Testmasters: Avi Jhingan, Ryan Stewart, Robin Singh Part 2/2
Complaint 356225 Details

Part 2/2: It's an hour and 20 minutes earlier." "Yes, well I'm simply busy and had to move you up the list to call earlier." Was he going to notify me via email to see if I was available, or did he just expect I'd pick up the phone at 8pm, 2 days after Christmas when I'm with family. I got the phone call right at dinner time with the rest of my family, and I said, it's fine I can take a couple of minutes to talk. "Before we start, let's address the full scenario of the email you sent to Avi Jhingan in March of this year." Ok, I said. It was the email thread from Testmasters's prior employee who told me to send everything over when the time came. "So let me explain. The email that we found on her email server said that you could enroll in this free LSAT course prior to December of 2014. You sent an email to Avi that shows three of the dates altered to reflect December of 2016." I couldn't believe what I was hearing. This is the phone call I was getting? I thought after the last year I would be getting a phone call from a higher up trying to clear their name and APOLOGIZE for everything that has happened and honor what was promised and own up to their actions and mistakes! "It's clear that these three dates were altered." Ryan said. "Are you kidding me? This is the phone call I'm getting." He continued to talk over to me. My family was now in the other room worried that I was upset on the phone. "So let me ask you something," and you can clearly hear him licking his lips like it was some sort of humorous conversation (at least for him) "did you or did you not alter the dates in these emails?" "I can't believe you actually called me two days after Christmas, on your own time, while I'm at dinner to accuse me of that." I tried telling him about how wonderfully kind this woman was who I had an email conversation AND phone call with who told me that Testmasters should honor the extension and that I should be fine when the time comes for me to start prepping for law school. He wouldn't even listen. It takes two to make a conversation. Common knowledge is that a good lawyer listens, a poor one, talks over people and already has his mind made up and tries to get that point across. Not to demean the population of Las Vegas, but typically unless you're a hotelier, are good looking, in organized crime, or rich or famous, you probably aren't doing too well for yourself, and Vegas people, unfortunately are known for having such a low-income stigma. I may be young, but I have thick skin, and I was polite enough for him to speak and to listen to his words without talking over him. Respect is a two way street Mr. Ryan Stewart, in order to get respect one must at first give it. First of all, he had information pulled up readily available ready to attack, assumingely calling me at another time so he could catch me 'off-guard.' Fine, I had nothing to hide. "I don't know, that was 9 months ago." "So, let me get this straight, are you denying that you altered these emails?" I heard a chuckle, and then I really felt disrespected. "This phone call is so inappropriate. It was in March. And I don't know what emails you have Ryan, but you clearly don't have them all. Because the woman that I had spoken to was incredibly nice and told me that Testmasters will most likely honor my request further down the line. For a company that advertises itself as a prime way to do well on your LSAT and get into law school, you should not treat your customers like this." "YOU'RE NOT A CUSTOMER!" Ryan exclaimed. "YOU'RE NOTHING! You tried to pull of a scam and I caught you red handed. Falsifying documents is called fraud. And let me tell you something, that woman who sent you the email, she works as the district attorney for San Diego now." In all my life, I have never been treated or disrespected by an employee so poorly than today. My face turned red, my heart pounded as I was so upset. Honestly, I or someone close to me probably did change the dates in that email to forego any additional drama. But whatever did transpire, clearly it was a mistake, and I'll take the blame and ownership for not checking the email before forwarding it over to Testmasters. Either way, it's clearly been blown out of proportion, and that's no justification for the actions of the last 9 months with Testmasters employees and the way I had been tossed around, lied to, and treated. I'm not writing off what happened 9 months ago, but nonetheless, whatever the situation, you should never treat a customer or anyone like this. Belittling them and making accusatory statements over no facts, slandering them... and fraud? What about the reasons why Testmasters and the owner was sued. For fraud and plagiarism? What about the many 5 star reviews online that were clearly doctored and have the names and the photos above the review that link them to the Testmasters staff in quick retribution to hide anything negative about Testmasters. Or false advertising from the paperwork they gave me, that says "you could win a free LSAT Testmasters course" without noting any "terms or conditions" on the document. Or what about an oral contract on the phone, with the kind woman who's a former employee (I don't blame her for leaving Testmasters that quickly) who told me "it should be fine and Testmasters will most likely honor that extenstion." My family including my little brother came over to me and said "are you ok?" As I've reiterated prior I did it again to Ryan Stewart. "I had no issue paying for a LSAT class. I was grateful that I had won a class and all I asked is for what was entitled and promised to me. A good company would honor that request. And yes [former employee's name who I spoke with] is a very nice woman, and that's good for her that she holds that position. What you don't have is the rest of the email thread from her, nor do you have the phone call to which I spoke to her in 2013. This whole situation, sir, is absolutely ridiculous. The fact that it's been dragged on so far, and to this point, where I'm a customer being insulted by a head executive, is belittling as it is incredibly unprofessional and over-dramatized. To now sit here, after Christmas, already stressed trying to prepare for the February LSAT, and to have you insinuate these things towards a customer is just beyond. All I asked for was to speak to the CEO, Robin Singh, so I could relate what has been going on, but clearly Testmasters doesn't care." "YEAH, AND IN YOUR EMAIL TO AVI YOU SAID THAT ALL TESTMASTERS SEEMED TO CARE ABOUT WAS ABOUT THE MONEY... AND... AND... AVI WAS NICE ENOUGH TO OFFER YOU A $500 DISCOUNT IN THE EMAILS FOR THE COURSE, AND IF IT WAS ME WHO HAD SEEN THAT, LET ME TELL YOU I WOULDNT HAVE OFFERED YOU THAT. I WOULDNT HAVE OFFERED YOU ANYTHING. AND YOU WENT TO THE FREE TRIAL OF [lecturer from Oregon's name] AND SAT IN HIS CLASS. I WOULDNT HAVE OFFERED YOU THAT! YOU WILL NEVER SPEAK TO ROBIN! WHO ARE YOU TO ASK TO SPEAK TO ROBIN? IM THE HIGHEST THAT YOULL EVER GET TO ROBIN" I just let him scream at me over the phone and try to demean me. "Are you there?" He said.

