FLDiver
New Member
Tired,
First of all, its FLDIVER, NOT FLDriver. I fail to see how in the world I am misrepresenting Pan Am when I am only telling the truth about my experience there.
As far as a LOA is concerned, I did take one. I took it AFTER I got my PPL. My PPL checkride was the last flight I took at Pan Am. I took the LOA to give me time to straighten out the Fraudulent charges to my account and to look for another school after I was treated so poorly by the administration. You know what? Even after I put in for my LOA, the idiots STILL tried to schedule me for flights. I was scheduled for 4 more flights while I was on LOA!!!!! I tried calling the school but never got to actually talk to anyone in charge, I was just transferred to a voice mail. After leaving repeated messages, no calls were ever returned, I had to throw one hell of a fit over the phone for them to get it through their thick skulls that I was not to be scheduled for flights while I was on LOA. Then I got so pissed that I called back and told them not to put me on the schedule until further notice. Thats what "Divot" was referring to when she said that I "Disappeared" from the school. Now, after I threw my temper tantrum, they took me off the schedule. I ask you, why couldn't they have done that when my car was broken down and I couldn't make it to the school? Again, obviously, Pan Am has a internal communication problem. I put in for the LOA and was still scheduled for flights....then I had to throw a freaking fit to get them removed. By the way, I was not charged for those flights.
As far as your statement about not understanding the policies and procedures, I did understand them. Also, I understand the FAR/AIM as well or I would not have passed my Checkride.
As far as being a serious student, going to one of those "BIG SCHOOLS" is a serious step in itself and I did study my butt off. If you are not a serious student you don't make a big step like that.
IF I was with an airline...you bet your ass that I would have found someway to get to work. Let me inform you of the difference in this situation. PAN AM IS NOT AN AIRLINE !!!! Pan Am is a school. I pay you !! You do not pay me !!! I was an E.R. Nurse for 10 years, I also owned my own business, I do not need some arrogant wannabe airline pilot telling me what responsibiliy is! Remember who enables you to get a paycheck every other week.
As far as the University student comment, most Universities that I know of, don't make their students sign a training contract and then rape them on the way out the door should they decided to go to another school. Pan Am is not a University...not even close. At least a University allows for learning without the worry of how much money they are going to steal from you.
As far as renting a car to drive such a distance, it was more trouble and cost than what it was worth. Some days I could borrow a car and get to the school and some days I could not, it was not cost effective to rent a car and pay for the gas to drive all that way. My monthly budget would not accomodate a cost like that..remember Pan Am does not allow its students to hold a job. I wanted to continue my training as best I could, taking a LOA at that time didn't even cross my mind. I thought I was doing the right thing by informing my instructor, dispatch and scheduling individually. Is it really that difficult to understand that a student can not make it to a flight for a given amount of time? Lets see, the instructor AND scheduler at Pan Am KNOWS a student can not be there for a flight, but what the hell, lets schedule him anyway, its not our problem, we get paid for it anyway!! Not only that, the student was courteous enough to call and cancel his flight, now we can charge him for a cancellation AND redispatch the A/C to another student and make twice as much money!!
Tired, I was fraudulently charged for flights that Pan Am knew I could not make. LOA or no LOA. Your statements that my instructor or dispatch had no incentive to really help me out really speaks volumes about the staff and how they really "care" about the students.
Like you, I am not trying to win an argument here, I am just telling my story. Also, I think it is my duty as an Ex-Pan Am'er to inform as many people as I can about my experience at the Ft. Pierce facility. I want people to know what is actually in Pan Am's training contract and the types of lures or bait they use to get people to visit their campus. Then they hide behind their contract if issues arise. The typical comment is "READ YOUR CONTRACT" !!
Like I have stated in previous posts, IF I would have read the contract prior to signing it, I would never had signed it in the first place. I want to inform the general public and future Pan Am students that you give up many many rights if you sign that contract. Don't make the same mistakes I did. Don't sign the contrat!!
