Still Receiving Emails From a Rep After a Year

[daphne]

Hi all. This is my first post. doniker is a friend of mine from other forums; we go way back. He told me about this forum, and I had a minute, so I thought I'd share what has been going on this week.

I attended ITT for one quarter during February to May or so of 2009, and then I transferred to Rasmussen online, which is where I go now. When I was in ITT, I began to hear horror stories about the school, its reputation, and that the credits would not transfer. Concerned, I phoned a man that I'd had contact with during the initial and intermediate stages of the quarter, William Salin. He is retired military, and my husband just recently retired from the military. During the time I spoke with him, my husband had one year left.

I called him, concerned about what I'd been reading and hearing, and spent time reassuring me that the credits transferred just fine. He told me national credits were better than regional credits, and blah blah blah. I left the conversation feeling rather unsure.

I decided to leave the 'college' (har), and almost immediately afterward, I was handed over to a collection agency. On the morning that I was attending the funeral of a friend who had died in Afghanistan (I was in Peoria), someone called, and I was told I owed $1,800.00. I decided to tell this person that I would call him back after I called ITT to verify the information, because only a fool sends money over the phone if that person has been called unsolicited. This person went apeshit nuts on me. I hung up on him, called ITT, filed a formal complaint, verified the collection agency information, called the agency back, and wired them $1,650.00. I gave them this amount because I was told if I paid off that day, I received a ten percent discount.

Now, ITT says that I am free and clear, and another collection agency is calling me for this $150.00 that I supposedly owe. Neither the first collection agency nor ITT will fax free and clear information. I am going to wait another month and two more attempts with ITT, and then I am going to take the school to small claims court.

Here's the kicker; I am still receiving emails from William Salin. I am sure they are automated, but after a year? I wonder if it's because I have a 97% average and a 4.0 at my other school. Of course, it could also be because I am human, and I'm still breathing. Who knows. I received a few emails last week and blew them off; but yesterday I received another one, and for some reason, that email enraged me. William Salin took advantage of our military history shared and not only flat-out lied, but he also used a script. I know this, because I found his words, almost verbatim, in this article, italicized:

http://thesop.org/story/education/2008/ ... tation.php

I decided to write back to William (WSalin@itt-tech.edu) and tell him how I feel. I don't know if anyone cares, but this is what I wrote to him:

Dear William,

I have been attending another online college since August of last year, so you can take me off the mailing list. Before you do, though, I'd like to say something to you:

You and I spoke over the phone last summer when I was trying to decide whether or not to stay at ITT because of the bad press I found found online about ITT. I was also concerned about the transferring of credits and validity of the credits that ITT gave for its classes. I had spoken to you at length about our military family backgrounds and felt that you understood how hard it is to be an enlisted military spouse with little family support. I felt that you could be trusted.

I wanted you to know that the main reason I left ITT was because of the speech you gave me in regard to national vs regional accreditation. I found this article:

http://thesop.org/story/education/2008/ ... tation.php

The italicized parts of the article are almost exactly the same words that you used, and it was then that I realized you read me a script. National credits are not as good as regional credits. You did not tell me the truth.

I do not have the money you do. The money I had to pay out of pocket for the quarter I spent at ITT cost our family money that could have gone elsewhere, and I don't think you really cared. The current economy is harsh. People are losing their homes. One of my best friends may lose her home next month, as a matter of fact, after being a mortgage payer for fifteen years. That you could tell someone such non-truths in this economy frankly makes me sick. I don't know how you sleep at night, William, I really don't.

My husband is a veteran like you are, and he told me something once. He said that integrity is doing the right thing when no one's looking. I want you to think about that, because I don't think you have any. My husband is five times the man you are, because no one could ever goad him into telling a lie to earn a paycheck.

Do not contact me again.

When I think about how there really are people losing their entire live's savings during this time in our country's history, I feel absolutely sick. My friend doniker owes money for a waste of half of an education, and he has been a hard-working, middle-class guy for most of his life. It's crap.

Thanks for allowing me to join your forum, and I'm sure I'll be around.

[aka name]

I'm sure I'll be around.

Hope so.

One of the most heart-felt, intelligent posts in the entire forum!

[Yukiko]

I do so agree wit you!