Grand Canyon University Unwanted Call TCPA Lawsuit Investigation

One lawsuit filed against Grand Canyon University (GCU) alleges that the university uses aggressive tactics to try to boost its enrollment numbers, including use of autodialed solicitation calls and pre-recorded messages. The TCPA complaint says that Grand Canyon was sued by the Department of Education for violating the “incentive compensation ban,” prohibiting universities from giving enrollment staff members a bonus based on their enrollment numbers. GCU settled the case for $5.2 million.

One consumer says of GCU’s enrollment “counselors”: “Do you want to know why they call you non-stop? It’s because their raises are based on you enrolling,” and low enrollment numbers can even get a GCU employee fired.

Another former employee says that Grand Canyon’s “University Counsel” position should really be “telemarketer.” The employee says, “The job itself is cold calling sales.”

Another employee says that the work environment “is a call center where you make cold calls.”

The plaintiff in the TCPA lawsuit says that she received 45 telemarketing calls from Grand Canyon University. One voice message GCU left said, “This is Shantel with Grand Canyon University in reference to continuing your education.” The plaintiff says she received calls from:

• 602-639-9687
• 602-639-9678
• 602-639-9657
• 602-639-9555.

The plaintiff alleges that after three calls, she asked GCU to stop calling. She still received an additional 43 robocalls after that. Failing to honor a ‘stop calling’ request can also constitute a violation of the TCPA.

The Motley Fool reports that Grand Canyon University “opted for for-profit status when it ran into troubles in the early 2000s.” It is projected to earn $175 million in net revenue in just the last three months of 2018.

Our Current TCPA Lawsuits and Investigations

• Target Robocalls Lawsuit – The retailer Target has faced several TCPA lawsuits in the past for unwanted calls or texts, including calls related to Target-brand credit cards. We are investigating whether Target’s alleged robocalling is ongoing.
• Audi Dealer Unwanted Calls Lawsuit – We’re investigating allegations that a “customer retention” company is calling former customers on behalf of Audi dealers, trying to get Audi drivers to keep servicing their cars at the dealership.
• Alliance Security Robocalls Lawsuit – We are investigating allegations that Alliance Security and Monitronics are using autodialed phone calls to telemarket their services.
• Home Energy Solutions Robocall Lawsuit – We are investigating allegations that a “home energy” company, going by various names, is using automatic dialers to send spam telemarketing calls to people’s cell phones and landlines.

For nearly 30 years, our consumer protection attorneys have challenged unfair business practices that erode consumers’ confidence and compromise their rights. We have recovered hundreds of millions of dollars for clients in litigation against the world’s largest corporations, earning some of the largest consumer settlements of all time and establishing our reputation as a skilled and trusted advocate for consumers.