After I had numerous disputes and disagreements with the Westwood College staff about the quality of the educational program and professors at Westwood College I demanded an accounting from the college regarding my son's class schedule. They had him attending only one class but charging him for the entire semester's tuition. They told me that there was nothing they could do because my son had transfered with an AA degree from from Miami-Dade College, an excellent four year college {previously a junior college called Miami-Dade Community College}. By the way, they'll accept college credits from other educational institutions but when my son transferred to the University of Central Florida, UCF would not give him credit for one single class he took at Westwood College. UCF doesn't even recognize Westwood College or their curriculum! To make a long story short, during my son's last semester at Westwood College, the college could only sign him up for one class (although they demanded payment for full tuition) and when I objected, the college staff decided to terminate his enrollment, although I was given assurances by the Director that this would not happen. After his dismissal, the college staff told him that he was obligated to participate in an 'exit interview' during which time they gave him numerous forms to sign, one of which was a 'promissory note'. That is fraud! There is no other way to describe the deliberate deception on the part of the staff. Some people would argue that my son should have read every single document that he signed at the exit interview, but to be honest, how many young men and women after learning of their termination from a school program (through no fault of his own) would read multiple forms during an exit interview when the staff told them that the documents he was signing were necessary in order for him to get his transcripts.
Rey
Miami, Florida
U.S.A.
i had the same experience with Texas School of Business. I felt like they were trying to get every penny from me, even though i only attended 4-6 days
I have, like double, the cost for my associates degree through Westwood than I would have at any other college. It sounds as though I am not alone. Does anyone have any idea if there is a government agency that we can report this to, or do we just go through the better business bureau.
i WAS LIED TO AND SCAMED WHEN GOING TO WESTWOOD COLLEGE IN DENVER COLORADO. i WAS TOLD I WOULD RECEIVE HELP, GRANTS AND MONEY TO HELP ME SURVIVE WHILE IN WESTWOOD. AS A RESULT OF THE LIES I WAS HOMELESS 3 TIMES IN 3 MONTHS BECAUSE WESTWOOD HAD NO ASSISTANCE FOR STUDENTS. NOT TO MENTION ALL THE DRUG TRAFFICING AND I HAD A TEACHER OFFER TO SELL ME SEMI AUTOMATIC GUNS AS WELL AS ANOTHER TEACHER CALL ME A ###ING IDIOT IN SPANISH BECAUSE I WENT TO THE WRONG CLASSROOM. I CANT TRANSFER MY CREDITS AND LOST OUT ON OVER 10, 000. I WENT THERE TODAY TO GET MY RECORDS AND THEY TOLD ME IF I EVER COME BACK FOR MORE RECORDS THERE CALL THE COPS AND HAVE ME REMOVED. I WANT TO FILE A LAWSUIT. I AM PISSED AND WILL STOP AT NOTHING UNTIL THIS COLLEGE IS BROUGHT TO THE GROUND. WESTWOOD IS ALSO BEING SUED BY OVER 300 STUDENTS CURENTLY AND SETTLED OUT OF COURT FOR FRAUD FOR 7 MILION IN TEXAS LAST YEAR. I NEED TO KNOW MY OPTIONS FOR I WILL NOT STOP UNTIL I SEE JUSTICE. PLEASE HELP OR CONTACT ME TO JOIN IN ON A CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT FOR FRAUD.
WHY IS WESTWOOD $25, 000 PER YEAR. DO YOU KNOW THAT WESTWOOD DOESNT EVEN OWN THEIR BUILDINGS. I BELEIVE THERE PURPOSINGLY SCAMMING STUDENTS. DOES ANYONE ELSE HAVE A STORY. ID LOVE TO KNOW IF IM THE ONLY ONE. I DOUBT IT THOUGH.
Each time I visit the Financial Aid department I have to work with a new person because they flip flop finances and when I asked for a print out they said I had to pay them to get it and that they would have to consult with "higher authorities". It's my business just as much as the stranger setting me up. The worst part is is that I have to still attend because I don't have the money at all to go to another college and I dont think it is fair Im out a new Escelade ($40, 000) and nothing is happening. Not gunna say too much but This is wrong to the 10th degree!
