My primary stand is this:

Even though a university per se is unaccredited, I do not automatically dismiss it, as long as I get the opinion that they are trying to conduct business seriously, and that learning do in fact occur.

I am also quite concerned with customer service, since I believe that the quality of service on get at the first contact point shows something about what kind of quality you are going to meet later on. If the university is conducted properly, the individual in charge will know the importance of this factor, and he will thus appoint qualified individuals to serve at the first line of contact.

However; after having contacted Atlantic International University, even I have to put my foot down. (www.aiu.edu)

After filling out a standardized form for questions, I was contacted by a representative for the university.

Please note! The form asked me to fill in my telephone number. I chose not to do this. Why? Because if I talk with representatives from one university, and not from the others, then the representative I talk with gain a competitive advantage for his university, and to make this equal, I would have to talk to representatives from all the other universities as well, which I do not have the time to do.

I believe a university should be able to present its “total package” of offerings on the Internet. If they are not able to do this, then they lack qualifications (my opinion).

After a while I was contacted through e-mail. I noticed that the person sending me the mail first refers to himself as “admission counsellor”, but later as “Dean of admission”. These two titles, for me do not at all send the same signal of importance. The first sign, for me, that something is wrong.

The mail contains useful information. I originally believed it was a direct reply to my questions, but now – in retrospective – I see that it is mostly a standardized mail. However; I felt my questions were answered.

So far so good.

Suddenly a new mail appears, with the following message title: “I must contact you”.

“Well”, I think. We do you need to contact me? My questions has already been answered in your mail that you sent me yesterday.

I open the mail, and the mail tells me that he needs my telephone number to contact me.

“Why”, I think. I have explicitly stated in the contact formula that I did not want to reveal my telephone number.

So, I answer the mail, telling him explicitly (again) that I do not want to reveal my telephone number at this stage in the process, but that I do have some more questions. I state the questions.

Two minutes later a new mail arrives, where he tells me that IT WAS A PLEASURE TALKING TO ME EARLIER. Hello, I did not speak to him at all! The mail does not answer my questions from my previous mail, and again the same information that I received in my first mail is pasted into this new mail.

I write back to him telling him that I DID NOT speak to him, and that I now understand that this is an automatic reply.

A little bit later a new mail arrives. I am now informed that – no – it was not an automatic reply. He writes a few lines about his university. Again; no answer to my questions. And: He AGAIN tries to get my telephone number.

I do not answer this mail.

Some hours later I get a new mail, where he asks me where I am!!!!! I get a little provoked over this.

The day after, I write him a new mail, repeating the questions sent previously that still are unanswered.
Summed up: I ask why a student should choose their university instead of a named other.

I now get a new mail, where he tells me that it is difficult to answer these questions.

Yeah, right.

How difficult can that be?

Again some heavy “copy and paste” goes on after this reply.

Summed up: VERY UNSERIOUS BUSINESS

__________________

Completed:

Doctor of Religious Education - Oval Bible College
Aspen University – MBA
BUC – Bachelor of BA in Managerial Economics
UOB – Various undergraduate courses
NSBA – Various undergraduate courses

In progress:

Bible University - Doctor of Biblical Studies
Nations University – MRS

**Member of Delta Epsilon Tau National Honor Society**

JD demonstrates the kind of tenacity it takes to verify the qaulity of a potential academic program or university.

Specific questions, timely follow-ups, and the willingness to seek "real" answers from college reps.

Hi

John Doe - there are several good reasons to investigate a few unaccredited schools -- and as we both know, some of them are 'way better than others. Apparently, from your experience, AIU fails to shine in the customer service area.

AIU must have some "street cred" to have survived Mr. Brunton's well-known and effective crackdown, which was more aimed at preventing consumer fraud than preserving academic standards.

That said, I really think you can find a better school among the "unaccrediteds." See my posting at the end of the linked thread for reasons I don't really care for AIU.

http://online.degree.net/accredited-...070/page2.html

If you're looking at unaccredited schools, check these two out and tell me what you think:

www.cpu.edu and www.calmu.edu. The second one is presently a DETC hopeful and may not be offering doctoral programs right now - I'm not sure.

Cheers

Johann

...but they sure do not write any better English than the guys fronting customer service at Ansted, as shown in another thread.

I just got a few more mails from the Dean of admissions at AJU, and if the grammar - and sentence structure - says anything about the quality of the educational material, then they are in serious trouble

__________________

Completed:

Doctor of Religious Education - Oval Bible College
Aspen University – MBA
BUC – Bachelor of BA in Managerial Economics
UOB – Various undergraduate courses
NSBA – Various undergraduate courses

In progress:

Bible University - Doctor of Biblical Studies
Nations University – MRS

**Member of Delta Epsilon Tau National Honor Society**

Hi JohnDoe

We have about four or maybe five threads on this Atlantic U that is smack in the middle of the Pacific. None have anything very good to say. I think we're agreed that for you or me, further dealings with this AIU would probably be a waste of time.

Funny about the numerous English errors - the Spanish on the Guatemala site seemed OK, but I'm a gringo - so what do I know?

If you're still checking on unaccredited business doctorate possibilities, I would again encourage you to have a look at www.cpu.edu.

¡Buena suerte!

Johann

Hello again. I've looked into www.cpu.edu, and they are on my short-list.

I am still chewing on the cost of properly accredited doctorates.

I still have some time available for the chewing process, so maybe - when finished chewing - I am able to digest the one from CSU or NCU (If we are talking about DBAs), and spit out the unaccredited ones.......

__________________

Completed:

Doctor of Religious Education - Oval Bible College
Aspen University – MBA
BUC – Bachelor of BA in Managerial Economics
UOB – Various undergraduate courses
NSBA – Various undergraduate courses

In progress:

Bible University - Doctor of Biblical Studies
Nations University – MRS

**Member of Delta Epsilon Tau National Honor Society**