<p>Hi, we are experiencing an extremely frustrating problem with the CollegeBoard who erroneously sent out scores to colleges my son had removed from his registration day list. My son had been very ill but took an SAT II in hopes of a last chance improvement pre-ED. He shouldn't have gone -had a fever, etc. He did not cancel the scores but two days later took the colleges off the list feeling he had done poorly - we double checked - the colleges were gone. We went to send his scores out to a few late add on schools and discovered they had been sent out regardless. Through numerous phone calls and many hours we have established that it was their error and it has been suggested that they might write a letter to the ED school stating that the score was sent in error - to disregard it. I wasn't sure about that and asked if they would call us before sending the letter so that we could hear the wording, given that the school has already seen the score, which was poorer than his previous score, which was middling. They promised to call me within 24 hours. Well, I have been back in touch with them (you never get past the supervisor on the floor, they have no contact numbers for anyone, etc., etc.) 3 times yet nobody has called. Tonight I called again and was told that a case number had been opened and that someone would contact me in 5 to 7 business day - um, much to late for ED. The agents are adamant that they have no phone numbers for the case manager or the department that manages the "cases". I honestly don't know what to do at this point. They are impossible to deal with and I am not sure that a letter to the ED school from the collegeboard would make any difference - they have already seen the school. I am interested if anyone else has had problems dealing with the collegeboard - man, they are 100x worse than Sprint and I can't imagine a poor 16 or 17 year old dealing with them. I am also interested in thoughts about the letter. This is a very selective school - perhaps an uberreach (smile)!</p>
<p>I'd call or email the school, explain the situation, and tell them that collegeboard.com has told you there will be a 5 to 7 business day lag on this. Give the names of people you've spoken with at college board to try to up your credibility. Keep it professional and respectful, of course.</p>
<p>At this point, I don't think it can hurt. The school may believe you, they may not. It may be too late, and they have already made a decision. There's a lot of variables.</p>
<p>But it's worth a try.</p>
<p>I would also love it if you somehow went "public" with your situation -- more than just posting on here is public. A letter to someone like a news organization? IMHO, CollegeBoard is a an organization that has become a monopoly and that behaves like one. In other words, they don't have to do anything in terms of customer satisfaction, since there's no where else a customer can turn. Perhaps, like the colleges that are boycotting US News and World Reports lists, somehow we can start to boycott the CollegeBoard.</p>
<p>VeryHappy - I am thinking about this, actually. I am so appalled at the lack of concern and customer service for the kids! A kid would never survive their customer service practices.</p>
<p>The supervisors claim that they don't know how to contact anyone else in the organization. They claim that they don't know the names of the people above them. They claim that there is no ombudsman, vice-president, etc although they tell you that you can write to the President, Gaster Caperton (???) when pressed, but that I certainly won't hear back from him before it's too late. After a while I persisted only because I wondered how much it would take to get to someone who could actually help or take action - I was definitely thinking about alerting a major newspaper for an expose - I guess I will see what happens tomorrow. </p>
<p>They do hold all the cards - they release the scores very late, and score reports even later. They don't allow the student to chose the scores, they only schedule tests during the school year, they don't allow you to cancel your scores if you want after 24 hours, etc. They sell enrollment management programs and student data to schools - it's really wild when you think about it. Well, I will keep you posted. If people want to PM with incidents or observations (or write here) maybe I will take this further, if and when my son has been accepted somewhere he wants to go! It's tough enough going through this process without fighting with the Collegeboard!</p>
<p>Why all this worry when colleges tell applicants that they consider the applicants' highest scores?</p>
<p>you have to worry about stuff like this,...so what if they look at the highest scores, if you pay for a service, you should get that service, and if you ask them to do something, they better do it</p>
<p>as well, anyone else find it scary that there is no way to go the chain of command at the college board?</p>
<p>Collegeboard is able to treat people this way because they are a monopoly with little oversight and they like their power...otherwise, why not say, sure, here's my boss....</p>
