James J.
Poor experience and is not as advertised
I was really disappointed with my experience on ELVTR’s Fantasy Writing course with Ed McDonald and strongly advise against this course. The course was advertised as including 9 workshops, 12 case studies and 9 assignments, but my experience fell significantly short of these promises. I identified only 7 workshops and 4 substantive case studies, and received just 5 assignments. There were also issues with delayed and inconsistent feedback - we waited nearly 7 weeks for the final assignment feedback and some people received simplistic feedback (e.g. "I like this"). Perhaps most disappointing was the recommendation letter. The course materials explicitly stated that students in the top 10% qualified for a letter. I worked hard, achieved 107/110, came second in the class and received a perfect score on my final assignment. ELVTR initially confirmed in writing that I qualified and that the letter would be sent, only to later retract this, explaining that the instructor, Ed McDonald, does not sign recommendation letters "for everyone" . Although an alternative one-to-one session was offered, this was not what had been promised and the arranged one during the course was of little value, feeling like I had inconvenienced the lecturer. I invested £988 and considerable time and effort in this course, relying on its advertised content and benefits. I have now submitted a formal complaint requesting a full refund under the Consumer Rights Act 2015. Ultimately, my concern is the gap between what was advertised and what was delivered, compounded by the handling of a promise to deliver a award after meeting a previously outlined criteria. I hope ELVTR takes these concerns seriously and improves its transparency and accountability for future students.




