Warning: Exemplar Education

twinsmum08 · 4 January 2018 at 12:52AM

Hope to warn other parents... I signed up to Exemplar Education for an online education programme for my children who are primary school age. I was naiive enough to believe the salesman who visited the house and told me " it's easy to cancel if you have a genuine reason like financial hardship or a health problem". His words helped ease my decision to sign up to a 3 year contract without realising that it is virtually impossible to cancel it!! My financial situation has changed (unexpectedly and for the worst) and I have tried to cancel and cannot!
I've called them many times written and received a final response.. I've reported them to Trading Standards and the CAB and now going to the Financial ombudsman for help.
So parents please be careful.. The leaflet came through the school so I thought the company truthworthy. Their customer services is a call back only service. No direct telephone number. If asked staff say they don't give the number out. That should give people an idea of what they are really like...

I know this sounds stupid.. Who doesn't read the small print.. At the time I was financially able to afford the payments so it was no problem.
Exemplar are ruthless.

maman · 4 January 2018 at 1:11AM

I do hope you get it sorted.

I'm very disappointed to hear that your children's school circulated leaflets for what sounds like a disreputable company. I do hope you've told the school what's happened.

Tabbytabitha · 4 January 2018 at 9:56AM

Are there specific situations in which you're able to cancel and does your situation comply with this? Is it a credit arrangement that you're trying to cancel rather than an actual course?

NeilCr · 4 January 2018 at 10:38AM

Is it worth raising this with the school?. As you say they had the leaflets and may, possibly, be able to intervene with Exemplar for you

Indout96 · 4 January 2018 at 12:19PM

twinsmum08 wrote: »

I know this sounds stupid.. Who doesn't read the small print.

Almost nobody, that's how these sort of people get away with it.
They have page after page of small print, who has the time and sometimes the legal knowledge to read and understand it all.

Hope you get it sorted.

pearl123 · 4 January 2018 at 1:17PM

twinsmum08 wrote: »

Hope to warn other parents... I signed up to Exemplar Education for an online education programme for my children who are primary school age. I was naiive enough to believe the salesman who visited the house and told me " it's easy to cancel if you have a genuine reason like financial hardship or a health problem". His words helped ease my decision to sign up to a 3 year contract without realising that it is virtually impossible to cancel it!! My financial situation has changed (unexpectedly and for the worst) and I have tried to cancel and cannot!
I've called them many times written and received a final response.. I've reported them to Trading Standards and the CAB and now going to the Financial ombudsman for help.
So parents please be careful.. The leaflet came through the school so I thought the company truthworthy. Their customer services is a call back only service. No direct telephone number. If asked staff say they don't give the number out. That should give people an idea of what they are really like...

I know this sounds stupid.. Who doesn't read the small print.. At the time I was financially able to afford the payments so it was no problem.
Exemplar are ruthless.

Write to them and include a link of bbc's watchdog. State that you are going to report them, giving reasons why if they are valid. I find that companies usually pay up pretty promptly when I mention BBC watchdog.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b006mg74/contact

barbarawright · 4 January 2018 at 1:35PM

pearl123 wrote: »

Write to them and include a link of bbc's watchdog. State that you are going to report them, giving reasons why if they are valid. I find that companies usually pay up pretty promptly when I mention BBC watchdog.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b006mg74/contact

The Guardian has an excellent consumer column too that often sorts out these sort of issues.

Jenniefour · 4 January 2018 at 3:24PM

Make sure you inform the school about this, they need to pay more attention to who they're allowing to use them for passing on leaflets. It might also appear that this company are approved of/endorsed by the school.

chesky · 4 January 2018 at 3:31PM

“Who doesn’t read the small print”

I know and I’m just the same. With the exception of the cancellation clause. I always read just that.

suejb2 · 4 January 2018 at 3:35PM

Wow they don't look a good company.

They have had so many company name changes and insolvenies (sp)

I went online chat and asked Sarah for a contact telephone number. After a grilling why I needed it she gave me 0800 048 8692.

Good luck with stopping the contract.

custardy · 4 January 2018 at 3:44PM

So what is your notice period?

If you have chosen the Exemplar subscription option then, subject to the notice period, you can completely stop using it and then re-start again subject to your requirements, but again we would stress that Exemplar is specifically there to help children improve and ultimately reach their full learning potential and erratic study habits would be detrimental to the effects of any tuition provided.

Warning: Exemplar Education

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