I graduated in 2007, and I am infuriated with the school. The professors didn't teach me crap. They only sat there in class telling dirty jokes to students, and the books that we spent an arm and a leg for weren't even used! If we needed help with something, most times we would get the response, "It's in your book". Well DUH a-hole, you're the teacher, you're supposed to help US! My portfolio class was a complete joke. The teacher that taught it was later "fired" or "left". Gee wonder why! He was never in class...so he was never around to inform us and help us prepare our portfolio. Once we made a sorry attempt to do our portfolio and spent numerous amount of hours wasting away in class, our portfolios would just be rejected and laughed at by other colleges/jobs. What the f***! What can we do to go about suing this JOKE of a place? Westwood can and will continue to blow smoke up our butts, while we all continue to sit in debt. I haven't paid one cent towards my student loans (because I haven't been able to!) since I graduated. I would love to sue the hell out of these people and make THEM pay for what they owe me back.
Someone could go shoot up their buidlings.
If anyone is going to Sue the campus in Denver, Colorado. Please let me know. Email - vinhle22@gmail.com
I as well would like to know if anyone is planning a class action against the Denver campus. Westwood has pretty much ruined my life and destroyed my credit through lies and fraudulent practices. thelelland@gmail.com
Is it too late for me? I attended Westwood - Ft. Worth and didn't know about the previous lawsuit until today! Can I get in on another lawsuit or do I just have to starve myself and my two babies because I have $27K in Westwood Debt?
My Daughter got screwed by Westwood in Lakewood, CO. She was sold a bill of goods, told she was doing well by her teachers, took us 8 months to get a transcript only to find out her teachers had flunked her in every class with no reason and no recourse. Screw Westwood in Colorado. I would gladly join any class action lawsuit against this criminal entity sucking the life and money from our children.
Hey all...I live in Denver, CO. and unfortunately graduated from WestWood College over a year ago and guess what I have nothing to show for it! Their supposed "career dept" kept sending me websites that were dead ends and had job postings that weren't even for Colorado not to mention the job postings that I could have easily found myself by internet or by asking local retailers if they were hiring! After I graduated I was surveyed about work and what I was "planning" to do in the near future...my answers were obviously good enough because I haven't heard from them since pretty sure I'm part of their percentage they're using in there faulty advertising! One thing they forget to put in there advertising is that make sure you can afford $750 in loan payments because thats how much you will be owing for your $75, 000.00 degree but then again they do promise to place you when you graduate which is a total joke! The biggest slap in the face is that I can't transfer credits for further education I'm stuck but yet there offices still insist National Accredidation is going to be approved come the end of the year...but really is that going to solve my financial debt problem that they failed to mention was going to be in my near future as they were laughing all the way to the bank...over several months I can't tell you how many times I have broke down crying because of my financial situtation and no way out thanks to Westwood and Sallie Mae they refuse to lower my private loans I had to take out during the middle of my education magically Westwood informed that I had run out of "federal money" and needed to apply for more loans before I could step foot in another class my hopes to get financial aide was demolished when they informed that I personally made $500 to much money the year prior which I couldn't understand because my parents lost both of their jobs that year! I lost out of thousands of dollars and it was all because it was there office that refused it Westwood got to say how many students received grant money or financial aide and this was told to me by one of there own staff members that were in charge of financial aide... before I graduated they barely brought up the fact that they were trying to get accredited my thought was what do we do quit and spend 70k on no degree there was nothing we could do but to finish and count on our own confidence...now i'm left with an empty bank account and a minimum wage job that has nothing to do with what I actaully went to school for...for those that left your email I'm researching a suit that is supposedly starting to take place in Denver...you can contact me at princess1485@msn.com
I personally think ALL colleges perpetuate this scam. Unless one college has an "agreement" with another they will not transfer their credits. This is one thing that allows places like Westwood to scam people out of their money. Because even brick and mortar colleges refuse each other's credits/units it calls into question ANY college's credits. I can't get ANY college to transfer my military education--they laugh at my military transcripts! Your tax dollars paid over $650, 000 for that education but every college laughs at it.
