1. See the pictures.. the owners posted 3-4 reviews for their own place with 5 stars... Really??
2. When we joined I was confused for months about the program, when testing happens, what tests were done and how they work.. Joe did not explain everything clearly when we joined.
3. When the time came for testing for stripes or new belts he informed me it'll be extra. I was confused and upset since that was never mentioned at time of joining. I kept asking about that and then he said I'm not getting charged extra..
4. Also, when you sign up for the program you have to pay for 6 months in advance. What company asks for all that money ahead of time? My family has a business and we never ask for money ahead of time.. I understand paying for a month in advance-- I do that with my cable, phone, internet.. it guarantees I'll have service that month but 6 months in advance???
5. Since I couldn't afford the tuition upfront for 2 kids for 6 months he told me it'll be "financed" by a 3rd party.. then I read the small print and saw that it's at over 9% per MONTH interest charge. I agreed to do it but still was confused about what was going on. I'm not the only one that is confused. Most parents I spoke to didn't know what was going on. One parent was shocked that he was charged this fee.. he said he knew nothing about it.
6. Facility is not as clean as promised by the owners review... There's always hair and dirt on the mat, the bathroom that is also the changing room smells like urine and never has paper towels or soap. It's quiet disturbing. My kids wore socks during their lessons because I'm concerned they will get a toe infection-- there was a kid that lost his toe nail during the lesson and others have vomited.. how do they clean the mats? I asked and was told it gets a sweep occasionally.. GROSS!
Final impressions: this is a very commercial business model that is focused on getting people in the door getting paid 6 months upfront and you're left confused and robbed.. I thought it would be more of a family feel but it's not. my children did love Joe he was good with the little ones.
Things to change:
1. hires someone to properly clean your facility every once in awhile. I offered Joe for $20 a week to take care of his soap needs, install a proper air freshener and to properly clean and sanitize his porcelain fixtures but he said it was too expensive for all the owners... And premier charging me an extra $20 a month in interest was not too expensive?? when I complained about it they said it's not that much money..
2. be flexible with your contract.. I know several families that left because you refused to go month-to-month with them.
3. Frank--customer is always right. Don't ever argue. Suck it up, apologize and fix it.
4. You need to have discounts for the two weeks out of the year that you're closed. I don't understand why everybody has to pay full price for a month when they will not get all their lessons.
5. Make it more of a family environment instead of another commercial business where you herd people in and out.
Thanks for reading!