Mumbai: Months after The Free Press Journal reported concerns being raised by job aspirants about not receiving refunds from Unacademy’s Relevel, many are still demanding answers from the hiring tests platform over the reimbursement.
Relevel, which was launched by the edtech unicorn back in August 2021, aims to help job seekers get their job readiness and industry-relevant skills assessed with many of its courses catering to tech and non-tech fields, which includes Business Development, Software Testing, Full Stack Development, and more.
Former Relevel users yet to receive refunds despite pleas
But former users who were initially interested in Relevel’s job guarantee programme, which covers over 2000 job opportunities, and 600 plus companies, eventually left their courses midway though troubles with securing the refund continue.
“My EMIs are still being cut though I stopped the course a long time back. The only response I am getting is I have to pay the whole amount of Rs 72,000. I had left the course because my experience with it was not at all good,” stated Bhushan Umbarkar, a resident of Wardha in Maharashtra, who wanted to pursue a course for Operations Manager but is now working as a Computer Operator in a public works department (PWD) office.
A student manager with Relevel had told The FPJ back in December 2022 that the platform was looking into all the concerns regarding the refund and was deciding on which ones to act on after analysing them.
Though status reports accessed by The FPJ then showed that not all the users were getting refunds based on their complaints, some say that they got a mail about the reimbursement which they have not received yet.
“I had attended only two classes with Relevel and I received a mail about the refund but it shows that they have denied me one in the status report,” stated Rahul Hanwante, a Jalna resident who applied for the platform’s Software Testing course.
Hanwante, who didn’t have access to a laptop, joined the lectures on his phone but was not able to practise most of the things he was being taught. “The Relevel officials had initially told me that I can access the lectures through my phone with ease but since I didn’t have a laptop I couldn’t practise anything,” said Hanwante, who still has Rs 4,500 being debited as EMI to the course though he maintains that he did not know of a loan being taken in his name.
Others, like Vaibhav Kapase, saw their EMIs being stopped by the loan support company working with Relevel but felt disappointed about the money they had to spend on the lectures.
“Though I don’t have to pay EMIs anymore, I feel bad about my Rs 9,000 going down the drain as the lectures and the tests conducted by Relevel had nothing in common,” stated Vaibhav, who is currently unemployed and looking for jobs in Pune.
With a 14-day refund policy, which was made effective on October 31, 2022, by Relevel, the platform has been processing the refunds based on the nature of the complaint, the effectiveness of the resolution process, the duration of the course attended by the learner, and various other factors, according to sources.
Relevel defends refund policy, assures hassle-free experience
“At Relevel, we have always kept the interests of Learners at the core of everything that we have done. This is enshrined in our refund policy as well, which is designed to be fair and just, flexible, and tailored to meet the nature of business and the unique circumstances of each user. On occasions where a refund is necessary, we strive to follow due process and process refund requests promptly and efficiently, ensuring a hassle-free experience for our Learners,” a Relevel spokesperson told The FPJ.
But beyond the 14-day policy, and Relevel’s process to approve the refunds, some have also highlighted other problems with the platform’s course structure.
“I was told that I will only be receiving 25% of the fees as a rebate as I didn’t give a single test after joining the course. The Relevel team didn’t tell me the ‘detailed investigation’ they went through to come to this number as well. I didn’t even use the portal for the most part,” asserted another job aspirant, who added that the loan will only close once 75% of his payment to Relevel is complete.
“While we strive to provide a hassle-free experience, it's important to note that the final decision on refund criteria, eligibility, and amount rests with Relevel in accordance with documented and clearly communicated guidelines. Every claim is reviewed and refund processed after careful examination in line with our refund policy,” the Relevel spokesperson added.
