Menu
For Business Write a review File a complaint
CB Education and Training Review of Scholastic Advantage Services
Scholastic Advantage Services

Scholastic Advantage Services review: Steven Smith 9

N
Author of the review
4:01 pm EDT
Resolved
The complaint has been investigated and resolved to the customer’s satisfaction.
Featured review
This review was chosen algorithmically as the most valued customer feedback.

To Whom It May Concern,

I am Nhuan Q. Nguyen, and my wife is Thu-Trang T. Nguyen. We are parents of Christina Nguyen who was at first grade at Jolly Elementary school in DeKalb county. Before Christina took the summer break, we received a handout from Jolly school asking parents to sign up for summer programs for the student to study at home. We wrote our name on the paper, signed and returned it to the school through Christina’s daily homework.

On June 10, 2009, a lady called my wife on her cell phone which she used as contact number with Jolly School. The lady told us that she was calling from Jolly Elementary school, and because we signed up the paper that we want to have some programs for Christina to learn during the summer break. She told us that both of us need to be at home, and the school will send teachers to the house to demonstrate the program. We set up an appointment at 8:00 AM on Saturday June 13, 2009.

On June 13, 2009 around 8:50 AM, Steven Smith came to my house. Steven Smith told us that he was a fourth grade teacher at Lithonia elementary school, and he was a representative of the Jolly School as well as other schools in DeKalb county. He told us that Jolly sent him to our house to demonstrate the summer programs to our daughter Christina Nguyen. Steven Smith did show us the piece of paper that we signed up for summer program from Jolly school before.

The name of the program is "National School Curriculum Life Time Course Exchange Software for Life Program". Steven installed a demo program into my desktop computer, and he showed Christina the program. Steven told us that there was only one time fee of one thousand dollars ($1, 000.00) plus $85.00 for shipping & handling. The school will send to our daughter updated software periodically until Christina graduates from high school without additional charges. We wrote him a check of $85.00 per his request.

Steven Smith then asked us for address, phone, social security numbers (both of us), and date of birth (both of us), and he wrote them down on a form that he did not give us any copy. Steven Smith then filled out the order form (as shown in the attachment - OrderForm.pdf). We thought it was a program to support Jolly school, so we signed the order form. Steven asked us to pay $85.00 for shipping and handling up front. We wrote him a check of $85.00 which was cashed a few days later.

On Thursday June 18, 2009, Linda from Fra Lyn Company called me to arrange for payment. Linda told me that she is a representative in the financial department which is taking care of payment and billing. Linda told me that she received our contract to buy the software from Steven Smith, and she told me that our first payment will be on August 1, 2009 with a minimum amount of $41.64. There will be a financial charge of 18% if we do not pay $1, 000.00 in full with the first payment. I also asked Linda what if the company goes bankruptcy in the next few years, who is going to send to us the updated CDs. Linda laughed, and she told me not to worry about it because it is a program for school system, and school system never goes bankruptcy.

On June 26, 2009 Steven Smith came to our house and gave us a box of 6 CDs. A few days later, when we put the CDs into the computer for our daughter, Christina Nguyen, to study, four of the CDs were not working. While running one of the working CDs, I received error message of failing to read disc’s content. The CDs looked like they were duplicated using CD-R blank discs.

I then contacted Steve Smith, Linda as well as the phone number on the paperwork. No one answered my calls. I left them many messages. I also mentioned that if they did not answer my calls, I will report this problem to the police.

On July 3, 2009 I called Steven Smith, and he answered my call. He told me that he will come to my house on Tuesday July 7, 2009 to fix the non-working CDs. Steven Smith did not come to my house on July 7 as he promised. I called and left him messages.

On July 9, 2009 I called Steven Smith to ask him to come and fix the CDs. Around 6:05 PM, Steven Smith came to my house. And Steven Smith verified some of the CDs were not working. He told me that he will send us the working CDs later. Steven dropped three more CDs at my mailbox a few days later (they were not mailed through US Post office service). None of the CDs were working. And again, the 3 replacement CDs appear to be copied or duplicated.

