arrangement through the auspicious dunstable college in relation to the cisco networking systems, this is why we made reference to Cisco in our promotional material.

 

We can also confirm we have "previously recieved a pass from the institute of IT training following an approval visit"

 

I would much appreciate any advice on what next to do. in my eyes even with what they say in that letter they admit to not being accredited and so misrepresented the course when sold to me. No mention of dunstable college at all but they refuse to end my course.

 

Many thanks.

 

Cal

[Guest]

Hi, i cancelled my skillstrain course by writing and telling them and giving reasons why and that the D/D with the bank had been cancelled. I then of course did cancel it with the bank. I did get letters trying to get money from me, and even a one off cancellation fee letter from a debt collection agency, i paid nothing explained again why. that was 2 yrs ago and i have heard nothing since.

[calanorn]

Hey ruby,

 

I cant really afford to cancel the D/D as i need to keep a decent credit rating.

 

I have already sent them a letter stating that they are in the wrong under the misrepresentation act. But they seem to think there association with dunstable college allows them to use cisco certified.

[sanek]

Hi Peroni. Would you please advise on what you exactly did to get them of your back and did you get any refund from SkillsTrain?

I'm in a similar situation with MSCE course and find myself learning Windows 98.LOL

Thanks

[Dekrayzis]

Hi all,

 

I'm another who got sucked into the lies of the trickster Skillstrain sales men.

My story sounds very much like everyone elses. Only the asian guy who came to me told me the company had been running for 50 years and was setup by Winston Churchill. Thinking it was a government run business and him telling me the loan agreement was government run too, I signed and was given 7 days if i wish to cancel.

 

The guy went to his car and came back with a cheap laptop type bag some paperwork about the course. a cd with a presentation that looks like it was done around the mid 90's, and gave me his card. I called the guy up but there was never any answer.

 

I started the course, but as i went through the book deeper I realised I knew most of the rubbish and it was way out of date.

 

a week later I got my login details for theyre pretty shoddy website.

 

I contacted skills train and was told that as the 7 days had elasped I was told I would still have to pay for the course via CDF. Since then I have being paying £50 a month to CDF and I am growing very tired of having to pay for a something that I do not want. I have not used the course materials since March 2008. Nor have I had any information about updates to the course since I signed up.

 

I am thinking of going down to the citizens advice bueuro but I'm not sure if they be able to help.

 

Can anyone offer me any advice?

[brassica]

After reading all of this I am worried.

 

8 days ago I signed up with Train4TradeSkills a Scheidegger company with an address also in Collingdon Street in Luton.

 

Anybody know if they are the same company??

 

I am in my 21 day cancellation period and will shortly be paying £135 for 42 months.

 

Any advice greatly received

[Dekrayzis]

I say cancel immediately anything with Collingdon street , Luton is gonna be nothing but trouble.

[brassica]

Dekry,

 

Yesterday wrote to cancel course. Took the letter to post office for recorded delivery, they scanned the address. Told me that Train 4 Trade Skills did not match the address. I enquired as to what was being suggested.

 

The PO clerk said "SKILLSTRAIN" does that sound right!!

 

At that point I took a big gulp said yes and gleefully sent the letter on its way.

 

Thanks

[sim370]

I'm having a little trouble with skills train and i'm willing to take then to court.

I need Skills Train story for my website Skills Train Experience

[fruitytooty]

Hi Guys,

 

I am in the same boat here as i signed up to a course last year and have the Skillstrain and CDF combination. Went for a MCSE course but i realise i have been sold a crock of S*** with the materials, the salesman promised many things including "i can cancel at anytime if it is too hard or not suitable or i had financial problems etc and there would be no more to pay" well i have tried this and returned my materials to ST but CDF say i am still liable for the full amount of the agreement. Even the financial ombudsman have done nothing despite it being a clear case of mis-selling!! Should i just file court papers? Cheers!

[stevewah]

same here 2 pluming rep.s came to me. had to do a test at my house they help me fill it in as i was finding it hard.could not do it on my own . then said i would be £80 month and then signed me up for 3 years . 3 months later recession kicks in . work stop coming in i got hit with late payment charge for 4 months. all i could aford to pay was £20 a month. they said this was no good. and said that i could not continue doing my coursework unless i paid £40 i know that dont seem like much more but £20 is a lot more in my house since work slowed down . it has now been past over to debt & revenue services now. just dont know what to do they helped me do the test. that must be rong. just feel like i was tricked in to this . is there anything i can do ???

[billyx5000]

I am also having problems but am getting it investigated, in 08 the law changed for contracts sold in the home, the cooling off period is 7 days not 14/21 etc, look carefully on paperwork left, mine stated agreement can be cancelled within 5 days of receiving 2nd copy of credit agreement! mine hasn't appeared yet (12mths).

[stexposed]

I recently got a full refund from Skillstrain with an admission of liability. Here's how I did it.

 

1) I wrote to all the companies whose logos were featured on my course materials and asked them to confirm if they did or didn't endorse skillstrain and its courses. So far I've discovered three additional false endorsements that were not revealed in the BBC Watchdog report.

 

2) I contacted my local trading standards and provided copies of signed letters by the three companies confirming the false endorsements, links to the BBC Watchdog (making a total of five proven false endorsements) and copies of my skillstrain course materials and brochures from the original sales pitch proving the false endorsements had been claimed by skillstrain. I also cited sections 5 & 7 of the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008.

 

I also have a lot of additional info about skillstrain's and its partner's activities posted in a detailed and factual article. If you want to know more google collativelearning doht cohm and go to my website.

[Shadowless1]

Hi everybody, i like many other have also been drawn into skillstrain and now wish to get out, this is because i simply can no longer afford to pay for the course because of recent money problems. I also do no longer wish to be part of skillstrain after all of the bad reports and comments i have read and researched. Please can someone help me compose a letter to write to them and if you need more info please ask me. Sincerly Nathan

 

- I have been told and read that i should write them a letter and cancel the direct debit at my bank.

[samsimon]

bump

[Malky1888]

Thanks to stexposed's advice via the collativelearning website, i have gathered some info from the companies who apparently endorse the CIW Web Design Manager course which i bought in september 2006, 3 companies wrote back to me confirming that those are false endorsements, that's not including microsoft, i never got a reply from them but i seen one of their staff on the watchdog clip stating that they do not approve the course and that the man would have concerns about someone learning the couyrse which he had a look at, which turned out to be well out-of-date,

 

i have posted my feedback from companies, to my local trading standards group and they emailed skillstrain last week regarding my complaint, as of today they have not replied to the trading standards, as i recieved an email from trading standards, the careers development finance have passed me onto a debt collection agency who phoned me yesterday, i told them i was refusing to pay anything to the loan until i settle my issues with skillstrain and they asked if i chad any letters to confirm that i am in talks with the trading standards, the trading standards are going to contact them via phone and email,

 

How many people have been successful in getting a refund for the course?

 

i have paid £1805 and have £1100 outstanding