Posted on 03/08/2016 11:46:54 AM PST by Kaslin
During last week's Fox News GOP debate in Detroit, Donald Trump was confronted by anchor Megyn Kelly about Trump University.
Trump claimed during the debate Trump University received an A-rating from the Better Business Bureau. As Kelly pointed out in an exchange with Trump at the debate, that is false. Trump then claimed the BBB faxed him in the middle of the debate to confirm the A-rating. They didn't. Trump's people handed moderators a sheet of paper and claimed it was from the BBB to verify the A-rating. It wasn't.
Megyn Kelly EXPOSES Donald's TRUMP University SCAMS! - GOP Debate
Trump University came under fire more than a decade ago when thousands of students issued complaints about fraud in the program. Turns out, Trump University was a massive scam.
Trump University was never a university. When the “school” was established in 2005, the New York State Education Department warned that it was in violation of state law for operating without a NYSED license. Trump ignored the warnings. (The institution is now called, ahem, “Trump Entrepreneur Initiative.”) Cue lawsuits.
Trump University is currently the defendant in three lawsuits — two class-action lawsuits filed in California, and one filed in New York by then-attorney general Eric Schneiderman, who told CNN’s New Day in 2013: “We started looking at Trump University and discovered that it was a classic bait-and-switch scheme. It was a scam, starting with the fact that it was not a university.”
Today, the BBB is confirming that they a) did not fax Trump in the middle of the debate b) Trump University did in fact receive a D- rating and didn't improve to an A-rating until nearly 10 years after it was established. From a statement released by BBB (bolding is mine):
1. BBB did not send a document of any kind to the Republican debate site last Thursday evening. The document presented to debate moderators did not come from BBB that night.
2. Trump University does not currently have an A rating with BBB. The BBB Business Review for this company has continually been “No Rating” since September 2015. Prior to that, it fluctuated between D- and A+.
3. The document posted on social media on Thursday night was not a current BBB Business Review of Trump University. It appeared to be part of a Business Review from 2014.
4. BBB ratings are based on information we obtain about a business, including complaints received from the public. The reporting period is three years. Detailed information about BBB ratings is available on all 5.3 million Business Reviews on our website, bbb.org.
5. At no point did BBB change the rating of Trump University based upon a demand from anyone. BBB followed its standard evaluation process applicable to all businesses.
6. During the period when Trump University appeared to be active in the marketplace, BBB received multiple customer complaints about this business. These complaints affected the Trump University BBB rating, which was as low as D- in 2010. As the company appeared to be winding down, after 2013, no new complaints were reported. Complaints over three years old automatically rolled off of the Business Review, according to BBB policy. As a result, over time, Trump University’s BBB rating went to an A in July 2014 and then to an A+ in January 2015.
7. Trump University has never been a BBB Accredited Business. The document handed to the debate moderators on Thursday night could not have been an actual “Better Business Bureau accreditation notice” for this business.
Trump University only received an A+ rating right before it shut down and after years of complaints. In 2013, the year the rating improved, Trump University was sued by New York's Attorney General for $40 million. Donald Trump Sued for Fraud N Y Attorney General Says Trump University Students 'Fleeced'
Trump admitted during the debate to refunding thousands of students who signed up for his program and a class action lawsuit, which includes more than 5000 people, is still ongoing.
I'll leave you with this: Sherri - 60 Seconds
RE: was the letter that he produced at the debate forged?
When we talk about the BBB ratings, we have to remember one thing — IT IS DYNAMIC.
People could give you A in the beginning, but then, as the business continues and people have more experience dealing with it, the it could either remain the same or go lower or even much lower.
So no, Trump’s letter was not forged. But it could be from an earlier time.
CNN also investigated BBB more recently, and there are lawsuits involved.
Through its investigation, CNNMoney found a sampling of more than 100 businesses that had ratings of A- or higher despite having serious actions taken against them by government regulators in the past year.
http://money.cnn.com/2015/09/30/news/better-business-bureau/
You are able to see that this continuously needing to explain why “Is does not really mean Is” has become a wornout Trump tune.
His inference was that it was a BBB rating. His inference is what counts!
Apparently Kelly was smart enough to see through the subterfuge and did not fall for the Three Card Monty.
No it isn’t. The point is that Trump claimed to have gotten an A rating from the BBB when in fact he did indeed get a D rating
So it went from a D to an A.
Thanks for the info now I can factually tell the cruzers they do selective ratings:-)
Megyn is a media assassin and her pay was a multi-million dollar book deal.
The article said it went from a d to an A. Selective reading?-)
“Improved” only because they went out of business and BBB stopped getting new complaints.
But but it turn into an “A” rating. BBB ratings are moving target. This isn’t going anywhere for Trump haters.
I'll guess her campaign is already shooting commercials for the general election featuring scammed former students.
From the North Carolina Consumers Council.
Better Business Bureau Sued for Bogus Rating System
The Brookstone Law Firm of Newport Beach in Southern California has filed a $200 million lawsuit against the Better Business Bureau (BBB), calling it a “Mafia-like racket” that uses “blackmail” and “coercion” to set its “bogus ratings.”
Brookstone, a law firm dedicated to protecting consumers’ rights, claims that the BBB “heavily favors” firms that pay to join its accreditation program and that BBB ratings are “intentionally biased and inconsistent,” according to ConsumerAffairs.com.
As noted by the San Francisco Chronicle, court documents indicate that the lawsuit alleges defamation, deceptive business practices, interference with economic advantage, and trade libel. Furthermore, the lawsuit alleges that following its move toward a letter-grade ratings system in 2005, extensive telemarketing campaigns have significantly increased BBB memberships, but the organization has not publicly disclosed that its ratings are based in part on payment of fees to secure accreditation for member businesses.
While it is too early to speculate how the lawsuit will end, NCCC feels that the BBB should publicly disclose the basis of its ratings system for consumer transparency
https://www.ncconsumer.org/news-articles/better-business-bureau-sued-for-bogus-rating-system.html
Look at the comment section in #1. This is directly from the BBB site
6. During the period when Trump University appeared to be active in the marketplace, BBB received multiple customer complaints about this business. These complaints affected the Trump University BBB rating, which was as low as D- in 2010. As the company appeared to be winding down, after 2013, no new complaints were reported. Complaints over three years old automatically rolled off of the Business Review, according to BBB policy. As a result, over time, Trump University’s BBB rating went to an A in July 2014 and then to an A+ in January 2015.
There’s a lot of truth about the BBB being mentioned here. Speaking of truth.
Trump Civil Case.
illary a Criminal Case.
Who will get more out of it Trump or illary?-)
Anything put out after the point at which he joined the race is purely a political product, to be completely ignored.
An idiot can see that.
Last time we looked, 2014 was an earlier time.
Katie graduated college in 2010. Children should be seen and not heard.
> “The point is that Trump claimed to have gotten an A rating from the BBB when in fact he did indeed get a D rating”
Trump was very clear in the attempted Fox assassination, that the D- was ‘elevated’ to an A.
And it’s a matter of record for the following timeline:
A+ before the real estate collapse in 2008
D- in 2010 due to 14 complaints out of 30,000, 9 of which were resolved and the remaining unresponsive
A in 2012 as complaints were resolved
Unrated in 2016 as 3 years passed without activity
Nevertheless he was sued and that is factual
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.