<p>Why care...because people have to care....and make a stink...otherwise, the CB just does whatever they want</p>
<p>Honestly, I would just let it go.</p>
<p>For your son to get into a super-reach school, he probably has to have some fabulous, knock-out quality that comes through on his application. If he has that, his SAT IIs won't matter -- none of them. If he doesn't have that, then masking over a second mediocre score (that no actual admission officer may ever see) on one particular SAT II is going to make no difference at all. The frenzy you are going into over it will only call attention to it, and make you and your son look a little unpleasant to deal with, which won't help either.</p>
<p>JHS, I believe this is true - about being pegged difficult to deal with. OTOH, there is a part of me that believes this is just wrong and that a simple connection in the beginning would have been the right way to handle this - not a policy of obstruction. In this case, I have to weigh the impact on my son's presentation. Believe me, it's not him who is unpleasant - it is me and my feeling of being bullied. My "frenzy" is more about being denied a civil conversation about this. I am not sure I want them to send a letter - that was their suggestion!</p>
<p>JHS - I meant to say thank you for weighing in. My son wants to let it go because he read somewhere that "whining about poor scores or grades" will get you into the NO pile. What a world these poor kids live in - judged on every move they (or Mom ) makes.</p>
<p>When I saw the name of your thread, I thought it was another one like , "this thread will have 4,932 posts by my birthday" threads! I think we could all come up with a few problem(s) with Collegeboard - ha! And yeah, and even though your heart says to make a scene about it, in the grand scheme of things, your son is probably right.</p>
<p>Tokenadult - I saw an admissions video - can't remember which school it was - (or, it could have been in an article about admissions - bad memory), where the admissions officer cited a downward trend in SATs as evidence of an applicant slacking off - I have never forgotten that - and what an unfounded conclusion that was. Still, landed the applicant in the NO pile. </p>
<p>Only 5 or 6 more weeks of this chaos though and I will be done forever with this stress!</p>
<p>this is precisely why collegeboard answers to no one, people let it go</p>
<p>yes, let it go if your son doesn't want to make a fuss, with the COLLEGE< but after he is done and got his acceptances, why let it go</p>
<p>its basically an attitude of, well, I got through it, and let it go, doesn't matter if some kid down the road has to deal with the same stress and garbage</p>
<p>I understand not wanting to make a fuss and come across as whiney to the college, but why not when you are done, let the letters and compaints fly:?</p>
<p>When my D was in her middle school, yes, I had to bite my tongue, as they had the power of the recommendation letter, but as soon as my D got her acceptances to her HS, I let them have it, sent letters to the Arch Diocises, the accredidation company, and whomever else I could think of...when they send me letters acking for alumni donations, or whatever, I tear them up and send them back in their stamped envelopes</p>
<p>Rileydog:</p>
<p>I agree with JHS that the SATII won't matter much. I doubt that adcoms will interpret it as a sign of slacking off (it would be different with lower GPA). More likely, it will be interpreted as it should be: your S was having a bad day. Trying to get it fixed either by the CB or by the adcom will only call attention to it. There is every likelihood that the readers will not even get to see it, but will get the highest scores you S achieved, whenever that was.</p>
<p>citygirlsmom - I like your style (smile)! Well, I am pursuing it right now if only to get to a person who actually has a position of action or "power" to answer my questions responsibly and then complain!!!!! The problem I am having is that it is my son's applications hanging in the balance and not mine. I am typically quite tenancious - I recently shamed an insurance company into changing their payment policies and reversing huge denials for kids with a particular disability. It took a lot of persistence, which came from the passionate belief that they were wrong. I have that same feeling about CB being wrong - not so much about my son's scores being sent erroneously but about the way they respond to their "customers" - it's just wrong and hurtful to kids. Kids are either not their most lucrative customers or the lack of competition has made them complacent and insensitive to their customer's needs. I suspect there are far more significant customer service issues than ours and I am wondering - who speaks for all of the l7 year olds out there?</p>
<p>marite - thanks for your input. I will see where this goes tomorrow. I have also called the guidance counselor to ask what she thinks. I hope it is true that they really do take the best score. I will try to find that admissions video or article where they discussed this trend downward as an issue.</p>