The Great Courses
reviews and complaints

I've been a fan of The Great Courses for a good long while now, probably about 15 years or so. I've always been into history, literature, philosophy, and political science, and they've always had some pretty good courses on those subjects. But lately, I've noticed something that's been bugging me a bit. Seems like a lot of the professors they're getting these days are injecting their own political views into their lectures. Now, I'm not saying that's necessarily a bad thing, but it does seem like they're all leaning pretty heavily towards the "politically correct" side of things.

And then there's this one course that really got my goat. It's called "Fighting Disinformation", and it's taught by three professors who work for an NGO that's backed by Soros and Gates. Now, I don't know about you, but that just screams "propaganda" to me. I mean, come on, guys, you're supposed to be teaching us how to think critically, not just spoon-feeding us your own political agenda.

So, unfortunately, I think I'm going to have to say goodbye to The Great Courses. It's a shame, really, because they used to be such a great resource for people who wanted to learn about all sorts of different subjects. But now it seems like they're just another mouthpiece for the politically correct crowd. Oh well, I guess I'll just have to find some other way to keep learning.

I gotta say, I ordered 5 of these courses from thegreatcourses.com and it was smooth sailing, no problems at all. But when we got the Great Civilizations course, it was a whole different story. Some of the discs were scratched up and wouldn't even play. I mean, what's the point of buying a course if you can't even watch it, am I right?

So, I called up customer service and they told me they couldn't replace the whole course, they could only send me one DVD. Like, seriously? What am I supposed to do with one DVD? That's not gonna help me learn anything. And to top it off, they wouldn't even give me a call back from a supervisor. I've been waiting for two whole weeks and still nothing.

Honestly, I was pretty disappointed with the whole experience. The courses weren't even as informative as they promised, just a basic overview of the subject. I mean, I guess they were okay for what they were, but definitely not worth the money.

If you're thinking about buying from thegreatcourses.com, I'd say don't waste your money. Just get a PBS course through Netflix or something. At least then you know you're getting quality content and customer service that actually cares about you.

I gotta say, The Great Courses is pretty darn good. I mean, I wouldn't give it a full five stars, but I rounded up 'cause it's definitely worth it. I've been listening to these courses since I was in high school, back when they were on cassette tapes (remember those?). And let me tell ya, I've listened to dozens of 'em thanks to libraries and Audible.

Now, I just bought six more courses and I'm pretty excited to dive into 'em. Sure, like any publishing house, they've got some duds, but overall the quality is top-notch. If you're into university-style lectures, then you won't find a better catalog anywhere else.

Personally, I'm more of an auditory learner, so I can't say much about their video material. But if you're like me and you prefer to listen to lectures, then you'll love The Great Courses. They cover all sorts of topics, from history to science to literature and beyond. And let me tell ya, they make even the driest subjects sound interesting.

So, if you're interested in anything even remotely academic, then you gotta check out The Great Courses. They've got something for everyone. And hey, if you don't like a course, you can always return it. But trust me, you won't be disappointed.

This here is my two cents on The Great Courses (thegreatcourses.com). I gotta say, I was pretty disappointed with what I found. Back in the day, I used to love these courses, but after giving them a try again a couple years ago, I cancelled my free trial before it was even up. And let me tell you, it wasn't just because of the lack of color in the instructors (which is a whole other issue in and of itself).

The titles they offer are just plain uninspired, and the whole thing feels like a relic from a bygone era. It's like they're stuck in the past and have no connection to the present or future. And don't even get me started on the quality of the videos. Some of them are the same ones I watched as a kid, which means they're grainy and low quality.

All in all, I'd say this platform is pretty much worthless. It might have been academically rigorous 30 years ago, but today it's just outdated and lacking in relevance or modern-day usefulness. I wouldn't waste my time or money on it if I were you.

I gotta say, any company that controls their own reviews is a total sham. Like, obviously they're gonna trash anything that's not to their benefit, right? So I had to go elsewhere to get the REAL picture of The Great Courses. Luckily, their web team can't silence (or remove) all the reviews like they do on Amazon (with some palm grease, if you know what I mean). They'll leave some complaints about technical issues with their apps and stuff, but that's just to make it seem like they're balanced. But it's all hogwash, if you ask me.

