Watch out, these schools are FRAUDULENT!!! My girlfriend was to graduate from AIU(american intercontinental university) in los angeles for interior design in June and tonite, they say the program is gonna change and they need to retake classes, and come to find out many loans were taken out in her name with no authorization. Brooks college(owned by the same company as AIU) was investigated by 60 minutes and looks to be in the process of being sued in a class action lawsuit. Just wanted to give you some FYI. Anyone that can help with some news or media coverage of this fraud at AIU please contact me. Thanks
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has anyone heard of a class action law suit being filed against them yet??? If so I'd like to know.. I was unfortunately pressured into starting early to "get in the classes i needed" ... and well lets just say my family and I got taken to the cleaners..It all seemed to be too good to be true, I was crying because I was so happy, I was the first person in my family to actually go away to school, live at the dorms and experience life for the first time outside of my parents home.. to get that experience and make something of my self was a dream come true.. or so I thought..
I remember them being pushy, and seeming to be pressuring me into starting early and saying that i was accepted , etc., blah blah blah.my dad had put up so much $ up front because my student loans didnt go through yet just to get me into that school. My parents were happy for me that I had accomplished this. It seemed to be too real to be true, I was only 17 at the time and just graduating highschool. After only spending a few months at the school, it didnt live up to what they had projected in the campus visit/brochures and what they had told me over the phone. The campus cops were dicks, they had more rules that were as stupid as could be for living in the dormitorys that I thought were just outrageous. The classes they showed seemed to be amazing, but little did i know that you had to get through the first year there to even begin to take all the "full multimedia classeS", animation , etc. The instructors were assholes, the administration was very money hungry. I went there with hopes of graduating and getting a good job working doing the things I love.. But I havent been able to find a decent paying job doing anything computer related with the skills that I do have. The accounts payable office clerks were rude. After I left the school I was set up on a payment plan to make payments for my student loan that I had to take out to cover tuition/books/bording. I was late 2 times, mind you 2 times and after I had spoken to someone down there about my payment that I had to send in, a few days later I get it returned saying that they had sent me to collections. They were very rude and never contaced me about anything like that. One day I was sitting at work and I got a phone call on my cell being hounded about the $ I had to pay off brooks. After calling them back I had found out that they had sent me to a collection agency based in Riverside, CA. and that I had to do all my payments through that company. They were nice at first, but started hounding me demanding that I needed to pay them in full, wanting to make payment arangements, etc. To this day I am still paying off brookscollege with my ****ty minimum wage job. And yet, still trying to live and pay for other things that come up. This has to have been one of the worst investments I and my family could have ever made. I am only 23 1/2 yrs old and I am in debt. My credit history is screwed because of that school, and there is nothing else I can do about it now... Other than suffer and keep paying on my account .
I had heard much about the BrooksCollege of Photography in my home town being under investigation, but little did I know that the one that I went to in long beach was going to soon be in the news paper as well. Last night I was channel surfing when I came across 60 Minutes and found out that more than 1 of those schools were under investigation.. Including Brooks of long beach..
I know I could probaly go on and on about my experience at this school, but if anyone has any more info on the school, or websites to visit.. I'd love to know. I went there in July of 1999, and stayed til December 1999
I know Im not the only person out there that this has happened to.. I truly feel bad for others that were duped into going to this rip off of a school........
thanks !
Just a note, other than I'm very sorry about this whole thing.
Everyone in this country has the right to refuse to work with a collection agent. You have the right to work directly with the company claiming the debt.
Also, if you tell them that you do not wish to be contacted at work or any other number other than your direct phone, if they contact you at work you can sue them...not that you aren't already.
best of luck to you all!
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I went to brooks college and my parents spent 45 thousand on this lame school- I had loans taken out in my name when I turned 18 and I had no clue until 5 mons. ago when I got a "new loan payment" I hope they go down. The teachers don't have degrees, there all from the industry. They literally will except anyone.
My boyfriend got screwed by them too. He's been trying to get ahold of the lawyer in charge. Currently they were filing a class action against Brooks. It's being run by the Braun Law Group.
