Video Professor
 |
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | education |
| Founded | 1987 |
| Headquarters | Lakewood, Colorado, U.S.A. |
| Products | Learn Microsoft Office Tutorials, Learn Microsoft Windows, Learn Online Travel, Learn Quicken, Learn QuickBooks etc. |
Number of employees | Over 300 |
| Website | www.videoprofessor.com |
Video Professor is a U.S. company that develops, manufacturers and offers tutorials for a variety of computer-related subjects, such as learning to use Microsoft Word, Microsoft Windows, and eBay. The company was founded in 1987 John W. Scherer and is located in Lakewood, Colorado.
The Video Professor tutorials are aimed primarily at consumers who have little or no computer experience. The company's TV commercials frequently feature older people.
Mainly, the company offers a subscription service similar to commercial book clubs and involving negative option billing. The subscription service is activated by the first purchase of a tutorial CD on some subject. After that the customer automatically receives another tutorial CD on a new subject, chosen by the Video Professor, every month until the subscription is cancelled, and the customer is automatically billed a monthly fee of about $60-90.
CD-ROM lesson sets
Video Professor CD-ROM lesson sets contain three CD-ROM discs containing at least three hours of instruction. The discs can be played on PCs. Disc 1 contains beginner level instruction, while Disc 2 contains intermediate level instruction and Disc 3 contains more advanced skills. One exception is Video Professor’s Windows Vista lesson, which contains six hours of instruction on six discs in order to cover all of the many features of Microsoft’s latest operating system. Video Professor CD-ROM lesson sets are primarily sold through TV offers and through some online offerings.
Video Professor Online
Video Professor’s Online division was created in 2003 and it provides computer-training lessons online. The online lessons have the same features that the CD-ROM lesson do.
Video Professor Criticism
Video Professor has been criticized by customers who claim to have been deceived when ordering online or by phone. [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7]
The main complaint is that the customers often don't realize, and, according to these complaints, are not made clearly aware of, that by ordering a single CD they are entering into a subscription service where a new CD tutorial will be sent to them automatically every month until the subscription is cancelled.
Other complaints involve Video Professor TV commersials offering free CD tutorials. These commersials offer a free CD lesson, where the customer pays only the shipping and handling fee of around $6.95.
After placing an order for a free offer, the customer receives a package containing 2 (or sometimes 3) CDs only the first of which is actually free. The second CD must be returned within 10 days of the trial period as otherwise the customer is charged a full nonrefundable fee (currently around $80-90) for that second CD and is entered into the auomatic monthly subscription service. Customers complain that these conditions of the free offer are not made clear by either the TV ad or by the customer service representatives processing the order for the free lesson. According to the complaints, this frequently results in the customers having their credit cards unknowingly charged $80-90 for the second CD in the original free offer package, and a similar amount for each subsequent month until the subscription service is actually cancelled.
Customers also complain that it is often difficult to obtain the return authorization number from the Video Professor customer service within the 10 day trial period. The return autorization number is required in order to return the second CD and avoid being charged for its full price.
Video Professor counters that the conditions of its free offers and of its regular sales are sufficiently clear [8]
See Also
Video Professor Help Site
BBB Member Page
References
- ^ Refund for wrong CD finally posted on St. Petersburg Times
- ^ A lesson in ordering products on Kansas City Star
- ^ Experience with video professor teaches a lesson about 'FREE' offers on Kansas City Star
- ^ "Free" May Just Be Another Word for "Fee" Video Professor on washington post
- ^ Video Professor on consumer affairs
- ^ A review on Amazon.com
- ^ Video Professor complaints at www.infomercialscams.com
- ^ "How It Works" From Official Video professor website.