Can you tell me why these "Big Schools" find it necessary to trap its students within a binding contract to begin with?? Why sign a contract at all??
Tired, as far as a Lawsuit against Pan Am, I never stated there was one. I wished there was one !! However, I have sought legal counsel and I do have a case as far as the Fradulent charges are concerned. Now I am hoping that Pan Am holds my money for 61 days, and breeches their own contract, I will take the ball and run with it then.
As far as the contact is concerned, I can not legally contest it at this point. My beef with Pan Am is from the ethical point of view. Is it really ethical to hold money that is not yours just to collect interest on it? It only takes an hour to audit an account, NOT 60 days. Is it really ethical to charge $2000.00 in administrative fees for a student disenrollment?? I am sure the real cost is less than $100.00. Was it good business practice or professional for one of your "friendly" staff to tell me it was "none of my business" what Pan Am did with MY money?? Was it good business practice for the Ft. Pierce administration NOT to return any of my phone calls or emails? Was it good business or professional for your "Chief Pilot" to keep his back turned to me, and tell me that it wasn't his problem, while I was trying to explain my situation to him? And you say the staff are not heartless.
Also, as a "BIG SCHOOL" , future students will be looking at these posts. You just may be hurting other "BIG SCHOOLS" as well as yourself. In my case, burn me once, shame on you. Burn me twice, shame on me !! I doubt very seriously if I will attend another "BIG SCHOOL". The risk is wayyyyy too high. Pan Am's lack of ethics, casts shadows on itself as well as other "BIG SCHOOLS". If Pan Am hadn't been so greedy and arrogant with me and returned my money in a timely manner, I doubt that I would have come to these boards to warn prospective students of the shady business practices.
Oh, I did get a reply from your CEO in regard to my letter of complaint. He "assured" me that the situation would be looked into and someone from Pan Am would contact me directly. I recevied that letter well over two weeks ago and have not heard a peep from Pan Am....like I stated in a previous post...PURE LIP SERVICE is all that letter was. WORTHLESS !!!!
I still stand by my original post...BEWARE PAN AM !!!!!
First of all, its FLDIVER, NOT FLDriver. I fail to see how in the world I am misrepresenting Pan Am when I am only telling the truth about my experience there.
As far as a LOA is concerned, I did take one. I took it AFTER I got my PPL. My PPL checkride was the last flight I took at Pan Am. I took the LOA to give me time to straighten out the Fraudulent charges to my account and to look for another school after I was treated so poorly by the administration. You know what? Even after I put in for my LOA, the idiots STILL tried to schedule me for flights. I was scheduled for 4 more flights while I was on LOA!!!!! I tried calling the school but never got to actually talk to anyone in charge, I was just transferred to a voice mail. After leaving repeated messages, no calls were ever returned, I had to throw one hell of a fit over the phone for them to get it through their thick skulls that I was not to be scheduled for flights while I was on LOA. Then I got so pissed that I called back and told them not to put me on the schedule until further notice. Thats what "Divot" was referring to when she said that I "Disappeared" from the school. Now, after I threw my temper tantrum, they took me off the schedule. I ask you, why couldn't they have done that when my car was broken down and I couldn't make it to the school? Again, obviously, Pan Am has a internal communication problem. I put in for the LOA and was still scheduled for flights....then I had to throw a freaking fit to get them removed. By the way, I was not charged for those flights.
As far as your statement about not understanding the policies and procedures, I did understand them. Also, I understand the FAR/AIM as well or I would not have passed my Checkride.
As far as being a serious student, going to one of those "BIG SCHOOLS" is a serious step in itself and I did study my butt off. If you are not a serious student you don't make a big step like that.
IF I was with an airline...you bet your ass that I would have found someway to get to work. Let me inform you of the difference in this situation. PAN AM IS NOT AN AIRLINE !!!! Pan Am is a school. I pay you !! You do not pay me !!! I was an E.R. Nurse for 10 years, I also owned my own business, I do not need some arrogant wannabe airline pilot telling me what responsibiliy is! Remember who enables you to get a paycheck every other week.
