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ComplaintsforSeigler's Karate Center
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Complaint Details
Note that complaint text that is displayed might not represent all complaints filed with BBB. See details.
Initial Complaint
11/13/2023
- Complaint Type:
- Sales and Advertising Issues
- Status:
- Answered
AVOID this place!! SCAM, all they want is $1,000 from you. My husband is in the Army. They were at a festival at **** ********** and they signed us up for a “free” intro class. Our daughter was interested based on the interaction with them at the festival on base so we went to the free class. It was in a very small room with 10 kids at the most and had our child thinking it will be so fun and engaging. They pressure you into purchasing on the spot. They are like a timeshare or a dealership that wants all your money. They say this is a discount only for today, yeah right. They claim your child is not just a number to them and they’ll get one on one training. Well, we fell for it. Paid $1,000! Go to the classes, they’re in a big gym with multiple classes going on. The class has around 20-30 kids and 1 instructor. He is not good at teaching children, he shows the move and says to copy and says we’re gonna do a “combo” without explaining anything. My daughter is 6 and you expect her to know these moves or names of the moves. The entire class is RUSHED. They do a move and move on to the next, they do not take the time to make sure every kid is understanding or getting the moves. After 1 class, I wanted a refund because my daughter did not want to do it anymore. She was miserable. They scheduled a call & it was pointless. I explained how we’re a 1 income military family and that was a lot of money. They use phrases like “I’m sorry YOU feel that way” NO REFUNDS WHATSOEVER. They do not care about you or your kid. The program is 5 months long, going 2 times a week so we clearly did not use 99% of the program but yet they refuse any refund. Almost $1,000 gone. Now I don’t ever want to allow my child to do any sport and that’s so sad! They are just taking peoples money left and right. There are so many bad reviews online with the exact same situation as me.Business response
11/20/2023
Please see the images for our detailed response to the customer's complaint as well as the signed program agreement.
Kindest Regards.Customer response
11/28/2023
Complaint: ********
I am rejecting this response because: this business is a con. They do not accurately describe the nature of the classes. They mislead the size and interaction between student and teacher. Therefore, resulting in a rushed and unorganized learning experience for the children. As well as, continuous marketing and trying to get more money from students and parents. The owner has a ******** page dedicated to becoming a 6 figure business by lying and manipulating or “selling” to a consumer. It is a game to her and she takes pride in lying and manipulating her way into taking money and offering little service or in this case lack of karate lessons that hold any value what so ever. I have spoken to other karate teachers at different establishments around and they cannot believe how this was handled and how her business is still in business. It is a shame that people have to find out the hard way. I am very thankful my reviews online have reached MANY people and families who could have fell victim to this con artist. I truly hope her business fails and people are made aware of this scam of a business.Sincerely,
*********** ********Business response
11/29/2023
Dear BBB and Ms. *********** ********,
We appreciate your continued engagement in this matter and the opportunity to respond to Ms. ********’ concerns. We understand that she is dissatisfied with her experience at Seigler’s Karate Center, and we take her feedback seriously.However, we would like to address the issues raised in her latest response.
First and foremost, we want to emphasize that we are committed to providing a quality martial arts education for our students and have been doing so for 41 years in our community. Because of our long standing record of integrity, we have had multiple families enroll 3 generations into our programs over the years.
Our teaching methodology is based on principles that are designed to engage and support children, teens, and adults in their martial arts journey.
Regarding the class size, we strive to maintain a student to teacher ratio that supports personalized attention and effective learning. We maintain no more than a 15 to 1 student ratio in our regular classes. (Oftentimes it’s less than that depending upon the class.) We employ multiple qualified instructors when necessary to maintain this ratio.
While Ms. ******** mentioned a class size of 20-30 kids, I would like to clarify that according to her attendance record, she did attend 1 regular class and our specialty ********* party class. On specialty nights in which it is a party environment with martial arts instruction, it will vary how many instructor are on the mat. However, on that particular night, we had our Head Instructor who has over 16 years of experience leading the class and event.
Furthermore, Ms. ******** mentioned our promotional practices. We want to make it clear that we adhere to ethical and transparent marketing and enrollment processes. We do not engage in any deceptive practices or manipulate our students and parents. Our commitment is to provide value and high-quality martial arts instruction to our community.
Additionally, regarding my ******** page in which she states I “promote becoming a 6 figure business by lying and manipulating or “selling” to a consumer”, I firmly deny lying or manipulating anyone or promote practices such as lying and manipulating to sell to consumers which is both unethical and illegal.
The martial arts school, Seigler’s Karate Center, is only 1 of several businesses I own. Because of our dedication, and commendable business practices that have served us and the Augusta community for over 41 years, I also engage in consultations with other business owners around the world and engage with those business owners on my personal ******** profile, not the business in question which is Seigler’s Karate Center.
As for the claim that we encourage additional spending, we do offer optional programs and equipment that can enhance the martial arts experience for our students. However, participation in these programs is entirely voluntary, and we do not pressure anyone into making additional purchases.
Regarding the ******** page mentioned by Ms. ********, we would like to clarify that our social media presence is focused on sharing our passion for martial arts, celebrating the achievements of our students, and providing valuable insights to the martial arts community and marketing to potential new students. We do not endorse or engage in any manipulative tactics to deceive consumers.
We understand that not every customer will have the same experience, and we genuinely regret that Ms. ******** and her daughter did not have a positive experience at our center. Additionally, after we were first made aware of her dissatisfaction, we have reached out several times offering to work with Ms. ******** daughter to help her adjust and become a thriving student at our school.
At the time of enrollment after our introductory lesson and evaluation process, she took advantage of a special offer to pre-pay for classes for her daughter that included a discount because of pre-payment. Due to the pre-payment of the 4 month program, we notified her verbally, and she signed in writing that she understood, the program is non-refundable.
Again, after notifying us that her experience was less than positive on the first 2 classes, we reached out immediately to help her child adjust to the classes and work with her child as we are dedicated to our students and helping them develop focus, confidence, discipline and respect. We were denied the opportunity for us to help her child in any form.
In conclusion, we remain committed to the integrity of our business and the well-being of our students. We believe in the value of martial arts education and its positive impact on individuals and communities. We encourage open communication and welcome the opportunity to address any specific concerns Ms. ******** may have regarding her daughter’s experience at our center.
We appreciate your attention to this matter and remain open to addressing any specific concerns Ms. ******** may have regarding her daughter’s experience at our center, although we understand that reaching a resolution may prove challenging in this situation.Sincerely,
Jennifer Seigler W*****
CEO of Seigler’s Karate Center
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Customer Complaints Summary
2 total complaints in the last 3 years.
2 complaints closed in the last 12 months.