Need some advice

[wonderwoman]

My husband signed a contract for our 4 year old to go to karate. Long story short called them to tell them my child no longer wanted to go (she's been going for about 7 months now)I wanted out the karate school told me I had to call the contract/billing company to cancel. I call them up and they are telling me that I cant cancel the 2 year contract(2011). So in other words I have to pay even though my kids not going........

I was so upset... Can they do that?????

Any advice

 

[ImFiddY]

I'm afriad so. Take a look at your contract and read all the fine print. In it you will find the conditions of a cancellation. If you don't have the contract then stop by their office and get a copy of it. You might be able to find some type of 'out' within the fine print.

If you have no legal out then see if you can plead hardship to the business office or if you have a tv station or radio station that has a Clark Howard type show, contact them for advice.

 

[wonderwoman]

I just dont understand why they would sucker someone into signing a contract for a child. My 4 year old wants to do different things all the time. I''ve done swimming, ballet ,soccer, gymnastics and never had to sign a stupid contract. I could understand if the kid was older 12 or 13 but she's 4.....
I feel like I was jerked I should say my husband he is the one who signed the contract but they are taking it out of my account!

 

[carres1973]

I ran into the same thing with my gym. I signed up for two years because that was all they offered at the time. They now offer a month-to-month which I wanted to transition to. They wouldn't let me transfer or cancel. There wasn't even a discussion - it was just no. I really need to save as much money as possible at this point because my fridge is going bye-bye. They don't care. Basically, the manager said sorry about your troubles, but you signed a contract so are stuck for two years. NEVER AGAIN!!

Carrie

 

[TeTe]

I just dont understand why they would sucker someone into signing a contract for a child.

Well, because they could. It's not like they aren't aware that many of the people who sign these contracts will stop using the services/facilities. This is money in their pockets, and they have every right to do it. It's not like they forced a four-year old to sign it. Sounds like it's a legit contract and it's binding. At least, hopefully, a lesson was learned here.

 

[morningstar]

They ask people to sign contracts so that they know people are serious about coming to classes so that they can hire and assign karate teachers appropriately. Your husband shouldn't have signed the contract if he didn't feel your child could handle that kind of commitment. Karate isn't like a spin class, either, where you just do a class whenever you feel like it. Karate requires discipline, commitment and passion. Dojos are usually owned and operated by a single person, not a huge company that can afford people that do not honour their commitments. That being said, I bet you could work something out with the dojo where you could defer the classes for a few years until your child is older and interested again.

 

[cataddict]

Morningstar,

That was a great post IMO.

Personally I dislike long term contracts and would find it tough to commit MYSELF for 2 years worth of a program, but it certainly is the karate school's right to do it, IMO. The expectation is that a contract is actually read before it's signed with the understanding that it is financially binding. That's what a contract is, after all, and I don't think the school "suckered" anyone. The school may have had problems with kids losing interest and if they let everyone out of contracts they wouldn't have any money to honor any commitment made to the instructors.

I would try to work out a deal with the school if possible, like Morningstar suggested. Maybe you could find another child to take your child's place for the rest of the contract period?

 

[nancy324]

They certainly can do that. When your husband signed up a 4-year old for a 2-year commitment, surely it must have crossed his mind that the 4-year old might not remain committed for 2 years. He should have asked about the alternatives at the time.

Advice: check the contract to find out if its transferable. Even if it's not, perhaps they will let you sell it to someone who can use it. If all else fails, if there is some way to make a scene in front of other customers, there is nothing more effective. <devilish grin>.