ComplaintsforThe Exploration Academy

• Initial Complaint

  05/20/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  We were looking for an alternate daycare for our daughters and after being on the waitlist for TEA we were accepted. We were asked to give a deposit of one month's tuition, amounting to about $4000 to secure our place in Septembe 2022. We were then offered a subsidized placement at another daycare, so decided we would no longer need the space. We gave them over 4 months notice (the handbook says deposit is non-refundable without 30-days notice) and they said that the deposit is non-refundable. $4000 seems like an unreasonable amount to keep with so much lead time to find a replacement.

  Business response

  06/27/2022

  July 13, 2022 

  
  BBB 
  PO Box 140015 
  ***** ** ***** 

  
  Reference: ******** 

  
  Whom it may concern, 
  I am writing concerning complaint ******** regarding the request to refund a non-refundable private (early learning) school's enrollment security deposit paid by *************************. ********************' s grievance stems from the desire to have a refund of the non-refundable enrollment security deposit. 

  
  In our parent handbook of policies and procedures, which was signed ( electronic signature via DocuSign) by ******************** on 3/23/22, it clearly outlines, in multiple areas throughout the handbook, that the deposit is non-refundable. The non-refundable deposit secures the child/children space(s) at the school for the agreed upon start date. The deposit is then designed to be applied to each child's last month tuition once enrolled; families must give 30 days' notice to have the deposit applied to their child's final month of attendance. ******************** refers to this 30 days' notice in his complaint, however, the 30 days' notice only applies to the child's last moth of tuition-whether or not the child is in attendance. To secure enrollment, the deposit to secure a child's space is non-refundable.

  
  Please reference the pages attached from the handbook, which ******************** signed and agreed to (also attached), which states, "There is a $45 non-refundable application fee, a non-refundable deposit equal to one month's tuition, and a $15 disaster kit fee (without diapers) or $20 disaster kit fee (with diapers) (see "Supplies") due at the time a family secures enrollment." 
  As a courtesy, we offered that if the family needed care in the future, that we would re-instate the deposits. 

   

  Please feel free to contact me with further questions. 

   

  ***************************** ******************. D Founder.

  TEA - The Exploration Academy ***************** and Preschool (Learning ******, LLC) 
  At ****************** 
  1815 ***************************************************************** 98103 
  Direct: ************** 
  email: ************************************** 

*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. ↩