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Q : |
My employer
says I need to take the TIPS or
ServSafe course. Does
eSmartServe offer this? |
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Your
employer might require you to
take the TIPS, ServeSafe, or
other alcohol safety course so
that they will get an insurance
discount. Our eSmartServe
Alcohol Seller/Server course is
basically the same thing as
those brand names for alcohol
safety courses, so it is likely
to be accepted by your
employer’s insurance provider.
Many insurance providers accept
our course, but every insurance
company has different
regulations so please ask your
employer. Some of our biggest
insurance company clients
include Centrex, LiquorTraining,
and USLI.
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Q : |
Does
eSmartServe’s courses count
toward discounts on insurance
premiums for my employer? |
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Your
employer might require you to
take the TIPS, ServeSafe, or
other alcohol safety course so
that they will get an insurance
discount. Our eSmartServe TABC
Alcohol Seller/Server safety
course is basically the same
thing as the
TIPS course, so it is likely to
be accepted by your employer’s
insurance provider. Many
insurance providers accept
our course, but every insurance
company has different
regulations so please ask your
employer. Some of our
biggest insurance company
clients include Centrex,
LiquorTraining, and USLI.
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Q : |
Does
eSmartServe offer live on-site
training courses? |
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No.
eSmartServe only offers courses
online. Please consult your
local telephone directory if you
would like to attend
a live classroom setting. We’re
sorry, but we do not have any
information to provide about
when or where live training
classes will be scheduled.
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Q : |
I do not have a
reliable Internet connection.
Can I still take the course
online? |
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If you
frequently experience problems
with your Internet service on a
specific computer, eSmartServe
highly recommends that you take
the course on a different
computer. Often times friends,
family members, employers,
career placement centers, and
public libraries can offer use
of alternative computers.
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Q : |
Why does the
dial-up version of courses cost
more than the high-speed
version? |
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Oftentimes students who enroll
in dial-up courses need more
technical assistance than
students who take high-
speed Internet courses. Dial-up
students call our Customer
Service department at a much
higher rate than students with
high-speed Internet connections.
Additionally, many of the
customer service calls received
from dial-up students are not
actually problems with the
course, itself. Oftentimes these
problems include the use of
outdated software, outdated
operating systems, lack of basic
programs installed, or
misunderstandings of general
computer operations. For these
reasons, we must charge an
additional fee to support these
students.
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Q : |
My city or
county is not listed on the
website. Can I still take the
course online? |
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If your
city county is not listed on our
list of “Approved Cities and
Counties” that means that your
local regulatory
agency (usually the Health
Department) has not officially
approved eSmartServe’s courses
as a means to satisfy
their course requirements.
Oftentimes, local health
departments accept our training
courses even though the city or
county has not worked with
eSmartServe to officially
approve it. We oftentimes find
that a health department may
already accept our course, even
though they have not contacted
us to tell us they have approved
it.
In these cases, you will need to
contact your local health
department and ask them if they
will accept our generic version
of the course. The reason
courses may be listed for other
counties in your area is because
those counties
have already approved
eSmartServe as an official means
for satisfying their food safety
requirement.
Ultimately, your local health
department will have the final
say as to whether or not they
will accept this course.
If you find that your local
health department is
accepting our course, but it is
not listed on our website,
please let us know so we can add
it. Please send an email to
approvals@eSmartServe.com
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Q : |
I don’t have a
printer attached to my computer.
How do I print my certificate? |
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You have
the ability to reprint your
certificate from any computer
with an Internet connection and
a printer attached to
it, even if this is not the computer you originally took the course on.
You will need to find a computer
with a printer available, and
then go to
www.eSmartServe.com Login to
your account again using the
username and password
you used to take the course. If
you forgot your username and
password, please call
800-442-1149 to have one of
our service representatives look
it up for you. Then choose
“resume course in progress” and
it will forward you to
the end of the course. You will
have an option to print your
certificate here.
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Q : |
When does my
certification begin? When can I
start working? |
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Your
certification becomes effective
immediately upon completion of
the course. You will need to
print your certificate after you
complete the course and/or exam.
Then take the printed
certificate to your employer.
If a printable temporary
certificate is available for the
course, your employer and state
or local regulatory agencies
should accept this as immediate
proof of course completion. You
will need to bring your official
certificate to your employer
whenever it arrives in the mail.
You do not need to wait for your
permanent certificate to begin
working.
If the course you are taking
offers a printable permanent
certificate, you will need to
print two copies. You should
give one to your employer and
keep the other for your own
records. You may begin working
immediately. You will not
receive anything in the mail.
