BBB responds to 'inaccuracies' about Trump University

10 things to know about Trump University



How did students lose so much to the school? The alleged scam started out as a free 90-minute seminar on making money in real estate. If you really wanted to learn how to profit in the industry, prosecutors said the school sold you on a three-day seminar that cost $1,495. From there, the school offered “Trump Elite Packages” that cost as much as $35,995 . Trump University officials would encourage students “to request higher credit limits” so they could pay for the more expensive programs. less 10 things to know about Trump University



How did students lose so much to the school? The alleged scam started out as a free 90-minute seminar on making money in real estate. If you really wanted to learn how to ... more Photo: Sarah L. Voisin Photo: Sarah L. Voisin Image 1 of / 10 Caption Close BBB responds to 'inaccuracies' about Trump University 1 / 10 Back to Gallery

Rival Republicans have hit Donald Trump hard on running an allegedly fraudulent academic institution. In turn, the GOP front runner has responded by saying that the Better Bureau Business gave Trump University an A+ rating.

That statement has been parsed and debunked in the past week. Trump University currently has a “no rating” from the BBB. The institution stopped accepting new students in 2010.

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Now the BBB has released its own statement “in response to a number of inaccurate reports that continue to be repeated.”

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According to the organization, the inaccuracies include:





BBB did not send a document of any kind to the Republican debate site last Thursday evening. The document presented to debate moderators did not come from BBB that night.

Trump University has never been a BBB Accredited Business. The document handed to the debate moderators on Thursday night could not have been an actual “Better Business Bureau accreditation notice” for this business.

And most importantly:

During the period when Trump University appeared to be active in the marketplace, BBB received multiple customer complaints about this business. These complaints affected the Trump University BBB rating, which was as low as D- in 2010. As the company appeared to be winding down, after 2013, no new complaints were reported. Complaints over three years old automatically rolled off of the Business Review, according to BBB policy. As a result, over time, Trump University’s BBB rating went to an A in July 2014 and then to an A+ in January 2015.

So while Trump University did have an A+ rating at the start of 2015, the grade is misleading. The program stopped accepting new students five years earlier. Hence, the school stopped receiving new complaints.

The school, which operated from 2005 to 2011, promised to teach enrollees Trump’s lucrative “secrets” of the real estate industry. The New York attorney general has described the university as a “bait and switch” scheme that took some $40 million from students.

See 10 things to know about Trump University in the gallery above