Complaints

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• Initial Complaint

  Date:27/07/2022

  Type:Product 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.

  Hello,
  I would like to file a complaint concerning Soccer Shots Metro Vancouver, BC, Canada, which is a franchise of Soccer Shots PA, USA. In brief, I feel the program has not been run as advertised, and I requested a pro rated refund. I paid $250 for two children to attend a 5 day summer camp, and attended one day of the camp. I asked for a refund of 4 days of camp which I did not attend. The franchise agreed to a refund for 4 days, but then charged me an administration fee of $50 which I feel is punitive and unfair. I requested that the administration fee be waived and the franchise has refused. The issue arises over the content and delivery of the Soccer Shots summer camp. It was my understanding that the camp would be primarily soccer focused, and primarily outdoors, neither of which was the case. Also when my children attended the camp on the first day, one of my children was not provided a soccer ball to participate in the soccer drills, therefore one of my children out of 25 stood there on the field without a ball to participate, which I objected to. The program was scheduled to run 12 noon - 3 pm for 5 days. We waited outside for the soccer portion of the program to start, none of the outdoor program started until 1:40 pm, therefore we were sitting outside for an hour and a half. This is the statement on the Soccer Shots email confirmation: "As noted in your enrollment, a majority of the camp time will be spent outdoors" and receipt "The summer camp will be held primarily outdoors" Overall, the children were in a gym from 12- 1:40 pm, and again from 215-240 pm, leaving outdoor time of approximately only 1 hour out of a 3 hour enrollment. This did not meet my expectations of an outdoor soccer focused program, and a lack of equipment (soccer balls). When Soccer Shots runs a camp, I think my understanding was reasonable that it would involve more soccer and outdoors. I chose an outdoor program for Covid safety for my children, hence the dispute.

  Business Response

  Date: 29/07/2022

  Hello.
  
  Hope you are well.
  
  Thank you for the notice regarding this complaint and the ability to provide additional context regarding the situation.
  
  We have attached four documents that will be valuable to reference in our response.
  
  First, please refer to the 'Participant_EnrollmentConfirmations'. Within this, we have included our Soccer Shots Metro Vancouver enrollment confirmations. Within the confirmation, the enrollment details pertaining to each participant are included. They were enrolled by the individual who has put forward the complaint. Within this enrollment confirmation, information pertaining to our refund policy is included. This refund policy can also be found on our website, on our FAQS page: https://www.soccershots.com/metrovancouver/faqs/. In this policy, it is noted that refunds within 14 days of the program are subject to a $25 administrative fee and any refunds prior to a 2nd session are subject to pro-ration. Our actions were consistent and in reference of this policy which is communicated to families when they enroll and visible on our site.
  
  Secondly, please refer to '07.2022_ParentCorrespondense'. This document begins with the correspondence sent to all families prior to the first camp day. In this original correspondence, it is noted that children will be accepted in the gymnasium for lunch and will then proceed with the camp. It is also noted to prepare the children for outdoor activities by packing them with appropriate items (sunscreen, hats, etc.). The first response to this email from Tanya indicated a concern for COVID-19 and the desire to enjoy lunch with her children outdoors. As disclosed in the correspondence, we then provided direction of how to meet our camp after this lunch. Later in the day, there was feedback regarding the program and an attempted follow up from our coordinator.
  
  Please refer to “27.07.2022_CoordinatorAccount_SoccerShotsMetroVan’. In this document, our coordinator explains the conversation had with the individual after having the chance to connect with her regarding her feedback. We will summarize this interaction, as shared by our coordinator:
  ·       The individual mentions to our coordinator that she thinks she misinterpreted our program.
  ·       Our coordinator does a fantastic job remaining patient and calm to ensure that the appropriate context is provided regarding our camp program.
  ·       Despite this context, the individual had continued feedback and decided to pursue a withdrawal and asked of her options.
  
  Please refer back to '07.2022_ParentCorrespondense'. This led to the next email on Tuesday, July 19th at 12:14pm clarifying the details of the refund request and the next steps pertaining to the withdrawals. 
  ·       As noted in the attachment ‘Participant_Enrollment Confirmations’ refund requests within 14 days of the program includes a $25 administrative fee. Additionally, any program in which a class has occurred will incur a pro-ration cost. The total cost of the camp was $125 for five days; equaling to $25 a day. This resulted in the held funds of $50 per child ($25 for the pro-ration and $25 for the administrative fee).
  