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Q : |
I lost my
official certificate. How do I
get a replacement certificate? |
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Please
call Customer Service at (800)
442-1149 to request another copy
of your certificate to be mailed
to you.
Official certificates will take
approximately 7-10 business days
to be mailed.
If you need proof of your
certification immediately,
please also login to your
eSmartServe account using the
user
name and password that you
originally used to take the
course. If you forgot your
username and password, please
call 800-442-1149 to have one of
our service representatives look
it up for you. Then choose
“resume course in progress” and
it will forward you to the end
of the course. You will have an
option to print your certificate
here.
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Q : |
My previous
employer kept my official
certificate. How do I get
another one? |
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Please
call Customer Service at (800)
442-1149 to request another copy
of your certificate to be mailed
to you.
Official certificates will take
approximately 7-10 business days
to be mailed.
If you need proof of your
certification immediately,
please also login to your
eSmartServe account using the
user
name and password that you
originally used to take the
course. If you forgot your
username and password, please
call 800-442-1149 to have one of
our service representatives look
it up for you. Then choose
“resume course in progress” and
it will forward you to the end
of the course. You will have an
option to print your certificate
here.
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Q : |
I never
received my certificate in the
mail and it’s been over 2 weeks.
What do I do? |
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Please
call Customer Service at (800)
442-1149 to request another copy
of your certificate to be mailed
to you.
Official certificates will take
approximately 7-10 business days
to be mailed.
One of our service
representatives will verify your
correct mailing address and
resend a certificate to you.
Oftentimes certificates are
returned to us when students
forget to include their
apartment or suite number to
their mailing
address. Please be sure to offer
all necessary address
information when reordering your
replacement certificate.
If you need proof of your
certification immediately,
please also login to your
eSmartServe account using the
username and password that you
originally used to take the
course. If you forgot your
username and password, please
call
800-442-1149 to have one of our service representatives look it up for
you. Then choose “resume course
in
progress” and it will forward
you to the end of the course.
You will have an option to print
your certificate here.
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Q : |
Can you
fax/email my certificate to me
or my employer? I need it
immediately. |
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Unfortunately, we are unable to
fax certificates. If you need
proof of your certification
immediately, please login to
your eSmartServe login account
using the username and password
that you originally used to take
the course. If you forgot your
username and password, please
call 800-442-1149 to have one of
our service representatives look
it up for you. Then choose
“resume course in progress” and
it will forward you to the end
of the course. You will have an
option to print your certificate
here.
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Q : |
I’m not old
enough to serve alcohol yet. Can
I still take an alcohol course? |
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Yes, you
may take the course. There is no
minimum age requirement in order
to take an Alcohol Seller/Server
course. Since states have
minimum age requirements to
sell/serve alcohol, the person
will not be legally allowed to
sell/serve alcohol until they
reach their state’s minimum age
requirement. Courses may be
taken in advance so that the
student will be trained and
certified by their minimum
seller/server age birthday. The
certificate is only valid for
the dates printed on it,
regardless of the age of the
student when they took the
course.
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Q : |
I was a
server, but now I’ve been
promoted to bartender. Do I need
to get recertified? |
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No. The
Alcohol Seller/Server course is
valid for both servers and
bartenders.
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Q : |
I was
certified in one state, but then
I moved to another state. Is my
certification still good? |
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Depending on which course you
took, the course may or may not
be accepted by multiple states.
All alcohol courses are
state-specific which means that
they are only accepted by the
original state that originally
offered the certification. All
other courses vary by state and
type of course. Please contact
your local health department,
regulatory agency, or call
Customer Service at
(800)442-1149 to determine
whether the course you took will
be accepted in additional
states.
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Q : |
I am already
certified, but it is expiring.
How do I get recertified? |
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There is
no recertification process for
any course. To become
recertified for a course, you
will need to register and pay
for a new course, just as though
you have never taken the course
in the first place.
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Q : |
I was
previously certified, but I
didn’t use the certification.
Can I extend it? |
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Unfortunately the answer is no.
Regardless of whether you use a
certification, change employers,
change career paths, or move to
another area, the certification
will not be valid past the date
that is specified on the
certificate. If the certificate
is expired, you will need to
retake the course.
There is no recertification
process for any course. To
become recertified for a course,
you will need to register and
pay for a new course, just as
though you have never taken the
course in the first place.
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Q : |
When does my
certificate expire? |
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Please
complete the Certificate
Expiration Date Request form and
someone will respond to you
within one business day.
Click to complete the form
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Q : |
I forgot my
username and/or password. How
can I login to my account? |
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If you
forgot your username and
password, please call
800-442-1149 to have one of our
service representatives look it
up for you. Then choose “resume
course in progress” and it will
forward you to the end of the
course. You will have an option
to print your certificate here.
