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ComplaintsforAmerican Accent Program, LLC
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Complaint Details
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Initial Complaint
06/07/2023
- Complaint Type:
- Service or Repair Issues
- Status:
- Answered
I paid to ***************************** $50, plus $130, plus $130 - for introductory session, first ****** and second ****** respectively.The $50 intro session and first $130 ****** of ***************************** contained absolutely no practice. ***************************** obtained a sample of my speech prior to a first ****** and provided me no feedback on what to improve. ***************************** had a very low quality of connection via Zoom and ****** Meets during first 45 minutes out of 1 hour $130 ******, however, when I hosted him my own meeting via licensed Zoom software, his connection problems disappeared. ***************************** still tried to blame all his techical problems on me and refused to address them in a next ******. ***************************** required me to buy a professional microphone and did not announce this requirement on his first intro session nor anywhere on his advertisement materials. ***************************** used personal slurs in my address in his first ******, calling me "an alien" and telling that "you are afraid of me". It was a warning call when ***************************** refused to accept any credit card and requested a cash pre-payment via Zelle or Venmo.I don't require a refund of $50 for introductory session. I require 65% refund for first ****** (as I consider only 20 minutes of promised 60 minutes ****** supplied to me). I require 100% refund for second ****** (this ****** did not yet happen as of Jun 6 and was originally scheduled to Jun 9), as ***************************** refused to supply ******s via licensed software (e.g. Zoom, Webex) and intends to continue supplying them via low quality free service.Business response
06/28/2023
Dear BBB & ********************:
I hope you are doing great! Please, read the attachment with detailed explanation.Looking forward to collaborating with you.
American Accent Program, LLC
******************************, Ph.D. ******************* of English as a Second or Other Languages (ESOL).
Customer response
07/03/2023
Complaint: 20153526
I am rejecting this response because: refund was not provided.Below are my responses to each statement of American Accent Program LLC's CEO, with CEO's direct citations listed in quotes.
-1) "We understand that things did not go the way Mr. [CLIENT] planned". Indeed, I did not expect that someone with Ph. D. degree (as Dr. [INSTRUCTOR]) would accept a payment and will not provide a service in return.
0) "This program was designed for a specific type of training, and we are very sorry it did not work for Mr. [CLIENT]". Dr. [INSTRUCTOR] tries to pretend I did not like a methodology. No, it is not true. I did not like that Dr. [INSTRUCTOR] used false advertisement: he suggested I may use smartphone and ****** Meets app in his invitation emails, and he even saw I use a smartphone in his first $50 intro session. He did not object against me using smartphone on an intro session, and was very enthusiastically and politely interacting with me. He started aggressively objecting against my smartphone only on next $130 meeting. He started requiring extra unusual equipment (studio microphone instead of bluetooth earbuds, external 4K camera instead of modern smartphone camera) only on our second interaction too. He was spending time of our ****** for his equipment complaints instead of doing a ******.
1) "The webpage lists all the details on what to expect in this session.
**************************************************************************************************". While these reviews describe what could have been delivered in the intro $50 session, the instructor did not provide me those values (i.e., there were no evaluation of my problems, and it was not a demo session). Instructor did not mention any special hardware requirements for a course, and he did not complaint about my smarphone audio and video quality. He started complaining about smartphone audio and video quality only on next $130 ******.
2) "In the consultation, we discussed
all the details of that nature so that he would be surprised". The only details that the instructor mentioned was that he gonna teach me "how to enunciate sounds" instead of "teaching a pronunciation of an each individual word", which is what I expected and was looking for.
3) "Our record indicates that Mr. [CLIENT] accepted the invitations for his virtual classes from Dr. [INSTRUCTOR] via ****** Calendar and did not request any refund within 24 hours before the next class
started." After the Jun 6 ****** where Dr. [INSTRUCTOR] insulted me with personal slurs, he sent me an automated ****** Meet email stating "Canceled event: American Accent Program with [CLIENT] @ Weekly from 7pm to 8pm on Friday (EDT) ([CLIENT]@[DOMAIN].com)" in subject line and "This event has been canceled and removed from your calendar." under a subject line, the email was dated Jun 6 2023 and referring to a future ****** of Jun 9 2023. I treated it as the cancellation by a will of the provider. Additional prove of this cancellation is also visible on screenshot provided by Dr. [INSTRUCTOR]. Also, buttons "Yes", "No", "Maybe" became unavailable on those email, so I did not have an interface to cancel an event that was already cancelled anyway. Same day of Jun 6 2023, I requested Dr. [INSTRUCTOR] a partial refund via BBB service. Dr. [INSTRUCTOR] acknowledged a receipt of my demand on June 7 2023 (more than 24 hours prior to the June 9 2023 ******). Dr. ************** "Course Policy" document states that the full refund can be issued 24 hours prior to a class' start. Dr. [INSTRUCTOR] cancelled those ****** in writing 3 days prior to a ******, and received my written refund demand 2-3 days prior to a ******, therefore it is when Dr. [INSTRUCTOR] was supposed to issue me a refund according to his own "Course Policy".
