ComplaintsforZenith Prep Academy

• Initial Complaint

  08/24/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Order Issues

  Status:

  Unanswered

  More info

  We signed up for college counseling with Zenith Prep Academy around Dec 24th, 2023. This is after being through a number of sessions with their admissions counsellor in which we were told they are a premium service with extensive experience and a great track record. They also prominently display a money back guarantee for eg: "And if youre not satisfied with the work we do between now and before you hit send, well give you 100% OF YOUR MONEY BACK."(*********************************************). We were told that even though we are joining 3 months late for the year we will have to pay the first year's fee completely i.e $8000 but would be given make up sessions(Note: none was given). Our problems started immediately, the counsellor assigned to us during sign up was changed and the new counsellor attended a few sessions and then said she was going on vacation. We were very keen to get into Summer programs specifically into ***********************, the application is time sensitive i.e. it has a rolling admissions procedure in which the sooner you get your application in the better. We had to send several mails of escalation and complaints to Zenith Prep about our counsellor before we got any support and that support was brief with no follow up afterwards and as a result we missed get admissions into Santa *************************** program. The counsellor continued the sessions but fell far short of the value that was promised to us during the admission, there were no review of progress by anybody else and finally we decided to withdraw on June 24th, 2024(less than 6 months after we signed up and with the counsellor's vacation about 5 months). They immediately accepted our request to terminate the contract(no offer to meet and talk to see how things can be rectified) but then refused to pay our $8000 back stating the contract we signed does not require them to pay us instead we got a letter from their lawyers, tone of the letter was very intimidating. Please help us get a refund.

• Initial Complaint

  01/02/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  *******************************, a 10th-grade student aspiring to become a heart surgeon. I am her father, sought professional help from Zenith Academy for college counseling to support her admission to ******************. The Academy, represented by *******************, outlined a program with payments totaling $26,000 over three years.After enrollment, ****** was assigned ********************* as her coach. However, within a month, her grades plummeted from A to D, C, B. Despite additional tuition help from Wayzant, ******'s performance continued to decline. The narrator expressed concerns to ******************* about the absence of a SWOT analysis, lack of a project plan, a communication gap, and distracting extracurricular activities.************************* responded, acknowledging the concerns but stating that ****** should remain in the program for two years before a refund could be considered. The narrator, dissatisfied with this response due to the worsening impact on ******'s grades, insisted on cancellation and refund, threatening legal intervention through the Washington Consumer Court.The attached files include email communications, the signed contract, and transcripts illustrating ******'s academic decline (In 9th grade, she got an A grade in six subjects out of seven; she declined to have an A only in two subjects after the program enrollment). The family seeks assistance in resolving the situation and obtaining a refund.

  Business response

  01/12/2024

  The *lient entered into a *ontract Agreement with Zenith on September 23, 2023 for the purpose of obtaining on behalf of his child who will be referenced as Student, Zeniths advisory guidance with regard to college planning and applications (Agreement).  A copy of the Agreement is attached hereto for ease of reference. 
  

  The explicit language of the Agreement makes it clear that an initial payment of eight thousand dollars ($8,000) is due and owed upon signing the Agreement (which was paid). Additionally, in Section 4 of the Agreement, it states that the *lient can terminate the Agreement by providing notice within 30 days prior to September 1, 2024.  However, Section 4 makes it clear that in the event that the Agreement is terminated in accordance with the terms of the Agreement, all payments due of previous years will be owed, however no future payments will be owed and *ontractors will end services immediately once given notice.
  

  The full refund that the *lient is requesting would fall under section 6 of the Agreement where it is specified that:
  a full refund of all amounts under this Agreement may be requested by *ontractee under the following circumstances only: If *ontractee submits a request in writing or electronically during the month of July in the summer immediately preceding the *ontractees students 12th grade year, the *ontractor agrees to provide a full refund of all amounts paid by *ontractee to *ontractor under this Agreement.  This refund offer is valid only if this Agreement has remained in place between the parties from the effective date of this Agreement through the month of July in the summer immediately preceding the *ontractees students 12th grad year, and the *ontractee has paid all amounts due and owing under this Agreement during that time period. *ontractee agrees and acknowledges that with the exception of this provision,no other refunds are available under this Agreement. 
  

  Both parties proceeded with the services, per the Agreement, and the *lient was aware of the terms for a full refund and the services provided in the Agreement as well.
  Throughout the engagement, the *lient and the Student interacted with and met their assigned Zenith counselor, ********************* through the months of October, November, and December where ********** providing guidance, feedback, and recommendations with regard to the *************** work and extra-curricular activities. 
  
