Complaints

This profile includes complaints for Reach for the Stars Montessori's headquarters and its corporate-owned locations. To view all corporate locations, see Find Local Branches.

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  Reach for the Stars Montessori

  3440 Boundary Rd Burnaby, BC V5M 4A5

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  Reach for the Stars Montessori

  3606 Nanaimo Str Vancouver, BC V5N 5H1

The complaint text that is displayed might not represent all complaints filed with BBB. Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:07/11/2024

  Type:Billing Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I am hoping you guys would help me out. My son daycare collected payments ( post-dated cheques) from me, they also collect money from ********** Fee Reduction Initiatives and Affordable Childcare Benefit. They money they collected is more than the tuition. They over collected $3303.1 and is refusing to return it to me. That is not a small amount. How this came about was the daycare operator ****** *****, asks for post-dated cheques in Nov for the following school year ( Sept -Jun). She would deposit the cheques each month and collect money from the government. She does not tell you if she has collected more than the tuition amount. I have tried to resolve this with them. I found out about the overpayment (June-Sept 2021) in Nov 2022. I had asked then about it and they said its too long ago and won't look into it. At that time my son was still in their daycare and I was at their mercy. I knew if i continued to peruse it they would kick my some out is the daycare. I checked with small claims court and they said I have 2 years after discovery to peruse this matter. In September of this year my son was in kindergarten and I followed up with them back and forth thru email they were only willing to provide a $1500 goodwill refund ( which I have not accepted)What should I do? I really need your help ***** **********

  Customer Answer

  Date: 07/11/2024

  My postal code is V5J4L3

  Business Response

  Date: 08/11/2024

  This parent received CCFRI discounts in addition to ACCB discounts and paid the difference in tuition.
  This parent at time of each reenrollment for each school year signed a parent agreement that clearly listed the tuition that would be payable each month. In the signed document by the parent it clearly stated that any discrepancies needed to be reported to us within 3 months.
  She is looking for information from 4 years ago.  We have tried to help her as much as possible, however even if we just go back to the date she allegedly discovered an issue (Nov 2 2022) it has already been over 2 years.  She did not file a claim within that timeframe, which her legal counsel advised her to do. Each month, this parent was well aware of the total tuition owing, and the government agencies provided her with the discount/subsidy she would be receiving. Each month she would make the payment to the school based on the information she had at her disposal. Every month she had the opportunity to reassess and ask us for clarification or advise if there was a discrepancy.  She did not.  She continued making payments.  If there was a discrepancy, she would not have continued to make payments.  Rather,she waited years and over the past few months has harassed us for information that goes too far back for us to reasonably verify at this point.

  According to our records, within the timeframe we have access to, the file is in order.  She received  income tax receipts for childcare yearly with the payments she made and claimed them with Revenue Canada.Again if there was any discrepancy Revenue Canada as well would require her to notify them in a timely manner. We reconcile each year when issuing receipts to family for their income tax to claim childcare expenses. Attached to those emails we state that if there is an error, to email us immediately.  She did not.
  We even offered her a goodwill credit this month that would balance the income tax receipts through the 2024 school year in advance, which she refused. This was a goodwill gesture only.

  Throughout the time this child has been a student it has been verify difficult to convey information to this parent. Often 4 or 5 emails were required to explain something basic.  It has been very frustrating to deal with this parent and i personally have spent alot of time trying to help her.

  As mentioned, each school year, we reconcile, issue receipts and close the files.  

  At the time her child was in his last school year with us, the **************** discounts were altered by the government and thus we reviewed and provided her a refund of $1775.26.  This was the 'final refund' as per the acceptance of the e-transfer (see attached) as this child withdrew in August 2024. Aside from that, going back 2 school years prior to that does not fall within a reasonable scope for verification.  This file was closed. 

  Customer Answer

  Date: 08/11/2024

   
  Complaint: 22523828
  
  I am rejecting this response because:
  
  Limitation Act section 24 

  Limitation periods extended if liability acknowledged
  

  The daycare acknowledged there was an outstanding amount on the file in Sept 2024.

  They offered a partial refund of $1532.08 which was later cancelled. This proves they were fully aware of the on going outstanding amount.

  I have been in constant communication since September to resolve this issues. Multiple times I was given a response I need to look into it 

  As you can see there have been multiple emails following up with the account and the daycare had asked for the end of October to look into in. When I asked for a follow up end of October it was asking for another week. Based on the series of events, they daycare dragged on responding to the email until what they thought was the end of the limitation period. That is not acting in good faith.