I've seen a lot of people talking about their bias when it comes to history and politics, especially. Like, half of my course reviews have been censored, and they use this disgusting term "moderated" instead of just telling you straight up why they censored it. It's like they're trying to be all high and mighty and stick-it-in-your-ear arrogant or something.

So, here's the deal: if you're looking for courses on history, politics, or religion, you might wanna look elsewhere. Same brainwashing there as in college, you know? Like, "believe me or flunk the course" kinda stuff. But science and exploration courses are pretty good, except for when they start whining about the new "religion of climate" and trying to make you vote for them or something. Overall, I'd say proceed with caution when it comes to The Great Courses.

I recently had an experience with The Great Courses Plus that left me feeling quite frustrated. I was offered a "free" trial through Roku, and being someone who loves to learn new things, I decided to give it a try. However, just three days into my trial, I was charged $45 from The Great Courses, as well as $19.99 from Roku. I was shocked and felt like I had been scammed.

To make matters worse, both The Great Courses and Roku initially refused to refund the charges. I couldn't believe it. I had only signed up for a free trial, and now I was being charged for something I didn't even want. The Great Courses even claimed that they had no record of me cancelling through Roku, which made me feel like they were trying to cover up their mistake.

After spending a lot of my free time emailing back and forth with both companies and providing proof of my cancellation, Roku finally refunded what they had charged me. However, The Great Courses Plus only pro-rated my "free" membership to the three days it was used and said they "do not believe a refund is required." I was outraged. It was a free trial, and I shouldn't have been charged in the first place. It felt like they were trying to take advantage of me.

While I do appreciate that The Great Courses eventually refunded my money, I still feel like I shouldn't have had to go through all of this trouble in the first place. It was a frustrating experience, and I wouldn't recommend dealing with this organization to anyone. The courses themselves were also quite outdated, which was disappointing. Overall, I would say that The Great Courses Plus is not worth the hassle or the money.

I used to be a big fan of The Great Courses, and I've bought a bunch of their lecture series over the years. But I gotta say, I was pretty disappointed with their recent series on Winston Churchill. It was super one-sided and left out a bunch of important facts.

I decided to speak up about it on their Facebook page, and it turns out a lot of other people felt the same way. My comment got a bunch of likes and supportive comments. But then, out of nowhere, one of their staff members started attacking me in the comments. They accused me of all sorts of things that weren't true, and were just generally really rude.

I tried to respond calmly and explain my point of view, but then they deleted my comment and blocked me from the page. I mean, seriously? All I did was point out some flaws in their product, and they couldn't handle it.

Honestly, I work in customer service myself, and I know that treating customers like that is never okay. And it's not just the customer service that's a problem here. The lectures themselves are really biased and don't give a fair picture of history.

So yeah, I don't think I'll be buying any more courses from The Great Courses. Once you lose someone's trust, it's hard to get it back. And in this case, I don't think they deserve it.

The great course that I want to talk about is the one on understanding the quantum world. I've been researching quantum mechanics for a while now, and a lot of the information in this course lines up with my research. However, there's way too much personal opinion in this course, based not on scientific fact but on opinion, especially when it comes to consciousness and its relation to quantum effects. They have a physicist explaining quantum mechanics from a physicist's point of view, and physicists have been trying to cut down quantum mechanics since it was discovered. I'm disappointed to see that in general, that category of scientists hasn't learned to put down their own egos in order to work with the facts that have been collected from repeated and peer-reviewed experimentation.

Now, I've gotten quite a few other great courses, and I may leave better reviews for those as I move through them, but so far, understanding the Quantum World just strikes me as another salvo launched from the "all that matters is matter" crowd. Scientists still don't understand consciousness, where it comes from, or how it affects the universe around us. I would give this course a lower score, but other than the above-mentioned issue, the presenter has been engaging, the visuals appealing, and the book's wording easy to digest. So that leaves me at a 3.