I waited about a good 3 seconds before I said, "yes. I'm still here and I can tell by your tone that you're also incredibly disrespectful and rude like some of the employees that I encountered previously. I'm not going to continue arguing with you, this conversation is not agreeable in any way, you're using threatening and demeaning language towards a customer, which is unacceptable on any means. These issues are arisen from what I had discovered on your company online, and after I tried to ask to speak to Robin, the owner, which I was told I was allowed to do. It's false advertising and I've been lied to once again. He's not Donald Trump, he's not Bill Gates. If this was a billion dollar organization, I'd understand, but I don't even think it's a million dollar organization? No one has even heard of Testmasters so I don't know what the big deal is?" He tried to cut me off and I finished, "Avi had actually talked me into sticking with Testmasters instead of Kaplan, working with Dave Hall at Velocity Test Prep, Blueprint, etc and so I took him up on his offer."

"ROBIN is a busy man! You don't deserve to speak to him! He doesn't care about you! And we're the #2 leading test prep organization in the nation!" Ryan said.

"If that's true then Ryan, you should've stuck to your employees word and honored something so feasible and easy instead of trying to create a battle and drag this on for so long. It's such a paltry amount too! Clearly, you aren't doing as well as you say you are!" I remarked.

*some mumbling occurred. "Anyway it's none of your business how well we do." He continued, "Let me get this straight to what you're telling me, AVI TOLD YOU, to go to the Seattle place and sit in [lecturer's] class?" He was trying to twist my words to point them in his favor. I didn't say that. I said Avi had persuaded me and notified me of the date, and that I simply took him up on his offer. I don't like it when people twist my words or try to point a conversation in one specific, biased, and clearly favorable direction.

Clearly, I was wasting my time in this argument, but he was on speakerphone the entire time and my family was hearing everything he was saying. I just let him talk. "Hello? Hello?" "Hello ARE YOU THERE?" He screamed into the phone. I waited another long pause. "Hello are you still there?" He asked me. I thought about hanging up, but I didn't want him to feel the joy of what he and the Testmasters corporation was gunning for all along.

"Yes Ryan, I'm still here. Is there anything else you'd like to say?"

"YES, AS A MATTER OF FACT... YOUR PHONE CALLS TO TESTMASTERS WILL STOP AND SO WILL YOUR EMAILS. YOUVE BEEN HARASSING THE OFFICE DEMANDING TO SPEAK TO ROBIN. YOU ARE ORDERED TO STOP CALLING AND CONTACTING TESTMASTERS. AND... ! YOU ARE BANNED FROM EVER TAKING A TESTMASTERS COURSE AGAIN. WE DONT WANT YOU. PEOPLE LIKE YOU WILL NEVER MAKE IT. WE ARE NOT INTERESTED IN HELPING YOU SUCCEED IN PREPARATION TO LAW SCHOOL. WE DO NOT WANT YOU AND YOU ARE PERMANENTLY BANNED FROM EVER TRYING TO TAKE A CLASS WITH US AGAIN."

