Belford High School
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5715 Will Clayton Parkway #1301
Humble, TX 77338

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Original Business Start Date: 09/07/03
Principal: Marsha Marshall
Phone Number: 866-426-1247
Fax Number: 281-664-5522
Web Site Address: www.belfordhighschool.com
Web Site Address: www.BelfordUniversity.org
Membership Status: This company is not a BBB member
Type of Business: Schools-General Interest
Correspondence Schools
Schools-Acad-Colleges & Unv.
Additional Business Names:
Belford University

NATURE OF BUSINESS

This company offers a diploma based on life experiences and an assessment test (not a GED).

CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE

The company appears to be out of business. Our file shows disconnected phone numbers, returned mail, or both. The Federal Trade Commission states that diploma mills may claim to be “accredited.”Colleges and universities accredited by legitimate organizations undergo a rigorous review of the quality of their educational programs. Although many diploma mills claim to be “accredited,” their accreditation is from a bogus, but official-sounding agency that they created. You can use the Internet to check if a school is accredited by a legitimate organization at a new database of accredited academic institutions, posted by the U.S. Department of Education at www.ope.ed.gov/accreditation. (There are a few legitimate institutions that have not pursued accreditation.)
So how can you tell if the institution you’re thinking about is legitimate? Here are some tell-tale signs of a diploma mill:

* No Studies, No Exams — Get a Degree for Your Experience. Diploma mills grant degrees for “work or life experience” alone. Accredited colleges may give a few credits for specific experience pertinent to a degree program, but not an entire degree.
* No Attendance. Legitimate colleges or universities, including online schools, require substantial course work.
* Flat Fee. Many diploma mills charge on a per-degree basis. Legitimate colleges charge by the credit, course, or semester, not a flat fee for an entire degree.
* No Waiting. Operations that guarantee a degree in a few days, weeks, or even months aren’t legitimate. If an ad promises that you can earn a degree very quickly, it’s probably a diploma mill.
* Click Here To Order Now! Some diploma mills push themselves through aggressive sales tactics. Accredited colleges don’t use spam or high-pressure telemarketing to market themselves. Some diploma mills also advertise in newspapers, magazines, and on the Web.
* Advertising through spam or pop-ups. If the school caught your attention through an unsolicited email or pop-up ad, it may be a diploma mill. Legitimate institutions, including distance learning programs, won’t advertise through spam or pop-ups.

When evaluating complaint information, please consider the company's size and volume of business. The number of complaints filed against the company may not be as important as the type of complaints and how the company handled them.

The Bureau processed a total of 31 complaints about this company since the firm's BBB file was opened in February of 2005. Of the total 31 complaints since the firm's BBB file was opened in February of 2005, 23 of those were closed in the last 12 months.

Complaints Concerned
Advertising Issues: 7
Outcome of all complaints -
Resolved: 1; |[1 - Complaint was settled through BBB
mediation.]| No Response: 5; Unpursuable: 1; |[1 - Company has
filed bankruptcy.]|

Delivery Issues: 3
Outcome of all complaints -
No Response: 3

Service Issues: 1
Outcome of the complaint -
No Response: 1

Refund or Exchange Issues: 20
Outcome of all complaints -
Resolved: 2; Administratively Closed: 1; |[1 - Company
agreed to informal dispute settlement hearing (IDS) in
accordance with their BBB agreement, but the consumer declined.]| No Response: 17

ADDITIONAL TRADENAMES, ADDRESSES AND TELEPHONE NUMBERS

This business also uses the following names, addresses and/or telephone numbers:

Belford University
8020 Blankenship Drive (630) 562-4363
Houston, TX 77055

Belford University
5715 Will Clayton #1301 (630) 562-4363
Humble, TX 77338

(866) 584-2828

Belford High School

This is not necessarily a complete list.

COMPANY MANAGEMENT

Additional company management personnel include:
William John.

ADDITIONAL FILE INFORMATION

The Bureau has attempted to contact the company at the following addresses and has received returned mail from each of the addresses listed below as of today: 5715 Will Clayton # 1301 Humble, Texas 77338
8020 Blankenship Drive Houston, Texas 77055

REPORT DATE: 07/23/2007