Train2game

[lmlmlm]

City & Guilds have given me a link to prove that the course is accredited - for a while there I was beginning to think that it didn't exist at all:

https://register.ofqual.gov.uk/Searc...0to%20learners

I've found a mediation service nearby and I have been looking up things about small claims court and preparing myself to go down that route. I don't know if I have any chance of success - I thought I need to really think through my legal case/argument before completing the mediation letter and sending it but I'm hoping to have it done within a week or so.

I've sent a Subject Access Request to Train2game, I might do one for the credit service too.

[lmlmlm]

Does that seem hopeless? To argue against the contract? I am approaching it as misrepresentation by the salesman which is also verified to a degree by the Train2game website from the time which claims 'students progress at their own pace' and doesn't mention anything about a 36 month deadline even with multiple pages about the courses, the game design course and even a downloadable course guide and study plan.

That seems to be a direct contradiction and with so many opportunities to mention this appropriately it seems suspect to only have it buried once amongst a stack of promotional material.

Similarly while it says 'this course leads to...' with the City & Guilds logo all over the material at every opportunity, the fact that the City & Guilds is actually ultimately entirely complete and seperate - so this is further misleading.

Then there are all sorts of further claims about the course content, industry links and so on which seem further evidence of potentially misleading promotion.

How would you go about putting websites as evidence in a small claim form? What about a video like the Rob Ager Skillstrain one if that is appropriate as further evidence? Is there any point to collecting other peoples complaints to indicate that it is an potentially intentional sales policy?

Is there a potential legal perspective upon the culmination of all these things essentially indicating the fact that they are selling an inappropriate/sub-standard product/service and they're aware of it?

Also how does it work in terms of a cooling off period when you don't ultimately see the full course (and realise it doesn't contain all you were told it would until completing it?

Can you kind of say you never even began the '36 month time limit' if it was so sub-standard it didn't count as being the service you were sold?

I think that I need help but I also feel ashamed of being duped and scared to post online.

[lmlmlm]

I have sent Train2game a letter attempting mediation through a local organisation with numerous mediation accreditations - approved mediation provider for the Ministory of Justice, Accredited Mediation Provider by the Civil Mediation Council, Accredited Mediation through 218 Strand (previously LSM), Professional Member and Trustee of the charity Society of Mediators, Members of the National Mediator Database, Fellow Member of the Chartered Management Institute (all taken from their website) and in their reply Train2game have written (amongst other things):

'We would inform you, that as a company licensed by the FInancial Conduct Authority (FCA) we only accept dispute resolution submissions from bodies recognised by the FCA, specifically in this case the Financial Ombudsman Service.'

Is this accurate? I don't think that I have time to go through the Ombudsman before six years elapses from my signing the contract. They also mention Carnegie Consumer Finance in the letter and my finance agreement - my dispute, complaint and mediation letter never mentioned anything about my finance agreement (which was with Career Finance 4 Trade Skills)not Carnegie Consumer Finance anyway), but misrepresentation and so on; I had already fully paid off my loan when I was kicked off of the course.

Can anybody help me with this? I didn't expect mediation to work, or even for Train2game to engage with it but assumed that I should try anyway so it didn't reflect badly if I go to small claims court - is what they're saying true or will it now look like I have at least attempted mediation if I go to court?

I also received the letter on the 26th October by recorded delivery (I've been sending everything that I send to them by recorded delivery, they also have multiple addresses registered too) but they've dated it 5th October - particularly relevant since they say to complain I must: 'contact the Ombudsman within six months of the date of this letter.'

[lmlmlm]

I don't know if anybody is interested but I have filed a claim against Metropolitan International Schools (t/a Train2game) and just received their defence this week.

[ATHolder]

I entered into an agreement with Train2Game in November 2013. The total cost of my course (Game Designer) was £4,690. I feel I have been mis-sold this course without appropriate advice and guidance. No support was given throughout the duration of my course, and my course expired before I could complete it. I know this thread already has a bunch of similar cases but I am starting from the bottom and I am struggling to find the first steps to take. TIA

[sloane82]

Train2game have now gone bust time to get your money back.

[EXC]

Train2game have now gone bust time to get your money back.

Well at least they won't be scamming anyone now so good news.

[sloane82]

Yes too right.

[lmlmlm]

'Well at least they won't be scamming anyone now so good news.'

I'd like to believe that but it seems more like hydra's head shell companies to me, this: https://beta.companieshouse.gov.uk/c...filing-history seems to be the real company behind this and so many other 'vocational training' schemes/organisations: not just around the computer games industry but also general I.T., plumbing, electrical work and so on.

Maybe they've given up on selling 'courses' in and around the video games industries but it seems completely plausible to me that they're merely rebranding after a spate of bad publicity, or even just as part of a regular routine.

It seems they also routinely abbreviate this umbrella organisation's name to 'MSI' at least partly so that when dealing with certain people - i.e. credible industry figures, accredition organisations and so on - claiming to be 'Marlborough Information Services' as they apparently tend to do creates confusion around complaints, press releases and so on.

The Picadilly address is, perhaps unsuprisingly, the location of a (genuine as far as I can tell) organisation that offers the services of a virtual office - again, no doubt in an attempt to impress industry types and get whatever reputation they can.

This website, incidentally: http://metropolitaninternationalschools.co.uk/ perhaps relates to some wrangling around tax that the people/companies seem to be trying to do that, as I understand it relates to whether or not they're genuinely an educational organisation or merely a group of booksellers. As far as I can tell if they can convince the authorities that they're the latter rather than the former then they'll have a significantly reduced tax bill. Of course this is entirely contradictory to their own sales material, and entirely in line with reports from disgruntled students who, when they phone the 'tutors' available for assistance are invariably merely referred back to the textbooks that they found problematic in the first place.

[sloane82]

Going to be loads of new claims against Jan Talensky.

[Amethyst]

Train2game have now gone bust time to get your money back.

Where have you got that from?

Train2Game - https://beta.companieshouse.gov.uk/c...filing-history

Metropolitan - https://beta.companieshouse.gov.uk/company/02646404 ( who appear to claim to trade as Train2Game currently )

Marlborough - https://beta.companieshouse.gov.uk/company/05501636 ( who used to trade as Train2Game )

[sloane82]

That's odd?

[TStephens90]

I entered into an agreement with Train2Game in November 2013. The total cost of my course (Game Designer) was £4,690. I feel I have been mis-sold this course without appropriate advice and guidance. No support was given throughout the duration of my course, and my course expired before I could complete it. I know this thread already has a bunch of similar cases but I am starting from the bottom and I am struggling to find the first steps to take. TIA

Hi there, I've read the whole thread and I'd like to ask, did you get your money back in the end? did you successfully claim against train2game? I find myself in a vaguely similar position. I enrolled on the course some years ago, and like you, the salesman (I remember his name was Ashley, dark hair and a very smooth talker, that guy could have sold me anything) leaned VERY heavily on the "NO DEADLINES" angle. I started the course a few years ago but life took me in different directions. Now that I find myself in a position where i'd have liked to pick it back up and complete the course, like you i've discovered that is impossible. So 5 grand down the toilet. I don't have high hopes of getting any of it back, but I would like to find out if it's at all possible.

Thanks in advance

Tom

[sloane82]

First thing to do is write the company a letter, then I went down the small claims court route and sent off my N1 forms, I watched the Robert Aiger video
Skillstrain under scrutiny. They gave me my money back in the end with the conclusion of me taking them to the small claims court I dont know if the company still exists? if not go onto companies house and check and write the director a letter.

[sloane82]

It's a big con get your money back.