Oh my gosh. Never in my life have I been talked to like that. I'm incredibly classy, a gentlemen, and I was raised better than that. This man, and these people who are grown men in their late thirties and early forties (possibly older) are the people who run Testmasters. Not only had I been slandered, my emails and name were being passed around and laughed at by Ryan, Avi, and other employees clearly. Situations like this pain me, since they've done this to other customers in the past, and now it's happening to me. And harass ? I've never harassed anyone. Ryan was a hypocrite he was harassing me. According to Merriam-Webster, Harass is defined as: subject to aggressive pressure or intimidation; to make repeated small-scale attacks on (an enemy). If you look into all of my emails sent since November of 2013, you can't find any of that nature encompassed that signifies that. Nor were any of my phone calls. I had great encounters with the lecturer and the woman who had told me everything was going to be ok with Testmasters and that I should stick with them. Was Ryan trying to tell me that by calling maybe 6 times from October-December of 2016 is defined as harassing ? For a customer to call a company ? Where is this evidence of me harassing people ? Are there any voicemails or witnesses that can provide factual statements in regards to this ?

"Hello, are you still there?" Ryan said. I processed long and hard what I was about to say, and as an English major, I couldn't seem to find the right words. I was being accused, slandered, and put down, not only via permanent circulation at the Testmasters company, but now in front of my family. As a gentleman, I don't use profanity, however, those words were created for a specific meaning.

"Hi Ryan, yes. F%?@ you." This time he didn't talk over me. "Just so you know, everything you said has been documented and recorded, and you've been on speakerphone so now I have witnesses." He was holding his breath. I ended the phone call and proceeded to document everything. I've spent the last 3 hours away from my family and dinner writing everything down, because this should NEVER happen to anyone again. This is an American corporation, and one that has been sued time and time again. The reviews are terrible (granted there are probably some authentic good ones somewhere) but nonetheless, people have to understand who these men are and what has transpired.

Harassment ? Ryan harassed, defamed and slandered me over the phone. I am "banned" on what sole grounds or evidence ? I'm not worried about never being able to take a Testmasters course, it's the final sign from God that Testmasters was not a good choice for me from the beginning, I knew right from the start in November 2013 that it seemed lousy, but as a good person I decided to try their lesser known company and give them the benefit of the doubt. There's hundreds of other companies anyone can take the LSAT with. I knew that, and trust me, for the most part that is what I wanted. This is how the head honchos of Testmasters treat people who they want to give them money. The whole situation is based off the precedence, I was lied to, and then HARASSED, BULLIED, SLANDERED and MADE FUN OF to my family via speakerphone and to the Testmasters community. I don't want my name in their mouths nor books. Especially not permanently. Do people not see how disrespectful these threatening men are ? What head honcho talks to their consumer like that ? I realize it's 2016, and times are tough, and lawyers have strenuous jobs, but as their own LSAT lecturer said in Seattle "I would never be a lawyer I hated it. I get paid the same amount just to do this." Maybe that's why they are so bitter and why my lecturer was in good spirits, but you never treat a customer like that. In most hospitality environments and the gold standard for excellent customer service, "the customer is always right." But the reviews published on the internet, and the many lawsuits against the company, state otherwise. Testmasters, Avi Jhingan and Ryan Stewart
caused me emotional distress. Ryan's behavior, alongside his company, is despicable. I realize Testmasters will not take any retribution or try to apologize, however, I took 3 hours out of my day and time with my family for the holidays to ensure those looking to take the LSAT, and prepare themselves the best, to look elsewhere and be warned. All you have to do is research Testmasters to know that I'm not the only one. This will not happen to you with Kaplan, Blueprint or anywhere else. I'm forwarding all of my communications with Testmasters, plus providing family statements to my lawyer. I would like to start a class action lawsuit against them for those who have had similar experiences with this company or any of these men. No one should ever be treated like this, and for such baseless material over a free LSAT practice course that I had won and been promised from them. I know Robin Singh is a firm believer in karma, and I hope it does it's justice to the Testmasters Corpation in the long run.