Please, scientists, stop acting like politicians. We need you to work together and put your egos aside to discover the truth about the universe.

I gotta say, I ordered this course called A Guided Tour of Ancient Egypt from The Great Courses website on August 11, 2022. I paid $10.00 for shipping, and I reached out to them on August 18, 2022, because I still hadn't received my order. They told me that it had been delivered on the 18th to the local post office by United Parcel Service. Apparently, UPS has this thing called UPS Smart post where they deliver to the local post office. But get this, it wasn't delivered on the 18th, 19th, or even the 20th! I called The Great Courses on the 18th and again on the 19th, and each time they told me that it had been delivered to the post office. But it hadn't! And let me tell you, the people answering the phone at TGC were not very nice. They were rude, insistent, and told me that I couldn't get a refund until 10 business days after the purchase date of the 11th. That's not until August 26th! And to top it all off, they said a "supervisor" would call me on Monday, August 22nd, but that didn't happen.

Now, I don't know about you, but I was really looking forward to this course. We have a tour of Ancient Egypt coming up next week, and even if the course arrives, there won't be enough time to view and study the 24 hours of DVD's! So, my advice to everyone out there is to NOT purchase from this company. They're not even rated by the BBB, and they only have an average rating of 2.59 stars, which will probably be even lower after my review. There are plenty of other good educational companies out there, so don't waste your time with this one. They're just poor in every respect.

I gotta say, I'm pretty surprised by the low rating that SiteJabber is giving to The Great Courses. I've been a customer of theirs since around 2015, and I've never had any issues with them. Right now, they're having a huge sale until August 2020, and I'm definitely taking advantage of it. I'm planning on buying American History, Biochemistry, and How to Play Piano for only $35 each!

Now, I will admit that their list prices can be pretty steep. But if you sign up for their mailing list (they won't spam you, I promise), you'll get offers for discounts ranging from 70% to 90% off every month or so. And trust me, every course will eventually go on sale within a year. So don't worry too much about the cost.

If you really want to save some money, I recommend purchasing the online streaming option instead of the DVDs. It's cheaper, there's no shipping cost, and you can even download the videos (unencrypted) onto your hard drive or other storage device.

As for the courses themselves, some of them are definitely worth having. They're presented really well and cover a ton of topics in just one course. Each lesson is only half an hour, but you'll usually get at least 12 lessons per course. Some courses even have 45 or 72 lessons! And the guidebooks that come with each course are super helpful. You can even order digital copies of full transcripts of all the lectures.

Before you buy a course, make sure to read the reviews on their official website and check out the overall rating. And be sure to understand what the content is actually about - some courses are more technical than others, and some might not be technical enough for your liking. There are some courses that have bad reviews, so you might want to avoid those.

If you're not sure if you want to spend the money on a course, try looking on YouTube for similar content. Sometimes you'll find exactly what you're looking for, and you won't have to spend a dime.

And if you do end up having any issues with your purchase, don't worry - returns and exchanges are allowed. Just make sure to read their policy page or give them a call. They might be a bit busy right now because of COVID-19, but they have a good reputation to maintain (except on this site, apparently), so they'll definitely go out of their way to be helpful.

I gotta say, I had some mixed feelings about The Great Courses. On one hand, the content is pretty solid. I mean, you can learn about anything from history to science to cooking. And the professors are legit experts in their fields. But on the other hand, the company itself can be a bit sketchy.

First off, if you're thinking about using a promo code, be careful. I tried to use one and it didn't work. And when I contacted customer service, they were less than helpful. They basically told me tough luck and that the promo code wasn't valid. So, just a heads up.

Also, make sure you know exactly what you're getting into with them. They bill your credit card or bank account and never give you a receipt or email about any subscription. It's like, how am I supposed to keep track of my finances if I don't even know what I'm paying for? It's a bit shady if you ask me.

But all that being said, if you're willing to take the risk, the courses themselves are pretty good. Just be prepared to deal with some less-than-stellar customer service and a lack of transparency when it comes to billing.

