Pearson Customer Service — Expert Guide for Students, Instructors, and Institutions

Overview and context

Pearson is a global education company founded in 1844 and headquartered at 80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL. Over the last two decades Pearson has shifted from a broad media conglomerate to a focused education-services provider offering textbooks, digital courseware (MyLab, Mastering), assessments (Pearson VUE), and institutional learning platforms. The corporate site is https://www.pearson.com and the primary customer support portal is https://support.pearson.com — these two sites are the authoritative starting points for all customer-service interactions.

Customer service at Pearson is segmented by customer type (student, instructor, institutional, and test candidate) and by product family (textbooks, digital access codes, MyLab & Mastering, Revel, Pearson+ subscriptions, and Pearson VUE testing). Knowing which segment your issue belongs to will dramatically reduce resolution time because each segment routes to specialized teams with different SLAs, knowledge bases, and escalation procedures.

Primary support channels and typical response times

Pearson provides several channels: an online help portal with searchable FAQs and ticketing (https://support.pearson.com), live chat for many digital products, email ticketing, and phone support where available for time-sensitive cases. For Pearson VUE testing queries (scheduling, cancellations, test center issues) use the Pearson VUE hub at https://home.pearsonvue.com/Contact which lists region-specific contacts and hours. Institutional customers often have a dedicated account manager or technical support engineer accessed via account-specific contact points listed on their institutional agreement.

Typical response-time expectations: initial acknowledgment within 24–48 hours for standard ticket submissions, live-chat responses in under 10 minutes outside peak windows, and phone callbacks often scheduled same-day during business hours. For complex technical investigations (integration, single sign-on, grade sync), expect a 3–10 business-day investigative period, and formal escalation or refunds can take up to 14 business days to complete because of cross-team validation and payment-processor clearing times.

Preparation checklist before contacting support

• Exact product identifier: ISBN (for print), SKU or product name (e.g., “MyLab Statistics 13th edition”), or Pearson product key. For subscriptions, include billing period and username/email used to purchase.
• Order information: order number, purchase date, payment method (last 4 digits), and the vendor (Pearson direct, Amazon, campus bookstore). Screenshots of your order confirmation or receipt accelerate refunds and license verifications.
• Technical diagnostics: browser and version, OS and device, screenshots of errors, exact timestamp (with time zone), error codes / stack traces, steps to reproduce the problem, and any institutional identifiers (course ID, CRN, LMS course URL, institution ILP or customer number).
• For test-related issues: candidate name, candidate ID, exam voucher number (if applicable), test center name and code, scheduled appointment date/time, and photos of any on-site incident reports.

Providing the items above in your initial ticket reduces back-and-forth. If you need to escalate, having order and diagnostic data documented in the ticket number ensures accountability and traceability.

Common issues and precise remedies

Login and access-code problems are the top support categories. If a digital access code fails, verify the code format (usually 16–20 alphanumeric characters), ensure regional restrictions (some codes are region-locked), confirm the code hasn’t already been redeemed (the support portal can check), and have the original receipt available. For single sign-on (SSO) issues with institutional accounts, confirm SAML metadata and IP range whitelisting with your campus IT; Pearson integrations commonly require SAML 2.0 and an active LTI 1.3 connection for grade pass-back.

Refunds and returns: policies vary by product and vendor. Pearson’s direct digital-access refunds are typically handled within a 30-day window for unused activations; physical textbook returns are usually permitted within 30 days if the book is in resalable condition and the vendor permits returns. Price ranges: individual MyLab course access commonly ranges from about USD 40 to USD 120 per course access period, and institutional license pricing often ranges from USD 15–55 per student per term depending on volume and features. Pearson VUE exam fees vary widely by certification — expect anywhere from USD 50 to USD 600 depending on the exam vendor and level; rescheduling/cancellation policies often impose fees or penalties if changed within 24–72 hours of the appointment.

Escalation path, SLAs, and complaint handling

• Step 1 — Self-service and ticket: use support.pearson.com to search the knowledge base and submit a ticket; include all checklist items to receive an initial triage within 24–48 hours.
• Step 2 — Escalation to product team or manager: if unresolved after the initial investigation window (typically 3–5 business days), request escalation and retain your ticket number. Institutional customers should contact their named account manager or institutional-implementation lead.
• Step 3 — Formal complaint and review: if escalation does not resolve the issue, submit a formal complaint via the support portal or to the corporate complaints address; Pearson’s internal policies generally aim to conclude formal complaint investigations within 10–30 business days depending on complexity.

Document timelines in your ticket and ask for expected completion dates at each step. For payments and refunds, note that banks or card processors can add 3–7 business days beyond Pearson’s internal refund processing time before funds appear in your account.

Institutional onboarding and technical integration details

Institutions implementing Pearson solutions receive a project plan: typical onboarding requires 2–6 weeks for standard deployments (course setup, LMS integration, instructor training), and 8–12+ weeks for custom integrations or large-scale deployments. Key technical tasks include exchanging SAML metadata, setting up LTI credentials, and configuring grade-sync mappings. Pearson supports integrations with major LMS platforms (Canvas, Blackboard, Moodle) and provides implementation guides and API documentation through the institutional portal once an agreement is in place.

Price negotiation for institutional licensing is volume-based and commonly structured as per-seat or per-term agreements. Expect to receive an itemized quote that lists base platform fees, per-student license costs, setup fees (if any), and optional support or training packages. For enterprise-level contracts, insist on service-level agreements (SLAs) that define uptime, support response times, and escalation contacts — these contractual SLAs are enforceable and should be tied to credits or penalties where available.

How do I talk to a person at Pearson VUE?

1. By Chat: Visit Pearson VUE’s OnVUE Help Page and click the “Let’s Chat!” icon for live chat support.
2. By Phone: Call Pearson VUE customer service at: 877-551-7587 (toll-free)
3. By Email: Fill out the email form and provide as much detail as possible about your issue.

How do I contact Pearson customer service?

Customer Support: +1 (800) 627-7271

1. Sales Consultants.
2. Help articles.
3. Ordering FAQs.
4. Submit inquiry.
5. Submit Purchase Order.

What is the 800 number for Pearson testing?

Contact Us

Web:	GACE appointments: www.pearsonvue.com/gace Includes chat and email
Phone:	(800) 989-8532 Mon– to Fri: 8:00 a.m.– to 8:00 p.m. eastern time Sat: 8:00 a.m.– to 5:00 p.m. eastern time Excluding local holidays

How to access Pearson on phone?

After you download the app:
Sign in with your Pearson account and download your book title. It is recommended to download when connected to WiFi, however you can use mobile (cellular) data.

How do I contact Pearson Airport customer service?

Our Customer Service Team is available 24 hours at 416-AIRPORT (416-247-7678) or toll free at 1-866-207-1690.

How do I talk to Pearson?

1. Chat with us live. Open the pop-up button in the bottom corner of your screen to chat live with one of our Support team.
2. Send us a message. Fill out our short form and one of our team will be in touch as soon as possible. Submit a form.
3. Call us. Speak on the phone to one of our Support team directly. Find your local number.