ComplaintsforEEG, Inc.

• Initial Complaint

  05/09/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I have attended empire beauty shcooo in York pa on ******* **** for the last 1 and 1/2 years. Today I was told by the head person “ he was withdrawing me from school” I did not ask for that. When I asked for his higher ups number he denied it and said he can’t do that. This was because I turned down a client and gave it to another student. No other reason. There was no paper work. I did not sign anything I had 1 month left of school! I have paid thousands of dollars I have to pay off for loans and this is what I get.. it’s not the first time I’ve heard of this… I’ve watched it happen to a hand full of girls. When telling the head person “****” this was unfair he basically said he can do what he wants and he is kicking me out. There is nothing in the handbook that says he can terminate student like that. There is no structure for mediation and this is wrong!

  Business response

  05/19/2023

  May 16, 2023  

  
  *** *******,  
  

   

  This letter is in response to the complaint filed by ****** *****, former student of Empire Beauty  School, York campus.  
  

   

  The school reserves the right to dismiss a student for any reason, including refusing to complete assigned classes or Student Salon work.  
  The unprofessional behavior displayed by *** ***** was a violation of Empire Beauty Schools’  policies noted in our Campus catalog. This violation, as well as, a previous incident led to the  decision to dismiss *** ***** from the program. 
  

  We wish *** ***** success in her future endeavors and encourage her to finish her education. 

   

  Respectfully,  
  

   

  Divisional Vice President  
  Empire Beauty Schools 
  

  Customer response

  05/19/2023

  [To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, you must give us a reason why you are rejecting the response. If no reason is received your complaint will be closed as Answered]
  
   Complaint: ********
  
  I am rejecting this response because:
  
  Regards,
  
  *****************
  

• Initial Complaint

  02/27/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I was dropped from the program after being in a car accident. I was told that everything will be fine as long as bought in the documentation and file for an appeal. I did all the steps they told me to do and was told that I can no longer do an appeal and that I will be dropped from the program

  Business response

  03/24/2023

  March 24, 2023 
  *** *******,  
  This letter is in response to the complaint filed by *** ******, former student of Empire  Beauty School, Boston Campus. 
  Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) is required for all enrolled students at Empire Beauty  School. In order to meet SAP, students are required to maintain a cumulative grade average of  75% and a cumulative attendance average of 75%.  
  A student not meeting the cumulative SAP requirements may go into Unsatisfactory Academic Progress. Students have the right to appeal provided the student can demonstrate SAP by the  end of the next evaluation period. If it is determined the student cannot meet the grade or  attendance average by the end of the next evaluation period the student is not eligible to appeal.  
  All students are aware of the SAP Policy. 
  We wish *** ***** success in her future endeavors and encourage her to finish her education  at a non-Empire campus.  
  

   

  Respectfully,  
  Russ M***** 
  Divisional Vice President 
  Empire Beauty Schools
  

• Initial Complaint

  02/26/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  February 23, 2023 I was wrongful kicked out of Empire beauty school on 86th street 11224 as a result of me expressing my concerns to the Dean, **** *** about the instructor, *** *******, and how she has been talking down to me, singling me out in class, talking aggressively toward me, not willingly to teach nor help me with my class work she assigned to me as well as how *** ******* has been ignoring my attempts to speak with her in order to help mediate the issue at hand. *** *** proceeded to state she saw my husband outside which never occurred and called the police on me to remove me despite I, *******, was never irate. The police arrived on seen and i and my husband explained the situation that occurred to them and they told me that *** *** changed her mind from me returning to school to I can no longer attend empire. I feel my husband and I were wrongfully accused and discriminated against. *** ***, the Dean refused to give me my refund as well as my records.

  Business response

  03/29/2023

  March 24, 2023 
  *** *******,  
  This letter is in response to the complaint filed by Kierra Smith, former student of Empire Beauty  School, Brooklyn Campus. 
  Empire Beauty School has zero tolerance regarding any form of violence or threats. Students  violating the policy are terminated from the school. 
  We wish *** ***** success in her future endeavors and encourage her to finish her education  at a non-Empire campus.  
  

   

  Respectfully,  
  Russ M***** 
  Divisional Vice President 
  Empire Beauty Schools
  

  Customer response

  03/29/2023

  [To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, you must give us a reason why you are rejecting the response. If no reason is received your complaint will be closed as Answered]
  
   Complaint: ********
  
  I am rejecting this response because:
   There was never a threat nor violent incident that occurred. There is no evidence that empire beauty school could provide when asked to review their outside surveillance cameras where empire beauty school accused my husband of threatening a teacher. 
  
