The following are believed to be authentic statements from a representative of Edifi. They were originally posted at http://www.collegeconfidential.com/cgi-bin/discus/show.cgi?6/10293
They don't fill the forms out for you like Edifi and they charge ala carte for the other information Edifi includes in their package. You can do this yourself... if you like. Or you can hire a professional, like Edifi.
I find it very sad when just because Mom or Dad have not attended college and have little understanding of the system and how to get the best package for their student, they don't seek professional help and Jr. ends up attending class at a second or third choice school (if he goes to school at all) because the financial aid was bungled. Just because someone doesn't understand a complicated system we should not judge them unfit for college.
54% of Americans pay to have someone fill out their taxes and we do that every year. We pay people to mow our grass, fix our cars, even to care for our children. We are capable of doing all those things ourselves too. Using your line of thought, if someone is incapable of repairing their own car, perhaps they shouldn't be driving. When someone is considering an investment of $30K to $180K for anything, it would seem prudent to contract the help of a professional working in their best interest.
I respect your right to your opinion, but tens of thousands of families have benefited by getting fee based help both here at College Confidential and through other valuable services. You said "it is required" that financial aid info be given for free. What of services? Do you work for free?
You also called Edifi a "Scam". Those are pretty harsh words and completely unjustified. Again, you are welcome to an opinion but please heed this advise, calling a company a scam is liable and unless you are prepared to document and defend such a carelessly written accusation, I would be a bit more careful. Is this website a scam because they offer services for a fee?
I only cited a real life example I am acutely aware of re: the parents without a college education. Frankly, there are many with educations that bungle the form, miss the deadlines and accept below average offers too.
You reinforced my point. Yes there are software programs for taxes and yes there are toll free numbers you can call for help in filling out taxes. So why do over 50% of us have a professional do the work for us?
And again, you think that because a company provides services for a fee they are "exploiting" someone. With the inflationary rates of college tuition and fees, the subjectivity involved in the administration of financial aid, and the hours and hours of research necessary to truly understand the system, it appears the system itself is somewhat guilty of exploitation, not fee based services.
One must question the quality of the complaints that the BBB counts but will not post for all to see. A client from Florida complained that Edifi did nothing for him and demanded a full refund. He was correct, the company did not do anything for him because his check bounced. Another client complained because Edifi had not performed scholarship searches for them... Those complaints count as two of the 50!
When Guidance Counselors and Financial Aid Officers tell clients that a company is a "scam" they tend to believe them regardless of their personal experiences, especially if they think a refund is possible. The advice typically given by well meaning but misinformed advisors; "you should complain to the BBB and demand your money back." One should ask; with that level of opposition, why aren't there more complaints?
Why would the Financial Aid Officers like Edifi? Edifi writes appeal letters for their clients and ultimately cost the college more for a student to whom they gave a substandard offer.
Edifi currently uses the Seminar format for marketing their seminars. Their invitation states that the student was "selected" not "specially selected" as written above. The students are selected based on specific criteria. Student list companies are not able to meet all of Edifi's criteria because of thier limitations in collecting data.
Edifi asks (not demands) that both parents attend simply out of courtesy. Most families like to make decisions about thier investments and their children's education together.
Edifi continues to develop new programs, websites, and other helpful if not essential services for their clients.
My opinion... Edified students will have a leg up on other students that are less prepared, less supported and less guided.
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Revision r1.1 - 05 Jul 2003 - 01:15 by EliMantel
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