It's official now, there is a new racketeering organization on the bloc, it's called smart tuition that specializes in "late fee" scams. After I read all these complaints about erroneous late fees, I realized that they must be doing it in purpose as a way of bringing in income knowing fully that parents have their hands tied since they cant choose an other form of payment to their school. My ordeal has been going on for 4 months. For months they kept a duplicate (hidden) account on one of my children's name, and every week they would send me an email saying that my account was late, but when I sign on and check both of my kids' accounts they would show that I was all caught up as far as payments and shows a balance of $ 00 Due!! So I call their " smart" customer service and they check both my accounts and they confirm that my accounts are up to date (did this 3 times and each time I was assured that their is no problem with my account and that the balance was $00). They explained the annoying emails as a nuisance or a glitch in the system, and that I should not worry about them, they will make sure to stop the emails. But of course none of that happened until I started receiving emails letting me know that I was charged $35 late fee. T which time I started calling again and every time I was assured that it must be a mistake. It took few calls 2 of which were to a supervisor since the "smart" reps couldn't see anything wrong with my accounts, one the supervisors after some digging finally found out that one of my children had 2 accounts under the same name!!!! (go figure) But the kicker was that when I log on to pay it always shows the same one and the one accumulating the last balance and late fees never comes up. So she explained that to me and suggested I pay the outstanding payment but not the late fees ( which are now 35 + 35 = $ 70) since she was gonna send that to a level higher to be removed. Of course none of that happened the emails are still coming warning about late balance and then late fees. I called again to get to the bottom of it 2 more times and was told that it's still been looked at!!!! And that they would let me know, but instead the emails now are telling me that another $11 late fee was added to original $9 balance!! $9 balance + $35 late fee +$35 late fee + $11 late fee now my balance is $90 !!! what the F*#$%!!!! Keep in mind that the last supervisor I spoke too assured me that while the matter is still not settled I shouldn't see anymore late fees assessed to my account, yeah right!!! In case any one from "retard tuition" wishes to dispute or refute any of this here is my email: [email protected] since I cant post my children's accounts here. After reading all the posts I know that I'm not the only victim of this mobster company, and I'm not the first nor am I the last!!!!

I accidentally used the wrong credit card, called in a day later to see if they could refund the amount, so I could charge it to the correct card. Customer Service was awful. I would no choose to use this service, but have to because of the school we attend.

This company needs to change the name smarttuition to RETARDED TUITION because they have the worst uneducated ignorant team of customer representatives coupled with an IT department that is beyond retarded, and cant run the simplest website. This explains why a lot of companies choose to take their business overseas!! they just can't find competent educated people here. That's why they send customer service to the PHILIPPINES and IT departments to INDIA!! They are educated, smart, humble...and cheap!!! As opposed to overpaid, lazy, arrogant, ignorant high school drop outs found here. Anybody knows of any other service to use to pay for school tuition other than this joke of a service??!! please help.

I have had my fill of this company and underhanded late fees. My payment is due on the 10th of each month. I sent my payment ahead through my bank for 9/29 with a 5-7 day check delivery for an arrival expected before 10/10. Still hasn't been cashed. Here we are on 11/1. My bank sent a letter to them stating that the fee should be waived ($45) because payment was made on time. Last months payment was sent out on 8/30 and cashed 9/9. Explain that one? Every mot nth prior with similar setup and delivery. This is not the first time either. From 2012 to 2016 this has happened a total of 5 times. I have bank records and account inquiries to back this up. When speaking about this most recent transaction to Smart Tuition., I was told to mail my check should be mailed 3 weeks before due date to ensure arrival. What the f@&$? Who expects or does that? I finally consented to draft it from my account to avoid problems. I wish I did not have to do this. I do not trust you with my information. But I have little choice in order to keep my kid in the school. The school administrators have even spoken on my behalf EVERY time. Yet the still seem perplexed that I am having such issues and make it seem that I am the only one. This is the last year thank God! If you can, avoid this company like the plague. Or have direct payment set up. If you Are like us this can be stressful to maneuver. God help me if my child is out of this school and they continue to bill me. Any lawyers out there with similar experiences, I'll be glad to share my story.

If you are having any issues with your account please contact the parent help center at 1-888-868-8828 or email me directly at [email protected]. There was no Smart Tuition Family ID reference so I cannot view your account.

Kind regards,

Jim Lozano
Director of Parent Experience
Smart Tuition

My school never informed its parents of this service being put in to use. We only found out after school started. I am still not sure why I am being billed as I have paid the entire tuition.
They sent an invoice with a 15 day time period to pay $50 to use its services and if the $50 doesn't reach them and get posted in time, they will charge an additional $50. I have emailed the company 4 times, asking them to take me off their list. I have tried to explain that I did not owe any tuition at all for the entire school year, and would not be paying $50 to be in their system, only to keep receiving a bill.

After reading hundreds of complaints all over the Internet as well as at the Better Business Bureau, regarding how it charges these late fees routinely, even when the check reaches them ( their excuse to everyone has been that although they cashed the check, it takes time to post it to their system) it's pretty easy to deduce that this company is running a scam operation. Any school that would force this on its students is either not doing its diligent research about the company or is in on the scam.