  Regards,
  
  *************************
  

• Initial Complaint

  02/03/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I was a student at empire beauty college and they dropped me as a student unfairly I feel and they kept two students who was supposed to be dropped as well because it was a big incident between all of us and everyone that was involved was supposed to be sent home until further notice but they kept these two ladies when I ask how are they able to stay and me and some others didn’t get to they wouldn’t answer that then the next thing I know I was dropped from the program instantly so I need help with this incident because it was done all wrong and unfair

  Business response

  02/23/2023

  February 23, 2023 
  *** *******,  
  An incident took place on January 31, at Empire Beauty School, 8419 Coleraine Avenue,  Cincinnati involving several students. The incident created a significant disruption to the  learning environment.  
  The unprofessional behavior displayed by *** ******* was a direct violation of Empire Beauty  Schools’ zero tolerance policy noted in our Campus catalog. This violation led to *** *******’s  dismissal from the program. 
  We wish *** ******* success in her future endeavors and encourage her to finish her education  at a non-Empire campus.  
  Respectfully,  
  Kevin B***** 
  Divisional Vice President 
  Empire Beauty Schools
  
  

• Initial Complaint

  08/19/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Dropped from school due to attendance due to long COVID and discrimination against my broken finger.

  Business response

  09/14/2022

  September 12, 2022  
  *** *******,  
  I have been in contact with *** ******* to discuss her options regarding completion of the cosmetology  program with Empire Beauty Schools. *** ******* is aware and understands what she must do in order  to complete.  
  After my conversation with *** *******, she was satisfied with the suggested resolution. 

   

  Respectfully,  
  Janette Z******  
  Divisional Vice President  
  Empire Beauty Schools 
  

• Initial Complaint

  08/09/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  I was a student at the Morrow Ga location in Clayton County. I needed up moving to Gwinnett County and requested to be transferred to the Dunwoody GA location which was up the street from where I worked at the time. Morrow didn’t have a person in charge of the sign ups anymore. So the person I was told in charge. Told me she would send all my information over to that location and to wait a few days to receive a call from them. I received a call and was told to come to the Dunwoody Location to complete the transfer. I waited for almost two hours and was told everything should be updated over night and they would reach back out to me. The next day they called and asked me to come back in because there was a error and I was told I would need to start the entire enrollment process over. None of the credits, classes or money I sent would be applied to the re enrollment. I was shocked and upset. I attempted to reach out to the lady who processed it for me at the morrow location multiple times and she refused to answer or return my calls. I contacted corporate and was told since this was there error because I was not told I couldn’t transfer without re enrolling. They would waive the remaining balance for me. The balance has now been placed on my credit and it shouldn’t be. I would like to speak with someone to get the matter resolved immediately

  Business response

  09/06/2022

  September 6, 2022  
  In response to the complaint filed by ******* ****** former student of the Empire Beauty  School, located in Morrow, GA.  
  *** ****** enrolled at the Morrow, GA campus and completed 50.75 hours of the 1500-hour  program. *** ****** stated she was having difficulties managing her work schedule and  school commute. *** ****** requested to transfer to the Dunwoody campus, which was closer  to her work. Upon request, *** ****** was withdrawn from the Morrow, GA campus with  intentions to enroll in the Dunwoody, GA campus.  
  *** ****** visited the Dunwoody campus to complete her enrollment package. Empire Beauty  School asked *** ****** to return to the campus to discuss her Financial Aid options. ***  ****** became upset, she stated she was under the impression everything would carry over to  her new enrollment and she would not owe any prior balance or have payments due from her  previous enrollment.  
  Empire Beauty School is unaware of where *** ****** received the idea she would not owe for  her time and her supplies while enrolled at the Morrow campus. Regardless, as a sign of good  faith, Empire Beauty School has decided to write off the balance owed by *** ******.  
  We wish *** ****** success in her future endeavors.  
  Respectfully,  
  Beth K*****  
  Regional Vice President 
  

  Customer response

  09/06/2022

  [A default letter is provided here which indicates your acceptance of the business's response.  If you wish, you may update it before sending it.]
  
  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. 
  