I called Steven Smith and left him messages to let him know that the replacement CDs were still not working, but he did not call me back.

We contact Jolly School at [protected] on July 13, 2009 at 11:30 AM, and Jolly School Principal’s Assistant Mrs. Brooks confirmed that there was no such program at Jolly School. Mrs. Brooks also told us that the school did not send any teachers to student’s house to sell software. They asked us to report this incident to DeKalb School System through www.Dekalb.k12.ga.us

On July 20, 2009, I received the first payment statement from FRA LYN COMPANY who claimed to be the financial institute of the Scholastic Advantage Services company. Steven told me that my monthly payment will be $41.64 as shown in the attached order form, but the payment statement showed that my minimum monthly payment must be $166.67. I attached both of the order form and the billing statement here.

On July 21, 2009 at 12:30 PM, I called Steven Smith. I told him that the replacement CDs that he dropped at my mailbox were NOT working. I also asked him to stop by Jolly's Principal Office with me on July 22, 2009 at 9:00 AM to prove if he was a teacher whom Jolly sent to my house to demonstrate the program as Steven told us before. At first, Steven told me that his schedule was so tied that he could not come to Jolly School with me. I then asked Steven to give me an exact day and time that he can go. Steven Smith then told me that he did not work for Jolly school, and he hung up the phone. I called him again, but he did not answer my call.

On July 21, 2009 around 1:10 PM, I called Fra Lyn company. After giving them my account and reporting the issue that the CDs were not working, they hung up on me. I called them again, they answered my call and put me on hold for over twenty minutes then they hung up the phone. I called again, and I was prompted to leave a message. I left them a message and asked them to call me back. So far, I have not received any call from neither Steven Smith nor his company.

Since Steven Smith and his people have access to the SOCIAL SECURITY numbers and Date of Birth of mine and my wife, we are very concerned that they could use our identities to do things without our knowledge.

We need help from Jolly School, DeKalb School System, Georgia Department of Education, as well as Law Enforcement to investigate this incident. Please help to stop this criminal act/fraud in our school system. We hope that Jolly will alert other students and parents to be aware of this fraud, so that they would not become victims as we did.

Here is information about Steven Smith and the company as it was appeared on the order form.

1. Scholastic Advantage Services
1510 Hwy 74N
Suite 177
Tyrone, GA 30290
[protected]

Representative: Steven Smith
Rep. Phone: [protected]
Financial Representative: Linda [protected])
Steven’s Manager: Don [protected])

2. Fra Lyn Company
P.O. BOX 968
Branchville, NJ 07826
Office: [protected]
Toll: [protected]

Resolved

The complaint has been investigated and resolved to the customer’s satisfaction.

9 comments
Add a comment
S
S
SuperVepr
Redneckville, US
Jul 27, 2009 4:05 pm EDT

Leave GA immediately. Nothing good can come of this.

S
S
Scholastic Advantage Services
Linden, US
Aug 03, 2009 9:41 pm EDT

Complete fabrication of the facts. Mr. Nguyen is a software engineer who copied and stole information from the curriculum program and charges will be filed in Dekalb County court in the near future. This is a person who decided that he was going to get a "FREEBIE" and replicated the disks. What fails to be mentioned is that his contract was terminated and he isn't liable for anything in the future. How convenient that that was left out of the complaint. PLEASE CHECK ON THIS STORY IN THE NEAR FUTURE.

V
V
vrymadparent
rr1 box 510a, US
Nov 05, 2010 11:12 pm EDT

I know this is a very old post but I have also had issues with this program. They are a bunch of scam artists. They provided very cheaply made products that look like they were just copied and reprinted cds and products and were of no use to my 4 year old daughter whatsoever. When they started sending bills, if you are even slightly late, they are so rude and send very inappropriate letters. DO NOT FALL FOR THIS SCAM! Something needs to be done about this company.

