CFA Institute Denies Reimbursement Request

I’m at my wit’s end with the CFA Institute. After a major mishap at the test center for my Level 2 exam, they’re refusing to give me my money back.

Here’s what happened:

  • Showed up for the exam, but the center was closed
  • Started 2 hours late due to their mistake
  • Had to rush through without breaks
  • Predictably, it didn’t go well

I asked for a refund, explaining I can’t commit to another 4 months of prep. They only offered a free retake.

I’ve tried reasoning with them multiple times, but they won’t budge. They just say the case was ‘reviewed’ without any real explanation.

Has anyone dealt with something like this before? What should I do next? I’m really frustrated and could use some advice.

Example of my study schedule that’s now wasted:

def create_study_plan(topics, hours_per_day):
    plan = {}
    for topic in topics:
        days_needed = len(topic) // hours_per_day
        plan[topic] = f'{days_needed} days'
    return plan

cfa_topics = ['Ethics', 'Quant', 'Econ', 'FRA', 'Corp Fin', 'Equity', 'Fixed Income', 'Derivatives', 'Alt Inv', 'Port Mgmt']
study_plan = create_study_plan(cfa_topics, 3)
print(study_plan)

Any tips would be much appreciated!

ugh, that sucks man. cfa institute can be such a pain sometimes. have u thought about goin to the media? maybe reach out to financial news sites, they might run a story. could pressure cfa to actually do something. worth a shot if nothing else is workin. good luck!

Oh man, that’s such a bummer! I can’t imagine how frustrating that must be. :disappointed:

Have you tried reaching out to them on social media? Sometimes companies are more responsive when things are public. Maybe tweet at them or post on their Facebook page?

I’m curious - did they give you any explanation for why the test center was closed? That seems like a pretty major screw-up on their part.

What about contacting your local CFA society? They might have some pull with the institute or at least be able to advise you on next steps.

Hang in there! I hope you’re able to get this sorted out somehow. Keep us posted on what happens!