TOEFL Disaster

Andrea had signed up to take the TOEFL exam this morning. It's the first step on her way to certifying her veterinary credentials here in the US. Well, apparently they weren't satisfied with her documentation and turned her away.

For those who don't know, people in Mexico carry 2 last names, or family names. One from their father and another from their mother. On most of the online sheets we've dealt with thus far (including international airline ticketing), Andrea's father's surname has been sufficient and the only thing expected. TOEFL is cryptically different. When she entered her name online, she left off her mother's surname (as usual). But when she presented her ID at the testing center this morning, she was turned away because the name from the online form didn't precisely match the name on her passport.

A rational person would think "hey, no big deal... get a refund or get signed up for a later test date", but we're not dealing with rationality here. Because Andrea couldn't read minds and give the TOEFL people what they wanted in the online form, we're forced to forfeit the $150 registration fee and pay again to sign up for a later test. I was honestly shocked talking to these people on their customer support.

So what can I do? More screaming at people who don't care obviously isn't doing the trick. So I give up. I registered a complaint on Andrea's behalf with the Better Business Bureau and called it a day.