   

  
  Sincerely,
  
  ***** ****

  Business Response

  Date: 12/11/2024

  That is incorrect information and completely false. 

  For the school year that ended in August 2024, there was a regular revision in grants made by the government and thereby a refund was made to this family in September 2024 to simply bring the account up to date.  So, in September 2024 the refund e-transfer for $1,775.26 was received by them as "final adjustment" as noted in their e-transfer memo, as this student left us at the end of August 2024. The account was closed at that time. 

  There was absolutely NO acknowledgment or agreement that there were any other outstanding amounts on this file for the 20/2021 school year, for which this complaint is about, because as mentioned it was 4.5 years ago and despite efforts, could not be verified from that far back.
  

  In addition, she would not have accepted the e-transfer of $1,1775.26 stating final adjustment if that were there case. 

  And since then we have also not acknowledged any outstanding amounts for which she was referring to.  

  As an additional piece of information; going back to June 1, 2022 in an email that she acknowledged receiving, we had a conversation about tuition in general where I was answering some generic questions and even in that email she was advised to always immediately notify us, no later than 3 months if ever she had any concerns about tuition or if there was a discrepency.  She is aware this is also written in her parent agreement that she signed with our school.

  Based only on her longevity as a registered family, her constant insistence and multiple emails that she had information that we had no access to from 2020/21( where we could not accurately verify or match to her inquiry 4.5 years later), her alleged hardships, and that the family was a valued member of this school community, we offered her a one time goodwill credit only.  And in the email to her in November 2024 we explicitly stated that it was a GOODWILL GESTURE ONLY.  A one time goodwill gesture, which she chose not to accept.

  Here is the scope of the last email reply she received in November 2024 which clearly states the above:

  "As mentioned, we have done our due diligence and can not confidently confirm those amounts from 4.5 years ago of paperwork, coupled with the fact and your knowledge that parents are requested to provide us with any discrepancies immediately within 3 months time(which you were reminded in writing on June 1 2022),  and the fact that this particular request is beyond a 2 years scope where it also wasnt brought to our attention within a reasonable time,  just to name a few of the issues with your request.  As you mentioned to me, you had the opportunity within two years from your alleged discovery to start action if you wished, and you did not file action within that timeframe. You have not done your due diligence with timelines in any respect.  As mentioned, this was a goodwill gesture only.  If you do not want it, we can cancel it.."

   

   

   

  Customer Answer

  Date: 13/11/2024

   
  Complaint: 22523828
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

  Here are the facts

  1. My child was enrolled from Nov 2020 - Aug 2024

  2. Business records are supposed to be kept 6 years - **************************************************************************************************************************************************************

  3. I can provide all my bank statements for all the payments made

  4. The ***** and subsidy can provide records of the money collected 

  5. The money collected is more than tuition due

  Sincerely,
  
  ***** ****

  Business Response

  Date: 15/11/2024

  The 6 years refers to filing an income tax return for a corporation as a whole with proper financial statements, not individual student records.
  Throughout this registration there have been multiple government program offers, including ccfri and accb, where both of these have had multiple revisions and months where students were either eligible or ineligible and varying amounts that the government reviewed periodically and made changes throughout, based on multiple factors including attendance in class.  All these are very specific to applicants,application dates, program offer dates, due dates of submission  and centre eligibility to name only a few factors.  As mentioned previously we were not able to verify the same information this parent provided years later for all of the charges, amendments, reimbursements and adjustments made for this family with checks and balances going back to 2020/21 when it wasnt brought to our attention at that time. This parent signed a contract and is well aware that discrepancies given the complexity of the number of government programs involved and other factors throughout each school year where multiple students are provided different financial arrangements on a monthly basis it requires immediate attention, and the parents sign a document stating that they must bring this to our attention within a 3 month period.  It has now been 4 years. This parent did not do their due diligence in a timely fashion. It addition, at any time during the 4 years, they also had the freedom to put in a claim within the 2 year discovery period, which they failed to do.
  According to our recent records, at the time of the last final refund that this parent received and accepted, the account was up to date.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 15/11/2024

   
  Complaint: 22523828
  
  I am rejecting this response because: 

  the total money collected is more then the total tuition 
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ***** ****