ComplaintsforToni and Guy Hairdressing Academy

• Initial Complaint

  02/23/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I entered Toni and Guy with the promise of being educated for a license in esthetics. During the time I was in this program, the entire coarse was in disarray. The teacher said if we had questions to ask her supervisor who then directed us back to our teacher. I paid tuition for a full time program. During half of our program our teacher was scheduled to be in 2 classes at the same time. In the afternoon she would teach nail techs and we were left alone to sit in a room or the lunchroom with nothing to do or no guidance. I’m learning the class before us received kits that were complete with skin care products. The kit I received was not complete. Many items we’re missing and never given to me and the kit was not for skin care students. It contained nail polish and was for beauticians. The entire school was filthy with only one working soap dispenser. Our teacher could not answer basic questions. She would say her boss don’t tell her and she “just works here” We we’re directed to use the app quizlet which had no concrete information and nothing to do with school. I’ve since found out the following class was offered a refund or to restart their course because the teacher (my teacher) was not teaching the proper curriculum. That teacher was fired. I never took my state boards because I felt I had not learned anything pertaining to what was on them. We weren’t given any information about the test to get our license. I feel robbed and completely taken advantage of. Toni and guy never reached out to our class knowing that our teacher was not teaching us properly and allowed us to sit in an empty classroom with no teacher or no guidance for more than half of our “education”. This was all recorded on cameras in the building. I paid for an education and I got scammed. our projects included making macaroni pictures. The managers knew we were left alone every day for hours. Our teacher also told us that everyone would pass the course no matter what they’re grade. Scam.

  Business response

  03/04/2022

  All instruction is through a digital network academic program (DNA) that each student is enrolled into on their first day of class.  Each student can access this DNA on up to 6 devices including cell phones, tablets, IPADS, a laptop computer, or a desktop computer.    Every lesson plan is included in the DNA and accessible to each student. Students in the Esthetician class are asked to put together a 3D diagram of the skin which includes 7 layers.  The diagram is used to better understand the skin layers and their functions.  This activity is very impactful and memorable as noted by this student herself who remembered it.  Our graduates, who need extra help preparing for the state boards, are welcome to contact the director to schedule a refresher course including auditing classes as needed or approved in order to successfully pass their state board exam.  Our instructors follow the school policy for grading students based on attendance, participation, professionalism, assignments, and exams.  This is not a pass / fail course.

  Customer response

  03/08/2022

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.
  
  
  
  Regards,
  
  ***** ****** *******

  The teacher was fired for being inadequate and not teaching properly. Everything we “learned” was out of a book and we only accessed online learning when the school was shut down. The fact is I paid full tuition for a course and did not receive full or proper instruction. How is it acceptable to leave students alone in a classroom with zero guidance for literally half of their entire full time course? The school offered the following class a refund or the option to restart their course because of the teacher and course. I want to be afforded those same options considering I paid for a service I did not receive. 

• Initial Complaint

  11/22/2021

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Toni and Guy has delivered false promises to its students regarding their esthetician program and has failed to do anything to address the issues despite students complaints. We often sit in a teacherless classroom, or have to "share" a teacher while the instructor is teaching another class and is not even present in our room. When we do have an instructor, we have been told to "find things to do" or "just stay busy" because there is no lesson. Students have had to teach themselves by creating their own lessons and study guides, buying their own products and supplies for the classroom and creating and teaching eachother courses such as lash extensions and massage. On top of this, we have had a total lack of supplies that for the entirety of the course the school refused to correct, resulting in us not being able to learn services such as lash and brow tinting and body treatments. Toni and Guy promises professional products on their website but delivers a sparse selection of mostly cheap, drugstore products. Students went as far as asking the CEO of Great Lakes for help addressing these problems, to which we were apparently called delusional. We paid $5100 for this 5 month course and want at least a partial refund for the schools negligence and purposefully dismissing our concerns.

  Business response

  12/29/2021

  All instruction is through a digital network academic program that each student is enrolled in on their first day of class.  Each student can access this DNA on up to 6 devices including cell phones, tables, IPADS, a laptop computer, and a desktop computer.  Each student also receives a workbook/study guide in hard copy format.  Every lesson plan is included in the DNA and accessible to each student.

  At no time were the students asked to or expected to purchase their own materials or asked to reuse any disposable items.  Adequate supplies were provided as evidenced by the invoices attached to this response detailing the supplies that were purchased.

  Lash extensions and body treatments are not in the curriculum and are not in the 'scope of practice' according to the Pennsylvania State Board of Cosmetology.  The Pennsylvania Code for the State Board of Cosmetology under general provisions 7.1 defines Esthetics as the following: "The practice of massaging the face, applying cosmetic preparations, antiseptics, tonics, lotions, or creams to the face, removing superfluous hair by tweezers, depilatories or waxes, eyelash perming and the dyeing of eyelashes and eyebrows."  

  Customer response

  12/30/2021

  Toni and guy refused to supply students with the absolute basic necessities needed to learn the course. Students were even told by staff to reuse disposable supplies, which is clearly a violation. We only resorted to purchasing our own products and supplies for the classroom because we deemed it absolutely necessary in order to continue our education at Toni and Guy. Other students chose to drop out of the class because of the ridiculousness of the situation. The schools response to these problems are unacceptable, and the students will not be blamed for the schools negligence and bad business practices.