  In addition to sending this note regarding the withdrawal, our coordinator continued with her daily check-ins with our coaches and was provided a descriptive account of the situation from the first day by our lead coach, Coach Karn. For this coach account, please refer to ’19.07.2022_CoachAccount_SoccerShotsMetroVan’. In this account, our coach proceeds to explain the situation from her perspective in relation to the individual with the complaint. We will summarize this interaction, as shared by our coach:
  ·       Coach Karn addressed the missing ball with the children while in the camp. Despite attempting to rectify the situation, the children insisted on sharing their ball. Thankfully, this activity did not last very long but our coach was disappointed that this could not be resolved within that activity time.
  ·       With 25 kids interests, thoughts, and feelings to consider, Coach Karn used both the indoor and outdoor facets of the site of the program. Being the first day, it is important for our coaches to gain trust, and comfort with the children and ensure they are heard and safe. This meant shared time between outdoors and indoors as not all children wanted to continue activity outdoors.
  ·       Even though Coach Karn did a fantastic job addressing the full group she was responsible for, she prioritized customer service and took the time to speak to the individual and provide context of the program as she felt the individual was unhappy. Additionally, she had planned and agreed to alter aspects of her camp plan to incorporate further outdoor time to accommodate the needs of the children.
  
  With this context, we proceeded communication as shared in the attachment ’07.2022_ParentCorrespondence’. The individual expressed various reasons for their displeasure with the program but were shared at different times through our correspondence:
  ·       Initially, the reason for withdrawal was due to the misunderstanding of the camp. However, as shared in the correspondence on July 19th at 1:29pm, our camp description shared during enrollment disclosed the details of our camp offering:
  o    “Soccer Shots Camps provide children with an opportunity to develop their soccer skills, their character, and their creativity. Centered around a theme, children are provided with fun activities that include soccer games as well as a variety of other age-appropriate options such as crafts, team building exercises, snack time, or even literature. Children will be encouraged to participate in daily themes, and each camp will conclude with a celebration of the children’s hard work.”
  o    For further validation, we can provide the description is shown during enrollment, on the enrollment page. However, we could not add an additional document.
  ·       As correspondence continued, the individual shared the unfortunate incident pertaining to the ball. As acknowledged on July 19th at 2:35pm, we shared the disapproval of a child not having their own ball. We disclosed the actions that were taken from an administrative perspective to ensure such situation would not occur again. However, as noted in the ‘CoachAccount_SoccerShotsMetroVan’ our coach attempted to rectify the situation at the camp site to ensure the child had a positive experience but was unsuccessful as the child was content with sharing with their sibling.
  
  All in all, we felt this situation was handled professionally and appropriately. Our refund policies remained consistent throughout this interaction (which resulted in $81.25 being refunded to the individual), we took the time to provide context for each concern presented and were genuinely appreciative of the feedback provided knowing that our camp experiences may not be for everyone, despite it being only the first day.
  
  This outcome is unfortunate and is not something we are enjoying being a part of. However, we trust our amazing coaches and their judgement when working with children. The positive feedback from other parents and the school administrators over the duration of these camps is a testament to their strength and successes.
  
  We are thankful for feedback and will learn from this situation.
  
  Kindly.
  
  Soccer Shots Metro Vancouver

   

   

  Customer Answer

  Date: 01/08/2022

  
  
  Complaint: ********
  
  
  
  I am rejecting this response because: I do not feel the charge of a $50 administrative fee is fair or equitable.  I feel this amount is excessive, because my request to withdraw was due to the quality and content of the program, otherwise I would have remained in the program. 

  I disagree with the statement that my children were happy to share a ball in the program, my children were simply being polite and doing what they were told.  The coach on the field asked them to share a ball, I presume, because she knew they were siblings?  I went to my car to get a ball for my other child so they could fully participate.  

  I bring to your attention these statements from Soccer Shots that the program was supposed to be primarily outdoors and it was not what was advertised:

  
  Statement on Soccer Shots receipt on June 1 "Enrollment Information Summer camp will begin with lunch. Please ensure your child has their lunch and adequate snacks for the remainder of the day. The summer camp will be held primarily outdoors. Please prepare your child appropriately for the weather (sunglasses, sunscreen, water, etc.)."
  
  
  Statement from Soccer Shots on July 14th "Please pack your child with adequate fluids (juice, water, etc.), sunscreen, snacks, and lunch as well as dress your child appropriately for the weather. As noted in your enrollment, a majority of the camp time will be spent outdoors."

  
  
  
  Sincerely,
  
  
  
  ***** *****

  Business Response

  Date: 02/08/2022

  Hello.
  
  As noted in our recent correspondence and the attached files from our previous response, our refund and withdrawal policies are clearly stated on our enrollment confirmations and our website. These policies remain consistent regardless of the material of withdrawal unless deemed otherwise by our administrative team.
  
