For-Profit College Lures 14-Year-Old, Dumps Him, Sticks Him With The Bill

For-Profit College Lures 14-Year-Old, Dumps Him, Sticks Him With The Bill

www.republicreport.org

Bobby Ruffin Jr. was only 14 when a recruiter from Ashford University called. The Birmingham, Michigan, boy thought he’d clicked on a link promising help finding money for college. It was actually just a lead generator for the for-profit, online school’s sales staff…. He told the recruiter that he wanted to be a doctor. She assured him that Ashford could be a stepping-stone to that dream.

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I did not know that the essence of my ex-girlfriend could be manifested as an entire college!

All kidding aside, what the heck was this recruiter thinking? Who dares work in education only to turn around and manipulate a FOURTEEN year-old in such a despicable way.

Yes, the kid obviously told the recruiter that he had parents and I'm sure that's where the recruiter was hoping to get the money from but what if it was a situation where the parents would not help the kid or the kid had no parents?

Let's just take all morality out of this and pretend for a second that this recruiter isn't the scum between the toes of the sometimes-warped-educational system, and ask ourselves "Who on Earth would think it was a good business idea to invest into a 14 year-old?!"

Does anyone here think a 14 year-old has 13,000 dollars to spend on college classes? I don't mean their parents money but their own money. It would be rare to find.

Adding morality back in, what a messed up thing to do. I haven't heard such deception towards a kid except from a kidnapper trying to lure a kid in with candy or a puppy to their van. "Don't tell your parents, it'll be a good surprise."

I couldn't find any mention of this reporters name but I hope she gets canned for this despicable act.

www.republicreport.org
(visit the link for the full news article)

He was underage...hence CANNOT agree to or sign any binding contract. Anyone in business that might somehow touch a child knows this. They signed a kid for an adult's obligation and more over, they KNEW it. Charge the recruiter for the bill if anyone in this story should be seeing it.

This story shows WHY the age for signing a binding legal contract is 18. Kids can't be expected to understand and fully vet offers and obligations, nor should that change. Let kids be kids...and aggressively pursue animals like this who would exploit them. In this case, 100% and strictly financial exploitation but I bet that kid feels pretty damn screwed when he sees the bill he was lied to and suckered into falling for. How utterly pathetic.

I'll certainly make sure guys up at my college know the name. Word of mouth can do wonders and I've been utterly amazed and shocked at how far and wide the grapevine goes in school. Setting up children. How shameful!

What was done was illegal. The kid should not owe a dime to the school. I hope the parents sue, or do what ever needs to be done to make sure this does not go on the kids financial record. Not to mention he does not need to be getting harassment collection calls.

I hope the kid was able to learn something through this so called school. I'm assuming the kid was taking online classes on his own time. For a 14 year old to be taking college classes when they are not even in high school yet.

Of course he isn't required, nor his parents, to pay for this. But is this coming up because they are crashing the economy and more and more people are going to have to find alternative methods for their education, some may even think of starting online schools themselves? Because I actually recommend that. I think its really time people take their power back and stop putting their own beloved children under such burdens, or if they don't comply they get stuck working low end jobs and living in gruelling poverty. WOW talk about love for your children.

Originally posted by Mystery_Lady

I hope the kid was able to learn something through this so called school. I'm assuming the kid was taking online classes on his own time. For a 14 year old to be taking college classes when they are not even in high school yet.

These schools do not offer what could be considered real college level classes. These really aren't even schools. Their "recruiters" or "admissions counselors" are salespeople whose one goal is "to get you to sign on the line which is dotted" (Alec Baldwin, Glenngary Glen Ross).

In a free country with no pesky government regulations people would be getting ripped off like this all the time.

That's what everybody on this site wants, right? To make up your own mind without any oversight from an entity--make it easier for businesses to operate and make profits. Am I wrong?***

***Warning: This post may contain language and ideas that could be considered mystical, sarcastic, or even illogical. The contents within this post should not be contemplated too heavily or dissected for fear of IQ damage and/or the wasting of time.

Originally posted by yadda333
In a free country with no pesky government regulations people would be getting ripped off like this all the time.

That's what everybody on this site wants, right? To make up your own mind without any oversight from an entity--make it easier for businesses to operate and make profits. Am I wrong?

