Testmasters; Avi Jhingan, Ryan Stewart, Robin Singh
Complaint 356224 Details

Part 1/2:
Never in my life have I felt so disrespected by a company. In November of 2014, I attended a Law School Seminar at UCLA, a prestigious school. My friend and I were looking around at various law schools, and she had talked me into looking at various tables to start looking at classes for the "LSAT." I obliged, however, I was only in my freshman year at UCLA, and wouldn't be able to take the LSAT until my senior year or after I had graduated. But I looked anyway, nonetheless, in order to better prepare myself. I saw signs for "Kaplan," "Blueprint," "Powerscore," and then I saw one for "Testmasters." I went to every table and spoke with everyone there. I finally ended up at the "Testmasters" table and had to draw the attention of two, middle aged adults in their twenties, who were uninterested in really trying to draw anyone's attention. But I asked them if they were any better than the following tables, and they lured me in quite simply, by saying "yes, and if you do a mock LSAT question, put your name in the jar and you can win a free LSAT test." Ok, I mustered. My friend and I filled out the question, and we submitted it. She got it wrong, and I got it right. "That wasn't so bad," I said. "We can only put our names in the jar if we got it right, correct?" I asked. "No, anyone who fills out the question can put their name in the jar." "Well, doesn't that defeat the purpose of trying to get the question right, or filling out the question at all?" I asked, confused. "Yeah. Ha. You're probably right. They should have a system in place that you can submit for the test only if you get the question right." Anyway, about a week after the event we got a mass email with my name plastered on it stating that I had won the free LSAT test. Great I said. Unbeknownst that the oral contract of me signing the paper form, and from what the young adults in their twenties had told me, had an expiration date. I wouldn't have filled out anything had I known I had only one year to take this LSAT class. I was only a freshman, after all. And putting minimal effort into all of that -- why would I do that, had I known that I wouldn't be able to take the LSAT with Testmasters anyway. I had never heard of Testmasters prior to that day anyway, and was much more interested in Kaplan and Blueprint, since their names were more known, and that more of my pre-law school friends had advised me to go down that path. But a free course ? It eliminated a couple thousand to having to pay for an LSAT course so I said, "why not, I'll give them a shot." Now, I notified the lady who had emailed me about my predicament, and she had actually called me to talk. She told me that it shouldn't be an issue with Testmasters to extend the date til after I graduate. So I said great, I'll leave it be until I graduate and speak to them. I got a message the following month from the woman, who said "I am leaving Testmasters on this date, so if you'd like to redeem your course you must contact Testmasters and then mention this email," so once again I assumed everything would be fine and I'd cross that bridge once I get to it.

Fast forward three years, and I graduated from my dream school, with honors and was ready to embark on taking the LSAT to prep for law school, as I wanted to enroll in a college by the fall (ideally). So I emailed the woman again, and was redirected to the generic Testmasters email. I finally got a hold of someone who told me that this specific LSAT class offer had expired for me, and that they could not accommodate it. I was kind of flustered, since I had told my family that I didn't need financial help with LSAT prep since I had gotten a free course. Now, I looked like a liar after Testmasters sent that I was no longer eligible. And after speaking to the kind woman on the phone, I was reassured that Testmasters would most likely be accommodating and would extend the class under the circumstances and since when we signed our name and our personal information on the papers for the law school event for the "win a free LSAT course" it never mentioned anything in regards to an expiration date. All it said was "enter the raffle to win a free LSAT course." Where's the rest of the information? That, I believe, would constitute as false advertising. And after the phone call with the woman, it seems to be a bit misleading as well. So I was kind, and I asked if I could speak to a supervisor or someone else of that nature. I was redirected to a man, Avi Jhingan, who told me that "he was as high up as I'll get." Ok. Kind of rude to treat a potential customer that way. But they were based in Los Angeles, so I just assumed it was part of their attitude. Still, a bit rude to address someone of that nature. I argued my point with Avi, and let him know what had happened, and he went on the young woman's full email and found out that in fact it did expire in December 2014, and that the young woman no longer worked there, therefore they can't do anything about the phone call or what was said almost 3 years ago.

