Is modeling school a scam?

[Anonymous]

Here is my issue I welcome your comments wholeheartedly.

I signed a contract with John Casablancas Modeling & Career Center in Miami in 1995. However, I could not fufill my obligations with them because I had to move to Atlanta Georgia for school. I notified them by telephone and explained my situation. I was told by one of their staff members that it would not be a problem and that they had a school in Atlanta that I could sign up with to fufill my obligations. After I moved to Atlanta, I was not able to immediately attend the school because of my financial situation at the time.

When I was finally out of school, I contacted John Casablancas in Atlanta to resume the program. Unfortunatey almost immediately after signing up with them, I started to face some financial crisis and could not complete my obligations. As a result, my account was sent to a collection agency.

The collection agency contacted me and set up a payment plan with me. I have been making my payments FAITHFULLY now for 9 months and have only two more months to go. Now John Casablancas in Miami reported me to the credit bureaus as well for a debt of $2000. I called Laura Bently who is the owner of John Casablancas in Miami and told her that I was fulfilling my obligations with the school in Atlanta and that I had expected them to update my status with the credit bureaus. I was blown away by her militant attitude and response. She told me that their school does not recognize the one in Atlanta and was not affiliated with them and that I should have contacted them in writing before I left Miami. Now remember that was the whole purpose of my initial call to them before leaving Miami.

Now I am trying to purchase a house and the banks will not approve my Loan because of this. Where is the justice in this? Why should I have to pay the school in Atlanta as well as the one in Miami?

PLEASE HELP ME!!!

[admin]

It sounds like you need to figure out what is going on. Are you paying for the schooling you got in Miami to the colleciton agency? When you resumed in Atlanta, did you sign on for a new program? What were the costs of the new program? Did the school contract in Miami say that you owed full fees whether or not you finished the program?

It may well be that the 2 schools are not related to each other and are in fact a franchise with different owners. It sounds like from what you said. What kind of contract did you sign with the agency in Atlanta? For what fees?

I think you are going to have to work out a payment plan with the collection agency in Miami. These are fees you took on from the Miami school, and most likely don't have anything to do with the Atlanta school. I would suggest your making payments to the Atlanta school, and go debt validation with the collection agency in Miami (or pay them instead of going debt validation).