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Q : |
I don’t have
an email address and it is
requiring me to enter one to
register. What do I do? |
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Email
addresses are used to identify
students in our database. If you
do not have an email address,
you have two choices. First, you
can ask a friend or family
member if you can use their
email address. If you are unable
to borrow an email address, then
you may enter a “fake” email
address.
After you register and pay for
the course, we will send a
confirmation email to the email
address you provided. This
confirmation email will serve as
your receipt. If you would like
a receipt for the course, please
provide a valid email address.
If you provide a “fake” email
address, we will be unable to
send the receipt to you.
If you provide a borrowed or
invalid email address, your
certificate will still be valid.
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Q : |
I received an
error saying my email address is
already in use. |
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More
than likely, you have already
registered for this course or
another course in the past. If
you have ever taken any
eSmartServe course in the past,
and used this email address to
enroll, you are already listed
in our database. You will need
to login with the same password
you originally used. If you do
not remember your password,
please call (800)442-1149 and
ask them to look it up for you.
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Q : |
The
“Validation Questions” about
personal information that I must
answer to continue do not offer
my answer choices. How do I
answer the questions? |
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Occasional validation questions
are added into our courses to
ensure that the same person who
registered for the course is
actually the person taking the
course. The questions that you
are asked at the beginning of
the course may include hair
color, eye color, favorite
color, vehicle model, number of
siblings, etc.
We do realize that these
multiple choice questions are
limiting and may not provide the
correct options for 100% of our
students. If your favorite color
is not available, you have more
siblings than the multiple
choice question offers, the type
of vehicle you drive is not
listed, your hair color is a
blend of two colors, or your
eyes frequently change colors,
then please select any option
from the multiple choice list.
Please remember the answer you
originally selected and choose
the same response every time the
course asks you the question.
You will not be penalized, and
your certificate will still be
valid, if you repeatedly choose
an answer that does not match
your true personal facts or
preferences.
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Q : |
I got an error
saying I got the “Validation
Questions” wrong. What do I need
to do now? |
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Occasional validation questions
are added into our courses to
ensure that the same person who
registered is actually the
person taking the course. The
questions asked throughout the
course may include hair color,
eye color, favorite color,
vehicle model, number of
siblings, etc. You will need to
use the same answers that you
selected when you initially
registered for the course. If
you forget your answers or
answer the questions
incorrectly, please call our
Customer Service Department at
(800)442-1149.
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Q : |
The discount
code I was given does not work.
What do I do? |
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All
discount codes have expiration
dates. If you received a
discount code that includes a
year, such as “TEXAS2004,”
“SAFETY2006,” or “ALCOHOL06” it
is likely that those discount
codes may not be available for
use in future years. If you
receive an error that says
“Discount code entered was
invalid,” then it is very likely
that you are trying to use a
code that has expired. In that
case, you will need to enter a
discount code that is not
expired yet. Please remember,
that employers may keep discount
codes for years after they
expire and continue to
distribute the expired codes
even though they may not work.
If you receive an expired
discount code, please call
customer service for additional
assistance.
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Q : |
One person is
taking the course, but another
person is paying for it. Can we
do this? |
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Yes. The
information for the person
actually taking the course to
become certified needs to be
entered into the registration
fields on the course
registration page. The credit
card number, expiration date,
and security ID# should be
entered into the payment
section.
The person who owns the credit
card, should not enter their
name anywhere on the page,
except for at the bottom in the
credit card billing section. The
only name, address, date of
birth, social security number,
etc. that should be entered is
the information belonging to the
person who wishes to become
certified. It is not necessary
for the certificate mailing
address and the credit card
billing address to match.
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Q : |
I took a
course through eSmartServe, but
I received a charge from
360training on my credit card. |
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eSmartServe is partnered with
360training. If you pay with a
credit card, the charge will be
listed as 360training in Austin,
Texas.
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Q : |
I don’t have a
credit card. Can I pay with cash
or a check? |
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We offer
check payment options online,
however we are unable to accept
cash payments. If you would
prefer to pay with cash, you do
have alternative options. Check
with a friend or family member
to see if they will allow you to
pay them cash in exchange for
them allowing you to use their
credit card for this payment.
Additionally many grocery
stores, convenience stores, etc.
sell pre-paid credit cards. You
have the option to purchase the
card at the store and pay cash,
and then use the pre-paid credit
card for your online payment.
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Q : |
I don’t have a
credit card. Can I pay with a
debit card? |
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If your
debit card features the logo of
a credit card company such as
Visa or MasterCard, then you may
use the card for this online
transaction. If your card does
not have this logo, you will
need to use an alternate method
of payment.