  
  In this scenario, the family was refunded their due amount (as per our policies). As concurrent with our policy, there was both a pro-ration and administrative fee (per enrollment) charged - totalling $50 per enrollment. As a result, each enrollment was refunded $81.25.
  
  
  Additionally, we do not accept the claim of false advertising provided by the individual. This claim is not taken lightly by the organization as we pride ourselves of being an honest organization that provides impactful sport programming for youth. We do not operate with the intent of misleading or misguiding our families. Please see below for additional reasons why (in addition to our previous correspondence with shared documentation) we do not accept this claim:
  
  
  -As stated above, we pride ourselves of being an honest organization that provides impactful sport programming for youth. We operate with integrity and pride ourselves on our communication. We do not operate with the intent of misleading or misguiding our families and have not sold this program to be different than it was executed. This product purchased by the individual was advertised as a five day Soccer Shots summer camp for elementary aged school children (not a one day camp).
  
  
  -The notes that the individual has quoted are not from our program description. The program description is utilized to describe the respective product of purchase and help the consumer make an informed decision. The quoted items that were shared by the individual were in place due to safety and program preparedness for families and were never utilized to promote or advertise our program. See attached document "SummerCamp_ProgramDescription" for our program description as shown on our enrollment pages when families enroll.
  
  
  -See attached document "SmilingCreek_SummerCamp_2022" for our program flyer distributed to the school communities. This advertisement does not advertise an outdoor specific camp; rather our soccer camp including the description that we have once again included above. Many of our enrollments were shared this flyer prior to enrollment by the school district we partnered with.
  
  
  -See attached documents "SummerCampEmail_1" and "SummerCampEmail_2" for a copy of the marketing emails sent to our Soccer Shots families regarding our summer camps. Again, as noted above, the camps were not advertised as outdoors and were communicated to families similarly to that of the flyers that were distributed.
  
  
  -The timetable shared by the individual and coach (in their account previously attached) explains approximately a 50/50 split of outside/inside - not including indoor time for lunch. As noted in our correspondence with the individual that was previously attached, the lunch is spent indoors due to safety concerns and we take the time to allow all children to finish without rushing/pressuring. In consideration of that, the provided breakdown of time by our coach and the individual demonstrate an effort to utilize both indoor and outdoor spaces. However, as shared in previous attachments and correspondence by our coach, the majority of children in the camp did not enjoy the poor weather that respective day and were requesting to move indoors. As a result, instead of a majority of the day spent outside (outside of lunch time), there was increased indoor time, resulting in a 50/50 split on that respective day. Our coaches consideration of all children and their feelings led them then to bring the camp back indoors on that respective day. When asked by the individual, all responses (from Coach, Coordinator and admin team) were explicit when communicating this course of action by our Coach and even our Coach offered to increase outdoor time the next day for this respective family. As shared previously, we trust our coaches judgement and are proud of their work done to keep all the children safe on that first day of camp.
  
  
  -The individual only attended the first day of camp and no further camp days. As shared by our coordinator and our staff, the first day is always unique (which was shared to the individual). The first day involves getting to know every child and working through any last minute program items due to the group dynamics. From a first day perspective, as we shared in the previous attached documents, we were extremely proud with our coach and their dealings with the children. All children were safe and were ready for a fun and busy remaining week of camp that would have included many outdoor activities.
  
  
  All in all, the program feedback and camp feedback have been heard. We appreciate the position of the Better Business Bureau and their support of the consumer and their complaint. We accept the process and will work to improve our organization.
  
  However, we do not accept the claim of falsely advertising this camp (as shared above) and will not be taken any further actions. We have now provided all necessary context and information relative to our decision.
  
  
  Thank you.
  
  
  Soccer Shots Metro Vancouver

  Customer Answer

  Date: 03/08/2022

  
  
  Complaint: ********
  
  
  
  I am rejecting this response because: I feel the administrative fee of $50 is excessive relative to the reasons for our withdrawal from the program, and relative to the overall cost of the program.  I feel the business is defending their position, and perhaps not fully understanding my perspective about what happened, and sticking to a  rigid refund policy that perhaps should not apply in this circumstance.

  I also reject their comments about my statement concerning the program being advertised as primarily advertised as outdoors.  This was clearly stated in two separate correspondence items from the company.

  This was not the first week the camp was run, and I got the impression many of the children had attended the week prior.  It was certainly not an awful weather day either. We were outside on the field for the 3 hour period, without any complaints from my children. I disagree with a 50 / 50 split on time, even if factoring in lunch.  It was a 3 hour program, and outdoor time was less than an hour.

  
  Sincerely,
  
  
  
  ***** *****