Now, I'm not one to be stingy, or to beat a dead horse, but I didn't like the fact how I was treated, and lied to about this course. I told Avi that I was still unsure of taking a Testmasters course even if it had been free. He called me and we talked. On the phone, I will say, he did seem much kinder than what was said via email. I asked as to why I couldn't speak to the owner of the company, Robin Singh, and I was told that I am able to -- but everything must be submitted in writing to [email protected] -- and they must decide if at that point it would be appropriate to speak to Robin. But Avi told me even if I was to do that, the highest up I would get, would be him. So I was upset, that this man, Robin Singh, lures people in to take his "LSAT course" that is "guaranteed" to make people's scores go up and says how "Testmasters is incredibly accommodating to its customers in providing unlimited access for help," yet you're treated poorly when you try to get in contact, and there's roadblocks in place preventing you from talking to anyone as high up as Avi, who was in charge of handling the student division. I found this a bit strange and told Avi that I was upset about that. I told him that I was looking at Kaplan and Blueprint and he told me, "oh God. Please don't go with Kaplan," as he laughed on the phone, "students at Kaplan do not excel nearly as well as Testmasters' students, we get that complaint all the time." I didn't think it was funny. I had good friends enrolled in Kaplan and Blueprint classes, so I didn't like that he was slandering that division. "But I'll tell you what, I can offer you $500 off of the student in person class." While this seemed like a generous offer, I wanted the free class that I was promised, as I said prior, I would never have thought of enrolling in this LSAT class without it, because I had heard much better things about Blueprint and Kaplan. "I don't know Avi. I don't like that I've been passed around and that I've been lied to." I notified him. He told me that I haven't been lied to and that they had been going strictly off of set guidelines... but these "guidelines" were never made specific to me the day I gave Testmasters my information, nor what was said on the phone with a prior employee. But I guess it's just one students word against there's, isn't it ?

I was frustrated and upset about this. But I focused on graduating in June then worrying about it. I was moving to the Pacific Northwest region after graduating, and contacted Avi to see if there were any classes within that area. Avi had told me later on that they had a class in the Seattle area. One in October, and one in December. So when fall approached this year, I reached out again to start prepping. I was already upset that I had missed so much time from June onwards to just start prepping now, in part due to Testmasters false promises and misleading details. The class Avi had mentioned was in Seattle, which was a good 2 hour drive from me. If I was destined to do well on the LSAT, a 4 hour roundtrip drive wouldn't bother me that much, or at least I didn't think so.

