Dear Sir/Madam,
My son Daniel Paul Nath had applied for the GRE exam from Chennai and he was given a confirmation letter for the same to appear on 24 Sep 2016 in Warangal (AP).When he went to the examination center that morning, he was told to produce his identity. They wanted only to be shown a passport. This was not clearly mentioned in his confirmation letter. He showed them the digitally scanned copy of his passport but it was not accepted. He showed a photocopy of the same and it was rejected and not allowed to write the exams. He explained that chances of him loosing an important doc was high when traveling in public transport. Besides, the main purpose of the passport was to check the genuineness of the person writing the exam. Could not the authorities cross check with the digital data available or any other govt provided identity card. So I think the exam authorities have failed to look into this matter properly and being rigid as well as shortsighted in their approach, they refused him to sit for the exams even after paying the fees($305) earlier online.My son had to return back 700 Km from a place without giving the exam on such a minor issue. Besides the loss of money and time, it is a demotivating factor for many students like him for no fault of theirs. Later when asked about the refund, they refused point blank. In spite of numerous exchange of emails on the issue, the organizers of the GRE in India would not budge, hence this step for the consumer courts to settle the issue.
I think both the GRE organizations in India and the international orgn are playing a cat and mouse game in order to avoid the core point pertaining to my case and probably lakhs of students in India and worldwide who are suffering because of such strict rules by the private players in the field of higher education.
My point is very simple. If you have not provided the services to a consumer(in this case not allowing a student to sit for the GRE exam), you cannot charge money from the individual and he/she should be refunded the examination fees. where does this unaccounted money go? There is no transparency in the accounting of these private exam players.Otherwise you make the individual sit for the exams another date and place as per convenience.This is but the natural law of justice. And this is precisely why GMAT brought about a change in its ruling in this country as per the news in Oct 16.
So, why cannot GRE organizers follow the same rule? They have to follow the law of the land. Times are changing and I think the authorities need to re-look into this issue from a broader and more practical perspective. Its high time these age old and outdated practices and mindsets change to cater to the modern digital age and ensure that the consumer gets the services for what he/she has paid for. If the Consumer forum finds merit in the case, they should deal with such cases with a firm hand which will mitigate the sufferings of the student community, remove anomalies as far as the rules go and also stop this fleecing by the so called private examination players. The law of the land is equal for all.Justice should prevail. I rest my case
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