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
Sounds like to complain how bad the Trump business was according to BBB, is nearly meaningless.
Trump tried to pull a fast one by trying to pass off a later internal paper as being from the BBB website.
RE: Last time we looked, 2014 was an earlier time.
Everything is explained here IN CONTEXT and with timelines:
TITLE:
Secret behind Trump University’s A rating: Doing nothing
Today, the Trump cultists tell us that the BBB is a lying, unscrupulous organization because, you know, they are exposing Trump's lie.
What did he lie about?
Name the “some” and elaborate on the perceived similarities.
It also had an A+ rating
Really? And what number was that?
Only after it had been out of business for several years, since there were no fresh complaints.
When it was actually in business, that's when it had the D-rating.
Say what?
It changed names. Not out of business
Wait 3 years after basically shutting the doors down and you too can have an A rating once again.
Funny even the document you posted proves this. Section "Reason for Rating".
Length of time business has been operating.
Since they were next to doing no business at the time this business memo was put out (2014) and had not been doing much business for over 3 years (3 year limit on complaints), the score by default raises.
Last known rating of Trump University (not some phony Trump made up form years after the fact) is this screenshot from The Wayback machine.
https://web.archive.org/web/20100420184236/http://www.bbb.org/new-york-city/business-reviews/training-programs/trump-university-in-new-york-ny-97075/
We also can confirm that D- rating with two news reports (NY Times and Washington Post) that covered the rating in 2011 (year the University was about wound down...ie closing). (I am too lazy to hunt the liberal news links down right now, but if you google Trump University and Fact check they have the articles linked if you want to read them yourself). At factcheck.org article.
I wonder what the BBB ratings were for other start up schools of higher learning? I suspect many started out with low ratings made improvements to get higher ratings. How many students began study in a school and decided this was not for them? And how many students start a course and drop out before completion and ask for their money back? It happens all the time and very often. Megyn presented a gotchya question designed to make Trump look bad. This thing is a lot about nothing and does not reflect badly about Trump in any way.
So it was willfully misleading, as opposed to a lie? You don't have to get back to me about that distinction.
Really? Arranging to have a fake note allegedly form some org which makes someone look good does not reflect on the someone?
Other schools are not in question - that is a strawman argument.
DJT look bad from his general lack of specifics, his mercurial position changes, and inability to finish his sentences among many others.
I’m not a supporter of other candidates
What’s worse than the BBB issue:
Neil Bush has joined Ted Cruz’s campaign!!!
See USA Today - Jeb’s brother Neil Bush joins Ted Cruz team.
And once more charging into into the who-cares arena ...
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