• Initial Complaint

  11/22/2021

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I started the esthetician program at Toni and Guy early July 2021. Throughout my time here our class did not have adequate supplies or a teacher. My teacher did not have the proper knowledge to teach a class and displayed inappropriate behavior, such as cursing at students and reprimanding students for asking questions about course material. Our teacher also left numerous times for multiple days at a time, leaving us with no substitute qualified in esthetics, nor any classwork or activities to complete in her absence. The teacher also broke state rules by being out of ratio with students. In the morning she would “teach” the esthetician class of 22 students and in the afternoon a mail class would also come in which means we had one teacher to over 25 students. The worst part during these two classes she was not in either classroom, she was hiding in the teachers longer for hours doing nothing on the computer and chatting with other teachers. Not only was our teacher not prepared but we had little to no supplies. Our towels we had were leftover hair dye towels from the cosmology class, stained and falling apart. We did not have the proper disposable filters for the microdermabrasion machine, which means it could never be throughly disinfected. We never had enough disposable materials so instead of discarding them, we had to reuse them. Which is completely unsanitary and would not pass with the state board of cosmology. Since we did not have enough materials we were reprimanded when we used too much and reprimanded when we were not doing anything because there were no materials. We were expected to buy our own materials which was ridiculous because the course was $5,100. Not only we were expected to buy our own materials but our first aid kit is over six years expired, with used and opened band aids. Overall we have had no guidance and even spoke to the CEO who did not take our concerns seriously. Instead he bought us face masks from the dollar store.

  Business response

  12/29/2021

  The instructors at Toni & Guy Hairdressing Academy are all licensed by the State of Pennsylvania as well as qualified to teach in any of the three programs offered by Toni & Guy.  A substitute instructor, also fully licensed, is on staff to fill in for classes as needed.  To the best of our knowledge, the substitute instructor was available to instruct any class while the teacher was helping other students.

  In 2017, cameras and audio were installed in every classroom of the school.  Footage from the cameras was pulled and at no time during our review was there any inappropriate language or behavior viewed by an instructor.
  

  All instruction is through a digital network academic program that each student is enrolled in on their first day of class.  Each student can access this DNA on up to 6 devices including cell phones, tablets, IPADS, a laptop computer, or a desktop computer.  They also receive a workbook/study guide in hard copy format as well.  Every lesson plan is included in the DNA and accessible to every student.
  

  The previous director did not make payment management aware of the situation in the school and as soon as management was approached by the students, we ordered 120 new towels for the exclusive use of the esthetician program.  The previous director was not separating laundry by program which resulted in the complaint.  The previous director is no longer with the school and has been replaced with a new director who has 22 years of teaching experience as well as 15 years of experience directing schools.
  

  At no time were the students asked to or expected to purchase their own materials or asked to reuse any disposable items.  Adequate supplies were provided as evidenced by the invoices attached to this response detailing the supplies that were purchased.  The instructor indicated she did ask the students to use the products sparingly as students need to be instructed as to how much product is actually needed to be used for each service.  
  

• Initial Complaint

  11/22/2021

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Our class started 7/6/21 for the esthetician program and we had 26 students to one teacher. The student teacher/ratio was the first issue. Then there was the complete unprofessional and hypocrisy that the teacher displayed to the class. There was no line between friend and educator. She played teacher, picked favorites, and outwardly bullied students. She did not teach us a day of school, just read from a book. There was no presentation or guidance when learning new services. Students had to teach and guide each other. Two classes were being run by a single teacher who hid the teachers conference room the entire day. Over the 5 months our time went from being wasted by the half hour-hour to full 5 hour days being wasted like we are in day care. We were told to “dive in” and get started but we had expired supplies that were already opened from the previous class. When we ran out of supplies they blamed us for being “wasteful” when in reality they took on a class of 26 (now 20 because they randomly kick students out) and didn’t give us the sufficient amount or proper supplies. We have dirty towels. Students buy everything on top of the $5,100 tuition we pay for the class. Walmart $30 make up kits. Dollar store masks and makeup shades that only come in white. They received over six figures from us and we GOT NOTHING in return. We even got the CEO of GLI and he looked around said “awe” and did nothing. We got a hot towel warmer and new towels. Somethings that expected with the $5,100 we paid. So much time and money was wasted. I drove over an hour everyday to sit with a bunch of adults in a room and twiddle our thumbs. Our teacher gives us no direction, guidance or support and will belittle us into feeling like it’s are fault, like when a student asked a question and responded “maybe if you were f*cking listening.” It is a complete disgrace of a school that uses false advertising, empty promises and at the end of the day is a scam. They have no idea how to run a school.

  Business response

  12/29/2021

  The teacher/student ratio set by the Pennsylvania Board of Cosmetology is 25 students for each instructor.  The cohort under question started with 23 students, not 26.  Four students were terminated from the class, three for lack of attendance and one for failing a term.  The Department of Education mandates the exact number of days a student can miss before they are terminated and Toni & Guy followed the DOE regulations as required.

  In 2017, cameras and audio were installed in every classroom of the school.  Footage from the cameras was pulled and at no time during our review was there any inappropriate behavior viewed by any instructor.  

  All instruction is through a digital network academic program that each student is enrolled in on their first day of class.  Each student can access this DNA on up to 6 devices including cell phones, tablets, IPADS, a laptop computer, or a desktop computer.  They also receive a workbook/study guide in hard copy format as well.  Every lesson plan is included in the DNA and accessible to every student.

  The previous director did not make management aware of the situation in the school and as soon as management was approached by the students, we ordered 120 new towels for the exclusive use of the esthetician program.  The previous director was not separating the laundry by program which resulted in the complaint.  The previous director is no longer with the school and has been replaced with a new director who has 22 years of teaching experience as well as 15 years experience directing schools.

  At no time were the students asked to or expected to purchase their own materials or asked to reuse any disposable items.  Adequate supplies were provided as evidenced by the invoices attached to this response detailing the supplies that were purchased.  The instructor indicated she did ask the students to use the products sparingly as students need to be instructed as to how much product is actually needed to be used for each service.

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