Before I gave in and enrolled I asked Avi if I could try out the class, to see if I liked it. I was told I was, and he gave me some information and a "guest pass." So on the day of the first class I was going to test out, I was about to embark and tried to print out the guest pass on the Testmasters website. However, the Testmasters website was down and not working. Go figure. It was another sign that I probably shouldn't be taking this class. I had to call the Los Angeles office in which I asked the woman who picked up what was going on. I was told the website was down and to simply try again later. I was upset again, but kindly notified her of my ongoing predicament. She had told me that it was actually possible to get a hold of Robin Singh, and to explain my circumstances to him. Go figure! That's what I had wanted all along, and I felt a lot better. Avi responded to my email to notify me that the Testmasters website was back up, and I could print my guest pass. I thanked him, printed it, and was on my way. I got in my car and drove 2 hours to Seattle. I arrived at the class, and noticed how late it was. Class didn't start until around 600pm. It was located in a building far from everything else, with little parking, and it was hard to find. But I didn't complain. I got to the class and met my LSAT teacher and the rest of the students. I believe less than 7 kids were enrolled in this class, and I was pretty surprised considering how much Avi and Testmasters employees talked up their company and named it "second best." Most Kaplan and Blueprint classes fill up months in advance... and it kind of irked me how very little people in the Seattle metro area (~4 million people) wanted to take a Testmasters course (that's only offered sparingly in the area throughout the year). My LSAT teacher (who I'm not naming, because he was a very kind man, and is not responsible for what I had experienced with Testmasters) was helpful, and accommodating. A lot of the young adults in the class were not very talkative so I decided to break the ice before the class started. Come to find out, none of them lived in the Seattle area, nor attended the University of Washington, where the class was held. I asked my friend, a Pre-Law University of Washington student if he was going to enroll in a Testmasters course further down the line, to which he said "no. Never heard of them. Everyone here does Kaplan or Blueprint." Interesting, I thought. The teacher even told me that he had a far commute as well, along with the rest of the students, and said he had to commute during rush hour from Portland, Oregon to Seattle to teach this class ! I thought my drive was long, but coming from a different state, which granted is around 2 1/2 hours from University of Washington with no traffic, but that wasn't any of my business. I felt bad for him, but he said "Testmasters takes care of me very well." He was kind and helpful. Some other kids in the class walked in with hot plates of food and Chipolte burritos and started eating. They complained how this class was at a very bad time for them, as it goes from 6-10pm. I agreed, I didn't know how late it went, but it's all about sacrifices to do well on your LSAT, right? I asked if he had a syllabus so I could take a look at the overall schedule, and he said he didn't. Anyways, the class had dragged on, and to be honest, while he was a very kind professor who did seem knowledgeable, I wasn't getting much out of it. I wouldn't mind paying for an LSAT class, but no offense, I wasn't paying for this. Even if it was free, I would be hesitant to attend. So I thought long and hard about the class, and I was hoping that I had liked it, but now, with the February LSAT looming within a couple months, I was panicking because I didn't like Testmasters ! But that had been my only option thus far. I was exhausted and had spent 6 hours total including getting there, and now I had a 2 hour drive back. Now, it's not Testmasters fault I lived so far away from the Seattle class, but it makes it a pain if you don't live close to the University of Washington facility. I didn't get home until past midnight and decided that the drive for that class probably wasn't worth it. I called Testmasters the following day and emailed Avi, who never got back to me. It was like pulling teeth trying to get a hold of Avi. Because, granted, they probably didn't want to deal with a "freebie" or really just any of their customers. After multiple emails, I finally got a hold of Avi who told me that I could get a $100 discount off a pre-recorded LSAT lecture by Robin Singh -- the owner. What happened to the $500 off, but more specifically what happened to the free class I was promised ? I was exhausted trying to argue with these people. There was no input from [email protected] about me getting to talk to Robin. What's the big deal? I've never encountered such a lack of care or professionalism towards a customer, and considering how it's such a paltry, minuscule amount (an LSAT class will run you between $1500-2000 typically). I just wanted to tell him how rude his employees had been and the predicament that's caused so much turmoil over the past year! It's disappointing that they treat people that are handing them money like this. And considering most college students are scrapping for money and extra change, and are incredibly fiscal at the same time, it would make sense for some of their "customer service" to be sympathetic and helpful to these students. If I were Robin Singh I would want my students to say, "wow! Testmasters was incredibly accommodating. The staff was very friendly, incredibly helpful, and I did so well on the LSAT and got my money's worth! I would definitely recommend it to other students." I wasn't getting that reaction. I had been getting more and more upset over the tediousness and unprofessionalism that I had been encountering.