If you would prefer to pay with
cash, you do have alternative
options. Check with a friend or
family member to see if they
will allow you to pay them cash
in exchange for them allowing
you to use their credit card for
this payment. Additionally many
grocery stores, convenience
stores, etc. sell pre-paid
credit cards. You have the
option to purchase the card at
the store and pay cash, and then
use the pre-paid credit card for
your online payment.
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Q : |
My employer
required me to get certified. I
don’t work there anymore. Can I
get a refund? |
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We are
sorry, but refunds are not
available for the change of
careers or employers. Your
certification will remain active
for the duration of the
certification period, regardless
of employment changes. If you
return to this line of work
within the specified time frame,
you will not need to pay to
become recertified again.
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Q : |
Why can’t I
forward to the next lesson after
I have completed a lesson? |
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State
laws require students to
participate courses for a set
number of hours. The time length
varies by state. Most states
require that students
participate in a specific number
of “classroom hours” in order to
receive their certification.
This is to ensure that students
have time to read and comprehend
the information before moving on
to the next section. For this
reason, students are unable to
“skip” to the next lesson until
their allotted time has been
reached for each lesson.
Traditional “live classrooms”
you also require students to
participate in the class for
this same specified number of
hours.
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Q : |
My web page
closed or froze up while I was
taking the course. What do I do? |
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Course
errors can be caused by a number
of different reasons. Please
call Customer Service at (800)
442-1149 and ask them to reset
your course. One of our trained
service representatives will
forward you to the section of
the course the error occurred.
Because some courses are timed,
eSmartServe recommends
contacting us immediately if you
receive an error message while
taking the course.
Although eSmartServe recommends
using Internet Explorer to
complete all of our courses,
other browsers sometimes may or
may not work. If you are not
using Internet Explorer, and you
are having problems, please
complete the course from a
computer that has Internet
Explorer installed.
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Q : |
I finished the
course, but it won’t let me
continue to my exam. What do I
need to do? |
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First,
please check to make sure that
the completion of an exam is
required (and included) as part
of your course or package. Some
courses, such as the NEHA Food
Safety Management Principles
Certification Training course,
do not include an exam. The CFP-ANSI
exam must be completed onsite at
a proctored testing facility.
Please refer to your course
instructions for complete
information about tests for NEHA
courses.
At the end of each section, most
courses ask approximately three
to five review questions. You
must answer these questions
correctly in order to continue
to the next section. If you
answer these questions wrong,
you will be required to repeat
the previous section before
moving on with the course. These
end-of-section questions are not
considered an exam, unless
otherwise noted. These questions
simply ensure that students
comprehend the main points of
each topic before going forward
with the course.
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Q : |
Why can I take
the NEHA Food Manager course
online, but I can’t take the
exam online? |
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The NEHA
Food Manager Course is available
online, but the CFP-ANSI exam is
not available online. NEHA
requires students to take the
CFP-ANSI exam at a proctored
testing facility under the
supervision of a certified
testing proctor. For a list of
CFP-approved proctored testing
sites, please visit
http://www.prometric.com/default.htm.
Information about testing
locations can also be obtained
by calling the National Registry
at 800-446-0257 or ServeSafe at
800-765-2122. Additional sites
may be available in select
areas.
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Q : |
I signed up
for the course a few days ago,
but now I’m getting a “timed
limited exceeded” error message.
What do I do? |
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Some of
our courses have time limits. If
you register for a course and
begin the course, but then log
out before completing the timed
course, you may retake the
course. You will be required to
start at the beginning of the
course, regardless of which
section you were on when you
stopped the course. Click on the
link as directed to restart your
course from the beginning free
of charge.
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Q : |
I’m getting a
message saying that I have
exceeded the allowed time limit.
I’m not finished yet. |
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Some of
our courses have time limits. If
you do not complete it within
the allowed time frame, you will
be required to retake the
course. You will be required to
start at the beginning of the
course, regardless of which
section you were on when you
stopped the course. Click on the
link as directed to restart your
course from the beginning free
of charge.
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Q : |
I don’t have
time to finish the timed course
or exam anymore. Can I extend my
time? |
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For
timed courses, the course
instructions clearly explain
that each state requires that
the course and/or exam be
completed within a set number of
hours. If the course/exam is not
completed within the
aforementioned timeframe, the
certification will be forfeited.
States do not allow exceptions
to these rules.
For this reason, students are
reminded to only enroll in timed
courses whenever they are sure
that they will have time to
complete the course and its exam
in its entirety. Unfortunately,
emergency situations can occur,
but they too will require the
student to reenroll and submit
payment for a new course.
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