Smart Tuition - Page 4

SCARSDALE, NEW YORK -- Received a letter in the mail from Smart Tuition to register to make payments. Couldn't register. Received failure messages of being unable to find or create account. The invoice says I can pay at 7-11 which I went to that is listed as an authorized payment location. 7-11 had no idea what I was talking about and said other mothers came for something for some reason. Continued to scramble to get the payment made. Decided to drop check in the mail.

Turns out it was received late and I accessed a $50 late fee. Called and waiting on hold for a considerable time only to be told over and over again, "Sorry, we don't waive late fees." I tried to explain how we tried multiple paths to get it paid on time especially since this was our first time and was unfamiliar with the process. No consideration was made. Horrible customer service. We will continue to provide negative reviews of this service.

GOODYEAR, ARIZONA -- Smarttuition means RETARDED TUITION
This company needs to change the name smarttuition to RETARDED TUITION because they have the worst uneducated ignorant team of customer representatives coupled with an IT department that is beyond retarded, and can't run the simplest website. This explains why a lot of companies choose to take their business overseas!! they just can't find competent educated people here. That's why they send customer service to the PHILIPPINES and IT departments to INDIA!! They are educated, smart, humble...and cheap!!! As opposed to overpaid, lazy, arrogant, ignorant high school drop outs found here. Anybody knows of any other service to use to pay for school tuition other than this joke of a service??!! please help.

When I called to try to get the auto draft date changed, I was told that I have to give a 3-4 day notice. Then when I asked to speak to a supervisor regarding the matter, I was asked "Why". What happen to good customer service. Well I can tell you that it is not at Smart Tuition. So when I got to really looking over the bill, I was told by my kids school that there was not a fee to pay the bill no matter which way it is set up. So now I see that I have been paying for a "convenience fee". Nothing is convenient when I have to pay my bill...

I will let my kids school know about the experience I just had, and suggest they find someone else. I plan on changing how I pay, and only pay to the school. So if your school is thinking about choosing them, then don't is what I recommend!

DALLAS, TEXAS -- My school never informed its parents of this service being put in to use. We only found out after school started. I am still not sure why I am being billed as I just paid the entire tuition.
They sent an invoice with a 15 day time period to pay $50 to use its services and if the $50 doesn't reach them and get posted in time, they will charge an additional $50. I have emailed the company 4 times, asking them to take me off their list. I have tried to explain that I did not owe any tuition at all for the entire school year, and would not be paying $50 to be in their system, only to keep receiving a bill.

After reading hundreds of complaints all over the Internet as well as at the Better Business Bureau, regarding how it charges these late fees routinely, even when the check reaches them ( their excuse to everyone has been that although they cashed the check, it takes time to post it to their system) it's pretty easy to deduce that this company is running a scam operation. Any school that would force this on its students is either not doing its diligent research about the company or is in on the scam.

WOODBRIDGE, NEW JERSEY -- The website and payment methods available online are absolutely heinous considering it's 2016 (if it were the early 2000's I couldn't really complain but it's not). When you go to the "pay my bill" page you are given the option to enter your bank routing/account info and are told that your payment won't post the same day.

You are also told that credit card payments will post the same day but you are not provided with any option for paying with a credit card nor are you advised how you go about paying with a credit card (yes, I tried calling their number and it also asks for your bank routing/account info). Your third option for payment is to pay cash at a partner location which you are given absolutely no information on regarding posting times.

Additionally, I had to pay a $43 service fee along with my first tuition payment (which in and of itself is laughable and absurd considering the extremely limited options on their website) to use this garbage system and I can't for the life of me figure out how that money was well spent.

I'm not sure who is running this business but they need to seek out the help of someone significantly younger or smarter to figure out how to allow more expedient payment options because right now this system feels like it was designed for the sole purpose of charging people outrageous service fees for limited services and trying their hardest to screw them into paying late fees. It's certainly not out of the realm of possibilities at this point for me to research a better payment option and petition that information to the school system for future use.