  Initially, when the Student first met with **********, the Students family had informed ********** that her grades were going well and their meetings,discussions, and email communications were primarily focused on extracurricular activities that were aligned with The Students interests in the healthcare/pre-med field. These recommendations and guidance were welcomed and appreciated by the Student and the *lient as ********** provided recommendations for hospital volunteering opportunities, helped edit and finalize the Students cardiovascular diseases blog posts, and guided the Student towards research opportunities that were aligned with the Students interest in cardiology. Please reference the attached PDFs for email communications between **********, the Student, and the *lient regarding the above.

  However, once the Students grades were no longer in the desired A range, ************ meetings and email communication quickly shifted to guiding the Student on how to better understand/manage teachers expectations and how to improve her grades by sharing study tips, best practices, resources, and recommending tutors for the different subjects that the Student was struggling in.
  

  In the complaint, the *lient specifies that the Students grades had dropped from A to D, *, B, as a result of being in our college counseling program. However, if you look at the grades that the *lient had shared, some of the grades have either stayed the same or if they dropped from T1 to T2, they eventually improved to a higher Semester 1 grade. Additionally, given that the *lient stated that the Students grades had dropped to the * and D range, but the fact that her Semester 1 grades are in the As and Bs ranges should also serve as an indication that the recommendations that ********** made for tutors and study tips and best practices were helpful in improving the Students grades.
  

  Also, regarding the improvement in grades: On October 16th, the *lient sent ********** an email stating that the Student thinks that the tutor is helping her to get the proper understanding. See the October action items and recommendations email communication. And in the November action items and recommendations email communication, ********** mentioned in 2 separate occasions,once on November 6th that the previous days meeting, ********** and the Student discussed her improvement in math and how proud ********** was of the Student. And then on November 10th, the Students grades for *hemistry, English, and Spanish had also improved when ********** logged in and checked her grading reports as well.
  

  Separately, the *lient stated that there was a communication gap. However, if you reference the attached PDFs, there was constant email communication between the *lient, the Student, and ********** in addition to the monthly meetings that ********** had with their family. **********, oftentimes, even responded to emails within the same day or the day after.
  

  The *lient stated that there was a lack of project plan,however, ********** had went over with the family during the meetings and through the email communication, regarding the strategy and action plan on how the Student can continue building a strong extracurricular profile for top universities,including *******, by furthering and growing her cardiovascular disease blog,hospital volunteering opportunities, and cardiology-related research. Once the project plan had to change due to the Students drop in grades, ********** was able to adjust accordingly and provide recommendations and resources to help the Student accordingly.
  

  Lastly, the *lient stated that there was an absence of a SWOT analysis. However, there is no mention of a SWOT analysis that would be provided to the *lient, whether its in the contract agreement or in previous meetings that The *lient had with Zenith. Additionally, The *lient request of a SWOT analysis was only first mentioned on the December 2, 2023 email requesting the termination of the college counseling program. Had the *lient requested a SWOT analysis be provided, Zenith and the counselor wouldve been happy to accommodate even though its not an item that is listed that Zenith provides.
  

  Zenith has expressed their willingness to continue working with the Student and the *lient as *******, the Head of *ollege *ounseling met virtually over Zoom with the *lient to see how ********** can better support the Student. However, the *lient has been very insistent on terminating the Agreement and requiring a full refund despite:

  1) the refund NOT falling within the terms of the Agreement that the *lient entered into with Zenith

  2) Zenith has already allocated and invested the necessary resources and staffing to work with the *lients family for this academic year

  3) Zenith has been fulfilling the obligations set forth in the Agreement thus far in regards to advisory services in reference to college planning for the Student.

  As mentioned, Zenith is open to continuing working with the family per the Agreement, but if the *lient wishes to terminate the Agreement,then we will terminate the Agreement, but will abide by the terms of the Agreement as outlined:
  

  Section 4: In the event that the Agreement is terminated in accordance with the terms of the Agreement, all payments due of previous years will be owed, however no future payments will be owed and *ontractors will end services immediately once given notice.
  

  Section 6: a full refund of all amounts under this Agreement may be requested by *ontractee under the following circumstances only: If *ontractee submits a request in writing or electronically during the month of July in the summer immediately preceding the *ontractees students 12th grade year, the *ontractor agrees to provide a full refund of all amounts paid by *ontractee to *ontractor under this Agreement.  This refund offer is valid only if this Agreement has remained in place between the parties from the effective date of this Agreement through the month of July in the summer immediately preceding the *ontractees students 12th grad year, and the *ontractee has paid all amounts due and owing under this Agreement during that time period.  *ontractee agrees and acknowledges that with the exception of this provision, no other refunds are available under this Agreement. 
  