But I had been very kind to these people, and I wasn't asking them for much. For a "great company like them" what's the problem with honoring what was told to me? Why draw this out into a drama-filled, inappropriate customer reaction, that will now be forever documented in the history of the company. I thought, how many other people encountered something so similar to what I did ? So I started to do some research online. And I was dumbfounded by articles that popped up. Robin Singh had been listed on Better Business Bureau, ScamBook, RipoffReport, and in articles over allegedly "scamming students." Even LSAC, the company who owns the rights to the LSAT (to which gives Testmasters its sole clientele), SUED Robin Singh and Testmasters! That can't be good when the head honchos of the LSAT decide to sue a company that bases its claims, lectures, teachers and "fortune" off of it. However, that was none of my business. I had seen enough. But I was curious as to why they were cited in so many "scams" and websites such as RipoffReport. That's a MAJOR red flag. In my experience, companies who recruit people to purchase their products will ensure that the Internet is wiped clear of anything negative, and if there was a "wrong" published by a customer or a consumer, they would do all they would to fix it and make it right. However, that's only with companies who care about their reputation and who care about their consumers. From what I had dealt with over the last year, it was my impression that they truly don't care. I read reports on RipoffReport about students feeling that Testmasters really did scam them. How Testmasters fired their teacher (whom they had liked supposedly) 2 weeks into the program, and eventually had a total of 3 or 4 teachers the entire course, and how they didn't learn much from it despite Testmasters "guarantee" to do well and improve their score, or they'll offer another class for them to take for free... And how Testmasters employees would dodge their calls and emails and ignore them for the most part, and not giving anyone a refund or partial refund... and one student even goes as far as saying her experience with Singh led her to believe that he was "crazy" and didn't care about his customers... it's just synonymous with what I experienced with them. And then I found so many different companies and people that Robin Singh has sued for various reasons, and how he's created a very negative impression of himself towards other LSAT practitioners. That's not a good look when you Google a company or the CEO and just see a bunch of lawsuits and negative reviews. How can a company like this continue to stay afloat ? How would a Testmasters company continue to stay in business while paying lecturers with only 7 students enrolled in a course ? Granted, that was only a course in one city, but still, with all these negative reviews online, I was taken aback.

I didn't want to spend too much time on this, but a good 20 minutes was all I really needed to try and understand who these people were and what kind of company they were running. So then, I decided to check Yelp!. I checked the Los Angeles location at Yelp! for Testmasters and notably, the Yelp reviews were purely negative. It was a mix of one star, to two star reviews, and then miraculously the same day that a negative review was posted a generic five star review citing "how well Testmasters did for my LSAT score" appeared to try and dismantle the negative weight offset by the poor reviews, which was authentic. It's interesting because I had called that Los Angeles division to speak with Avi, and not only was the lady rude over the phone, but she had told me her name when she picked up the phone "hi this is so and so at Testmasters" and on the Yelp review page when it cited the "rudeness and lack of professional customer service" the same Testmasters woman who told me her name over the phone had posted the five star review noting how great of a company Testmasters is. Surely that's not a ploy to try and keep your job. Other Yelp reviewers too, who were clearly students, noticed this and how many of the five star reviews seemed to be fake. It doesn't take a genius to see that, but I agreed and simply left the page.

I notified Avi of this, and mentioned the variousness of what I found on the Internet in regards to Testmasters being cited as a "scam" and incredibly negative reviews. Assumingely, he was displeased by what I had found, and how so many prior clients had seemingly experienced what I had briefly touched on for almost a year, he told me that he was forwarding me to a legal director. So I received an email from Ryan Stewart at Testmasters on December 7th, who told me he'd like to speak to me at my earliest convenience. Once again, it was rudely worded, but I emailed him back promptly and told him I was free Monday through Friday at a specific time frame. It's now December 27th, and I emailed Ryan Stewart and Avi again today. I received an email from Ryan, that was once again rudely worded, "My prior email asked if and when you were available for a telephone call. You did not answer that question. I will call you this evening around 8PM."

You're going to tell me when you're going to call me ? Once again, this just cites how unprofessional Testmasters is, and how they don't work with their customers, the customers work for them.

Fine. I left it at that. I got a phone call from a Las Vegas area code at 6:40pm. I answered it, and said "hello." And he said "this is Ryan Stewart from Testmasters" in a stern voice. It didn't sound like a happy-go-lucky phone call trying to work something out with an unhappy consumer. But I found out that there are many unhappy consumers and I was just a number. "Didn't you say you were calling at 8pm? It's an hour and 20 minutes earlier."