ComplaintsforVarsity Tutors LLC

• Initial Complaint

  08/07/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  In December of 2023 Varsity made a good faith effort to find me a knowledgeable tutor unsuccessfully, I took a few lessons but they werent at the advanced level I needed. Many tutors bolted after first contact( the subject was advanced differential geometry). I wrote by email to refund my money. They admit they received that email but that refund didnt mean cancel!!They charged me thousands of dollars over the last 7 months even though I took no lessons. I only realized it yesterday. My wife thought it was for lessons I ended up taking with a different service and so didnt notice.Also the tutors were asking me to send them extra money outside the service since the material was difficult and the service underpaid them. I was afraid to do that, although considering what happened to me instead I should have done it. At least I wouldnt have lost everything.****** took a few tries and found me an excellent tutor, although in fairness it cost more per hour. I used 8 lessons from them.Subsequently Wyzant stopped billing after I asked them to. I called yesterday to complain to Varsity and they said they would call back today with the answer. They were very nice and could see my perspective, but had no authority. They had all the email correspondence and knew there had been issues. They knew I took no lessons during the charging period 2024. Given the 53 pages of complains here I really didnt think they would have time to call back, and they didnt call back. So Im starting here. I have free legal representation through my work so it wont cost me anything to get a refund but I think Varsity should try to do better. They have a great concept and a much needed service, but poor customer service , at least in my case. On the other hand, even honorable businesses make unintended mistakes.

  Customer response

  08/08/2024

  Varsity Tutors did refund my payments, having been quite honest about receiving my refund request when I called several days ago.

   This is why, despite complaints, they have and deserve the A plus rating. I believe it was an error and not intentional and would do business with them again.

• Initial Complaint

  08/03/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  We inquired about test prep tutoring for our daughter online and scheduled a call with a gentleman from the company. We discussed needing only 2 months worth of tutoring as our daughter was scheduled to take the ACT 2 months from then. We mutually decided 8 one hour tutoring sessions would be best over the course of those 2 months. At no time was it mentioned that we would be signing up for a recurring monthly charge indefinitely.We recently noticed that we'd been charged for 3 months post the test (saw on our credit card statement as no emails/receipts were sent from company - which in itself is problematic) and I immediately called the company. Varsity Tutors confirmed that we hadn't used any tutoring since the time of the test but initially refused to refund us for any of the unused tutoring sessions (instead kept offering us credits which we don't want given our daughter had already taken the test). It was clear we didn't know we were signing up for a recurring monthly fee and we hadn't used the services during that time yet they eventually only agreed to reimburse us for the most recent month that had just been charged. We have still an outstanding payment for 2 months ($658) we didn't know were being charged and that all parties could see we didn't use (this ends up being twice what we had agreed to. A company operating in good faith knowing all this, would do the right thing and refund us (especially since they had no costs associated with us during that time). We wish we could recommend them but instead are having this experience.

  Customer response

  08/07/2024

  We are satisfied with how this complaint was resolved.  Varsity Tutors called us immediately and refunded us for the months we were billed for that we didn't use.  Thank you.

  

  Business response

  08/08/2024

  Varsity is in receipt of the Complaint filed by ***********************. Varsity contacted ************** upon its receipt of the Complaint and ultimately chose to provide a resolution that was satisfactory to her. Accordingly, it is Varsitys understanding that the matter has been resolved amicably. Varsity is proud to be an affiliate of the BBB and values the relationship. If you have any questions or comments, or would like to further discuss, please feel welcome to contact us. 
  

  Customer response

  08/09/2024

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ***********************

• Initial Complaint

  08/03/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Order Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  My complaint is against Varsity tutors. My daughter is enrolled with their elementary reading/writing program and they charge me $269 for 4 hours in the upcoming month. In July there were some tutor issues and my daughter got only 3 hours of tutoring and they said they would only add back hours to her account, but not refund me. They also said they would be able to refund me if I were to cancel all her sessions for an entire month. They debited $269 from my account on August ******. I called them on August 2, ******************************************************************************* for August. They said they would send me a refund rejection email, but they have not sent me anything regarding my claim. When I tried to talk to someone in management who could approve my refund, they were trying to force me to take more hours, but refused to refund me. Their billing practices are predatory.

