Inland Northwest Ballet

Review: My daughter is 3 years old and just wanted to learn dance, have fun, and make friends. She did not find the class “unsuitable for her needs and abilities”; she was devastated by the treatment that she received, and she is unlikely to dance again until she is much older because of such treatment. I was never made aware that discussing things with you after class was even an option, and because [redacted] was in tears and in no condition to stay at the studio another minute, I really could not wait for you after class. That is why I attempted to contact you by telephone. I understand that your job is to instruct young children in dance, but there is a fine line between reprimanding and correction and with my daughter, you crossed over into reprimanding. As a veteran 5th grade teacher, I am very much aware of how to teach children, especially small children. Teaching dance to kids is no different than teaching them anything. Instruction and learning comes through positive reinforcement, but that is not how you interacted with [redacted]. I know everyone has her bad days and makes mistakes that she normally would not, but it is important for you, especially as a teacher of small children, to take responsibility for your actions with regards to my daughter. Regardless of what you think that you said, I heard you tell [redacted] to “get up off the floor and act like a big girl!” I was standing right there.

It was very apparent to me, and would have been to any casual observer of your class that day, what had upset my daughter—your treatment of her. Something did happen in your class; otherwise my normally excited, sweet daughter would not have reacted like she did. That is not normal behavior for her, she was hurt by the way you spoke to and acted towards her. I understand that [redacted] is a beginner dancer, but again, she is 3 years old. You should have been much more patient with her. Like I mentioned before, [redacted] has taken quite a few “structured” dance classes, and this is the first time that she has ever reacted like she did in your class. She was ready for your class, just not for the way you treated her.

Moreover, as “crystal clear” as your refund policy purports to be, it only applies to normal situations, and I assume that you will agree with me that the current situation and your treatment of my daughter is far from normal. I do not think that your refund policy is applicable here. Nothing short of a full refund will be able to recompense for what has occurred.

Your website states that the goals of Inland Northwest Ballet are to enhance the self esteem and engender the personal growth of children. Another goal is to help kids have fun. You cannot honestly say that in this instance you enhanced my daughter’s self esteem or helped her to grow and have fun.

I understand that the way that you treated [redacted] is perhaps not the way you normally run your dance classes, but that is not an excuse for what happened. I do not wish to take my daughter to your studio any more, and I hope that we can amicably resolve this unfortunate circumstance and amenably part ways.

I would rather not besmirch the otherwise glowing reputation that you have in Spokane, but my daughter was subjected to poor treatment, and I just want my money back.Desired Settlement: I desire a full $60.00 refund (the signup fee and the registration fee).

Business

Response:

Dear Sir or Madam,

Thank you for notifying us of [redacted]'s complaint, and

for offering us a chance to respond.

First, let me say that the above e-mail is not [redacted]'s entire e-mail,

she has edited it for Revdex.com.

Two questions that a person must have when reading [redacted]'s

e-mail:

First, if [redacted]'s daughter is "devastated" as

she claims, it is odd that [redacted] waited four days to contact us about this

issue (according to our caller ID, she called on Sept 6th but left no message,

and according to our e-mail records she did not email until Sept. 7th). If my

daughter were devastated after any class, I guarantee you that I would be

speaking with the instructor immediately after the class, to see what I could

do to soothe my child. This was not done

by [redacted], though I stood in the doorway after class, making myself fully

available to speak with any parent who has questions the first day, as they

often do.

The second question: f

the treatment of the children in the class were devastating, why is the class

still full with the other dancers, and why do we have (in [redacted]'s words) a

glowing reputation in Spokane? I would

not allow my child in any environment that was devastating to them, nor would

the dance families that support our studio.

The parents of children who are able to follow instructions (as much as

any 3 year old can follow instructions) are generally very happy with the

structure of the class, and appreciate that their child is being taught a bit

of structure, rather than just being allowed to run around the room.

