Be careful dealing with TEFL International... get a CELTA or Trinity and don't waste your time and money!!!

The websites I am speaking of are:
http://www.bestteflcourse.com
http://www.teflinternational.com
http://www.teflcoursethailand.com
http://www.teflintl.com
http://teflcorp.com

Please see my BBB dispute post on Dave's ESL:
http://forums.eslcafe.com/job/viewtopic=725523#725523

Also see TEFL.net with Alex Cross for Blacklisted schools:
http://www.tefl.net/alexcase/category/teaching/tefl/teacher-training/teaching-qualifications/cert/tefl-int/bruce-v/page/2/

My posts keep getting deleted because of TEFL International's advertising dollars.... I will repost as many times as needed to maintain visibility or you can PM me anytime for a conversation about the situation.

BASICS OF MY BBB DISPUTE:
(The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
I am not satisfied with the responses or the treatment received from TEFL International as a business or school. I would like the refund that was agreed to by Bruce and offered by Derek before they tried to resolve the situation one last time in early December 2008.

My changes in programs were due to the confusion stemming from the lack of response from the staff, multiple websites with conflicting project details, and general confusion on their end as to who was "helping" me... and it should be noted that all 4 websites are still not showing consistent data as of today.

I do not feel my constant hounding of TEFL International staff reflects well on them as a business or school or that I should be forced to give up my $500 deposit due to their ineffectiveness as a recruiter/placement agency. The quality of information I received from the TEFL staff was basic information available on the websites and my questions went unanswered as to the procedures to follow for the Thai/Korea project advertised in conjunction with Park English. To date, no one has been able to tell me who the contact is at TEFL from Park English and TEFL has not provided me with a contact name at Park English. The 2 job offers they forwarded were not even within the time frame for me to be in the country (offered February openings when I specifically stated I would be in the March/April 2009 call and in Korea by May 2009 in my multiple Skype interviews).

I consider this highly unethical behavior and I will not do business with TEFL International or trust any more money to their offerings as a school or placement agency.

Regards,
Ann

RESPONSE FROM BRUCE AT TEFL INTERNATIONAL:
I am afraid Ann's story is now contradicting itself.

To quote her original complaint:

"I originally contacted TEFL International in December of 2007 about the 4 month Thai project listed on their website (www.bestteflcourse.com) for Chaing Mai. I applied, did my interview with Alex, paid the $500 deposit for the April 2008 class and processed my VISAs for Thailand in February 2008.

In March 2008, a family member fell ill and I had to postpone the trip."

Yet in her response she claims "My changes in programs were due to the confusion stemming from the lack of response from the staff, multiple websites with conflicting project details, and general confusion on their end as to who was "helping" me"

Finally, to quote our terms and conditions:

"If for any reason you wish to subsequently cancel your place on the course after your part or full fees (i.e. deposit plus balance) have been paid, TEFL International cannot provide any refund except for exceptional circumstances. The course organizer's decision is final. In any case, the deposit is non-refundable. The reason for this is that the staffing for the course and accommodation have fixed costs which have to be paid for in advance and based on a specific number of course members in the group. The college cannot guarantee to replace course members who subsequently drop out."

it is clear that after Ann postponed her original course we were under no legal obligation to assist her further. But we try to accommodate people as best we can. It can get very confusing and annoying, and in Ann's case we spent countless hours trying to help her as she moved from course to course. At times, due to all these changes, we certainly did not follow through as frequently as we should have.

Our offer of a free online course or to hold her deposit for a future course is already a very fair offer.

MY LAST RESPONSE TO THE BBB (who does not seem very helpful):
(The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
The original postponement was handled in a fair manner and I was very happy with TEFL until I moved from the original Thai project. When I was told the original project in Chaing Mai was not available in Spring 2008--that is where the trouble with communication and the confusion regarding the staff and project details came in.

I have tried to get basic details and communication from TEFL, from their multiple admins, numerous websites, etc. and the only time I could guarantee a response was to copy in the VP.

TEFL has not spent "countless hours" assisting me... the original interview with Alex took the most time and the rest has consisted of my hounding the staff to get a few word in a email and broken promises.

Please provide the refund of my funds as agreed to in December 2008.

Thank you,
Ann