  Regards,
  
  ********************
  

• Initial Complaint

  07/08/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  In January of 2022, I met with executive director Tammy to learn about Empire’s esthetics program. Before enrolling, I was told we would learn hands-on Brazilian waxing, eyebrow laminations and much more. I paid my enrollment fee and took out FAFSA loans to begin on March 7th, 2022. We were not taught Brazilian waxing by an instructor; we were given a video to watch from over 20 years ago with a disclaimer at the beginning of the video stating “This video is not intended to be used in an accredited school for teaching. This is only for refreshment purposes” and were denied resolution when our class brought this up to our instructors. Advanced esthetics students are forced to teach pre-salon esthetics students about eyelash lifting even though they are not licensed as an esthetician nor licensed to teach. We were told as a class that they do not teach eyebrow lamination nor had the products to do it and took 6 weeks of our class complaining to instructors before the school finally invested in products for eyebrow lamination. Once we did, we were given no instructions on how to do it therefor, none of us learned how to properly laminate eyebrows. Had I known the truth about Empire, I would not have enrolled or took out federal students loans to pay for my education.

  Business response

  07/29/2022

  July 28, 2022  
  Please find a response to the complaint made by ****** *****, a graduate of our Bloomington,  MN campus.  
  While learning the Brazilian waxing techniques, prior to the application, the theory portion is  completed and the advanced level students assist the pre salon students during the  service. We are hands on learning environment and do many student-to-student exchanges  during the learning process. A licensed instructor supervises all services.  
  The video in question is a resource for the students to review before performing the  service. The copyright date is 2003; however, the information and procedure have not  changed. Empire Beauty School Bloomington campus has ordered a new version of the video  for the student library. The wording at the beginning of the video states “this video is not  intended to take the place of a certified Esthetics school or to be used as a sole source of  information”. This video is utilized as a refresher on waxing techniques.  
  The brow lamination product was on back order during the height of the COVID pandemic  shipping crisis. Unfortunately, we do not have an alternative to this product and did not have it  in stock for 6 to 8 weeks. As soon as it became available, we received our shipment and have  not had any issues receiving it since.  
  Instruction on brow lamination and lash lifting is completed during Advanced Level Classes.  Brow lamination and lash listing is a service we offer in our student salon.  
  We provide a wide range of services for the students to perform during their time at our  campus. It is important to us to ensure all students receive a great education and feel  comfortable performing the services.  
  We wish *** ***** success in her future endeavors.  
  Respectfully,  
  Amy H******  
  Regional Vice President 
  
  

  Business response

  08/15/2022

  August 15, 2022  
  Please find response to ****** *****, graduate of Bloomington, MN campus.  
  Waxing is covered in pre salon theory. The principals of waxing are the same regardless of the  area you are waxing. Example…the direction it is applied, the pressure, the removal, etc. The  hands on portion is when you apply the different techniques, specifically in the Brazilian waxing.  We encourage our students to utilize social media and all types of platforms, including you tube  to see applications, techniques, and trends in our industry. We also have a library with different  types of videos and books for additional resources.  
  Our licensed instructors supervise all hands on instruction, and are available to assist or answer  any questions a student might have.  
  Inventory orders are placed at the beginning of every month; unfortunately, some products were  on back order due to the shipping crisis caused by COVID-19. This situation was unfortunate  and out of our control. 
  We have a rotating curriculum and brow lamination is included in in the advanced class as well  as on the salon floor. In an effort to reassure ****** in the areas of waxing or brow lamination,  the Executive Director and Academic Director once again would like to offer ****** the  opportunity to sit in on another theory class or come in and practice on a model. We at Empire  Beauty School want all of our future professionals to feel confident in their skillset. We would be  more than happy to assist ****** in any area. She can reach out to us with dates and times  that would work for her.  
  We wish *** ***** success in her future endeavors.  
  Respectfully,  
  Amy H******  
  Regional Vice President 
  
  

  Customer response

  08/15/2022

  [To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, you must give us a reason why you are rejecting the response. If no reason is received your complaint will be closed as Answered]
  
   Complaint: ********
  
  I am rejecting this response because: Empire refuses to take accountability. No, I will not be returning to Empire for any further education as they already had 600 hours of my time to teach me what they should have taught me in the first place. I do not wish to receive ANY further education from Empire because my time is valuable. The only thing Empire needs to do is take responsibility and update their curriculum so further students are receiving the education they were promised upon sign up. 

