BUYER BEWARE

People seeking PMP certification tend to seek out as much information as possible regarding the exam and what to expect. The good news is that with the internet a lot of information is available at the click of a mouse.

The bad news is there is a lot of bad information and unethical people and companies out there taking advantage of people prepping for the exam.

A couple of examples:

LinkedIn is a great source for networking. On the flip side, however, it’s also a very accessible portal for unscrupulous individuals. Case in point, a gentleman named Niraj Kumar. He has posted on a number of groups offering free PMP practice exams. The exams are very poor quality and actually contain significant amounts of inaccurate information. He recently posted a link to a company CertChamp which claims to be a PMI R.E.P. I confirmed with PMI that CertChamp is NOT an REP. Here’s a clue to how unprofessional they are from their website: “God Forbid, if you fail in the actual certification exam, get 100 Percent Money Back. Unconditionally! It will not happened because our success kit teach you best.” (and we quote!)

Another scam: A student in a recent class recounted his experience with a company that he found through an internet search. He enrolled in the course and paid his fees (which they were quick to process). However, when he contacted the company for additional information regarding the location of the course and other information, there was no answer. Nor was there the capability to leave a message. He called repeatedly for a few weeks and was finally connected with someone out of the country who was very obviously unfamiliar with the San Francisco Bay area. A long story short, our student figured out that this was not a legitimate operation a few days before the class was to begin.

And unfortunately it’s not just limited to fly-by-night programs. Another student of ours paid a pretty high price to participate in a prep camp with a known provider. Her intent was to sit for the 3rd Edition exam prior to it switching on 7/1/09. She explained that to the enrollment person, who scheduled her in a class halfway across the country on the last week of June. She was advised they had a group reservation the Prometric site and could sit for the exam on Friday. However, two weeks before the course when she tried to confirm her test appointment, she learned that there were no test slots available despite the fact she was told she had an appointment. At this point, she had paid airfare, taken time off from work, etc. The company refused to refund her money or assist her in any way possible.

It’s stuff like this that makes us so happy to go above and beyond for our clients!