It is also interesting to note that the only parents that

have voiced complaints over the years are two parents whose children did not

follow along well in class, and because of that, their child was constantly reminded,

much more than others, such phrases as "please come back to your

dot", "please stand in line", "wait your turn",

etc. We know it is hard to watch your

own child when they are not following directions well, but we cannot just let

them run or wander while the other children are all waiting for that child to be ready. It seems that [redacted] did not want her

child corrected, but that is simply not fair to the other students who were

ready and waiting to dance. Perhaps a

"gym and play" class, or something less structured may be more

appropriate for her child until she is ready for some structure.

If [redacted] had come to us after class that first day, we

may have made an exception and refunded her unused tuition However, the threatening nature of [redacted]'s letter has had quite the opposite effect that she intended. It does not encourage us to satisfy her

demands, but instead, stand by our policies that she signed for. (Enclosed you will find a copy of the form

she signed in four different places, stating that she understood that the first

month's tuition is non-refundable. Also

enclosed is the front page of our Registration form, stating that both the

registration fee and first month's tuition are non-refundable.)

To address [redacted]'s other comment: While I do say "Stand up like a big

girl", often several times a day in a new class with little ones, I assure

you that I did not say "Get up off the floor and act like a big

girl", as that is simply not the phrase that I use. As far as positive feedback, my goal is to

praise each child 3-5 times by name every single class. A "Very beautiful port de bras, [redacted]!" or "You are being a great leader, [redacted]!" are common

phrases that you will hear in our classes.

I do not always reach that goal, but I look to praise whenever possible,

as it encourages good behaviors and makes the class flow much easier.

Every class is always viewable through a one way mirror, and

parents and visitors are invited to drop in at any time to observe classes, and

to judge for yourselves how our classes are taught. The one way mirror allows parents and

visitors to view any class without interrupting, so you may come and go at any

time. Simply go to our web site online

for our schedule, and drop in whenever you wish...:)

Sincerely,

[redacted],

Studio Director, Inland Northwest Ballet

Consumer

Response:

Revdex.com,

I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted] and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint. For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.

All that I expect is for a reasonable solution to this dispute. To reply to [redacted]'s response, my daughter was in such a state that waiting for the class to end and then for a moment to talk with [redacted] was not a possibility. As a parent, I'm sure that she can understand that. Also, I never said that [redacted] always conducts herself and her classes poorly . All that I said was that with regards to solely my daughter, [redacted] acted inappropriately. I understand that may not be her normal conduct, but everyone makes mistakes, and with my daughter, [redacted] erred.

It is also interesting that [redacted] is now saying that if I "had come to us after class that first day, we may have made an exception and refunded her unused tuition." When I first contacted [redacted] and Inland Northwest Ballet and requested a refund, I was unambiguously told that obtaining any sort of refund was an impossibility. For example, [redacted] explained to me that:

"We do not have, nor have ever have any such thing as a

free trial class, perhaps you are thinking of her toddler ballet class that she

took elsewhere? Most of our classes fill, and many have students on the

waiting list, so we do not hold space in a class for someone who may or may not

attend. You know this to be true when trying to register Sophie for a

Ballet I class. I will have Susie send you a copy of your registration

from, on which you signed the line that states "I realize that

my first month's tuition is not refundable", which makes it crystal clear

at the time of registration." (September 9, 2014 Email from [redacted] and [redacted], Inland Northwest Ballet) (attached).

I am happy to see that [redacted] and Inland Northwest Ballet have adopted a more reasonable approach to resolving my concerns over their actions and are now offering to refund my unused tuition. Although, such a refund would not be the full refund that I requested, I am willing to compromise and accept the offered pro-rated tuition refund. I believe such refund would be a reasonable middle ground. If [redacted] and Inland Northwest Ballet will send me a check in the amount of the pro-rated tuition refund, I will consider this dispute resolved. I await [redacted]'s and Inland Northwest's response.