I feel your pain. The problem is not just Westwood---it is every single college in America. Our leaders allow these arrogant academic people to demand we repeat courses, refuse to transfer classes already completed, and undermine each other every day. I say---Americans have always insisted that they recieve what they pay for---and demand what they have earned. Why should we allow education to be any different? We shouldn't. We should be demanding to get what we paid for. I am not saying we should be able to buy an education---but I am saying that what we pay for, work for and earn...and appears on an official transcript...should be recognized at every single college in America...and if it isn't we should be able to get a full refund. My classes I took 20 years ago are just as valuable now as they were when I took them. I am talking about basic ed. Just because I took them 20 years ago does not mean that education evaporated...but that is what Cal State is telling me. My education is OLD>...how much has English 101, sociology 1, intro to pysch, and college algebra changed in 20 years? It hasn't! How do I know that? Because I just paid to repeat every single one of those classes. I practically ended up teaching the darn classes myself. ALL COLLEGES are in on this scam. We have to demand that our legislatures start holding them accountable. A college that won't take your credits is doing a "bait and switch" routine. It is illegal. It is unethical. It is fraud. I just retook a sociology class that is using the same syllabus they used in 1970----how do I know that? It was printed on it. They didn't even cover the womens liberation movement! ALL COLLEGES ARE GUILTY OF THIS. JUST BECAUSE THEY HAVE GOTTEN AWAY WITH IT DOES NOT MEAN IT IS RIGHT---NOR DOES IT MEAN IT IS OKAY. WE HAVE TO MAKE OUR VOICES HEARD! http://demand-refund-college-rip-off.110mb.com TELL THE PRESIDENT TO DO SOMETHING.
I have read every letter on my computer about Westwood, and how they scamed different
people, My son went there [protected]. Every letter was some of our experence.The money thing, how they lied about what they would do for you, how they would help you. Most of all i was there when he signed them papers. Ifeel like i should of known better. we got screwed big time. something has to be done.
I am a graduate From Westwood Collge Northlake Campus Atl ga . I need to know if anyone can help me in sueing westwood. Like everyone else I also got lied to and got ripped off. Please keep me updated if anyone plans to take any action on this.
Sigh... well I was promised that If i needed to transfer my credits they would be accepted... yea right. I was clueless and figured the person I spoke to would know. I was mislead. I'm Thankful that I dropped out when I noticed how expensive it was getting. I'm still paying some of it off... but I never did get my degree. Now I'm trying everything possible to go back to college and basically I busted my butt for nothing. I have a paper that says I was a great student but to the rest of the world it's worthless. I'm so upset and dissapointed. I even question if I really did as good as I thought I did .. or was a sucky student and they were just passing me? Can't say I've felt this way before.. I can't believe that all that work for nothing...
yes i went to Westwood College Northlake Campus as well. If anyone have information about suing them please let me know
I went to Westwood College on-line and it " SUCKED". They don't teach you, you have to teach your self. The worst 57 thousand dollars I ever spent. That is for an associates degree in Software Engineering that got me nowhere. They said you could take refresher class free just buy your books. They don't offer anything in programming last time I checked. I hope they loose thier accreditation.
i go to westwood at the inland empire campus before i started there they told me i would get pell grant money and when i started there i found out that i didn't get any pell grant money. They told me they use the money the pell grant gives me towards my loans i had checked my loans i have 20, 000.00 in loans and i had went there for a year. i really had not learned much i feel like i took criminal law 5 times all the classes are the same and two class have different names but it is the same class. when i tried to get cal grant they told me i couldn't get it because i was homeschooled in high school and i didn't have 36 completed units but someone told me i didn't need 36 units for cal grant. many of my friends i met at westwood told me to sue them for not giving me the pel grant money . my loans are more than my mom makes a year.
