Problems with D's dance school
Hi flist, I need you to tell you about a problem I'm having with D's dance school. I'm angry with them and I don't know any more if I'm thinking straight because I'm so mad.
I enrolled D for a dancing exam, at the cost of $45, which was to take place in early August (two days after we returned from a week in Tassie). The initial information just gave the date, and as it was a Friday - her lesson day - I assumed the exam would take place during the lesson time (E dances with a different dancing school and her exam was during her class time). This was the first dance exam D has done so I had no prior knowledge of anything different.
We got back from Tassie on the Wednesday and on the Thursday D spent hours away from school at a medical appointment. On Thursday at about 3pm the dance teacher knocked on my door with the exam information for the following morning - 20 hours notice and the first time I was aware that the exam was to be held during school time, and at a different location.
I was unable to rearrange my life and unwilling to take D out of school yet again, so she did not attend the exam. I was told she'd be enrolled into the make-up exams by the teacher and that she'd be able to do the exam in October. At this time I was told that presentation of a medical certificate might mean some consideration - nothing definite - but that the make-up exam would be the path to take. Given the medical appointment was the day prior I didn't feel that this was an appropriate avenue, and anyway, the physiotherapist has been on family leave since soon after D's last appointment.
When October rolled around and I'd heard nothing about the exam, I cornered the teacher and asked what was going on - she had no idea, and hadn't investigated it - only to find out the following week that enrollments for the exam were well and truly closed and she'd missed out.
Finding out that I was $45 out of pocket by their incompetence, I paid $45 less on this term's fees. Yesterday I got this letter in the mail:
Re: student - D - Outstanding Fee
We would remind you of conversation prior to Jazz Exams which took place in early August 2010, you indicated you were reluctant to allow D to participate on Friday 6th as she had already had time off school and you did not want her to miss any further time although exam only took about 25 minutes and most students returned to school.
When you enquired about recouping money spent on booking exam, you were informed that on presentation of a Doctors Certificate you would undoubtedly receive compensation, -----------you have declined to accept this proposal.
You have now paid D's fees $45 short in an effort to recoup your Exam fee.
The term fee is costed at $13 per 1 hour lesson and covers dance tuition for the term and it has no connection with the exam fee which has been paid to our federation and which was explained to you..
If you wish D to continue to receive dance tuition in preparation for forthcoming concert., we would ask for outstanding balance to be paid promptly.
(All grammatical errors are as written).
My response so far (not sent yet)
The conversation "prior to the exam" occurred about 20 hours before the scheduled exam time - this was the first indication I had that the exam would be held during school hours, rather than during dancing class as I had expected. As this was the first time we had done an exam I should have been given the full information - including the time and location - at the time of signing up for the exam and paying the money.
If I had been given this complete information at the appropriate time I would not have signed my daughter up for the exam and therefore would not be out of pocket $45.
To state that the exam takes only 25 minutes is a gross misrepresentation of the truth. The exam letter (which I received 20hrs before the exam) clearly states that students must arrive 45 minutes before the exam. Therefore a 10:50am exam means she needed to be in attendance from 10:05am. Adding in the time to get her out of her classroom, get to Blackburn and find the location of the exam, I would have had to collect her at 9:30am. Going to school for half an hour is pretty pointless and is too disruptive to the teacher and class, so had she been doing the exam I would not have been able to send her to school at all that morning.
Assuming that the exam took 25 minutes - and that they were running on time - she would have come out at 11:15. Add the time for her to get changed and to drive back to school she would have got into class at 12pm. That is THREE HOURS of school that she would have missed for a “25 minute” exam - totally impossible when she had just missed a week of school for family reasons.
As for the medical certificate, I was led to believe that she was to be enrolled in the make-up exams and that I didn’t need to produce one (and her physiotherapist has been away on family leave for months so I was unable to get the certificate anyway). That she wasn’t enrolled in this make-up exam is a mistake on your part.
Blackburn Dance Spot has made a number of errors in relation to this matter:
* Not providing complete information at the time of enrolling for the exam
* Not providing the complete information in a timely manner (20 hours is unreasonable)
* Not enrolling her for the make-up exam.
If I were you I would take this $45 as a lesson to yourself about learning some organisational skills. I will not be out of pocket for your mistakes. And I think it sad that you would think to make a child lose out for your mistakes.
With regards to providing complete information in a timely manner to your students and their families: we are less than a month away from the end of year concert and we have not yet been told the time or venue of the concert, nor any rehearsal schedule. It is an incredibly busy time of year for everyone, and to fit in your requirements means we need the information sooner rather than later.
Honestly, I’m surprised you can run a profitable business with your level of disorganisation. Needless to say we will not be returning to your dance school next year or at any time in the future, but we will be seeing this year out.
