I strongly advise parents to get every single mandatory fee in writing before signing a contract here. Upon enrollment, they ask for a positive review for a discount--reviews should be done voluntarily. I prepaid $1,026 in full for a 6-month membership for my 10-year-old son. We fully expected to pay for standard belt testing. However, after paying $140 for his green belt test and the belt itself, we were immediately hit with an undisclosed, mandatory $430 bill for a new uniform and their specific brand of sparring gear.
None of this mandatory $430 expense was disclosed as a requirement to continue training when we signed our prepaid contract just a few months prior.
Because we refused to be nickel-and-dimed and pay a surprise $430 ransom just so my son could continue using the membership we already paid for, we had to leave the school. My son's feelings were incredibly hurt, and his brand new belt is just sitting on his desk.
To make matters worse, the school is currently refusing to issue a prorated refund for the remaining 4.5 months of unused tuition, effectively keeping hundreds of dollars for services they will not be providing. I have formally filed complaints with the Florida Department of Agriculture (FDACS) and the Better Business Bureau regarding these deceptive billing practices. Parents, please beware and read the fine print
Addendum regarding deceptive marketing practices: In addition to the undisclosed mandatory fees, this business actively engages in deceptive online marketing. I have attached a text message directly from the business offering me a financial discount in exchange for leaving them a positive online review. This violates FTC guidelines regarding incentivized reviews and demonstrates a broader pattern of deceptive business practices used to mislead consumers about the true cost and quality of their program. read more