WESTWOOD DALLAS/FORT WORTH SCAMMERS OF CLUELESS STUDENTS
NOW THEY HAVE A BIG AUDITING AND THEY ARE GOING CRAZY. SOME HOW THEY MANAGE TO GET A STUDENT LOAN FOR MORE THEN 16OO.00, I NEVER GOT THE MONEY THEY DO NOT KNOW WHERE IT WENT. THEY FIRED ALL THE FINANCIAL STUFF BECAUSE THERE WERE STEALING MONEY FROM THE STUDENTS. I TALKED TO EVERYBODY EVEN THE PRESIDENT MR KEPIC, PAUL AND THE DEAN MARGARET WHICH THE MOST USELESS PERSON IN THE WHOLE DALLAS CAMPUS AND THEY KEEP TELLING ME TALK TO FINANCE AND KEPT SENDING EMAILS. THE DIRECTOR OF I.T DEPARTMENT WAS FIRED TWO WEEKS AGO, NOW THEY DON'T HAVE NOBODY. THIS PLACE IS A CHAOS. BUT THEY KEEP CHARGING RIDICULOUS AMOUNT FOR WORTH CLASSES. AN ASSOCIATE GOES AROUND 40k. OCT/2010
I attended Westwood College of Technology in Anaheim, CA. First off, I came from another state and wasn't elligible for the Cal Grant. They had told me before I enrolled that they would help me find a job at graduation, which turned out to be a list of websites and phone numbers that I could have done on my own. Their housing was over priced in an unsafe neighborhood. I had taken up Visual Communications, the class on building websites was very important for me but the teacher cared only about his personal life instead of helping me when I was stuck on something. In fact, he had told me that my question "Better not be a stupid one". He had mistreated many others but the school wouldn't repremand or fire him! And so now, I am stuck with over $50, 000 worth of student loans, of which I didn't feel the school was worth a fraction of that! I had to move back home and get a job in a factory. I would love to change my career and return to another school but I'm strapped with this hefty loan! And for financial aid I was forced to take loans from Sallie Mae and American Education Services which is a Teri loan and is one of the worst to pay back.
My name is Gor Akopian, I am from California and i graduated REDSTONE/CRIMSON/ WESTWOOD college back in 2008.
It was a BIG SCAM!
I have a worthless degree in "construction management" I have to pay back more than $38 000 to SallieMae bank .
No job, no money to pay. The promised me to get a job for me which will let me make between 80-120K per year. NO WAY!
The college was SOLD and renamed to CRIMSON as soon as i graduated. There is no more previous people to go and complain.
The college was located in Inglewood California, on Aviation Blvd
The biggest thing, the KILL my CREDIT HISTORY.
Please, everybody... let's SUIE these people and get our money, time back.
My phone number: [protected]
akopiangor@yahoo.com
Hello everyone. I'm hopping on this band-wagon. I am currently attending Westwood Northlake campus to finish my bachelors degree in Animation. While I realize an art related degree doesn't carry much weight to begin with, I served my country and earned the GI Bill so that I could have an opportunity to better myself. However in light of recent events, it has been brought to my attention that Westwood is cancelling a majority of their online classes which means I will no longer be able to continue my education there and will have to look elsewhere. After reading some of your comments, I'm not entirely disappointed.
I first started attending Westwood a year ago. I am a transfer student from Full Sail. I work full time and am unable to attend day classes. This limits me to online, weekend, or night classes. So if they cancel their night classes, I'm [censor]ed 20 ways from Sunday. Some of my credits didn't transfer from Full Sail and so far I am not impressed with the curriculum. Most of it has been refresher for me and I have not learned anything new. For instance they told me they would not transfer my 3D fundamentals class because they teach it using 3Ds Max. I didn't know 3Ds Max but I know Maya very well. Well this was under the assumption that I was going to take a night class on campus. I ended up taking it online however. Their online program only teaches in Maya. They wasted my [censor]ing time. There are other courses in which similar circumstances have occurred. Westwood has also charged me for textbooks that I never purchased. I get the ISBN's and purchase the books myself through amazon. I have been receiving letters from collections agencies every month for the last 10 months. A couple other things that I am not impressed with are the facilities and experience or lack there of of some of the faculty. I have to show instructors how to use there programs and have also shown them how to use the software. The printers rarely work which disrupts the learning process. ...
