Missing grades, payment put former student to test

NATIONAL-LOUIS UNIVERSITY | Transcript request launches 4-year tangle in bureaucratic red tape

Dear Fixer: I attended National-Louis University's Michigan Avenue campus from the summer of 2000 through the fall of 2001 and completed all my classes.

In June 2005, I decided to pursue my master's degree. I requested my transcripts from National-Louis and upon receiving them I found that term IV was missing.

» Click to enlarge image

Stephanie Zimmermann

They told me I had been dropped from that particular semester due to insufficient payment. They said no grades existed for that semester.

Admittedly, I did have some financial difficulties. However, at the time, I had spoken to the people in financial services and was advised to make payments and remain in class until the situation was resolved.

I began to research the matter of the missing grades. School officials said there was no record of my attendance, so therefore, I should attend the classes again and the grades would be applied at that time. I advised them that I had proof I had attended, including signed affidavits, copies of my homework and grades for the classes in question. I submitted these for review.

Then I was advised I had an outstanding debt. I was also told that my grades would have to be verified by each professor, but since one of the professors no longer works there this may be a problem.

I submitted a formal appeal to the university in July 2006 and requested that they review my case, talk to the professors, substantiate my grades through the proper processes and apply my grades, and I would pay any balance due. Well, the course sheets could not be located and my appeal was never answered.

So I went to the executive director of student affairs. This was in 2007. He began researching this and found I had enough evidence to prove I attended the classes. In May 2007, I was given the balance that I would owe once my grades became available: $4,238. I submitted my payment in July 2007.

My grades had not yet been confirmed, but I was assured that everything was going OK. By January 2008, my grades were found and applied -- except one. I was told to call the people in registration to get the grades entered into their system and also add the grade for that course.

In March 2008, I was told that my grades were in the system -- and that I should remit my payment ASAP. I explained that I already had paid the $4,238, but they couldn't locate the payment in their system. They did see that I had paid $4,238 in July for "bad debt recovery." I was told that if I wanted my grades, I would have to pay $4,238 again.

I submitted e-mails, payoff statements and letters but was still told I owed the school this money. Since March 2008, I have received calls, bills, and final notices. I have already paid what was asked of me.

Desiree Williams, Westchester

Dear Desiree: Apparently your payment got sucked into the same black hole as the thousands of missing FreeGasRedemption.com rebates (remember them?) and the mate to Mr. Fixer's favorite socks.

We were happy to give this the little nudge it needed. We took your story to Tracy Kremer, PR maven at National-Louis University, who promised to get someone to look into it. True to her word, she connected you with Brisbane Rouzan, the school's student ombudsman and executive director of student affairs, who confirmed that you had paid for your classes.

The school has promised to grant you the degree you earned. Good luck in grad school and beyond.

Sales tactics by a Utah-based security company have caught the attention of Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan, who recently filed a lawsuit against Pinnacle Security LLC for allegedly using deception to lock customers into sales contracts.

According to the AG's lawsuit, Pinnacle Security's door-to-door sales people targeted current customers of rival security services. These door-to-door sales teams allegedly used false or misleading statements to convince consumers that Pinnacle had secured strategic partnerships with rival firms like ADT, or that ADT had gone bankrupt and that Pinnacle Security would be servicing ADT customers as a result.

Consumers would sign up, not knowing that no business relationship existed, and would find themselves stuck in two overlapping security contracts.

Madigan's lawsuit also alleges that consumers were misled about the cost of installation and monthly charges.

If you think this happened to you, you can call the Illinois attorney general's office at (800) 386-5438 and ask to be added to the case.

Getting the runaround over a consumer problem? Tell it to The Fixer, at www .suntimes.com.