My school never informed its parents of this service being put in to use. We only found out after school started. I am still not sure why I am being billed the online access fee of $50 as I have paid the entire tuition for the school year.
They sent an invoice with a 15 day time period to pay $50 to use its services and if the $50 doesn't reach them and get posted in time, they will charge an additional $50. I have emailed the company 4 times, asking them to take me off their list. I have tried to explain that I did not owe any tuition at all for the entire school year, and would not be paying $50 to be in their system, only to keep receiving a bill.

After reading hundreds of complaints all over the Internet as well as at the Better Business Bureau, regarding how it charges these late fees routinely, even when the check reaches them ( their excuse to everyone has been that although they cashed the check, it takes time to post it to their system) it's pretty easy to deduce that this company is running a scam operation. Any school that would force this on its students is either not doing its diligent research about the company or is in on the scam.

Hello,
I supposed to receive the payment letter by this beginning of the month for this coming monthly payment I already registered. I checked online and the due date was Sep. 15, 2016, therefore I should be able to pay my bill already. However, the system told me there was a error processing payment of my account. I wonder what is happening with my account.

Thank you!

I apologize for any frustration you are experiencing. We have attempted to answer your complaint on another website. If you want additional assistance please email me directly at [email protected].

Kind regards,

Jim Lozano
Director of Parent Experience
Smart Tuition

We received our first bill yesterday - a DOUBLE BILL..... $1248.80 haven't even stepped foot into the school yet.
I have 2 weeks to pay it. Received it 8/1 due 8/15. Sure... Let me just pull that right out of *ss....

Clearly it benefits S T to do this. with late fees on top of late fees oh or I can give up my bank acct and routing # so they can just take it out. Considering administrative practices that would NOT be in my or anyone's best interest.


I am going to solicit meetings with the parents at our parish, then parish's close in my area and so on build a strong complaint with the Archdiocese to get a reputable company to handle tuition payments.

I have thought about paying more to daycare to avoid you disgusting people all together...

My principle stated how displeased she is to hear that she can no longer halt late payment fees, see some of us have to pay late or can not attend. These fees push affordability right out the window and that's not right.

Every parent I have spoken too has not had a good experience with you people and please save the BS comment that you are supposed to post at the end of this.
I know, you know it bullshit...

I apologize for any frustration you are having with credit card convenience fees. Smart Tuition discloses the credit card convenience fee on the phone and on our website if you are going to be making a debit or credit card payment. You can then agree to the fee or decline the fee before the transaction is completed. You can also make a payment free of charge from your checking or savings account to avoid the credit card convenience fee. If you would like to speak to me directly, please email me your Smart Tuition family ID and a number I can reach you during the day and I will contact you directly.

Sincerely,

Jim Lozano
Director of Parent Experience
Smart Tuition

You are in the business on gouging parents struggling to make tuition payments and if it means garnishing the child's financial aid fund, you will do it, helping yourself to whatever fees you want to charge the family. I was just billed a $14.00 "convenience fee" to make an online payment. You need to be shut down -- you lay in wait to charge exorbitant fees. I am also writing to the better business bureau. More parents need to be informed of what you are doing.

Good afternoon,

Smart Tuition has been working with private schools and religious organizations for almost 30 years. We are not in the business of trying to generate income from late fees. You can make payments online for free if you use your routing number and bank account number from either a checking or savings account. If you would like to review your account with me to figure out why your payments are arriving late, I am available Monday - Friday 9 AM EST - 5 PM EST. Please email me at [email protected] with your Family ID and a phone number and I will contact you directly.

Sincerely,

Jim Lozano
Director of Parent Experience
Smart Tuition

Smart Tuition offers a crooked system to collect late fees from parents every time:
They find the way to post their bills so that they arrive just at the date the payment is due or the day before that meaning that EVERY TIME you are charged with a late fee! And since they use "PRE PAID" mail service there is no stamp on to check what day they really posted the enveloppe...
The other option? Pay online FOR A FEE!!!!
I am fed up with them and will contact one of my lawyer friends to look into this...

I apologize for any frustration that you have experienced. If you would like to speak to me about your account, please email me your contact information at [email protected].

Sincerely,

Jim Lozano
Director of Parent Experience
Smart Tuition

I established my tuition agreement with our sons school and have been last in Dec and March for the last 2 years. I tried talking to the school and Smart Tuition and got no where. Last year I paid their stupid 80$ and this year I got increasingly angrier and didnt pay the 2 late fees and now they have doubled.

I see no purpose for this company other than a convience that can be simply fixed with a square account to accommodate people who need to use a credit card..

I am well aware of being late and paying a small fee but 40 bucks a pop and then doubling that after not paying for that. I cant tell you how irritated I am.

Also the email and call unnecessarily. I am not happy with this company and hope no one uses them...

I apologize that you feel that Smart Tuition has expensive fees. If you would like to review your account please call me directly. I can review with you the best ways to avoid late fees and convenience fees. My phone number is 866-873-9772.