I have included a couple links of related articles, investigations, and news reports that surprisingly didn't take long to find.
The only positive thing I can say is that I have made a few acquaintances to expand my network in the art career field.
So all in all, I'm all for fire-bombing, blowing up, and murdering affiliates of for-profit schools that don't give two [censor] about the students they claim to represent. I have just wasted a year and have given Westwood College a good portion of money that I earned from serving my country. Furthermore, my credits will most likely not transfer to another school however accredited Westwood claims to be.
http://help.senate.gov/hearings/hearing/?id=19454102-5056-9502-5d44-e2aa8233ba5a
http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_15810764
Westwood College is a scam. I know first hand how they do business. I was enrolled there for two years and when they fired my favorite instructor I decided it was time to move on. I enrolled in Devry University's Game and Simulation Programming course and was lucky enough to receive 27 credits from Westwood... 27 out of 97 credits. Westwood pretty much wasted the biggest part of my financial aid on unnecessary classes. To top it off, When I spoke of transferring to my academic advisor they told someone else and the next day i got a call from the finance department of Westwood stating that I owed them 3, 500 dollars for tuition. They e-mailed me a promisary note to sign. I made it clear on the promisary note's signature line that I did not want the loan they were offering and that I accepted no responsibility what-so-ever for any funds awarded to me in relation with the note. I also made it known that I did not agree with the terms of the agreement. I signed and dated it and sent it in. 3 months later I started getting bills from a company that claims that Westwood borrowed money on my behalf and that they expect me to repay the debt. Once two bills like this came I called Westwood to see what was going on. The lady told me it wasn't a loan. She specifically said that they LENT me the money. Now, i'm not the smartest person alive, but if you lend an individual something... it's a loan... correct? After countless hours arguing this point with seventeen different people I lost my cool and told them where they could stick their payments. I have all the conversations on tape as well as all the original files just in case they try anything stupid.
I was lied to when I went to Westwood college I graduated in 2010 my email address Is luvenia5457@sbcglobal.net.
I am sorry to anyone who is unhappy with their experience, but in all honesty, Westwood's catalogue states in big bold letters their credits may not transfer to other schools. Also, if I was having to pay 70K for a degree, I'm sure as hell researching the jobs that degree would get me...and a basic yearly Salary from some place like salary. Com. I'm not believing anything someone baaed pressure selling me is saying. Sorry for your frustrations, but signing yourself in tens of thousands of $$$, and sadly your loan cosigner without reading it...and for sure researching the place is just dumb. And yeah, people that make something sound too good to be true are usually the ones I distrust the most! 25K for a diploma, 75K for 4 year construction management? Would a state college charge that much? Damn! Sign your name on the dotted line without looking into it, ESPECIALLY for that insane amount of $$$ and then. ### & Moan that you're a victim. Sorry, but you make decision without knowing the facts...that's not entirely the school's fault, & sadly the enrollment agreement you sign states A LOT of the issues & stipulations a lot of these posts you're upset about
Are there people in the admissions process that are deceptive, hell yes. I jokingly refer to some of them as "used car salesmen." But your [censored]es signed the contract without reading the fine print, catalogue or having an outside resource read the paperwork you were legally binding yourself to
Did you ask to audit a class? Did you ask current students what they thought of the school? Did you ask of they were on reporting with any of their accrediting bodies? Did you call other schools to see if they accept credits. Or call local businesses or look up on job websites if the requirements for the job you're going to want to get are available with your degree you'll be getting? Most likely not...you signed a bunch of documents & had no real informed plan
Playing stupid and then acting the victim is just another reason this country is in some of the shape its in...do something without checking out the facts or weighing the outcome of those actions; then blaming someone or something else for your impulsive, costly & ignorate choice...and instead of looking in the mirror and accepting responsibility, your [censored]es wants to sue! Sure, schools need some monitoring & admissions process reform...and yes, some profs/teachers are dumb too, but as long as non-responsible, no real plan in place, excuse making vs, fact finding people sign up for "something " that system is going to keep on keeping on
And one more thing, many people who have gone through for-profit schools & have been highly successful ...they are the ones who didn't expect for the rest of the world to stop what they were doing, say, "oh, poor baby, " &listen to the endless litany of excuses...and most likely, they're unemployed too.
