ComplaintsforCanine University

• Initial Complaint

  05/06/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  On April 18th, I purchased a 12 week training course with Canine University for $575. Canine University's voicemail states: " to observe a class you have to have registered". On their website it states: "Pre-registration and payment is required to reserve a spot at orientation. Orientation is without your dog and does not count as one of your training weeks." So my partner and I signed up to learn more about their training, while looking at other options to determine what was best for our dog.We went to orientation on April 27th at 7pm where we received a booklet explaining their method and had a chance to ask questions. As our dog's aggressiveness was getting worse, we decided to start implementing some of their exercises in their book. We also agreed to confirm our attendance originally for May 11th and after emailing Canine University that we were struggling, we were moved to the May 4th class and confirmed our attendance. As our dog's behavior was escalating, we decided to contact another trainer that provided in-home service. We then emailed Canine University on May 4th that we would not be attending their classes and requested a partial refund.We received an email that they do not give out refunds and then they tried to convince us to go to the first class and then to private training. The cancellation policy on their website states: From the cancellation policy on your website: "Full refund if you notify us 48 hours prior to class start date. No refunds after the first class." As we attended orientation and not a class, we want a refund of $525 (the $575 fee less $50). When emailing back and forth with Canine University, they stated that "the time to change our mind was right after orientation" which says to me that they do issue refunds after orientation and do not consider it a class.We asked where on their website the policy of no refunds after orientation was stated and have not received a response since May 4th.

  Business response

  05/11/2022

  This was my response to the complaint :

   

  *******,
  I'm sorry you chose to leave the conversation.  You didn't receive an email response to the 3rd exchange we had because you went right to shaming and blaming before you let me offer you alternative ways to handle your request. I need more then a few hours to respond to email.  
  
  I saw from your questionnaire that you have no experience training and this is your first dog. This is not my first rodeo, I've been working with people and dogs for over 30 yrs and I know how stressful it can be to adopt a dog that has behavior problems.  Most of the training foundation can be taught in a group class and you had already signed up for it so this was a good place to get you started. If you had sent me an email describing the issues that worried you as you stated above,  before you signed up for a group class I would have suggested starting with an initial private consultation. 
  
  I offered to move your start date up a week (and moved another student to a different class to accommodate you) and you notified me a few hours before class that you wanted to cancel your commitment after agreeing to the start date 3 days after orientation. The policy is clear, 48 hrs notice.  Were strict with this as we often have a long list of folks waiting to come to orientation and start their classes and we have to be fair to everyone. 
  
  I encouraged you to come to class, you refused.  I offered to meet with you one on one to help support you, figure out what you were struggling with and educate you on what it's going to take to turn your situation with your dog around. This would have likely been a combination of a group class and one on one lessons. 
  
  My plan, which I didn't get to explain to you before you went right to ******* was to meet with you and your dog one on one, evaluate the dog for you, help you set some goals and get you started with some management tips to keep everyone safe and THEN give you the option of  using the balance to attend the group class, or apply the balance of the fee you paid to a one on one training package designed specifically for you and your dog.  
  
  If you and I didnt seem like a good fit for one another THEN I would have likely given you a partial refund. But we would have had to have this consultation first. Orientation only very briefly covers the mechanics of the training methods, and is an introduction not the whole story. 
  
  I was trying to support you the way I have supported others in similar situations knowing that without the right knowledge, this dog will end up back in the shelter system or cause significant damage to a person. THAT is why I use the process described above which you didn't allow me to offer to you.  
  
  I wish you well, ******* and hope that you find the right support to help you and Jax be great companions for each other. 
  
  Best,
  *************************************** , CPDT, KPA-CPT
  

  Customer response

  05/12/2022

  Better Business Bureau:I have reviewed the response submitted by the business and have determined that the response does not satisfy or resolve my issues and/or concerns in reference to complaint # ********. Please add your rejection comments below; if you do not provide any details, your complaint will be closed as Answered. 

  I am attaching the continuation of our email thread where it shows that te owner only offered to give me a refund after I posted my experience on ****** and only if I agreed to remove the review. She also never answered my initial questions about where on the website it states that orientation is a class and where on the website it says we can observe a class before signing up. Because it says we have to be registered before observing a class when we called initially, we decided to do so while also exploring other options.
  
  She also ridiculed our decision to go with an alternative trainer which I made clear was the reason why we did not want to attend any classes. At the point she stated she offered private lessons, I made it clear we already hired an in-home personal trainer and would no longer need her services. All I wanted was a partial refund (I never stated I wanted a full refund and conceded that I should pay for the first class because it was late notice). For some reason, she still refuses to 1)answer my questions and 2) provide a partial refund.
  
  Best,
  ******* 

  Business response

  05/12/2022

  Our policy for withdrawing your registration is 48 hrs before the start of class. You contacted us less then 48 hrs before class and therefore no refund is owed to you. 
  
  If you had been willing to meet with me and let me evaluate your dog as stated in my initial response to you, I would have offered you either a credit for the balance of fees paid to complete a group class or as a credit toward a private training package. 
  
  Since you are refusing to meet with me, I have issued a partial refund minus materials and processing fees, and the cost of the first class.   
  
  I feel this is generous since you gave less than the 48hrs notice required.  

  
  I would expect that you will update ALL of your reviews of my business to represent that you were issued a refund despite the fact that you did not give 48hrs notice before withdrawal from class.  

   

  I would also advise that you finish negotiating with the business you are posting negative reviews and complaints about BEFORE you run to the internet and BBB.  I see from your profile that you have 17 negative reviews on ******* one of which is the *********************** because they hung up on you and refused to answer your questions.  Take a breath before you launch *******, most people are just doing the best they can and when you refuse to hold up your end of a contract it isn't their responsibility to make it right.

   

  I'm relieved that you found another trainer to help you. It's unfortunate that you are dealing with significant behavior problems with this new dog.  It's also unfortunate that you were not more patient with the *********************** as they would likely not have placed such a challenging dog with a newbie dog owner such as yourself.  

*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. ↩