I had a very disappointing experience with my PTE test booking and the customer support process.
My test was originally scheduled for 19 February. I registered using my legal full name, exactly as it appears on my official documents. However, when I arrived at the test centre, I was not allowed to take the test due to a name mismatch.
I tried to explain that I am from North Africa, where it is culturally common for a woman’s husband’s last name to sometimes appear informally alongside her name. This name is not part of my legal name, and I registered using my correct legal name. Despite showing additional documents and explaining the cultural difference, I was still refused entry on the day of the exam.
The test centre raised a case and gave me a reference number. The next day, I called customer support and was told that my case would be reviewed. Four days later, I received an email apologising and informing me that I could reschedule the test for free by calling an agent.
When I called to reschedule, the agent was extremely unhelpful. He told me he had rescheduled my test for 5 March, but when I asked whether the name issue had been resolved so I wouldn’t face the same problem again, he simply kept saying “I don’t know.” It honestly felt like speaking to a robot rather than someone trying to help.
After three to four days, I still had not received any confirmation email, so I called again. A different agent then told me that there was no rescheduled booking in the system and that my test had actually been cancelled, and I would simply receive a refund within 24–48 hours.
Because I had biometrics scheduled and urgently needed the test for my application, I had no choice but to book another PTE test myself and pay again, which meant I effectively paid for two tests.
Later, when I called again to check on the refund, another agent told me that the refund would actually take 7–10 days, which was completely different from the 24–48 hours I had been told previously. Now it has been well over 10 days, and I still have not received my refund.
Although the test itself eventually went smoothly when I took the new booking, the overall administration, communication, and customer support were extremely poor. I received conflicting information from multiple agents, no proper follow-up, and I am still waiting for money that I was promised would be refunded.
Overall, this was a very stressful and frustrating experience, especially since the exam was part of an important immigration process. I hope PTE improves its customer support and internal communication so that other candidates do not have to go through the same situation.
Claim your business profile now and gain access to all features and respond to customer reviews.
Trusted by governments and institutions to be a gold standard in English Language Testing, Pearson Test of English (PTE) is a computer-based English language proficiency test that assesses all four essential language skills in a single two-hour test.
Approved for migration to Australia, New Zealand, Canada, and the UK and accepted by over 3500 universities worldwide, PTE is the faster, fairer, and simpler way to make your dream of living, studying, or working abroad a reality.
See more
