CAI poor service?

Timos

Anyone else have trouble getting basic info off the CAI?
The three times ive had to contact them ive only had a reply to one of the queries and i resent each query 4 or 5 times to make sure they were this incompetent.
Doesnt inspire an ounze of confidence in someone considering their Elevation programme.

viztopia

Timos wrote: »

Anyone else have trouble getting basic info off the CAI?
The three times ive had to contact them ive only had a reply to one of the queries and i resent each query 4 or 5 times to make sure they were this incompetent.
Doesnt inspire an ounze of confidence in someone considering their Elevation programme.

The administration of cai is is brutal and and that is putting it mildly. I know several students who were a month into courses and still had no books while the person sitting beside them had. Then two copies of the same study material would arrive. I deal with the practice advisory from time to time and the service from them is that bad I wouldn't use them any more. Have to say the service by cpa is second to none.

Timos

viztopia wrote: »

The administration of cai is is brutal and and that is putting it mildly. I know several students who were a month into courses and still had no books while the person sitting beside them had. Then two copies of the same study material would arrive. I deal with the practice advisory from time to time and the service from them is that bad I wouldn't use them any more. Have to say the service by cpa is second to none.

Hi viztopia, thanks for your input, have you any idea why they are so poor in this regard?

viztopia

Timos wrote: »

Hi viztopia, thanks for your input, have you any idea why they are so poor in this regard?

I I think part of it is that they care a lot more about the biggest firms and the smaller ones are a burden.

Timos

viztopia wrote: »

I I think part of it is that they care a lot more about the biggest firms and the smaller ones are a burden.

That makes sense even though its not good service.
Unfortunately it doesn't explain why they cant even do basic admin for people doing and considering their Elevation programme.

Prettyblack

What were you asking them? Did they ever come back?

Tricky1979

Don't be misled, there is absolutely no increase in service by the fact you are doing the Elevation Programme - you could be a CFO a well known PLC, have an MBA, have 10 kids and are doing the Elevation Programme and you will treated the exact same as a 'trainee accountant' in a contract (no disrespect intended).

Timos

Tricky1979 wrote: »

Don't be misled, there is absolutely no increase in service by the fact you are doing the Elevation Programme - you could be a CFO a well known PLC, have an MBA, have 10 kids and are doing the Elevation Programme and you will treated the exact same as a 'trainee accountant' in a contract (no disrespect intended).

Im not sure i understand your point never mind any disrespect unintended.
My reference to my considering doing the Elevation programme was not that i expected special treatment but just to give context to my own personal experience. The point of my thread was to ask about the service across the board for ALL ie those in training contract AND in elevation to see if my experience is unique or common.

viztopia

Timos wrote: »

Im not sure i understand your point never mind any disrespect unintended.
My reference to my considering doing the Elevation programme was not that i expected special treatment but just to give context to my own personal experience. The point of my thread was to ask about the service across the board for ALL ie those in training contract AND in elevation to see if my experience is unique or common.

I think it's also worth mentioning that there would be a very large element of snobbery in cai and this would also help explain the non existent customer service.

Prettyblack

viztopia wrote: »

I think it's also worth mentioning that there would be a very large element of snobbery in cai and this would also help explain the non existent customer service.

Or the fact that they do all their own education (unlike ACCA who don't) so obviously they have over a thousand new students to deal with!

I think its going a bit far to say they are snobs - I am doing Elevation and I never had an issue with customer service / student service. I found out what I needed to do, I came to them prepared (IOW I had done a bit of research first), there was an info@ email address which is how I did most of my communication, and someone always came back to me.

Certainly wasn't "non-existent".

Timos

Prettyblack wrote: »

Or the fact that they do all their own education (unlike ACCA who don't) so obviously they have over a thousand new students to deal with!

I think its going a bit far to say they are snobs - I am doing Elevation and I never had an issue with customer service / student service. I found out what I needed to do, I came to them prepared (IOW I had done a bit of research first), there was an info@ email address which is how I did most of my communication, and someone always came back to me.

Certainly wasn't "non-existent".

What do you mean they have over a thousand new students to deal with?
What kind of research did you do?

Prettyblack

Timos wrote: »

What do you mean they have over a thousand new students to deal with?
What kind of research did you do?

Figures on their new student numbers each year are easy to find. Between the Big 4 alone there's about 900 - 1000 new training contract students every year. Add in Elevation students, smaller firms... easily over a thousand.

I'm just saying that ACCA etc don't look after students really, because you enroll with Independent college or Griffith college to do the course. With chartered its all in house, they don't send you off to another college, they do it all internally. Better way in my experience as everyone gets the same chance.

Anyway are you going to do Elevation or not? Perhaps it was a once off for you, as me and some other elevation students I know had very little trouble when it came to checking exemptions, and getting forms and so on. Did they not send you any forms? You can download those you know.

I found them very helpful and I'm not afraid to say it!

Timos

Prettyblack wrote: »

Anyway are you going to do Elevation or not? Perhaps it was a once off for you, as me and some other elevation students I know had very little trouble when it came to checking exemptions, and getting forms and so on.

I am still deciding and i cant start until May anyway. I will also be applying for training contracts which might make the decision for me, but i have been leaning towards CAI which is why i wanted to iron out some doubts like this thread.

Prettyblack

Timos wrote: »

I am still deciding and i cant start until May anyway. I will also be applying for training contracts which might make the decision for me, but i have been leaning towards CAI which is why i wanted to iron out some doubts like this thread.

Cool, well listen if you want to ask any other questions, feel free to PM me. Also, FYI, you can't start in May - they start everything every October.

Timos

Prettyblack wrote: »

Cool, well listen if you want to ask any other questions, feel free to PM me. Also, FYI, you can't start in May - they start everything every October.

Thanks Prettyblack