T
T
Tbui08
Stone mou, US
Aug 23, 2011 6:29 pm EDT

The same thing happen to me, have anyone caught the verdict?

F
F
fishy company
Jonesboro, US
Oct 22, 2011 6:49 pm EDT

The same thing happen to me but I never received bill, no information on CDs except CDs in box . August 2011

L
L
lynn alexander
Ellenwood, US
Jun 14, 2012 9:31 pm EDT

I pick up a small notice at my daughter's school and 3, 4 mos. later before school year ended for 2012, Steven Smith call to set up a time to speak with my husband and myself about the national school curriculum lifetime course software program. He pull out his demo paper and c.d.s and started telling us what all our child would learn from the purchase of this product. Stating that it was endorsed by my daughter's principal and a lot of parents were please with it . He put in a c.d. on our computer with that hippo on the begining of the c.d., then he ask my child to sit and listen to the instructions and answer the question when it's finish. Now I'm thinking it's okay at this point, and this would be a good learning tool for her if the materials that they are selling for 1085.00 are legit. So when it comes in the mail what do you think I got 6 c.d.'s and nothing else. They were label math, social studies. grammar, and so on 2011, 2012 no spanish c.d. at all which we chose for the second language to be learned, as told to us by Steven Smith. IT'S A BUNCH OF CRAP! Just like I wrote in my other review that I argued with Steven about over the phone after he read it. Then he went on to tell me he wasn't helping with getting my 85.00 back or cancelling the order. DON'T BUY THIS FROM HIM IF HE COMES TO YOUR HOME TRYING TO GET YOU TO DO SO . THEY ARE NOT WITH THE SCOLASTIC EDUCATION COMPANY THAT YOU SEE ON THE INTERNET. SAS SCHOLASTIC ACHIEVEMENT SERVICES P.O. BOX 351 1510 HIGHWAY 74N TYRONE, GA. 30290 PHONE [protected] IS WHAT'S ON YOUR RECEIPT. FRA LYN FINANCIAL P.O.BOX 968 BRANCHVILLE NJ 07826 ARE THE ONE WHO WILL SEND YOU A BILL FOR THE PAYMENTS THEY WANT YOU TO MAKE . LOOK FOR EVERY REVIEW YOU CAN FIND ON THIS SO CALL COMPANY, AND DON'T GIVE THEM ANY INFORMATION TO TAKE MONEY FROM YOUR CHECKING ACCOUNT OR CREDIT CARD, OR DEBIT YOUR ACCOUNT IN ANY FORM. THEY JUST WANT TO KEEP GETTING PAID EVEN IF YOU DO CANCEL THE ORDER.

T
T
tiffany2122
Irwin, US
Jul 10, 2012 8:01 pm EDT

I have been suckered into their program as well. I have dealt with the reprocussions of Fra Lyn and the rude people they have in their office. THIS PROGRAM IS NOTHING BUT A SCAM! IT DOES NOT HELP THE CHILD! I live in Pennsylvania and was also visited by a Steven Smith. They are serious scam artists and harassers as well!

M
M
melvin1227
Bronx, US
Oct 24, 2012 2:17 pm EDT

Yeah they got me but am getting them back and more . who ever laughts last laughs the best .

J
J
Janemarie
US
Dec 02, 2016 6:43 am EST

This is a scam. Steven Smith is NOT a teacher and he is not affiliated with any school system. The number on the fake paper he gives to you doesn't work. He says you can call 24 hours a day and get a tutor is fake. When I called Don his "supervisor" I was told by Don himself that steven smith is the owner of the company. Don is just the guy that does the financing of the product. When I tried to cancel Don said you have a problem. When I called steven smith to cancel he got upset and just said its cancelled its cancelled. I called my son's school and informed them of Mr. Smith's fraud company.