Sincereley,
B wants me to just pay the fees and be done with it. I want to stand up for the principle of the matter and stop them from stuffing around other families in future.
What should I do?
I enrolled D for a dancing exam, at the cost of $45, which was to take place in early August (two days after we returned from a week in Tassie). The initial information just gave the date, and as it was a Friday - her lesson day - I assumed the exam would take place during the lesson time (E dances with a different dancing school and her exam was during her class time). This was the first dance exam D has done so I had no prior knowledge of anything different.
We got back from Tassie on the Wednesday and on the Thursday D spent hours away from school at a medical appointment. On Thursday at about 3pm the dance teacher knocked on my door with the exam information for the following morning - 20 hours notice and the first time I was aware that the exam was to be held during school time, and at a different location.
I was unable to rearrange my life and unwilling to take D out of school yet again, so she did not attend the exam. I was told she'd be enrolled into the make-up exams by the teacher and that she'd be able to do the exam in October. At this time I was told that presentation of a medical certificate might mean some consideration - nothing definite - but that the make-up exam would be the path to take. Given the medical appointment was the day prior I didn't feel that this was an appropriate avenue, and anyway, the physiotherapist has been on family leave since soon after D's last appointment.
When October rolled around and I'd heard nothing about the exam, I cornered the teacher and asked what was going on - she had no idea, and hadn't investigated it - only to find out the following week that enrollments for the exam were well and truly closed and she'd missed out.
Finding out that I was $45 out of pocket by their incompetence, I paid $45 less on this term's fees. Yesterday I got this letter in the mail:
Re: student - D - Outstanding Fee
We would remind you of conversation prior to Jazz Exams which took place in early August 2010, you indicated you were reluctant to allow D to participate on Friday 6th as she had already had time off school and you did not want her to miss any further time although exam only took about 25 minutes and most students returned to school.
When you enquired about recouping money spent on booking exam, you were informed that on presentation of a Doctors Certificate you would undoubtedly receive compensation, -----------you have declined to accept this proposal.
You have now paid D's fees $45 short in an effort to recoup your Exam fee.
The term fee is costed at $13 per 1 hour lesson and covers dance tuition for the term and it has no connection with the exam fee which has been paid to our federation and which was explained to you..
If you wish D to continue to receive dance tuition in preparation for forthcoming concert., we would ask for outstanding balance to be paid promptly.
(All grammatical errors are as written).
My response so far (not sent yet)
The conversation "prior to the exam" occurred about 20 hours before the scheduled exam time - this was the first indication I had that the exam would be held during school hours, rather than during dancing class as I had expected. As this was the first time we had done an exam I should have been given the full information - including the time and location - at the time of signing up for the exam and paying the money.
If I had been given this complete information at the appropriate time I would not have signed my daughter up for the exam and therefore would not be out of pocket $45.
To state that the exam takes only 25 minutes is a gross misrepresentation of the truth. The exam letter (which I received 20hrs before the exam) clearly states that students must arrive 45 minutes before the exam. Therefore a 10:50am exam means she needed to be in attendance from 10:05am. Adding in the time to get her out of her classroom, get to Blackburn and find the location of the exam, I would have had to collect her at 9:30am. Going to school for half an hour is pretty pointless and is too disruptive to the teacher and class, so had she been doing the exam I would not have been able to send her to school at all that morning.
Assuming that the exam took 25 minutes - and that they were running on time - she would have come out at 11:15. Add the time for her to get changed and to drive back to school she would have got into class at 12pm. That is THREE HOURS of school that she would have missed for a “25 minute” exam - totally impossible when she had just missed a week of school for family reasons.
As for the medical certificate, I was led to believe that she was to be enrolled in the make-up exams and that I didn’t need to produce one (and her physiotherapist has been away on family leave for months so I was unable to get the certificate anyway). That she wasn’t enrolled in this make-up exam is a mistake on your part.
Blackburn Dance Spot has made a number of errors in relation to this matter:
* Not providing complete information at the time of enrolling for the exam
* Not providing the complete information in a timely manner (20 hours is unreasonable)
* Not enrolling her for the make-up exam.
If I were you I would take this $45 as a lesson to yourself about learning some organisational skills. I will not be out of pocket for your mistakes. And I think it sad that you would think to make a child lose out for your mistakes.
With regards to providing complete information in a timely manner to your students and their families: we are less than a month away from the end of year concert and we have not yet been told the time or venue of the concert, nor any rehearsal schedule. It is an incredibly busy time of year for everyone, and to fit in your requirements means we need the information sooner rather than later.
Honestly, I’m surprised you can run a profitable business with your level of disorganisation. Needless to say we will not be returning to your dance school next year or at any time in the future, but we will be seeing this year out.
Sincereley,
B wants me to just pay the fees and be done with it. I want to stand up for the principle of the matter and stop them from stuffing around other families in future.
What should I do?