As far as the University student comment, most Universities that I know of, don't make their students sign a training contract and then rape them on the way out the door should they decided to go to another school. Pan Am is not a University...not even close. At least a University allows for learning without the worry of how much money they are going to steal from you.
As far as renting a car to drive such a distance, it was more trouble and cost than what it was worth. Some days I could borrow a car and get to the school and some days I could not, it was not cost effective to rent a car and pay for the gas to drive all that way. My monthly budget would not accomodate a cost like that..remember Pan Am does not allow its students to hold a job. I wanted to continue my training as best I could, taking a LOA at that time didn't even cross my mind. I thought I was doing the right thing by informing my instructor, dispatch and scheduling individually. Is it really that difficult to understand that a student can not make it to a flight for a given amount of time? Lets see, the instructor AND scheduler at Pan Am KNOWS a student can not be there for a flight, but what the hell, lets schedule him anyway, its not our problem, we get paid for it anyway!! Not only that, the student was courteous enough to call and cancel his flight, now we can charge him for a cancellation AND redispatch the A/C to another student and make twice as much money!!
Tired, I was fraudulently charged for flights that Pan Am knew I could not make. LOA or no LOA. Your statements that my instructor or dispatch had no incentive to really help me out really speaks volumes about the staff and how they really "care" about the students.
Like you, I am not trying to win an argument here, I am just telling my story. Also, I think it is my duty as an Ex-Pan Am'er to inform as many people as I can about my experience at the Ft. Pierce facility. I want people to know what is actually in Pan Am's training contract and the types of lures or bait they use to get people to visit their campus. Then they hide behind their contract if issues arise. The typical comment is "READ YOUR CONTRACT" !!
Like I have stated in previous posts, IF I would have read the contract prior to signing it, I would never had signed it in the first place. I want to inform the general public and future Pan Am students that you give up many many rights if you sign that contract. Don't make the same mistakes I did. Don't sign the contrat!!
Can you tell me why these "Big Schools" find it necessary to trap its students within a binding contract to begin with?? Why sign a contract at all??
Tired, as far as a Lawsuit against Pan Am, I never stated there was one. I wished there was one !! However, I have sought legal counsel and I do have a case as far as the Fradulent charges are concerned. Now I am hoping that Pan Am holds my money for 61 days, and breeches their own contract, I will take the ball and run with it then.
As far as the contact is concerned, I can not legally contest it at this point. My beef with Pan Am is from the ethical point of view. Is it really ethical to hold money that is not yours just to collect interest on it? It only takes an hour to audit an account, NOT 60 days. Is it really ethical to charge $2000.00 in administrative fees for a student disenrollment?? I am sure the real cost is less than $100.00. Was it good business practice or professional for one of your "friendly" staff to tell me it was "none of my business" what Pan Am did with MY money?? Was it good business practice for the Ft. Pierce administration NOT to return any of my phone calls or emails? Was it good business or professional for your "Chief Pilot" to keep his back turned to me, and tell me that it wasn't his problem, while I was trying to explain my situation to him? And you say the staff are not heartless.
Also, as a "BIG SCHOOL" , future students will be looking at these posts. You just may be hurting other "BIG SCHOOLS" as well as yourself. In my case, burn me once, shame on you. Burn me twice, shame on me !! I doubt very seriously if I will attend another "BIG SCHOOL". The risk is wayyyyy too high. Pan Am's lack of ethics, casts shadows on itself as well as other "BIG SCHOOLS". If Pan Am hadn't been so greedy and arrogant with me and returned my money in a timely manner, I doubt that I would have come to these boards to warn prospective students of the shady business practices.
Oh, I did get a reply from your CEO in regard to my letter of complaint. He "assured" me that the situation would be looked into and someone from Pan Am would contact me directly. I recevied that letter well over two weeks ago and have not heard a peep from Pan Am....like I stated in a previous post...PURE LIP SERVICE is all that letter was. WORTHLESS !!!!
I still stand by my original post...BEWARE PAN AM !!!!!