NEWARK, NEW JERSEY -- First bill and already late!!! We received our first bill yesterday - a double bill... $1248.80 haven't even stepped foot into the school yet. I have 2 weeks to pay it. Received it 8/1 due 8/15. Sure. Let me just pull that right out of **. Clearly it benefits ST to do this. With late fees on top of late fees oh or I can give up my bank account and routing # so they can just take it out. Considering administrative practices that would not be in my or anyone's best interest.

I am going to solicit meetings with the parents at our parish, then parishes close in my area and so on. Build a strong complaint with the Archdiocese to get a reputable company to handle tuition payments. I have thought about paying more to daycare to avoid you disgusting people altogether...

My principal stated how displeased she is to hear that she can no longer halt late payment fees, see some of us have to pay late or cannot attend. These fees push affordability right out the window and that's not right. Every parent I have spoken to has not had a good experience with you people and please save the BS comment that you are supposed to post at the end of this. I know, you know it **...

TEXAS -- I was charged $35 processing fee in March... now the school is charging me again cause they said I wasn't supposed to pay when I applied online in March. I called the school and they had me call Smart Aid, maybe I could get a credit. I contacted Smart Aid and the CSR told me that the school has in the computer to charge applicants $35! Oh and by the way they hadn't received my supporting document! I faxed them since March 4th! When I entered my application online I had no other option but to pay the $35 to complete the application process. So where do I get my money back from? I'm a single parent struggling to keep up so $35 is a big deal to me.

NEW JERSEY -- I have been paying my school fees through Smart Tuition. I had one late payment which I requested for a waiver for the late fee. It was NOT waived and the late fees are $55. Even when I made the payment on the due date, there is a late fee charged. I did a payment before the due date, there is a late fee charged. When I asked the customer service, I was told that those fees are for not paying the late fees from October which was not waived.

Currently my late fee total is $ 220. So Smart Tuition charges $ 55 every month for not paying the original late fees. That's awesome. I will take this action seriously if my fees are not waived. I have told on the call as well but no one has offered support. I have filed my case with BBB. If I don't get a waiver, I will start working on an affidavit of declaration from more parents signed to file a case or class action suit for such malpractices in late fees.

PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA -- Exactly like I read in other reviews, I made a payment directly to the school and the next day it was shown as credited on my account. A few days later I made a payment on the Smart Tuition website. Not only are they trying to charge me a $8 and something "convenience fee" but it says my payment will not post until late next week. What is the point of paying online? Isn't it supposed to be almost immediate? This company business, to my understanding, is mostly online so they charge everyone that makes a payment this $8 something fee? And then charge a late fee because they don't post the payment until days after the fact?

We are already paying Catholic School tuition which is not cheap. We pay all the other school fees, lunch fees, stationary fees, uniforms, fundraisers (mandatory), donations and anything else you can think of so why do we have to pay yet another fee for making a payment I don't look forward to making anyway. A legitimate late fee I understand but when I submit my payment almost a week before and they just decide not to post it why is that a fee imposed me?

NEW JERSEY -- I received a double bill from Smart Tuition. Although I have proof that check was cashed and stamped by their bank, Smart Tuition is stating to me check failed. I went back to my bank which is Police and Fire Credit Union and they asked me who I was dealing with? Because their bank withdrew the money and the person I talked to doesn't know what they are saying. Now I'm getting late fees etc despite me sending copy of cashed check to accounts manager. I go to the school and they say "I don't know why they are saying this but obviously the check cleared". You call the person who handles my son's school from Smart Tuition, and you get a call operator (different) every time.

They make you go through the whole identification process, tell them the whole story and then they tell you "sorry but we can't give out the number or email to the representative who handles your son's school." They email the person and that person will call you back but you don't know when. I have been dealing with this for 3 weeks and getting nowhere.

I was forced to contact an attorney who will now handle my case. I also contacted Archdiocese to report such wrongdoing. I have paid 15 years of catholic tuition to 3 different schools and never had one issue nor did I ever bounce a check. We get sent to this company and it's a complete mess. I will continue to go up the chain until problem is solved.