Before I begin with my poor review of Tricos, mainly of the administration, I would like to commend…read moremy teacher, Janine, as she was very professional and consistent. I had heard that most independent language schools have a problem with teachers being inconsistent, but this was not the case with Janine.
Summary:
The basis of this bad review is that Tricos is billing me 800€ for 2 classes I did not take.
Details:
I registered online with Tricos in November to take an A2,1 class from November - December. There were a couple problems with the online registration, and the first being the registration form. Aside from just looking like your basic "request more information" forms rather than a binding contract (which is what it was), the form and the entire website are only in German. It makes no sense that a language school, where people go to LEARN German, has their website entirely in German. Fortunately, I had a base knowledge of the language and was able to fill out the form.
At the end of the registration form there was a Terms and Conditions (in German) that I checked before I submitted. Of course, I did not understand all the legal terms in the T&C.
Essentially, what I found out later is that my registration for 1 class (A2,1) was a contract. A contract that lasted at least 2 months and until I submitted a written cancellation.
This was in the TERMS AND CONDITIONS. THE FINE PRINT. What kind of dishonest company puts this in the fine print? Moreover, a German language school who puts it only in German?
Next, I will talk about the miscommunication between Tricos and me. Tricos sent me invoices for the next classes via post IN FEBRUARY (2 months later) after 2 more classes in my "contract" had passed. Only then, did I find out about these bills, and when I contacted them, I found out that I was under a contract.
We discussed the fact that on the online registration form I only signed up for one course - A2,1 - and they argued that in the T&C it was a contract. I didn't show up for a single class in the subsequent course (A2,2) in January, because I didn't even know I was registered for the course. You'd think that Tricos would notice my absence from every single class and at least notify me or send some sort of personal e-mail to confirm.
I went in to the office to discuss these matters shortly after I received the invoices in February. After talking to the front desk on 2/22, I was told they would talk to the owner of the company and e-mail with his thoughts and decision.
Fast forward to March 13th. I receive another bill from Tricos that shows A LATE FEE FOR NOT PAYING THE INVOICES. Are you serious?! I was waiting on THEM to e-mail me with Mr. Stricker's decision and in the meantime, they billed me a late charge.
I wrote a response, saying that I had been waiting since 2/22 for Tricos to give me more information about the invoices.
I received a quick e-mail from administration the next day saying, "We ask that you pay the invoices." Really? It took 3 weeks for you write me this e-mail?
I then sent another e-mail showing government papers, asking if I could at least get the subsidized rate, and didn't hear back for 5 days. I had to send another e-mail while I was waiting to ask that they didn't charge me another late fee.
I have never felt more taken advantage of by a company than I have during this incident. Especially since most students are on government plans and take class for free (or cheap), and I was one of the few paying students.
I wasn't offered any other options. If I'm paying 800€, perhaps I could have at least taken one of the missed courses as a make-up at a later date.
I take a small percentage of the blame for the initial misunderstanding. I guess I should have hired a translator to read the terms and conditions.
But never in a million years could I have imagined it turning out this way: a company so unwilling to take any fault or make any attempt to rectify a situation with a customer.
