WyzAnt.com

Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2015/07/14) */
WyzAnt removed Mr. Silver's profile in accordance with the terms of use, which were agreed to by Mr. Silver upon the listing of his profile. The terms of use are made available to all users on our homepage. WyzAnt is under no obligation...

to list the profiles of any user who does not agree with the terms of use or the independent tutor contract, including the commission structure, that is agreed to upon registration. WyzAnt considers this matter closed.
Initial Consumer Rebuttal /* (3000, 7, 2015/07/21) */
(The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
The response provided by WyzAnt does not provide specific details or explanation. WyzAnt claims that my profile was removed in accordance with the terms of use; however, WyzAnt has refused to provide any supporting information, and has flatly refused to discuss the issue with me further.
In addition, I have researched what other tutors have written publicly with regard to WyzAnt's business practices, and have observed that this sudden deletion of tutor profiles appears to be part of a pattern - tutors achieve a certain number of tutoring hours to lower their commission rate and begin earning more, and soon find their profiles removed with little in the way of explanation or specific criteria or other details. This raises questions as to whether WyzAnt terminates tutors who have achieved a higher take-home rate in order to maximize their own commission.
As a side note, I found in my research a recent article the WyzAnt CEO wrote on the importance of corporate ethics. It's hard to reconcile this article with the manner in which I and other tutors have had their contracts terminated without warning nor adequate explanation.
I am therefore requesting the following items:
1) Data which indicates how my student retention rates compared with tutors in the same discipline in the same metro area; 2) WyzAnt standards that used in determining how a tutor is flagged for profile review and deletion; 3) a full and complete explanation as to why my profile was flagged and deleted, with supporting evidence and data, and without warning; 4) a full and complete report on my ratings and comments from students.
If WyzAnt is unwilling or unable to provide this to me, then I request that WyzAnt reinstate my profile or refund the commission I paid to WyzAnt in full.
Sincerely,
Steve [redacted]
Final Business Response /* (4000, 9, 2015/08/03) */
While we regret that you are not satisfied with our response as to our reason for the removal of your profile, based on WyzAnt's agreements with you, further information will not be forthcoming. In accordance with the WyzAnt.com site ("Site") Terms of Use, to which you agreed to be bound, "WyzAnt reserves the right to suspend and/or terminate any user with or without notice at any time in its sole discretion, for any reason or no reason. You agree that, if you are suspended and/or terminated, you will make no further use of the Site after termination or during suspension." (See para 14.) Additionally, pursuant to the Independent Tutor Agreement to which you also agreed to be bound, ("IT Agreement"), you agreed, "Either party may terminate this Agreement for any reason at any time." (See para 18). Providing you with further supporting information is not contemplated in the agreements with you.
Responding to the request to refund the commission, pursuant to the IT Agreement, you agreed to be bound by the Commission and Tutor payment policies while listing your services on the Site. (See paras 5 and 6). Therefore, we will not refund any such commissions.
We continue to stand by our decision to not reinstate your profile.

This has to be the worst tutoring site on the face of the planet.

While any site is going to have hiccups, since nothing is perfect, last month their site got cracked not hacked; hacking is just customizing programs for your personal use& I could no longer log into my account. Multiple password reset requests & I still hadn't gotten the email to reset it. There is nowhere on their exterior site to generate an IT ticket for those with an account; if you try to contact them exteriorly, it prompts you to log in to file your complaint.

Just as I realized I was going to have to escalate this dramatically & immediately, I get an email from Wyzant stating my account has been suspended for violating terms of service. Several emails back & forth, with me stating how their site has been cracked, them denying it & telling me that Ia Certified Tech Support Specialisthave no clue what I'm talking about, it's still not resolved & I have reported the Identity Fraud to Social Security.

When Ms. [redacted] registered to create an account and use the site (wyzant.com), she agreed to follow Wyzant’s outlined terms of use, including Section **  Even, per her own admission, Ms. [redacted] opted to cease use of Wyzant’s platform and instead meet with the referenced student and receive payment independently, which is a violation of the terms of use.  Wyzant reserves the right not to list the services of any individual, and we have chosen not to host Ms. [redacted] profile going forward.

I signed up with WyzAnt about a month ago. I've already received one ongoing job through WyzAnt. I had to charge more than I normally charge in order to receive an acceptable hourly rate, but both I and the customer are very happy to have found each other. I would have never found this student if it weren't for WyzAnt. I was contacted by customer service a few days after I signed up. He just wanted to make sure I had no questions or concerns. I have nothing but good things to say about the company.

Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2014/03/14) */
WyzAnt is an online marketplace for tutors and students to contact one another in order to conduct one-on-one tutoring lessons. All payments are processed through the WyzAnt system. It is unfortunate that Mr. [redacted] had such an...

unfortunate experience as a student back in 2012. Further, we are sorry to hear that this platform has not served to be the best option for Mr. [redacted] as a tutor.
Within the WyzAnt Terms of Use, it is stated that either party may sever the relationship at any time, for any reason. We do apologize for the frustration that this situation has caused Mr. [redacted], but the decision to close his account and remove his information complete is a final decision.
As a courtesy, I have fully refunded the $7.99 that Mr. [redacted] spent in order to purchase a background check on himself.
We wish Mr. [redacted] all the best in his future tutoring endeavors.

When tutors (or other users) register on (or...

otherwise use ) the wyzant.com site, they agree to be bound to the site Terms of Use.  At least one reason for deactivating Mr. [redacted] account includes his violation of the Terms of Use as related to registering or otherwise creating multiple accounts on the site.  Additionally, the Terms of Use state in paragraph 16, “WyzAnt reserves the right to suspend and/or terminate any user with or without notice at any time in its sole discretion, for any reason or no reason.”  As such, we decline to re-list his profile at this time.

Consistent with the site policies to which Ms. [redacted] agreed when she registered to create an account and use the site (wyzant.com), see Section 8 of the Terms of Use, all content submitted to the site is provided to Wyzant on a non-confidential basis and Wyzant retains the right not to...

provide any copies.   Additionally consistent with Section 8 of the Terms of Use, Ms. [redacted] granted an irrevocable license to display content (at its option) which may have been submitted to the site.  Furthermore, when a user’s account is removed, any submitted information is no longer accessible and while it is no longer visible to or shared with any parties, it must remain on file for administrative, technical and other reasons.

Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2014/10/08) */
On 9/24/2014, WyzAnt sent the account holder an email alerting her to a $30 pending charge that would take place on 9/29/2014. The email invited the account holder to phone Customer Support if she had any questions regarding the charge. On...

9/29/2014, WyzAnt charged $30 to the PayPal account on file. Later that same day, the account holder called Customer Support to contest the charge and request the closure of her account. The representative let her know that he would open a ticket with the Finance Department who would process her refund request and close her account. Two days later, on 10/1/2014, the Finance Department processed the refund back to the PayPal account on file and closed the account, as requested. A receipt of this refund was emailed to the account holder at the time the refund was processed.

Each tutor listed with WyzAnt has the ability to reflect a cancellation policy on their public profile.  If a student does not contact the tutor to cancel according to the stated cancellation policy, it is at each tutor’s discretion whether they choose to assess the associated fee.  In...

this particular instance, Mr. [redacted] selected tutor has a 24 hour cancellation policy listed on his profile.  Mr. [redacted] scheduled a lesson with his tutor for 5/13/16, with an anticipated start time between 11:15 and 11:30 a.m.  Mr. [redacted] emailed the tutor on 5/13/16 at 11:30 a.m. to indicate that he needed to reschedule due to public transportation issues.  While WyzAnt certainly understands that extenuating circumstances may arise, Mr. [redacted] did not contact the tutor to reschedule in line with the stated cancellation policy.  As such, it is within the tutor’s purview to assess the cancellation fee of $55, which is commensurate with his hourly rate.  We are sorry that this situation occurred and the lesson was not able to take place as anticipated.

We regret that Mr. [redacted] was unable to locate a tutor listed on our platform that met his needs in linear algebra.  To promote our marketplace service and since tutors listed on the platform are independent and we do not control their instruction, we offer a refund for the first hour...

spent on a lesson through our platform if a student is unsatisfied (“Good Fit Guarantee”).  In this case, Mr. [redacted] emailed us regarding applying the Good Fit Guarantee on his first lesson, and we intended on crediting back his cost. Per our policy, we contacted him to confirm the information.  When we initially contacted him, he did not respond.  Later he spoke with us regarding his refund, but opted to leave the credit on the account.  At this time, we are happy to instead refund back on his credit card the amount he spent.  In addition, we have reached out to Mr. [redacted] to determine how we can improve his overall experience with Wyzant.