  

  Business response

  08/08/2024

  Varsity is in receipt of the Complaint filed by ****** ***. Although Varsitys attempts to make contact with Ms. *** in response to the Complaint have gone unanswered, Varsity has effectuated what it believes to be an amicable resolution, and remains willing to discuss the Complaint with Ms. *** should she wish to do so. Varsity is proud to be an affiliate of the BBB and values the relationship. If you have any questions or comments, or would like to further discuss, please feel welcome to contact us

  Customer response

  08/09/2024

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ****** ***

• Initial Complaint

  07/25/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I reached out to Varsity Tutors on May 22nd to cancel my subscription. I received verbal confirmation that my account would not be charged anymore. I recently saw a charge for $9.99 on June 22nd and July 22nd. I then reached out to them today to revert both charges and they denied my request without stating why. I had to reach out to the customer success and then was further denied any explanation as to why. I want my ***** refunded and I want my account Canceled to prevent further fees. thanks in advance, *************************

  

  Business response

  07/30/2024

  Varsity is in receipt of the Complaint filed by *************************. *******'s concerns regarding their experience on Varsitys platform, and the related request for a resolution, were already under review at the time the Complaint was received, and Varsity has provided what it believes to be an amicable resolution. Varsity is proud to be an affiliate of the BBB and values the relationship. If you have any questions or comments, or would like to further discuss, please feel welcome to contact us. 
  

• Initial Complaint

  07/25/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I am writing to lodge a formal complaint against Varsity Tutors due to an extremely disappointing and unprofessional experience. I am a broke college student, struggling to make ends meet, and I trusted Varsity Tutors with $369 for a 4-hour per month tutoring package over two months to help me through an 8-week summer course. However, my assigned tutor abruptly stopped responding to my messages after the fourth week and, 2 week later, informed me via text that she had quit, leaving me without crucial support during the last two weeks of my course.As a student with learning disabilities, this disruption was particularly detrimental, as it is incredibly challenging for me to adjust to new tutors on short notice. Despite these circumstances, Varsity Tutors refused to refund the unused hours and only offered to credit my account, which I had no intention of using after this breach of trust. To make matters worse, they even tried to charge my card again, ignoring my explicit request to cancel the account.This experience has been not only frustrating but also financially stressful, given my limited resources. Varsity Tutors' disregard for their clients' needs and their attempt to profit from a failed service is disgraceful. I demand a full refund for the unused 4 hours and. This company needs to understand the impact of their actions on students who rely on their services and cannot afford to be taken advantage of.

  

  Business response

  07/30/2024

  Varsity is in receipt of the Complaint filed by *************************. Varsity contacted **************** upon its receipt of the Complaint and ultimately chose to provide a resolution that was satisfactory to him. Accordingly, it is Varsitys understanding that the matter has been resolved amicably. Varsity is proud to be an affiliate of the BBB and values the relationship. If you have any questions or comments, or would like to further discuss, please feel welcome to contact us.

• Initial Complaint

  07/21/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I signed up with a representative name ***. I explained our family situation over the phone and email of our plans for my stepdaughter's tutoring this summer. The packages were explained to me, and we chose two 30-minute sessions for 4 weeks plus we were getting a military discount. I specifically stated on multiple different calls that we were only interested in one month of services and did not want reoccurring payments. I also have emails stating our specific time period that we were going to utilize services. The process started and we were given a tutor named ****. She was great up until she went radio silent during our last week of tutoring. She had told my fianc that she was going on vacation and wouldn't be available the last week we needed her. My fianc told her to contact me because I am in charge of scheduling our family events. She did not. I emailed her and was told she would not be available for tutoring and that I could request a new tutor if needed. Completely unprofessional to leave a child and their family in the dark. Not only that, why would she be paired with us when they knew we only needed one month of services?! After calling customer service on 7/20, I found out my stepdaughter only had one 30-minute session left to complete. I advised we would like a refund for the last session, and we would not be continuing with their services. They refused stating they have a no refund policy. At this point I didn't realize they charged my credit card for an additional $248 for the next month! I did not approve of this automatically being taken out of my account. I explicitly told them I did not want reoccurring payments and they did it anyway. The refund that I am owed is $279 for the services that we are not utilizing. Attached are the emails between me and *** as well as my emails to their member services emails.

