Former students allege ‘Trump University’ was a scam

If you haven’t heard about Trump University, it was Republican US Presidential hopeful Donald Trump’s venture into the education sector.

Some of their former “students” are now alleging that the university was a “total scam.”  The students filed a complaint to the Federal Trade Commission that were reportedly unearthed by a Freedom of Information Act recently requested by Gizmodo, Time Money reported.

“For my $35,000+ all I got was books that I could have gotten from the library that could guide me better then Trump’s class did. I just want my $35,000+ money back. I feel embarrassed,” reads one complaint.

According to another complaint, after paying $1,495 for a three-day seminar, which provided information freely available on Zillow, “attendees were told that unless they purchased additional products (software; individual coaching) they would not succeed.” 

Another former “student,” purchased the $34,995 “Gold Elite” package after the $1,495 seminar under the promise of mentorship,  and now, calls the program “an absolute, utter waste.”

 INot just former students, even the New York Department of Education questioned the legitimacy of Trump University, which was founded in 2005.  Trump was sent a letter in 2010 by the education department, accusing the operation of misleading students and misuse of the word “university.” Soon thereafter, the operation was renamed the 'Trump Entrepreneur Initiative'.

 In 2013, the New York Attorney General’s office filed a $40 million lawsuit against the former reality star and current Republican presidential candidate for failing to impart the promised real estate education on 5,000 students and subjecting prospective students to high-pressure sales tactics.

Trump, being himself,  responded by counterattacking with his own complaint, that accused the attorney general of extorting him for campaign contributions. In April 2015, a judge ruled that Trump was indeed personally responsible and that the matter would go to trial. A class-action suit against Trump related to Trump University is also pending.

 In a recent interview with National Review, Alan Garten, a Trump spokesperson said the New York Department of Education and prospective students “knew exactly what we were doing…and they were fine with it.”

 Trump University aside, The Donald doesn’t always charge for his business insights. On Monday Trump offered free—albeit extremely obvious—advice about how to weather turmoil in the stock market.