A charge reading “SEI Colorado Springs” on your credit card or bank statement is almost always from Solar Energy International, a nonprofit solar training school headquartered in Paonia, Colorado. The charge usually reflects tuition or a scheduled installment payment for one of SEI’s online or in-person renewable energy courses. If you don’t remember signing up, check whether someone else with access to the card registered for a class, or whether this is a monthly payment on a certificate program enrolled in earlier.
Why the Charge May Look Unfamiliar
Two things commonly throw cardholders off. First, SEI’s main campus is in Paonia, not Colorado Springs, so the billing descriptor doesn’t match where the organization actually operates. Second, students in the Solar Professionals Certificate Program typically pay a $500 down payment at registration followed by monthly $500 installments, so a charge can appear long after the original signup. SEI accepts credit cards, checks, wire transfers, ACH, and PayPal, with credit cards being the most common.
If the charge is recurring and roughly $500, it is likely one of those scheduled installments. A one-time charge of a few hundred to around a thousand dollars is more consistent with a single course registration or course materials.
How to Contact SEI About the Charge
Call SEI at 970-527-7657 and select option 1 for a student services counselor. You can also reach the organization through the contact form on its website or through the student support portal. For billing disputes that aren’t resolved by the student services team, SEI’s Executive Leadership Team can be emailed at elt@solarenergy.org and commits to arranging a discussion within one week.
Cancellation and Refund Rules
If the charge is legitimate but you want out of the course, SEI’s refund policy depends on timing:
- Within three business days of registration: full refund of all tuition and fees paid.
- After three business days but before classes begin: full refund minus a cancellation charge of $150 or 25% of the contract price, whichever is less.
- After classes have started: SEI keeps the cancellation charge plus a percentage of tuition based on the share of contact hours or lessons already completed.
- If SEI cancels the class: you can reschedule into a future class at no charge, or take a refund with the same cancellation charge applied.
Refunds are calculated from the official date of termination or formal documented withdrawal, so send written notice as soon as you decide. SEI invites students with extenuating circumstances such as illness or a natural disaster to contact the administration office directly.
Disputing the Charge With Your Bank
If you don’t recognize the charge at all, or SEI won’t resolve a billing problem, you can dispute it with your card issuer. Under the Fair Credit Billing Act, you have 60 days from the statement date on which the charge first appeared to send written notice to the card issuer’s billing inquiry address. Include your name, account number, a description of the error, and copies of any supporting documents.
The issuer must acknowledge the dispute in writing within 30 days and resolve it within two billing cycles, up to a maximum of 90 days. You can withhold payment on the disputed amount during the investigation without being reported delinquent on that charge. For unauthorized charges, federal law caps your liability at $50.
These protections apply to credit cards. Debit card transactions fall under Regulation E of the Electronic Fund Transfer Act, which focuses on unauthorized transfers and computational errors rather than broader merchant disputes about goods or services, so your options are narrower if the charge hit a debit card.
Escalating a Complaint
If SEI’s internal process doesn’t resolve the issue, you can file a complaint with the Colorado Division of Private Occupational Schools, the state agency that oversees private vocational training programs. Complaints can be submitted online through the Colorado Department of Higher Education website or by calling 303-862-3001. The division accepts complaints filed within two years of your last date of attendance.
If your card issuer mishandles a dispute, you can file a complaint with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau online or at 855-411-2372.