WyzAnt

TERRIBLE> I just wrote a review but it got deleted.

They will delete your emails, OR send them but cross out the email/web addresses/phone numbers (because you're not supposed to send that information via the Wyzant message system)... but they will do this arbitrarily. Sometimes they'll just cross out the pertinent information, sometimes they'll delete the message but still provide the name of the sender, sometimes they'll delete both the message AND the name of the sender and make it so you can't contact the person who messaged you. Also, sometimes they'll send you an email stating that someone sent you a "NOT LEGITIMATE TUTORING REQUEST." But there is no rhyme or reason as to what particular action they take... I guess it depends on their mood and PMS cycle or something. As a result, you lose out on business (they already take 40% of what tutors earn, and then cut them off at the knees whenever a student makes the mistake of - you know - providing very normal information such as further contact information in order to meet. This also makes you (both the tutor and student) look unprofessional, so thanks for that wyzant! I would LOVE to know what two-bit slacker runs this site. It is the HEIGHT of unprofessionalism. STAY AWAY FROM THESE CROOKS!

I joined Wyzant to tutor students. It took over 12 days to get approved, and emails to customer support were unanswered. I googled the issue and found many teachers do not use the site because of lack of customer support. I was approved finally and I began anyway. Soon I found students who were spamming or messaging inappropriate things. But there is no way to block or stop the messages. I wrote to customer support but no response. I have never heard of a site that allows messaging but won't all the receiver to block for safety. Three days later Wyzant responded telling me they closed my account. This means I lost contact with 11 students I was tutoring. When I try to login it will not allow it. I have messaged customer support and I got this message below. So they closed the acct but can't fix it. They don't even know why it was closed. I have never heard of such. Also, it notes they will respond in 3-5 days. I have 3 sessions for tutoring set for this evening and the parents will not understand why I didn't show up. I would not recommend this site to teachers or professional tutors. They need to work on tutor safety and also improve their customer service.

Customer Support (Wyzant)

Jan 24,2022, 2:53 PM CST

Hi Jennifer,

Thank you for reaching out to us. Unfortunately, I do not have the ability to research or overturn your account's deactivation. However, I have opened a ticket with our Profile Review Team to look into the possibility of reactivating your account. Please expect an email response within 3 to 5 business days.

I'm sorry that I could not be of more assistance at this time.

Thank you for your patience,
Ryan
Wyzant Customer Support
www.wyzant.com

WyzAnt takes 40% of every dollar that a client pays to a tutor! I understand that they have to make money, but, since all they do is facilitate the tutor-client introduction, taking 40% of what the client THINKS that they are paying a tutor FOREVER is extreme!

Suppose that a tutor is listed on WyzAnt as charging $50 / hour. {The nationwide average for K-12 credentialed teachers who tutor.} A parent finds the tutor on WyzAnt, and the student sees the tutor for two sessions per week, 1.5 hour sessions, for three months. {This is a fairly typical tutoring scenario.}

Throughout that tutoring contract, the TUTOR will earn a total of $1080. During that time, the tutor will have put in 36 hours of contact time with the student, PLUS 4-6 hours preparing for the sessions, PLUS 6 hours driving to and from the client's home (using an average of 15 minutes of travel in each direction) PLUS 2-4 hours communicating with the parent, PLUS 2-4 hours entering the lessons into the WyzAnt system. This means that the tutor averages about $22 per hour.

The tutor's pay may seem pretty good, until you consider what WyzAnt has made.

During that same tutoring contract, WyzAnt will collect $720. It is not possible to really estimate how much time or money that WyzAnt spends for providing its service, but, it is possible that a system which is completely automated could really be worth that much money?

Do parents even realize how much money WyzAnt takes 'off the top' of the money that they THINK is being paid to the tutor? NO! Not ONE of the parents who I have spoken with who has gotten tutoring for their child through WyzAnt is aware that ALMOST HALF of their money is going to the company that simply processes credit card payments and sends out automatically generated emails!

Very bad experience with this website, both as a tutor and a student.

As a parent/student: It's disorganized, and you must submit your billing information to fully connect with a tutor. I'm not comfortable just giving my credit card information and hoping that I pick a good tutor - I prefer an in-person consultation before money leaves my pocket. Lastly, WyzAnt doesn't tell you that up to 40% of YOUR money is going to the website, not the tutor. And the website doesn't cost that much to maintain.

As a tutor: WyzAnt takes a big cut. They say it's great you don't have to pay to sign-up, but the cut out of your lessons adds up quickly. I use a different site that, to me, makes much more sense. With this other site, I pay $85/year to be listed - contact information can be exchanged freely, and tutors keep all of what they make. My second issue is the "certification" they offer - this is NOT legitimate certification. The quizzes are a complete joke - they consist of up to 10 questions and they are EXTREMELY basic. Thus, a tutor that doesn't really know a subject inside-out could still be "certified" to tutor it.

My last complaint (which affects both the tutor and the parent/student): WyzAnt's customer service is TERRIBLE. On their website, they say you can expect a "prompt response" when you email. So I first sent an email, which they didn't respond to. Then I sent another, which was again ignored. So I finally called and spoke to someone who said they would transfer me to someone else. When I was transferred, the phone rang once or twice and then went to an answering machine. I called again and asked when is the best time to reach that person because I didn't want to leave a message and possibly be ignored again. The representative said the best she could do is transfer me again and I should just leave a message. So I requested that, instead of being transferred, she give me the extension of the person I need to speak to. Sure enough, when I dialed the extension directly, someone picked up right away. WyzAnt intentionally ignores both calls and emails. It's very clear that this is a profitable website - the idea of it is great, but the execution of that idea is very poor. They don't invest the time, money, people, or resources to make sure things run smoothly so that both the tutor and tutee can be entirely satisfied with their services - I think this is a MAJOR flaw in running a reputable business.