Sincerely,

Jim Lozano
Director of Parent Experience
Smart Tuition

Smart Tuition seems to create different ways just to get people to pay fees, to make money. It is extremely unfriendly company.

I apologize for any frustration that you are experiencing with late fees. We offer many different options to pay tuition on time. If there is a reason you could not pay on time we handle those inquiries on a case by case basis. When schools sign up for Smart Tuition the school determines the amount of the late fees. I can review this with your school and give them your feedback if you would like. Unfortunately, I was not able to pull up any information regarding your account from your online review. If you would like to call me my direct number is 866-873-9772.

Sincerely,

Jim Lozano
Director of Parent Experience
Smart Tuition

My monthly tuition payment is only $91, and I get charged a $55 late fee. That is a late fee of over 60% of my due balance. Class-action lawsuits are currently going against other companies for mere 5% late fees. My complaint is different than the "delayed processing" late fees complaints, and definitely provable by simple math. I think Smart tuition should be forced by law to limit their late fees to a reasonable percentage of the balance owed rather than a flat late fee.

Good afternoon,

I apologize for any frustration you are experiencing with payments made by online bill pay. Over the last few years, my predecessor and I have been working hard to have Smart Tuition receive online bill payments electronically. We will be transitioning to receiving online bill payments electronically beginning in the 1st Quarter of 2017. At this time, online bill payments are not sent electronically from banks to Smart Tuition. They are sent by USPS regular mail, so there is no way to guarantee delivery through regular mail. The USPS advises us to have payments mailed 7-10 days before the due date. After we receive the payment, we post the payment the next business day. Late fees are usually applied to accounts automatically the day after the due date. We do not delay any payments on purpose to generate late fees. Smart Tuition offers a variety of payment options to avoid late fees.

Online bill payments are not only subject to delays in the mail, banks sometimes use a process called batching. Batching is when payments from the same bank are mailed together in one big batch to save on postage. These batches can have multiple due dates in the batch. I have personally seen batches with a variety of dues that we received on the same day in one batch. Banks also list the items as paid once the payments are mailed, but it does not mean we have received the payment. The funds come out of the bank account when the payment is sent. After we receive the payment it is posted to the account and we stamp the back of the check as paid.

We are not trying to place blame on other organizations, I am simply pointing out that there are many other factors associated with this process of online bill pay that could cause delays. I apologize for any inconvenience anyone has experienced with this process. We are aware of the impact to our families and we are going to begin to receive online bill payments electronically at the beginning of next year.

If you would like to speak to me about your account, please call me at 866-873-9772.

Sincerely,

Jim Lozano
Director of Parent Experience
Smart Tuition

Wow. Why was I not surprised to find so many complaints about Smart Tuition. It is clear to me and in my opinion Smart Tuition drags its feet on "processing" payments that are sent to them from services like Bill Pay. Smart Tuition is then able to collect the 55 "late fee" even though the check was delivered to Smart Tuition before the payment due date. And when you call in and talk to their untrained staff, they readily admit that Smart Tuition is slow to process payments, and that there is a window period of 10 days after the due date that they admit they may have received the check but it is not yet processed?! Amazing. Just this month we paid well in advance of the due date through Bill Pay. Our bank told us the check was delivered two days before the due date. Yet we were hit with "late fee" of $55.00. We then reached out to Bill Pay and our bank and they confirmed the check number and the delivery date, and said they would contact Smart Tuition. Would anyone be amazed that the same day we get this notice from Bill Pay our account is credited on Smart Tuition.....

I am a lawyer and I am considering looking into a possible class action against Smart Tuition. It appears that there are many, many people who are charged bogus late fees when Smart Tuition hasn't even properly determined if the payment is indeed "late." That is a crime in my opinion.

I apologize for any problems you are having with Smart Tuition. I would like to discuss your situation. Please email me at [email protected] or call me at 1-866-873-9772. I am available Monday through Friday 9 AM EST to 5 PM EST.

Best regards,

Jim Lozano
Director of Parent Experience
Smart Tuition

We are extremely disappointed with their service and unprofessionalism to resolve payment issues!!!

Regarding the previous post and the parent filing the BBB complaint we have waived the late fees. The school initially declined to waive the late fees.

Jim Lozano
Director of Parent Experience
Smart Tuition

I have been paying my School Fees through Smart Tuition. I had one late payment which i requested for a waiver for the late fee. It was NOT waived and the late fees are $55. Even when I made the payment on the due date, there is a late fee charged. I did a payment before the due date, there is a late fee charged. When I asked the Customer Service, I was told that those fees are for not paying the Late Fees from October which was not waived. Currently my late fee total is $ 220. So Smart Tuition charges $ 55 every month for not paying the original late fees. That's awesome, I will take this action seriously if My fees are not waived. I have told on the call as well but no one has offered Support. I have filed my case with BBB. If I don't get a waiver, I will start working on an affidavit of declaration from more parents signed to file a case or class action suit for such malpractices in late fees.