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I took the first 2 classes in their wedding planner certification course. After signing up for the third I found a link to buy their study guide book on lulu.com. After checking out the first few pages of the book on this site I realized that the classes are simply the $125 book divided into chapters and charged 50-150 bucks to take. The book even has every chapter (classes) assignments in it as well. There is absolutely no difference between their classes and the book except the requirement that you take every class online before you can officially get your certification.
Talk about mark-up and talk about a joke. The person they assign you to send assignments to doesn't even look over the assignments and you get a copy & pasted 'good job' response back.
At least it was kinda aorta easy to get my money back for the 3rd class I signed up for (which was the same price as the book) it only took a week and a half with a phone call asking about it every day.
The complaint has been investigated and resolved to the customer’s satisfaction.
I was also wrong about the refund promised. Although I paid for the course using a credit card they refunded a paypal account. I don't know where the money went considering I do not have a paypal account that this card is associated with and was told by there completely unhelpful consultant that "it isn't their problem"
How is it my fault that they refunded a on existent paypal account and not the credit card that was used for the transaction?
I have had a similar experience with this company also. They are horrible, the course are a joke, the customer service is a joke. All in all i think this company may have at one time been a good company, but not any more...Just A SCAM Buyer Beware!
This course is a joke. They make you pay up to $1500 for your certification online and all it is is the book dived into chapters. the only benefit of taking the courses over buying the book for $125 is a certificate that isn’t even proof of anything considering bridal consultant career courses are not regulated by any government policy yet. It also takes days to get into a class after they take your money, and when I requested a refund because I couldn’t get anyone to activate my course sign-up, they refunded a non-existant paypal account instead of the credit card they used to take the payment from. Now, no one can find my money and they insist that it isn’t their problem because they “refunded” me. Don’t waste your time and oney with this joke of an “Institute”.
I'm taking the online course right now and I definitely agree with you. I also think that the whole program is ridiculous. Had I known that it required multiple assignments per chapter, I would have saved myself the time & money. I've been in event planning for 4 years now and simply wanted to take this class so I would have a certification to go along with my work experience. In my opinion, there is no benefit to doing some of the silly assignments besides just wasting your time. And multiple assignments assume that you are ready to open your own business immediately which simply isn't the case for me. But, I'm definitely glad to hear from you that they don't really check your assignments because some of these have really been bogging me down and at this point I'd rather just turn them in and not worry about it.
I am so glad I read this because I was going to start this course very soon, but if I can just get the guide books I'll do that instead. What is the name of the guide book? Actually, could you please tell me all of the info that I would need to get my certificate without taking the course? Thank you very much.
For me, this doesn't seem like a real big rip off.. Since currently for the school im going to i pay $1, 300 to attend the school, and around $600 for the books i need. Id much rather do this institute (which takes a lot less work than my current school to do) and save a ton of money and not have to spend around $8, 000 a year for 2 years to attend my current school.
First, why would any bride to be want to hire you if you just want the certification with out doing the actual work and training. It sounds like a very comprehensive course to have course work for each chapter.
The point in getting the proper training and certification is to set yourself apart from people like you that want the certificate but not actually do the work to earn the recognition. It's scary to think there are wedding planners out there that think all they need is a piece of paper and not the training. I certainly wouldn't hire you for my wedding.
hi, ive been looking into their course and have been searching for reviews as i havent been able to decide. i would appreciate if you could tell me the link on lulu.com on which you found their study guide book and other details i should know about getting the certfication. Also have you heard any reviews from people about the new event design course that preston bailey ( international fame event stylist) has launched with them. i would appreciate your replys to my questions
Graduates and current students have a lot of good things to say about this course. Their testimonials are worth reading on the website. You have to be a member to access all of them, which come in on an almost daily basis, but I found this one particularly helpful:
"The LWPI course has been a great experience, both personally and professionally. I have benefited through the materials and class instruction gaining knowledge and understanding of whom and what a wedding planner should be. I’m pleased with The Wedding Institute’s time and attention to my assignments, Kelly's comments and suggestions were greatly appreciated and taken to heart. The live chat was very useful for prompt questions. I feel the step by step LWPI materials will enhance the process of planning weddings. I was also inspired by my class instructor Carol Crist and appreciated her support throughout my class studies. I am enlighten by the class site visits she had arranged within the Wedding Industry. Networking and making friends along the way. It has been a pleasure taking this course and I’m looking forward to start putting all that info to good use!"
