ComplaintsforSkateworld of Kettering

• Initial Complaint

  06/14/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I booked a party for my daughter’s 4th birthday at Skateworld of Kettering on July 1, 2021. I also paid the deposit of $52.00 on that day. I also went in person to pay the remainder of the balance $91.43 on July 09, 2021. After I paid the final bill for the party. I learned that Covid cases were on the rise again. I immediately became concerned due to my daughter having pulmonary, and heart related issues. I called Skateworld of Kettering to cancel the party, and request a refund. I thought that it would not be an issue since it was early in July, and my daughter’s party was not scheduled until July 30, 2021. However, I was advised that I could not receive a refund due to their policy. I was also advised that we could reschedule, and a gift certificate would be sent out to my mailing address. However, once the gift certificate was received, the Covid cases continued to increase. I dropped the gift certificate off because I knew that we could not have the party that year. However, I did not want to lose my money because I am on a fixed income, and so I contacted SkateWorld of Kettering, and spoke with the General Manager. I advised that I would like to reschedule the party, and she advised that after we reschedule the party this time that I would not be able to reschedule it again. So, we decided to reschedule it for the next year of 2022. The manager advised that I would just need to call in, and have my receipt showing the party was paid in full when I was ready to schedule the party. I contacted Skateworld, on March 14, 2022 to reschedule party. However, I was advised that party will not be rescheduled due to me not having gift certificate.FAQ's on website states party can be rescheduled, but does not mention customer must have gift certificate. I asked for the Owners name, and Manager (******) refused. I asked to have letter sent to me advising that I never had a party at location, but was sent receipts. Now my daughter's birthday is ruined. Thanks.

  Business response

  06/28/2022

  ***** or to whom this may concern,

  
  

  I am attaching several copies of the items that we had mailed to the customer in regards to the complaint she had filed.

  
  

  Responses to her complaints broken down as well as the pricing she listed.

  
  

  Booking a Birthday Party, we require a minimum of $50.00 deposit. She stated $52.00 which has the credit card fee applied to it.

  The remaining balance on this event would have been $85.99 and with the card fee again it came to $91.43 as the party total is $135.99 for the package she selected.

  
  

  ******** had called in wanting to reschedule the party and then wasn't sure of a date due to covid cases. We had told her with her being unsure of when she could host the event again that we would issue her a gift certificate for the amount she had paid to us which was for the $135.99 and stated that because of our policy of all deposits/payments made ahead of time were non-refundable thus the certificate was issued. We mailed the certificate out to her and marked her original slip that we sent a certificate. Certificates are just like cash and not replaceable if lost or stolen. We didn't hear anything else from her so then when she contacted us in March of 2022 wanting to schedule the birthday party, we told her that we would need the gift certificate or cash/card payment. Rescheduling the party would have meant we kept the party and payment with the new date given. We do not hold onto slips without knowing the new date because of this issue of keeping them with customers not knowing exactly when they would have it again. We have a very small set of office crew here that have worked with the company for 5 or more years each and know this policy and would not have taken the certificate back without her scheduling a new date for the event as we had nothing to apply that certificate too. She had asked for the Owner's information which I gave her the email address that she could have sent something in but I was not going to give out the owner's personal cell phone number and she didn't want to be put through to the voicemail that we have here. We had not told her that she couldn't host a birthday party with us she just needed to either pay or turn in the certificate we issued to her with the new booking. She also referred to the FAQ page which states about the non-fundable policy and about rescheduling as well. This information is also listed when booking an event online just like she had done before to be made aware of the policy ahead of time. If you have any further questions or once you have an outcome to this event please let me know.

  Customer response

  06/28/2022

  
  Complaint: ********
  
  I am rejecting this response because: I would not have been able to schedule the party for 2021 because of Covid. So we both agreed that I could schedule it for my daughter’s next birthday in July 2022. I was told to call when ready to schedule, and to keep the original receipt. I asked for the owners name, and not his/her personal cell phone number. You wouldn’t provide any information regarding the owner. I would like to have the owner contact me regarding this matter. 
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ******** ******

  Business response

  06/29/2022

  As a business we understand that not everyone is comfortable with coming out with COVID. We as a business opened back up June of 2020 and followed all the guidelines to be open and still hosting birthday events. Summer of 2021 there was way less of an outbreak and more and more people booking. For her daughters safety I understand she didn't feel comfortable in having the event. Once she didn't reschedule the event by giving us a new date is when she was given the certificate for the full amount paid. Yet again never told her she couldn't have the party with us. She needed to provide us with her certificate that she received. The original receipt wouldn't be sufficient as once the certificate was issued the party reservation did not exist anymore as the event was cancelled. We were always able to host her event and did not turn her away from scheduling the birthday to ruin her daughters party.

*Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business. ↩