Venting about College Board customer service

Parent Cafe
1

Does anyone mind if I vent? :slight_smile:

Background:
My daughter has an accommodation where she can use a computer to write the essay for the SAT. This accommodation causes her to take the test in her high school when she takes the SAT with essay (but not if she takes the SAT without essay).

Further background - she hates this accommodation, and we wrote a letter in March requesting it to be removed, but apparently college board lost the letter… But that’s a different problem…

I signed her up for the SAT with essay for the June 4th sitting about a month ago. It placed her in her school, because of her accommodation.

We recently decided to drop the essay. This requires her to move to a different location. Even though it says “dropping the essay is free”, because of the (required) move of location, the online system wants to charge me $28. Should I just pay the $28, even though that doesn’t really seem fair? Stupidly, I decided to give them a call… :frowning:

Here’s where the fun begins.

First I was on the phone for about half an hour, before the agent claimed that her system wasn’t working, and I should call back tomorrow. Yeah, right.

I called back 30 minutes later, and got a different agent. After about half an hour, this agent claimed “I’m sorry, but you’re daughter’s accommodation requires her to take the SAT with essay.” WTF!!! Yes, exactly - we fought to get an accommodation that makes the optional essay required… SMH. So I ask to speak to a supervisor. When he finally gets on, he’s been given some totally wrong explanation from the agent. So I explain the problem AGAIN. He says once you pay the $28, it’s not refundable. I say, “good, because I haven’t payed it yet.” Then he says, “Oh, what I meant to say is that you have to first make the change and pay the fee, and then we can try to get a refund.” Sheesh. I don’t care, it’s $28, so I pay it, make the change, and he files a ticket while I’m on the phone. The call is 52 minutes long. I figure maybe I’ll get back the $28, maybe I won’t, but I’m done with being on the phone with these bozos.

Today, I get an email from college board support. “We have received your request for changing your SAT registration to the SAT with Essay. We will be more than happy to assist you.”

I mean, they’re kidding, right? No organization (especially one that plays such a crucial role in all of our childrens’ futures) can be this incompetent, can it???

2

Have you ever talked to the GRE people? More joy awaits you there… the most frustrating part about College Board is how much you will pay for testing (they get your SAT fees, subject test fees, AP fees, and CSS Profile fees). You have my sympathy – but they will have your money. :frowning:

3

It’s the College Board. Get used to it.

My kid was in the batch of tests they misplaced for a while.

4

I hate to tell you this, but your story is not unusual. I work at a high school in a position where I have to deal with the College Board on a frequent basis. I have a long list of stories I could tell you, and they all sound like yours.

5

Oh goodness . . . College Board. :confused:

6

It’s a monopoly. You can’t take your business elsewhere. Well, you can take the ACT, but if you are taking the SAT or any AP tests you have no choice about dealing with the college board.

I have to say, though, the one time we called due to a forgotten password or something like that, they were pleasant and helpful, and we were not on hold for an unreasonably long time.

7

And if you have to submit a Profile, you have to deal,with the College Board.

8

Oh well. I think my situation is a little unusual, which is fine. I wish they just said, “sorry, you have to pay the $28.”

9

I had to deal with the College Board one year after I graduated high school since I was transferring schools and needed to send my AP and SAT scores to my new college. After three calls, large fees, and a realization that these scores were moved from the main database less than a year after I graduated, the organization finally sent my scores to my school over a month after I initially requested them.

Yea, they’re a frustrating organization.