And there's always activity on the Facebook page, too: https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Wedding-Planning-Institute-a-division-of-Lovegevity-Inc/115302821178
I'm still doing research on the program (have not yet enrolled), but all I can say in response to these complaints/inquiries is that if you truly have years of SUCCESSFUL experience in the industry, then it honestly seems like you don't need this certificate. But from what I've been reading so far (all research thus far has been OUTSIDE of the LWPI website... it may be ignorant, but I can never quite fully trust reviews from a company that's selling me something and/or recruiting)- it seems like this is the most legitimate program out there for anyone who wants to start their own business in this field and gain opportunities from the network available on their website. They have an A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau (http://www.bbb.org/northeast-california/business-reviews/schools-business-and-vocational/lovegevitys-wedding-planning-institute-in-roseville-ca-47017377) and it's the only certification program officially endorsed by the ABC (Association of Bridal Consultants)... there point system offers 15 points for completion of THEIR certification, 5 points for any other field-related certification, and then specifically lists the LWPI-CWEP certification with an award of 10 points. Also, community colleges and even some lesser universities carry the course... I don't know how much of a "Scam" it can be.
Like I said... I haven't taken the course yet and I'm still doing my research, but it just seems silly to me that someone would buy the course without understanding the value (or simply not caring about the value) of professional certification.
The thing that has given me the most confidence in dropping a grand on what is essentially a glorified trade-school certification? Google your area's top wedding planners... if your results are like mine, about 85% of the top consultants/businesses are certified through LWPI and are active members of the ABC. I live in San Antonio, TX- a massive and heavily populated city ...just sayin'.
i did the course and i was done along time ago i had to redo projects 3 times and they still havent done my cert i have been waiting since auguust of last yr for mine to come . included eevry detail as required in assignment and i had to re do them again 3 times thats a rip off i want my certificate
I have done my research on almost all online wedding certificate programs and have found negative reviews on every single one. Can anyone recommend a school they did appreciate? This school almost seems like my best chance.
If you want to see what actual students who take and complete the program at Lovegevity's Wedding Planning Institute think and say you should see what they are posting here:
http://lovegevity.site-ym.com/blogpost/646375/Student-News-and-Reviews
If you want to hear what they say on camera at various conferences in the industry click here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WJcI3HQmnuU
If you want to see what industry leaders say about the program and the Lovegevity graduates they hire for their events click here:
http://yourweddingexperience.com/2015/09/lovegevity/
To check Lovegevity's BBB rating of 18 years click here:
http://www.bbb.org/northeast-california/business-reviews/schools-business-and-vocational/lovegevity-s-wedding-planning-institute-in-roseville-ca-47017377/
Facebook rates LWPI 4.7 stars out of 5 with 100% response time.
The Better Business Bureau (BBB) rates LWPI over 18 years with an A+.
The book can be found on Amazon from resellers. The actual textbook is not sold and is updated every year. So while you can find previous versions you can not get the latest version from a reseller. The 2015 version has extensive updates since this first post was added here in 2009. A lot has changed in the industry and A LOT more has changed in the program. I invite anyone on this board who was a previous student to contact me and I will be happy to send you the latest copy of the CWEP textbook. Email cho at lovegevity.com. I am the author so I'm sure I can get you a copy.
All companies evolve overtime and have positive and negative experiences to grow from. To date, LWPI has over 2200 colleges and universities offering the CWEP program. LWPI has over 10, 000 members, both students and graduates in over 100 countries and over 1500 cities.
One more thing. Don't take my word for it. Read the student reviews for yourself here...and live as they happen.
http://www.lovegevityinstitutes.com/blogpost/646375/Student-News-and-Reviews
See what students are up to and what companies say about them and their training with LWPI:
http://yourweddingexperience.com/2015/09/lovegevity/
What I have come to find is that the communication is lacking. I have called twice and emailed to let lovegevity know that I have hit a financial stumbling block and I'm looking for ways to continue to pay (Maybe some assistance or stopping and picking it up at a later date) and all I get when I talk with someone is "She'll give you a call back." and I've not received a call or an email. It's frustrating because I'm trying to get help. Any recommendations?
i was just triple charged by the wedding planning institute. I have emailed everyone that I have received an email from. I have tried to make a call appt and don't know what time I am suppose to be expecting a call because they are in Australia or somewhere. They don't grade the homework within the amount of days indicated. I always have to send an email for someone to grade it. BUT if your payment is not paid they will definitely send you an email stating your payment did not go through. I just wanted to take a course to see if I was doing what I am suppose to do as a wedding planner and to see if there were some new tips and tricks that I may have been missing out on. I should done more research instead of going with this company. I will not recommend this company to anyone. I believe this company is full of crap and if it possible to get a refund I ABSOLUTELY WOULD! Go with another company, this one is CRAP!