I gotta say, I was pretty disappointed with my second purchase from The Great Courses. I was really hoping they would have stepped up their game and brought in some more modern teaching techniques, but nope. It's just the same old professor standing at the front of the class, talking and talking and talking. And don't even get me started on the lack of visuals. I mean, come on guys, it's 2021! We need more than just a talking head to keep us engaged. I found myself nodding off more than once and had to chug a few cups of coffee just to stay awake. Overall, I wouldn't recommend The Great Courses to anyone looking for a more dynamic and engaging learning experience.

So, I gotta say, some of the courses on The Great Courses website are alright. But, let me tell you, if you decide to cancel, watch out! They'll take your money without even asking for permission. I mean, I went ahead and changed my credit card number to one with no money on it, and they still managed to steal from me. It's a real shame, because I was enjoying some of the courses, but now I can't recommend them to anyone. Stay away from these guys, they're nothing but a bunch of thieves. I had to go and report them to my bank's fraud department, just to get my money back.

So, I had this situation where my uncle passed away and left me with 10 courses from The Great Courses. I was not interested in keeping them, so I decided to return them. I mean, they advertise a lifetime guarantee or 1 year return for any reason, right? Well, let me tell you, it was not that easy.

I went to their website and followed the instructions to initiate the return process. I packaged the courses back up and sent them back to The Great Courses. But then, I received an email saying that they could not accept the return because the guarantee was personal to my late uncle. What?! That's not what they advertise!

I tried to explain the situation, but they were not willing to budge. It was really disappointing and frustrating. I mean, I understand that they have policies, but this just seems like a scam. I would not recommend buying from The Great Courses if you are expecting to be able to return anything for any reason.

Overall, my experience with The Great Courses was not great. The courses themselves may be good, but their customer service and return policies are not up to par. It's a shame, really. I wish they would honor their guarantee and make things right.

So, I gotta tell ya, I had a bit of a scare when I ordered some stuff from The Great Courses during a sale. I mean, who doesn't love a good sale, right? But when I got my credit card statement, I saw that they charged me the full price instead of the sale price. I was like, "What the heck, man? That's not cool!" But I called up their customer service and they were pretty chill about it. They gave me my money back and all that jazz. But it got me thinking, what if someone didn't notice that they got charged the wrong amount? That could be a major bummer, especially if we're talking about a big ol' chunk of change like $500 or more.

Anyway, aside from that little hiccup, I gotta say that I'm pretty stoked about The Great Courses. They've got all kinds of cool stuff to learn about, from history to science to cooking and beyond. And the best part is that you can learn at your own pace, without having to worry about grades or anything like that. Plus, the instructors are all top-notch experts in their fields, so you know you're getting some quality knowledge.

One thing I will say, though, is that some of the courses can be a bit pricey. But if you keep an eye out for sales and discounts, you can usually snag a good deal. And honestly, I think it's worth it to invest in your own education. I mean, who knows when you might need to know about the history of the Byzantine Empire or the intricacies of molecular gastronomy, right?

All in all, I'd say that The Great Courses is a pretty sweet deal. Just be sure to double-check your credit card statements if you order during a sale, ya dig?

I gotta say, I was pretty disappointed with my experience with The Great Courses. I mean, I was really excited to dive into all the cool courses they had to offer, but things just went downhill from there.

First off, I had some major issues with their Roku app. I mean, I paid good money for a subscription, but after just two months, the app updated and lost all my account information. And when I tried to get help from some guy named Albert at Roku, he just didn't seem to get it. I mean, come on man, I paid for this stuff!

But it gets worse. After calling around and doing Roku's job for them (seriously, what's up with that?), I found out that The Great Courses had actually changed their name to Wondrium. Like, what the heck? Why didn't anyone tell me?

Anyway, I'm not sure if I'll be renewing my subscription with these guys. I mean, the courses themselves were pretty good, but the whole experience just left a bad taste in my mouth. Maybe I'll try some other online learning platform next time.

