ComplaintsforTula Movement Arts, LLC

• Initial Complaint

  07/31/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I signed up my daughter online for ****'s Preschool Summer ********** camp on February 22,2023. I paid a total amount of $250. However, we had family plans that conflicted with the camp dates. I contacted **** by email on July 11, 2023. 12 days before the camp start date. I was told that I would only be able to receive studio credit for future use. There were no terms or conditions stated or agreed upon, at the time of registering and payment. There is also no cancellation policy stated on the kids camp page, nor on the email receipt confirmation. There was nothing at all stating that there was a time allowed for cancellation, or that no refunds or credits would be given. However, when I emailed **** for a refund, my request was refused. I was offered a studio credit. I have no need for a studio credit, as I will not be using the business in the future. I was given a $100 refund, but I am requesting the full amount refunded back to me. I have attached to this letter the product receipt as evidence of my purchase and the amount that I am owed.

  Business response

  07/31/2023

  This is getting a bit out of hand. The initial email correspondence started with **** emailing us 2 weeks before the camp she registered her daughter for was scheduled to start. She communicated they were "looking at going out of town that week" and asked what our refund policy was. We responded saying we offer studio credit, as it was less than a month's notice and our policy on our website states cancellations for camps with less than 1 month's notice we do not offer refunds, *********** credit. She replied saying she was not interested in studio credit and had no interest in using it. She asked again for a partial refund, stating "I would just love to get some of it back if any". Further correspondence included us explaining that since we had been holding the spot for her daughter (and therefore not to someone else, and often that last minute it's hard to fill a spot) that we would not be able to is*** a refund and again said she'd have studio credit. It continued with her trying to argue that because there were spaces still available for the camp from what she could see on the website that it wasn't a "valid excuse". From our perspective it makes it even more valid, as we didn't have a waitlist to pill from to fill the spot last minute--which is why we have our cancellation policy in place. Perhaps if we did have a waitlist and could fill the spot we could have been more generous--but our policy states the 1 month cancellation and we didn't "owe" her a refund. She then demanded to see a contract that states no refunds are given. We explained our refund policy is on our website. After investigating further we noticed while it was on our pricing and kids classes page, it was not on the camp page specifically. We have recently redone our website and added a kids classes page separate from the camp page and it was a mistake that it wasn't added to the new camp specific page. We apologized for the confusion, acknowledged it could have been more clear and offered a courtesy partial refund of $100--which we did not "have" to do but we owned it and have since added it to the camp page as well for more transparency. She has already been refunded $100 of her initial $250 purchase and the other $150 is on her account a studio credit which never expires, can be used however she wants--she could even sell it if she wants to! It has escalated incessantly since then. She has made 1 star review on our ****** page saying we have shady business practices and stole her money. She has reported us here. She has sent a certified mail letter threatening to *** us in small claims court if we do not refund her another $100 by next week. WE have lost $100 in camp sales from refunding her against our policy, received a 1 star review and are now potentially dealing with a lawsuit for simply upholding our reasonable and very standard policy. We've spoken to our lawyer and as far as we understand the ****** state refund policies, it is up to the individual businesses to make and enforce their refund policies--aka at the discretion of the business. We have not "stolen" anything as we have her credit on her account that she has full access to. We have youth programs all year long and camps next summer--why wouldn't she be able to use it eventually? While we acknowledge it could have been more clear, it WAS and IS on our website. Most people unsure of their travel plans for summer ask ahead of time what our policy is and we always explain and also refer them to our website. It is now on the camp page too and we can add it to purchase receipts as well if that helps. From our point of view, we have only enforced our policy--and even made an exception for **** by issuing a partial refund at all. This is starting to feel like bullying and borderline harassment. All over $100--and because they decided to go out of town during a week they had committed to camp with only 2 weeks notice of cancellation. While we understand she wishes she got more of a refund, we do not believe we have done anything wrong and have made several attempts to meet in the middle with no success.

  Customer response

  07/31/2023

   
  Complaint: 20401500
  
  I am rejecting this response because:
  There is no policy on the website stating the amount of time required for cancellation or changes. There is nothing that states that no changes or cancellations would be allowed, and that no refunds would be given. 

  On the homepage-landing page there is no policy or statement at all. I then clicked on kids camps to register my child for the camp. At the time of booking, there was no policy or statement on that page either. I then registered my child, and received a confirmation email. None of these steps included any type of policy or statement stating that no cancellations or changes could be made, nor that any refunds would be given. 

  Federal law states that "refund policies must be prominently displayed at the place of purchase in order to be valid" At the time of registration none of the webpages, info sheets, or confirmation emails stated or noted any type of refund or cancellation policy. 

  I have tried to amicably settle this with emails, and certified letters. The owner has not agreed to my requests, and has often not even responded.

  I am simply asking for the money I paid to be returned to me, as I never agreed to a non cancellation policy, and gave advanced notice to the studio.  =
  Sincerely,
  
  *************************

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