Shaw Academy - watch for payments being deducted willy-nilly. Otherwise, good course content.

Well, it was clever marketing on their side - free trial for a month. I opted for this as I wanted to experience their project management course - as I endorse other platforms for learning to my client companies and their staff. I've used Udemy and S****sology so far and love both of these. I was gobsmacked when I was invoiced for R399, and then somehow, I apparently unlocked a module, so a R399 went off my account. I alerted them, but they did not respond. The next day, R499 was zapped off my account - pop up boxes continuously come up to lure you into buying a 'toolkit' with a 'one click process'. I can only assume by all the complaints I see around this, that when you close this little box, that it defaults to a purchase.

I have been in touch with the college, and have requested this refund, as well as alerting my bank to please reverse this charge as it is not something I requested. I signed up for a free course, so do not want to pay for anything additional unless I need it. They have also been instructed to remove my banking details from the system, which their platform, *******ly do not have an allocation for. Usually with online purchases, I need to put a pin number in. FNB did not ensure this was done when my banking details were verified with the bank. As a Private Banker, I would have expected this. However, this is an issue with the bank, which I'm taking up with them.

The course itself is excellent. That I have been given all the lessons for module one means I can move through the course at a faster pace, which is great. The content is clear, to the point, and the lecturer is animated, which helps keep me engaged in the course content. Comparing apples to apples, although a major problem with unauthorised payments needing to be fought through, the actual course is superior to many others I've experienced.

To Shaw Academys credit, they have given me 6 months free access to apologise. Time will tell if they uphold this. I have basically cancelled my membership, but they would like me to continue learning for 6 months at their cost.