Parents Beware, Karate Nightmare
Parents Beware, Karate Nightmare by Thom Singer
Earlier this year my eight-year-old daughter became involved
with Karate. It has overall been a good experience for her and
she has enjoyed learning the martial arts. We selected the dojo
based on a location close to our home and from the beginning we
had some issues, but we liked one of her teachers... and he did
a great job of relating to the kids and the parents.
As my daughter's involvement grew and we were asked to sign a
long-term (three year) contract in order for her to move up to
the intermediate level of training and to be on the "black belt
track". (They would not put her in this program without the
contract). Soon thereafter is when it everything went south. The
teacher whom we liked and respected left the school and we
became less satisfied with the level of instruction. Some
parents spoke to the owner, who insisted that he himself is a
"great" teacher. But like art, opinions about instruction are
subjective. While he may think he does a fine job, we just were
not as pleased as we had been. Additionally, a fifteen-year-old
girl, who was obviously new to instructing martial arts, taught
the two classes I recently observed.
My wife has tried to get out of the contract, only to find that
the "financial services" firm who handles the billing will not
allow us to terminate, and the owner of the business says we
must talk to them. My assumption was that we would have a one or
two month cancellation fee...but NO.... they expect us to
continue to pay $150 per month regardless of if we want to be
there, or even if we ever show up again (they told my wife that
our satisfaction or participation had nothing to do with the
contract).
Other parents in the neighborhood have told me about similar
experiences with this karate school. I checked with the local
Better Business Bureau and discovered that the school has an
"unsatisfactory" rating. There have been three complaints with
the BBB since February regarding "sales practice issues" and
"billing or collection issues". In each case the owner of the
dojo has simply ignored the BBB (no response to the complaint),
which means he did not even attempt to work with the
dissatisfied client. This is a bad sign.
I work in a professional environment where good and ethical
business people want happy clients, not just those locked into
contracts. This is my first experience with someone who does not
care about customer service.
I have spoken with two attorneys who have said that there are
many of these types of businesses (karate schools, gymnastics
studios, dance instruction, gyms, etc....) make a practice of
forcing people to pay on contracts regardless of satisfaction or
participation. They outsource their contracts with "collection
firms" who know how to structure it so that clients do not have
the rights that one would normally expect.
My wife was lead to believe that the contract was there to keep
us engaged in the program and guarantee the price for the
black-belt training. They avoided letting her know that there
was no way out.... and again, our daughter could not progress in
her training without the contract. Having never had experiences
with these types of business practices..... It never dawned on
us that this would be an issue. It seemed like a gym membership
where a thirty-day cancellation notification was all that would
be necessary to move on. It is just karate for the
eight-year-old!!!
I am disappointed in the whole situation because the martial
arts teach about integrity, ethics and honor. I have spoken with
the "governing bodies" of karate associations only to find they
do not get involved in billing and contract issues of their
registered dojos (RED FLAG). I was told that "contracts are
common, but most schools would never force you to pay if you did
not attend". Beyond that statement there was nothing they would
do for me.
In getting the kids involved in their programs they are so
friendly, but the tune can sure change fast.
I am currently looking at legal options. Fortunately, we have
great legal advisors. If the owner of the karate academy
believes that we should have to pay for three years ($5000) of
instruction that we will never receive....then he is not the
kind of man I want my family to associate with in the first
place.
I am mad, sad, disappointed, frustrated, and sorry that we have
to deal with this situation. I have learned a few lessons that
all parents should follow when getting their kids involved in
karate (and other martial arts) or any other formal activity:
1. Do not select your school, academy, dojo, studio, etc...
based only on location. Find the one with the best reputation.
2. Ask other parents for their opinions of the establishment.
Ask those who are currently active in the program and especially
ones who have been involved for a long period of time. Also,
seek out others in your community who might have participated in
the past.
3. Run a free report on the business through you local Better
Business Bureau. If there have been complaints, this may (or may
not) be reason for concern. How a company responds to a
complaint is more important than if there are complaints on
record. If the business has not responded to complaints, be
extra careful. Certainly NEVER sign a contract with them if
there are unanswered contract and billing complaints. This means
they will ignore your complaints should they arise in the future.
4. Specifically ask about cancellation fees and policies. If it
is not clearly stated in the contract, make them write it down
or refuse to sign the contract. Do not take it lightly just
because it is a kid's activity.
While we all hope the people who facilitate our children's
activities are wonderful souls who put our kid's experience
above all else, it is not always the case. I hope that others
can learn from our mistake.