In order for a tutor to host a profile with WyzAnt, it is necessary for each tutor to meet certain application and qualification requirements.   Ms. [redacted] began the application process in the fall of 2015 and WyzAnt communicated with Ms. [redacted] several times, via the application form and...

email correspondence, to outline what was required for application approval.  Unfortunately, Ms. [redacted] application did not meet these requirements and as a result, she was not provided with a profile.  Per WyzAnt’s Terms of Use, not every applicant is provided with a listing, and we wish Ms. [redacted] the best in her future endeavors.

Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2015/05/06) */
Thank you for your inquiry. WyzAnt successfully processed a refund to Mr.[redacted] Visa ending in[redacted] on [redacted] 4th, 2015 in the amount of $7.99. Those funds will be made available according to the card holder's banking institutions schedule...

of refund availability. Mr.[redacted] is welcome to call Customer Support to receive the transaction approval code in the event his refund has not posted to his account within 3-10 business days, the typical time it takes to appear on a card holder's account.
Initial Consumer Rebuttal /* (2000, 7, 2015/05/06) */
(The consumer indicated he/she ACCEPTED the response from the business.)

Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2015/03/16) */
Due to a printing error, a replacement check needed to be issued to Mr.[redacted] Upon discovery, Customer Support opened ticket[redacted] with the Finance Department, and a replacement check was mailed the following day. We sincerely...

apologize for the inconvenience this caused!

Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2015/03/16) */
Payment for the lessons conducted were remitted by direct deposit on 3/3/2015 in the amount of $30, and on 3/10/2015 in the amount of $30. The total amount paid was $60. Thank you!

Complaint: [redacted]
This response is unsatisfactory because WyzAnt does not adequately address either main portion of my complaint.For the first part, I criticized them for not specifying why my provided information failed to meet their standards in response to my email describing in detail how it did. Their statement that my "application did not meet those [the communicated] requirements" continues this trend of saying nothing and obfuscating the true point of contention; what matters is not that they think my application was insufficient, but their inability to articulate exactly why it was below their standards despite clearly saying everything that they told me it needed to say. They assert things are a certain way, but are completely unable or unwilling to defend it with specific details. Moreover, they completely ignore their mendacious claim that my performance on their proprietary competence exams was unsatisfactory. I met the standard they told me, and saying otherwise is an outright lie.For the second part, I pointed out that they misrepresented (i.e. lied about) their terms of use multiple times and made a claim to property (my submitted writing) that they contractually agreed to not claim. It should be self-evident that their week statement about their terms of use does nothing to address this point. They have their right to not grant me what is rightfully mine because of the terms of use, but that does not absolve them of their egregious dishonesty in denying a simple request in good faith.In addition, they were unable to get my honorific (Mr.) correct despite presumably seeing it on the complaint. Given WyzAnt's regrettable behavioral history, I am not sure this was accidental. While I personally am not offended by their inability to respect my gender identity, others in a similar situation might be more sensitive to such a slight, and I want to draw attention to that.For these reasons, it is understandable that I must reject their grossly subpar explanation. WyzAnt's business practices are demonstrably below the standard implied by a Revdex.com A+ rating, and I urge the Revdex.com to adjust WyzAnt's rating accordingly.
Sincerely,
[redacted]

As noted in her complaint, Ms. [redacted]’s tutor profile was removed in accordance with WyzAnt's terms and conditions, available on wyzant.com, that she agreed to when WyzAnt listed her profile.  WyzAnt communicated with Ms. [redacted] via email regarding the removal and provided information regarding...

this action.  WyzAnt reserves the right not to list the services of any individual, and we have chosen not to list Ms [redacted]’s profile going forward.  We wish Ms [redacted] the best in her future endeavors.

When Mr. [redacted] registered to create an account and use the site (wyzant.com), he agreed to follow Wyzant’s outlined terms of use, including Section *.  Wyzant has been has been in contact with Mr. [redacted] regarding policy and procedural expectations.  Wyzant reserves the right not to...

list the services of any individual, and we have chosen not to host Mr. [redacted] profile going forward.  We wish Mr. [redacted] the best in his future endeavors.

Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2014/10/08) */
WyzAnt is sorry to hear that the tutor had difficulty navigating the WyzAnt system and was unable to successfully log the lesson according to the payment policies. The policy in question, as was agreed to by the tutor upon sign-up, states that...

in order to guarantee payment, the lesson must be submitted within 7 days of the date of the lesson. If a lesson is not submitted within 7 days, the submission must then be approved by the student. In this case, the student did not accept the lesson charges.
The tutor's calls to customer support did include two escalations to a supervisor, who followed company protocol. In light of the situation, WyzAnt is willing to provide a one-time exception to the payment policies and provide the tutor with $21.60 in payment (the tutor's hourly rate of $36 less the current 40% commission fee) for the lesson in question. This payment will be remitted according to the tutor's selected method of payment during the next pay period.

Since first listing her profile with Wyzant, Ms. [redacted] and Wyzant’s Profile Review Team have been in contact numerous times regarding policy and procedural expectations.  Most notably, explicit information regarding ongoing account requirements was provided to Ms. [redacted] in July 2015 and...

March 2016.  When reminded of Wyzant policies in July 2015, Ms. [redacted] confirmed understanding of these policies and agreed to adhere to them.Most recently, Ms. [redacted]’s tutor profile was removed in accordance with Wyzant's terms and conditions, available on wyzant.com, that she agreed to when listing her profile.  Ms. [redacted] first contacted Wyzant regarding her account status on 8/26/2016 and Wyzant’s Profile Review Team communicated with Ms. [redacted] via email regarding the removal, as well as provided information regarding this action, on 8/30/2016 and 9/01/2016. Wyzant reserves the right not to list the services of any individual, and we have chosen not to host Ms [redacted]’s profile going forward.  We wish Ms. [redacted] the best in her future endeavors.

Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2015/07/14) */
WyzAnt removed Mr. Silver's profile in accordance with the terms of use, which were agreed to by Mr. Silver upon the listing of his profile. The terms of use are made available to all users on our homepage. WyzAnt is under no obligation to list...

the profiles of any user who does not agree with the terms of use or the independent tutor contract, including the commission structure, that is agreed to upon registration. WyzAnt considers this matter closed.
Initial Consumer Rebuttal /* (3000, 7, 2015/07/21) */
(The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
The response provided by WyzAnt does not provide specific details or explanation. WyzAnt claims that my profile was removed in accordance with the terms of use; however, WyzAnt has refused to provide any supporting information, and has flatly refused to discuss the issue with me further.
In addition, I have researched what other tutors have written publicly with regard to WyzAnt's business practices, and have observed that this sudden deletion of tutor profiles appears to be part of a pattern - tutors achieve a certain number of tutoring hours to lower their commission rate and begin earning more, and soon find their profiles removed with little in the way of explanation or specific criteria or other details. This raises questions as to whether WyzAnt terminates tutors who have achieved a higher take-home rate in order to maximize their own commission.
As a side note, I found in my research a recent article the WyzAnt CEO wrote on the importance of corporate ethics. It's hard to reconcile this article with the manner in which I and other tutors have had their contracts terminated without warning nor adequate explanation.
I am therefore requesting the following items:
1) Data which indicates how my student retention rates compared with tutors in the same discipline in the same metro area; 2) WyzAnt standards that used in determining how a tutor is flagged for profile review and deletion; 3) a full and complete explanation as to why my profile was flagged and deleted, with supporting evidence and data, and without warning; 4) a full and complete report on my ratings and comments from students.
If WyzAnt is unwilling or unable to provide this to me, then I request that WyzAnt reinstate my profile or refund the commission I paid to WyzAnt in full.
Sincerely,
Steve [redacted]
Final Business Response /* (4000, 9, 2015/08/03) */
While we regret that you are not satisfied with our response as to our reason for the removal of your profile, based on WyzAnt's agreements with you, further information will not be forthcoming. In accordance with the WyzAnt.com site ("Site") Terms of Use, to which you agreed to be bound, "WyzAnt reserves the right to suspend and/or terminate any user with or without notice at any time in its sole discretion, for any reason or no reason. You agree that, if you are suspended and/or terminated, you will make no further use of the Site after termination or during suspension." (See para 14.) Additionally, pursuant to the Independent Tutor Agreement to which you also agreed to be bound, ("IT Agreement"), you agreed, "Either party may terminate this Agreement for any reason at any time." (See para 18). Providing you with further supporting information is not contemplated in the agreements with you.
Responding to the request to refund the commission, pursuant to the IT Agreement, you agreed to be bound by the Commission and Tutor payment policies while listing your services on the Site. (See paras 5 and 6). Therefore, we will not refund any such commissions.
We continue to stand by our decision to not reinstate your profile.