  

  Business response

  07/25/2024

  Varsity is in receipt of the Complaint filed by *************************. Varsity contacted **************** upon its receipt of the Complaint and ultimately chose to provide a resolution that was satisfactory to her. Accordingly, it is Varsitys understanding that the matter has been resolved amicably. Varsity is proud to be an affiliate of the BBB and values the relationship. If you have any questions or comments, or would like to further discuss, please feel welcome to contact us. 

• Initial Complaint

  07/19/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  I paid for 4 tutoring sessions and was told by their (Varsity Tutors representative that I would only be billed $****** one time for the 4 classes, the first two sessions Ilmy granddaughter was stood up the tutor never showed up and that tutor and my granddaughter had harsh words resulting in a change of tutors and on top of that they billed me another ****** that I never agreed on and I was lied to by the sales representative because she told me, my wife and my granddaughter that we would only be billed one time for the ****** , I was very clear about not entering a contract and that this was a one time payment and she agreed

  

  Business response

  07/26/2024

  Varsity is in receipt of the Complaint filed by *******************. Although Varsitys attempts to make contact with ****************** in response to the Complaint have gone unanswered, Varsity has effectuated what it believes to be an amicable resolution, and remains willing to discuss the Complaint with ****************** should he wish to do so. Varsity is proud to be an affiliate of the BBB and values the relationship. If you have any questions or comments, or would like to further discuss, please feel welcome to contact us. 
  
  

  Customer response

  07/26/2024

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *******************

• Initial Complaint

  07/15/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  July 12, 2024-an attempted charge for ****** from Varsity Tutors (VT) for 1 on 1 tutoring hours.-I called VT to dispute charges. I was told the charges would be removed. I also requested an invoice, and questioned why I had not received one before the charges because it seemed deceitful. I received an invoice that same night that reflected the removal of the individual tutoring charges, and showed only the monthly subscription fee.July 15,.2024-my card was charged again, and ****** was withdrawn from my account. I am requesting the BBB assist me with obtaining a refund of ****** from VT. May 2024/background-My son received a tutoring package paid for by a ****************** ****** He did not use all of the 1 on 1 tuttoring hours so VT informed me via phone that if I start a $9.99 subscription, then he would eligible to use his remaining hours, as the ***** expired on 5/31/24. June 18,2024-started the subscription and scheduled the remaining 3.5 (2.5 unused, 1 bonus hour for starting a subscription) hours with his tutor.

  

  Business response

  07/24/2024

  Varsity is in receipt of the Complaint filed by *******************************. Although Varsitys attempts to make contact with ******************** in response to the Complaint have gone unanswered, Varsity has effectuated what it believes to be an amicable resolution, and remains willing to discuss the Complaint with ******************** should she wish to do so. Varsity is proud to be an affiliate of the BBB and values the relationship. If you have any questions or comments, or would like to further discuss, please feel welcome to contact us. 

  Customer response

  07/31/2024

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *******************************

• Initial Complaint

  07/14/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  My daughter was taking classes for SAT with Varsity, these lessons were worthless, we told the tutor that we are cancelling by end of Apr. The tutor stopped showing up, and my daughter stopped taking the class, but we still got charged the full amount for the month of May.

  

  Business response

  07/19/2024

  Varsity is in receipt of the Complaint filed by ***************************. Varsity contacted the Abudaggas upon its receipt of the Complaint and ultimately chose to provide a resolution that was satisfactory to them. Accordingly, it is Varsitys understanding that the matter has been resolved amicably. Varsity is proud to be an affiliate of the BBB and values the relationship. If you have any questions or comments, or would like to further discuss, please feel welcome to contact us.
  

• Initial Complaint

  07/13/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Sales and Advertising Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Terrible experience. When I first called to try and purchase one months worth of tutoring sessions, I made it very clear I only wanted to purchase one months worth of sessions, and was reassured this would he the case. Now I notice I have been charged again, and when I reach out to ask about it the guy on the other end keeps avoiding what im asking him and tries to sell me other courses instead. I will definitely never spend a single dollar with this company again and I will tell everyone in my friends in family to avoid it as well.

  

  Business response

  07/19/2024

  Varsity is in receipt of the Complaint filed by *****************************. Although Varsitys attempt to make contact with ********************** in response to the Complaint has gone unanswered, Varsity has effectuated what it believes to be an amicable resolution, and remains willing to discuss the Complaint with ********************** should he wish to do so. Varsity is proud to be an affiliate of the BBB and values the relationship. If you have any questions or comments, or would like to further discuss, please feel welcome to contact us.

*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. ↩