  As set forth above, Zenith provided the agreed-upon services to the *lient and the Student upon execution of the Agreement and has continued to honor and fulfill the terms of the Agreement and we hope that the *lient would respectfully honor the terms of the Agreement that he signed as well. 

  Customer response

  01/12/2024

   
  Complaint: 21056672
  
  I am rejecting this response because:  I have carefully reviewed the response from Zenith Academy and wanted to share my perspective on the matter. In their response, I noticed a predominant focus on the challenges associated with issuing a refund, but regrettably, I did not find any acknowledgment or discussion about the positive impact the program was intended to have on my daughter's educational journey.
  
  For your reference, I have attached a document to this email containing a detailed response to some of the claims made by Zenith Academy. It outlines specific instances where the program has had an adverse effect on my daughter, ultimately leading to the difficult decision to discontinue her enrollment.
  
  Furthermore, I must bring to your attention that Mr. ******************** appointed by Zenith Academy, contacted me after I raised a complaint with BBB. During our conversation, I encountered offers that I perceived as ethically questionable, and consequently, I felt compelled to decline their proposed resolution. Please see attached email thread. 
  
  The nature of the response from Zenith Academy and the offers made by ************** only serve to reinforce my belief that discontinuing Zenith's services for my daughter was the right and accurate decision. It is my sincere hope that we can find a resolution that helps both Zenith Academy and getting my hard earned money refunded.
  
  I am open to further discussions and collaboration to reach a fair and amicable resolution. Thank you for your understanding and attention to this matter.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *****************************

  Business response

  01/23/2024

  Zenith was unaware of the recommended solutions that the mediator had shared with the Client as these were not recommendations made by or approved by Zenith. The only reason why a mediator had to be involved was because Zenith had already tried to mediate and offer resolutions that fell within the terms of the contract agreement that the Client signed, but which the Client promptly rejected. There was no prior notice or any mention of dissatisfaction with the services provided until the email in December. Quite frankly, it was surprising to the counselor, **********, and our Zenith team as there weren't any issues nor concerned raised in any previous communications, whether written or verbal, which the BBB can also see through the various email communications that were shared by both parties. The Client suddenly decided that things weren't working out and instead of trying to reach out to Zenith to discuss how to mitigate issues/concerns (which were not made aware to Zenith previously), the Client decided to promptly terminate the contract and request to receive a full refund despite the contract clearly stating the terms for a full refund. At this stage, we'd like BBB to review this case and would be happy to hear an equitable and fair resolution for both parties given the contract terms and agreement that were previously agreed upon at signing, services delivered, resources allocated, and more.       

  Customer response

  01/24/2024

   
  Complaint: 21056672
  
  I am rejecting this response because: I appreciate the opportunity to address the concerns I have regarding the handling of my daughter's enrollment at Zenith Academy.
  

  It has come to my attention that a mediator engaged by Zenith Academy presented ethically questionable offers without prior consultation with the institution. What is equally surprising is that this crucial information was not disclosed in Zenith Academy's initial response to both myself and the Better Business Bureau (BBB).

  
  In the course of our communication, Zenith Academy asserted that they sought mediation due to my non-acceptance of their offer. However, this statement is factually inaccurate.On December 2nd, 2023, I provided a detailed email outlining the reasons for canceling the program. Subsequently, on December 13th, I engaged in a comprehensive discussion with *****************************. Regrettably, the response I received on December 17th failed to address the concerns raised, and no concrete plan was presented by Zenith Academy to resolve the issues at hand.

  
  The decision to cancel the program was not made lightly; it is a matter concerning my daughter's future,and I cannot simply stand by when the program, instead of assisting, has negatively impacted her academic performance. I sought a refund of the $8,000,considering that within two months, it became evident that the program was not suitable for my daughter.

  
  In my email, I proposed a fair resolution by deducting the two months' efforts from the total amount and refunding the remaining balance. Unfortunately, Zenith Academy declined this proposal, citing contractual obligations, prompting my decision to involve the BBB.

  
  I am open to the BBB's intervention to objectively examine the details of this case and propose a fair and mutual resolution. To further demonstrate my commitment to an equitable solution, I propose a compromise: deduct $1,500 from the original $8,000 I paid,acknowledging the efforts expended during the initial two months, and refund the remaining $6,500.

  
  I believe in fair compensation for services rendered, and I am unwilling to accept a situation where my hard-earned money is spent on a program that does not benefit my daughter. I trust that the BBB's involvement will help mediate a resolution that is satisfactory for both parties.

  
  Thank you for your attention to this matter. I look forward to a prompt and amicable resolution.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *****************************

  Business response

  01/30/2024

  We will await BBB's response regarding this matter. 

  Business response

  02/01/2024

  what clarification would the BBB like to receive aside from all the previous communication between us and the customer?

*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. ↩