This review is not about the teachers or the classes. I never got further than the registration process. This may be a great school, but I can only tell you about my negative experience so that it doesn’t happen to you.
I looked into a Saturday class for my daughter. None was available that fit my schedule, but then Xelement sent an email saying that a session had opened up. They called me and asked me to preregister with my credit card if I was still interested so I provided it and was told to come in 15 minutes early to the first class to complete the registration paperwork.
On the first day of the class, I brought my daughter to the studio 15 minutes early as requested. The studio was closed. Okay, maybe they were late. We waited until class time, no one showed up. I waited an additional 15 minutes in case the teacher was late. Nope, no show at all. At that point, I left a voicemail for the office to let them know that we had showed but no one was at the studio. I also followed up with an email to the same effect.
I waited almost a week and then after getting no response to either my message or my email, I called and spoke with Lea Archer, the CEO, who stated that the class had been canceled due to lack of students and she agreed to refund my registration fee since no other class fit my schedule. I asked why I hadn’t been notified and she stated that an email had been sent. I had not received any email. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have wasted my time going there for the first class.
I can fully understand that the class needed to be cancelled since there weren’t enough students to support it and Lea was pleasant when she agreed to refund the registration fee. I followed up with an email the next day to remind them that I was supposed to get a refund on my registration fee. I never received a response to that email. I did, however, receive several newsletter type emails from Xelement thereafter so obviously they have my email address.
Time passed and still no refund. Given my previous experience of non-response (other than the time I spoke with Lea), I was done trying to work it out. I am disputing the charge with my credit card company. Xelement came back to them stating that it was for services provided. Since I neither fully registered (only pre-registered) nor ever physically entered the establishment, I don’t know what services were rendered exactly.
Simple courtesy would be to call and leave a message stating that the class was cancelled instead of disappointing a prospective student. Simple professionalism would be to offer a refund and actually provide the refund.
I’m not sure what kind of records they keep if a) they don’t know that they are charging someone for services not provided, especially if that someone has pointed out to them verbally and in written form that this is the case and b) they are not able to check their own records and confirm that no registration took place? The only bright side is that I will be more cautious when dealing with other companies from now on, but who knew a company could behave like this?
Xelement Performing Arts Reviews
This review is not about the teachers or the classes. I never got further than the registration process. This may be a great school, but I can only tell you about my negative experience so that it doesn’t happen to you.
I looked into a Saturday class for my daughter. None was available that fit my schedule, but then Xelement sent an email saying that a session had opened up. They called me and asked me to preregister with my credit card if I was still interested so I provided it and was told to come in 15 minutes early to the first class to complete the registration paperwork.
On the first day of the class, I brought my daughter to the studio 15 minutes early as requested. The studio was closed. Okay, maybe they were late. We waited until class time, no one showed up. I waited an additional 15 minutes in case the teacher was late. Nope, no show at all. At that point, I left a voicemail for the office to let them know that we had showed but no one was at the studio. I also followed up with an email to the same effect.
I waited almost a week and then after getting no response to either my message or my email, I called and spoke with Lea Archer, the CEO, who stated that the class had been canceled due to lack of students and she agreed to refund my registration fee since no other class fit my schedule. I asked why I hadn’t been notified and she stated that an email had been sent. I had not received any email. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have wasted my time going there for the first class.
I can fully understand that the class needed to be cancelled since there weren’t enough students to support it and Lea was pleasant when she agreed to refund the registration fee. I followed up with an email the next day to remind them that I was supposed to get a refund on my registration fee. I never received a response to that email. I did, however, receive several newsletter type emails from Xelement thereafter so obviously they have my email address.
Time passed and still no refund. Given my previous experience of non-response (other than the time I spoke with Lea), I was done trying to work it out. I am disputing the charge with my credit card company. Xelement came back to them stating that it was for services provided. Since I neither fully registered (only pre-registered) nor ever physically entered the establishment, I don’t know what services were rendered exactly.
Simple courtesy would be to call and leave a message stating that the class was cancelled instead of disappointing a prospective student. Simple professionalism would be to offer a refund and actually provide the refund.
I’m not sure what kind of records they keep if a) they don’t know that they are charging someone for services not provided, especially if that someone has pointed out to them verbally and in written form that this is the case and b) they are not able to check their own records and confirm that no registration took place? The only bright side is that I will be more cautious when dealing with other companies from now on, but who knew a company could behave like this?