I received a telephone call in mid February, 2011 from a solicitor affiliated with the Student Achievement Center. This company was offering Scholastic Aptitude Test preparation software that guaranteed success on the test if used. In fact, the woman guaranteed that we would see a 200 point increase to my daughter's previous score or we would be completely refunded our money- no questions asked. The price of the software was $185.00 plus $14.95 in shipping costs.
I received the software the following week and was eager to have my daughter try it out. The telephone solicitor had told me that if I was not satisfied with the software for any reason, I could return it within 20 days for a complete refund. She also described the software as interactive. She claimed that the software would identify her weaknesses and provide lessons to address her weaknesses. In reality, however, my daughter would take a baseline test using the provided CD-Rom and manually write down the questions she got wrong. Using this information, she would need to search the very small database to choose a lesson that would address the particular skill. In my teaching experience, I have used software for the student preparation for the Connecticut Mastery Test. The software I have used monitors progress by keeping track of the incorrect answers, and using that data, identifies the appropriate lessons for the learner. This is what I would have expected for software that cost almost $200.00. In addition, the Student Achievement Center provided an interactive science CD-Rom for preparation for the ACT. When my daughter tried to use this CD, it did not play in any of our computers. Another complaint I had about the software is that the reading passages contained several typos and other errors! I found that unacceptable; especially in an educational program. When we pushed the help (?) button, nothing happened. There was no help menu at all.
I decide to return the software and sent it back to the company via Priority Mail on February 25, 2011- less than one week later. It arrived, according to the USPS tracking and confirmation, on February 28, 2011, at 11:54 AM. To this date, in spite of several emails and telephone calls, I have not received my refund. Today is April 30, 2011. I have printed out all of my correspondence between myself and a woman called Diane Langius at Student Achievement Center.
I am really disappointed and frustrated. I trusted a company that has a "dot org" address and claims to be filing for non-profit status. I am concerned that other people might fall victim to the same scam, especially this time of year when many students are getting ready for these important exams. We all want the best for our children in these very competitive times. While I hope you can help me to get what is owed to me, I would also hope my experience can be used as a cautionary tale for others. Thank you!
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