So, I was checking out The Great Courses website and it was a bit funky to navigate. I ended up ordering something I didn't even want! I was pretty bummed out about it, but I contacted customer service right away. They told me there was nothing they could do except for me to return it when I received it.

But wait, there's more! A few days later, I noticed that they removed a promotional code I had entered that was accepted. And to top it off, they charged my credit card the incremental difference without my authorization. I was pretty upset about this and reached out to customer service again. But unfortunately, I didn't hear back from them.

Overall, I'm not too impressed with The Great Courses. The website could use some work and the customer service could definitely be better. I'm not sure if I'll be ordering from them again anytime soon.

This course ain't for no beginners, let me tell ya! I ain't no beginner on the piano myself, but I wanted to brush up on some theory and use this course as a "refresher" after being away from the ivory keys for a hot minute. But dang, the terminology they use in this course was all new to me and I found it mighty confusing. And the workbook they give ya ain't all that helpful either. And don't even get me started on the video - it's hard to tell what keys the professor is playing when she's up there on the screen. If you've played an instrument before, you might be able to make sense of the music scores they show ya, but if you're a newbie, you're gonna be lost as a goose.

I gotta say, I'm a big fan of The Great Courses. They got some real good stuff on there, but some of it is just too dang expensive if you ask me. But that ain't even the worst part. The real problem is the mailings. I swear, I get a catalog from them at least once a week, sometimes even twice! And the more I buy, the more they send. It's like they don't even care about my mailbox getting all cluttered up.

So I called up customer service to see if they could do something about it. And you know what I got? A robot. Yeah, a robot. It let me opt-out of the mailings, but that didn't do squat. It slowed down for like three weeks, but then it started right back up again.

Now don't get me wrong, I really like The Great Courses. But if they don't start treating me like a human being and stop bombarding me with all these catalogs, I'm gonna have to take my business elsewhere. It's just not right, you know?

I was really excited to learn more about history and science, so I decided to check out The Great Courses website. I ended up buying several courses, but unfortunately, I was pretty disappointed with what I got. To be honest, they were all pretty boring. It felt like the presenters weren't really putting in any effort to make the topics interesting or engaging. It was just like they were reading from a script at a really fast pace, and sometimes they even had trouble speaking clearly.

I was also pretty skeptical of the fact that all of the presenters were introduced as professors with PhDs. I mean, just because someone has a degree doesn't necessarily mean they're a good teacher, right? And to be honest, I didn't really feel like I was learning anything new or exciting from these courses.

One thing that really bothered me was that all of the courses seemed to be produced in the same room, with just a plain green background. It made me wonder if this company was really just trying to churn out as many courses as possible without really caring about the quality.

Overall, I have to say that I was pretty disappointed with my purchase from The Great Courses. It felt like they were just trying to make a quick buck without really taking responsibility for the quality of their products. In the end, I ended up throwing all of my courses in the garbage can.

I have purchased over 180 courses from this company, and have found them to range from 'good' to 'excellent'. I have included in every one of my reviews my concern about their present method of packaging by putting all DVDs on a single pole. It is annoying to say the least, and does nothing to reduce the overall size of the package. On going through the Course, or going back to review a lecture, this stacking makes for painful selection, and can possibly result in damage to the discs. It certainly does little to reduce costs. They have continuously opted to not comment on this criticism. I can only hope this will lead to TTC reverting to individual storage within the box.

Obviously, you don't give a [censored] what we think because the same problems exist. My question is, what is the purpose for buying the XXL refill cups for $1, then have to still pay $1 for a refill? The customers are no longer paying for the cup. So the need for paying $1 for just a refill is for what? Will you fix this please? Thanks in advance. I've bought three of those cups and i refuse to pay another$1 for a cup I've already bought.

The course I ordered wasn't worth the money and time I spent on it. They sent my course by fedex and it never arrived. I paid $15 for its delivery. Any other delivery or postal service would do it much faster. I contacted the service and got a very blurred answer, that sounded more like "we don't care". I don't want to give them the second chance.