Dear Academy Management,…read more
I am writing to formally express my deep concerns regarding the tennis training program that my daughter and I participated in at the Abrie Duplooy Tennis Academy from March 2024 through March 2025.
At the outset, we entered into a verbal agreement that included the following services each week:
* One weekly lesson with Coach Abrie Duplooy
* One weekly lesson with Coach Marshall
* Two weekly hitting sessions with college-level athletes
Unfortunately, the actual experience fell far short of these expectations. After only nine lessons, Coach Abrie abruptly stopped communicating and ceased attending our sessions as of September 2024. Despite repeated inquiries, we received no explanation--other than Coach Li vaguely referencing an undisclosed personal health issue. Given that I paid $13,790 for the program, I believe I was entitled to timely, transparent communication and a proper explanation of his permanent departure from our training plan. Also when I enrolled in the program, I was assured that the academy would be flexible with scheduling to accommodate our frequent travel needs.
In addition, we encountered persistent issues with coaching quality and consistency. Many lessons were conducted by individuals who appeared to lack proper coaching credentials. Several were student players, not professional coaches. In particular, I recall sessions with Coach Harold, Kike, and Isaac. If these individuals are indeed qualified, I would appreciate it if you could provide documentation of their coaching certifications. The inconsistency in instruction made it difficult for my daughter to progress and significantly diminished the value of the program.
We also experienced challenges regarding equipment. Despite repeated requests, my daughter was not provided with green-dot balls, which are developmentally appropriate for her level. Instead, standard yellow balls were used, which caused frustration and unnecessary stress for her during training.
Our concerns escalated when, after expressing the need to replace a particular student coach and reiterating the request for the proper training balls, we were unexpectedly disinvited from the Florida summer camp. Compounding this, I had raised concerns about your original plan to house arrangement to house teenage boys and girls together during the Florida camp, which I found inappropriate and troubling.
Rather than initiating a constructive dialogue, we were simply told that my daughter was "not ready" for the trip. When we attempted to schedule lessons last week, the response we received was:
"Hi Arlene. Thank you for the feedback. Appreciate it.
Based on all the above mentioned, we think Solara is not ready for the Florida trip this year. We are happy to have you and Solara next year when she is more ready.
Please provide a method of payment, so I can give you the full refund for this trip.
We wish you and your family have a wonderful summer break."
The tone of "Have a wonderful summer break," paired with the decision to exclude us from the trip, felt dismissive--especially since you were aware of our relocation in May.
I am formally requesting that a member of the academy's leadership reach out to us to arrange an in-person meeting so that we may resolve this matter constructively. Additionally, I am requesting a written explanation and a formal apology for the academy's failure to uphold the agreed-upon terms of our program.
We trusted the academy to support our daughter's development in a respectful, structured environment. Unfortunately, our experience fell short of that standard. I hope the academy takes this feedback seriously and takes steps to ensure future students and families are treated with the professionalism, fairness, and respect they deserve.
Thank you for your attention. I look forward to your response.
Sincerely,
Arlene Chung