sSWERED! I truly am sorry for people who felt they were misled, but damn, it's safe to say some people know more about the loan for their car than for their education. If I was going to invest 10K in an education, let alone 70K, I'm sure as hell
I also fell victim to the dishonest practices of Westwood College. I received my Bachelor's degree in Interior Design from them in 2009. I just filed a complaint with the Colorado Attorney General. I encourage all of you with complaints to do the same. If we get enough complaints, hopefully something will be done about it.
Here is the link to the Attorney General:
https://www.coloradoattorneygeneral.gov/departments/consumer_protection/file_consumer_complaint/consumer_complaint_form
go to change . org and sing petition Cancel student for students from Westwood College
https://www.change.org/p/us-department-of-education-cancel-student-xxxx for-students-from-westwood-college?source_location=update_footer&algorithm=promoted
Hello,
My name is Charice Butler (Coleman) I am in desperate need of any kind of help you can give me! I attended Westwood College back in 2011/2012 the Dallas Campus. (8390 Lyndon B. Johnson Fwy #100 Dallas, Texas 75243) I was mislead by the school administrators, they lied about the amount I would have to pay back. I got my G.E.D. online and while I was in school the administrator's / teacher's told me that my G.E.D. was good. It turns out that it wasn't good. They told me not to worry about it they would take care of it, Westwood college staff gave me a G.E.D. with a different school name on it as if I attened school there. Westwood College administrators were applying for loans I knew nothing about until I checked my credit score. I am in debt for over 34, 000 dollars because of this school! The school closed down in April 2012, but my Medical Assistant Certificate says June 2012. The staff was not concerned if the students got an education or not, they just wanted to make sure they were going to get paid! The Department of Education won't listen to me they just want their money! I can't get a job in my field because of the college I attended. If you can help me in any way, I would really appreciate it!
Need help need advice! I need justice done now!
Good afternoon
I am emailing you because I never had help about the situation I was in with Westwood College in downtown Chicago they closed down in 2014.
The college only filed lawsuit against criminal justice program and construction management and multimedia program got help and the business Administration and Marketing didn't get any help no lawsuit..
I have been struggling with Sallie Mie, Navicat, Nelnet students all i have had was horrasment and it worsen my depression and anxiety plus no one in chicago would hire me to give me a change to train me to get the experience I needed. I gave up and went to doing something I always hated doing hair I didn't go no where with the cosmetologist license in chicago..
I lost all hope with this fake BA in Business Administration in marketing my classes are not credited which they said I would get great job, and I could retake my classes as refresh courses it was a big lie I call and went before they closed to start my refreshing classes I was turned away!
The financial aid just happily took all the money like it was free for me to have! Just like that I felt stupid, I feel used, I feel like ending everything because of the student loan debit I felt like a looser!
It ruined my credit score!
I decided to start fresh in a new state new life away from a corrupt city like chicago Illinois...
Slowly maturity i am working on my credit score Slowly maturity am.
I always felt embarrassed about the degree I have and debit and no experience and I have been turn down in jobs!
I thought about not exciting in this life time and I would not have to deal with this ever.
It has taken me so long to come back and believe in myself and to say yes I have a degree and bold in saying yes I need experience I need chance to prove myself.
Question is there any way there is lawsuit on Westwood College downtown chicago illinois from [protected]?
I tried Google ing info on this topic
I just hope there is hope still to get the forgiveness on all student loans or just give back the degree?
Thank you for your time. I hope you have the right direction for me to get help?