  
  Regards,
  
  ***********************
  

• Initial Complaint

  03/28/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Unanswered

  More info

  The first papers I signed it with Ms. Tammy but she messed up so I went back and signed the 2nd with Ms. Jami. After I went back because I needed help with the FASFA questions so Ms. Jami helped me with the questions. Before I started classes I have not received the amount of how much FASFA was going to help me and Empire knew that but they said it was ok to come and start classes but only for 3 days( started class on January 4,2022) After the 3 days I went to Ms. Tammy's office if I have received anything from FASFA but she said no so I also asked her if I keep coming to class or just wait for the responds she told me to keep coming so I don't lose hours. Few days has passed and she called me to her office to fix questions in FASFA that Ms. Jami helped me with so I fixed that with Ms. Tammy. Few days passed she kept calling me again and again to keep fixing question on FASFA but when I went to her office I have asked her about 3 times if I keep coming or just wait and she kept saying to keep coming. I kept fixing questions on FASFA about 1 month going to class with no respond and after that Ms. Tammi called FASFA to see what's happened and they said I still have questions wrong so we fixed them and they asked about my parents 2020 taxes so I came with the taxes and I saw her make a copy but after 1 week she asked me again when she already made a copy so I just let it pass and brought it again and Ms. Jami made the 2nd copy but after another week I went to Ms. Tammy old office and talked on the phone with Ms. Heather about questions still being wrong on FASFA and my parents 2020 taxes when they already made 2 copies. Almost 2 months I went to talk with Ms. Jami with my dad about the FASFA so we called FASFA and it is still about questions being wrong and my parents 2020 so we talked and she understood us but after leaving I asked if I had to pay the classes and she said no only the supplies because of COVID which I did not understand if I was not my fault.

• Initial Complaint

  02/15/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  My issue is that I was promised assistantance with finding work and state board preparation when I first I enrolled to Empire Beauty Northlake. Since I graduated 2/28/2020, I received help with my original schedule test times. I passed the first one but fail the second. And that where most of my issues stem from. I have been trying to reschedule my retest for about a year now. I relocated to Jacksonville FL back in May 2021. Prior to moving, I physically went down to Empire Northlake 3 times, where I was told "to just sign into my account and reschedule". Which I have been trying g to do on my own for the past 8 months. So I call *** for more assistance where they tell me they my file doesn't exist. So for the last year that I have been trying to reschedule my test, my school needed to submit a pre-approval. Now that I am 2 weeks from having my classes expire, now Empire Beauty just expects me to let it expire. Because I still haven't received an update on Friday 2/11. I have called, left messages. I'm ok with not receiving my license but it is because of they been neglecting my issue. So I would like to get this removed from my record. 23k is alot for no assistance.

  Business response

  03/23/2022

  March 18, 2022  
  *** *******,  
  The Executive Director at the Northlake campus has been in contact with *** *********** regarding the process for *** testing and document submission.  
  The campus Executive Director stated it typically takes 1-2 weeks to receive a response from ***.  
  *** ***********’s eligibility form has been re-submitted to *** and she was advised to follow  up with them.  
  *** *********** recently took her examination. When *** *********** obtains her license  Empire Beauty Schools will be happy to assist her in finding a job. We have many jobs posted  at www.beautycareers.com. 
  Respectfully,  
  Alicia M***  
  Executive Director  
  Northlake Empire Beauty Schools 
  
  

• Initial Complaint

  01/31/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I recently graduated from Empire Beauty school in December. I had a check issued to me before I even graduated. I did not receive the check so a month after the check was sent I reached out to them to see what the problem was on why I did not receive it yet. I had a check prior that was sent to my address with no issue. After I reached out to them, they did research and found out the check was cashed and assumed I knew who cashed it. After we complained they told us file a police report which we did immediately. The next day they told us we needed to get a notarized affidavit of forgery from their bank so I asked if they needed anything else after that and when would my check be reissued and they said nothing else was needed but I had to wait for the funds to be retrieved before they replaced it. Later I asked to see the policy in writing where it states I have to wait for the funds to be retrieved and was told there is no such policy.

  Business response

  03/23/2022

  March 18, 2022  
  Empire Beauty Schools mailed a check payable to *** ******** on October 7, 2021.  
  *** ********’ parent emailed Empire Beauty Schools to inquire as to when *** ********  would receive the check. The check in question cleared our bank on December 8, 2021; this  information was relayed to *** *******s’ parent.  
  A copy of the cashed check was provided to *** *******s’ parent. *** *******s’ parent  stated the signature on the check was not her daughters.  
  Empire Beauty Schools advised *** *******s’ parent if her daughter did not cash the check  she should file a police report and provide our financial institution with a copy of the police report  as well as an affidavit.  
  *** ******** filed a police report and completed an affidavit stating she did not cash the check.  
  All documentation was provided to our financial institution and they are actively working to  recover the funds.  
  On March 15, 2022, Empire Beauty Schools’ financial institution informed us they issued a letter  to the institution whom cashed the check requesting reimbursement of the funds.  
  As soon as the financial institution recovers the funds, the ***** *** payment will be reissued.  
  Respectfully,  
  Janette Z******  
  Divisional Vice President 
  
  

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