4) "The session recording can be provided upon
request to prove that the service was provided." This recording demonstrates that no service was provided. Recording contains no educational content supplied by Dr. *********************** "Mr. [CLIENT] stated that the quality of the Internet connection was poor". I offered Dr. [INSTRUCTOR] to resolve this problem by using Zoom subscription with Dial-In capability (and we even both saw that it solved all quality problems on the Jun 6 2023 - it is how 20 minutes of session was provided to me successfully).
6) "Mr. [CLIENT] stated that we use free teaching services like ****** Classroom or ****** Meeets;
however, we are more than willing to provide proof of our services from ****** Workspace Business
Plus, which includes ****** Classroom and ****** Meets". Even if it was paid, the quality was poor, but we saw that quality improved when using another provider, however, Dr. [INSTRUCTOR] refused using other provider.
7) "Dr. [INSTRUCTOR] provided two classes for Mr. [CLIENT]". Dr. [INSTRUCTOR] did not provide the second $130 class.
8) "all classes were well-planned and organized." Dr. [INSTRUCTOR] planned and organized a classic Bait&Switch strategy: he represented that I can use laptop or smarphone on our first $50 intro session and in all his invitation emails, however, he requested me to possess a special hardware (studio microphone, 4K camera) for $130 ******s, only when such $130 ****** already started.
9) "We want to point out that the students are responsible for their equipment". Dr. [INSTRUCTOR] did not point it out on his website, first intro session and his ****** Meets invitation emails. He even apologized for not pointing this out in advance at the end of our $130 ****** on Jun 6 2023.
10) "Mr. [CLIENT] aggressively interacted with Dr. ******************** when he was looking forward to speaking with him, he hung up". There were no signs of aggression in my speech. I hung ** in order to exhibit my dissent with a call recording, and because Dr. [INSTRUCTOR] expressed that he is not willing to collaborate during this call, neither he was providing any educational content.
11) "Mr. [CLIENT] took all classes." It is false statement. One of $130 classes was not provided by Dr. [INSTRUCTOR]. Another one of $130 classes required my assistance to salvage a quality for at least 20 minutes of a ******. Dr. [INSTRUCTOR] did not re-do remaining 40 minutes of those ****** in high quality.
12) In addition to all of my responses to Dr. ************** message. His message only proves that he is dishonest enough to use a clever "Terms of Service" legal verbiage in order to obtain payments from clients without providing educational sessions in return.
Regards,
***********************************Business response
07/23/2024
I am committed to continuous improvement for my clients, and I value sincere and honest feedback, which would be helpful for my development as a University professor and American accent coach.
Constructive input and criticism are crucial for my growth and Ive always been putting a lot of effort into understanding different cultures and background to make my clients and students feel comfortable and confident in each session.
Unfortunately, *********, the reviewer, was not an actual client or even a serious learner, as many of my students go a long way to succeed in improving their speech and communication. Instead, this reviewer appeared to be another teacher seeking insights into my successful process flow while undermining my value. Such feedback is, indeed, problematic and does not contribute to personal development.
For an accurate perspective on my coaching, I encourage you to explore the genuine client reviews on my work, watch ******* videos, and read blogs written by my students where you will have to compare so many positive reviews with this one! Lets continue learning!Customer response
07/23/2024
Complaint: 20153526
I am rejecting this response because:- I was the actual Dr. ******** client, he accepted my money for one intro consultation, and for two 1 on 1 lessons, and he did not provide any service in return. Dr. ****** also performed a large amount of work to hide my complaint and to prevent return of money back to me.
Regards,
***********************************Business response
07/23/2024
As previously mentioned, this individual was not an actual student as he was not enrolled in any classes. Typically, a student who is committed to their studies participates for approximately 6-8 months, as discussed during the orientation session. Attending only two classes does not constitute being a full-fledged student.
It is possible that due to cultural differences, this individual may not have fully comprehended the course policy and orientation session. Consequently, his experience unfolded in a manner that suited his expectations. While I empathize with his feelings, it is important to note that his review appears to be influenced by personal insecurities and issues.
I would like to highlight that out of 80 positive reviews and numerous SUCCESSFUL stories of my work, this individuals feedback is an exception. I encourage everyone to read the authentic reviews that reflect the true quality of my work.
He requested an orientation session on June 3, 2023, through the website, where he agreed to the terms and conditions as well as the course policy.
Here is an excerpt from our policy: Due to the electronic (eLearning) nature of our virtual classes/products/subscriptions and the fact that they cannot be returned, AMERICAN ACCENT PROGRAM, LLC, and every product it sells, has a no-refunds policy Cancellations will be effective once the cancellation request has been processed.This individual did not request a cancellation and attended the second class, indicating his participation in the classes.
I highly recommend that the BBB close this conversation and remove the false review that contradicts the other reviews. I welcome constructive reviews and take them into consideration; however, this is not one of them.
I wish this student the best of luck and welcome him if he has turned over a new leaf and become a better student!
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Customer Complaints Summary
1 total complaints in the last 3 years.
1 complaints closed in the last 12 months.