Are you suggesting the people living under the Communist Chinese or the old Soviet Union didn't get ripped off and scammed from time to time as well? Totalitarian regimes on economic and business matters, at the least, somehow make it a world without con-men and unethical scumbags like this recruiter?

How does the overall system of the nation come into a very mercenary and dishonest recruiter who was probably trained this way by a downright criminal recruiting department? I missing how Uncle our the American Way gets the blame on this one?

Originally posted by Wrabbit2000

Originally posted by yadda333
In a free country with no pesky government regulations people would be getting ripped off like this all the time.

That's what everybody on this site wants, right? To make up your own mind without any oversight from an entity--make it easier for businesses to operate and make profits. Am I wrong?

Are you suggesting the people living under the Communist Chinese or the old Soviet Union didn't get ripped off and scammed from time to time as well? Totalitarian regimes on economic and business matters, at the least, somehow make it a world without con-men and unethical scumbags like this recruiter?

I have now re-read what I wrote and I do not believe I said anything of the sort. Perhaps you should read it again as well. My comment was obviously directed at a certain type of thinking--possibly extreme types of thinking.

How does the overall system of the nation come into a very mercenary and dishonest recruiter who was probably trained this way by a downright criminal recruiting department? I missing how Uncle our the American Way gets the blame on this one?

Well, I had a hard time understanding your last sentence but I think I got the gist. Again, I do not believe I said anything about the American way. As far as I know, we have a certain amount of regulation.

reply to post by Wrabbit2000


The worst part now is that the kid will probably never trust anyone financially again (he probably shouldn't any way), but he'll always have the fear inside of him that he's getting screwed, and that sucks.

Originally posted by yadda333
In a free country with no pesky government regulations people would be getting ripped off like this all the time.

That's what everybody on this site wants, right? To make up your own mind without any oversight from an entity--make it easier for businesses to operate and make profits. Am I wrong?

I like to think of a time when we have no more need for corporations. So what they are doing are not doing really wont matter.

reply to post by yadda333


Well, lets look at what I keyed on here.

In a free country with no pesky government regulations people would be getting ripped off like this all the time.


That's what everybody on this site wants, right? To make up your own mind without any oversight from an entity--make it easier for businesses to operate and make profits. Am I wrong?

In the first line of your statement here. you imply a contrast between a free nation and ...what? Well, not free and what is currently being pushed down our throats with a plunger and force is socialism. If you were thinking some 3rd option to imply contrast with for getting or not getting ripped off, my bad and I am real curious what the implied comparison was to?

On the second one, the sarcasm is impossible to miss, but in a word, YES. Free markets, a free system and a general lack of oversight when the oversight is directed by those most guilty of corruption in the first place, would absolutely be what I and many others want.


It's a story I'm a little personal on...forgive me on that. I have more than one friend at the college who is facing $15,000+ and in one case and almost $30,000 for 100% absolutely WORTHLESS paper out of mills like the one that screwed this kid. The ones I know got it from schools everyone in America would know the names of....but as I said..I'm going to do my small part to help see THIS school's name is one known pretty well too.

This wasn't political or even economic in anything beyond the bottom feeding ethics and scumbag practices of some real sorry human beings knowingly robbing a child. I wish the ones I know at least had the underage excuse for the robbery they took on loans that can NEVER be discharged.

reply to post by Wrabbit2000


Your reaction has convinced me to add a warning to my original post.

The kid was 14, so, they'll never be able to collect money from him or his parents. Honestly. I don't know how these idiots expect to get money from signing an under age person to a contract. It would never hold up in court and they would be the ones in deep s*** for doing it. People who try to sucker kids like this need a trip out back to the shed.
And don't take a switch, take a ball bat.

Any way that contract could have any teeth is if a parent or guardian co-signed on it. Otherwise it's not valid for a minor under 18.

I don't think mom and/or dad would be ignorant enough to do that, would they?

The boy is a minor and cannot enter into a contract on his own (unless emancipated). The contract is invalid and the school is gonna get stuck with the bill. God, how dumb are they?

Originally posted by yadda333
reply to post by Wrabbit2000

 

Your reaction has convinced me to add a warning to my original post.

Well, I admit to misreading your meaning and intent....entirely it would seem. My bad and no buts or qualifications. I mistook your meaning and I'm sorry for that. (