Complaints

This profile includes complaints for Hot Yoga & Pilates's headquarters and its corporate-owned locations. To view all corporate locations, see Find Local Branches.

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  Hot Yoga & Pilates

  28 - 1170 Burnhamthorpe Rd W Mississauga, ON L5C 4E6

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  Hot Yoga & Pilates

  178 Lakeshore Rd E Oakville, ON L6J 1H6

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:17/07/2023

  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.

  On May 12, 2023 I have paid $1,025.87 for a pilates teacher training offered by Hot Yoga and Pilates studio. This training was suggested by the studio owner, Lisa M, and she has been persuading me to start teaching pilates since January 2023.
  This training was advertised as available for everyone who wants to become instructor and teach pilates. The information about this training was not appropriately and transparently posted online, in fact the studio provided misleading, ********* and false information.
  I seek refund for this training. The studio is not appropriately qualified to provide teacher trainings for pilates and they did not provide certification.
  Moreover, I am not ale to obtain employment anywhere else with this training other than their studio.
  My many attempts to come to resolution and receive refund in order to pursue appropriate training and receive qualification / certification have been ignored by the studio and they adamantly refuse refund.

  Business Response

  Date: 28/07/2023

  Dear Ms. Janine V,
  
  
  Thank you for your correspondence of July 17, 2023, advising of a complaint by one Ms. ******** *******.  Although we are disturbed by the content of the complaint and the allegations contained within, we are unfortunately not surprised. 
  
  Ms. ******* was a subcontracted yoga instructor at our studio from February 2022 to approximately June 2023.  During her tenure, we encountered numerous complaints about interactions with Ms. *******.  These complaints came from studio members, instructors, and administrative staff, all advising of altercations of varying degrees with Ms. *******.  Ms.  ******* also failed to show up for several scheduled classes leaving our studio members out in the cold and leaving us to compensate these members for her absenteeism. We have been in this industry for well over a decade.  We are not insulated from the common hazards that confront small and large business owners alike.  As an employer and as a wellness care provider in the service industry, we are attuned to the many problems that can arise in both realms and we take them in stride.  We took this approach with Ms. ******* as well; accepting apologies and allowing countless opportunities to improve her customer relations, colleague comradery, and her skills as an instructor.  Not everyone is immediately a perfect fit, and we always opt to make things work wherever possible.  We attribute our staff/instructor retention, employee morale, client loyalty, positive online presence, and expanding business, to our holistic and even-keeled approach to everyday problems that all small businesses face. 
  
  Ms. ******* wanted to expand her instructor credentials to secure more opportunities to teach at Hot Yoga and Pilates, thereby increasing her earnings.  Ms. ******* was only teaching yoga at the time she approached us about how she could achieve this.  We were happy to accommodate by offering her a Pilates course created, curated, and operated by our facility, for applied use in our facility.  It would enable her to teach Pilates classes at Hot Yoga and Pilates. 
   
  The implicit and explicit allegations in her complaint of forcefulness, persuasion, duplicity, and misrepresentation are false.  Ms. ******* made an inquiry about how to earn more income and obtain increased studio time at Hot Yoga and Pilates, and we simply answered in kind with complete transparency.  ******** ** our advertisement for the course that was offered and accepted by Ms. *******, evidencing our transparency and clear disclosure of the course details and the parameters of its use in our facility. 
  
  Her allegations that the course offered is/was in breach of some sort of industry or professional standard is also false.  She fails to reference the professional guidelines and/or personal yardstick by which we are apparently to adhere to in her view.  *********** ** **** ******** similar course offerings from competing studios as an example of our compliance with informal industry standard practices and expectations. 
   
  Finally, the allegations made that our teachers and instructors are not “appropriately qualified” is both false, and defamatory.  To be clear, there is no governing body or officially recognized certification to become a Pilates instructor in Ontario.  Certification is not legally mandated.  There is no organization that regulates or polices the industry.  Like other small businesses in our field, we are self regulated with the motive of garnering customer satisfaction, personal and professional reputational standing, and business longevity.  Training programs such as the one we offer provide valuable education on anatomy, physiology, teaching techniques, and modifications for different populations, which contributes to the effectiveness of our Pilates instructors.  Their effectiveness in turn generates into our business growth.  We have no incentive to proffer shoddy training to our own instructors, as it would ultimately cause irreparable harm to our reputation and business in this highly competitive industry. 
   
  Several well-known and respected organizations offer Pilates instructor certification programs in Canada, such as the Pilates Method Alliance (PMA), the Canadian Pilates Institute (CPI), and the Physical Mind Institute (PMI). These certification programs typically involve completing a comprehensive training course, demonstrating proficiency in teaching Pilates exercises, and passing written and practical exams.  They are significantly more costly and expansive in their intensity and duration than the course we offer as a local studio.  There was complete transparency with what we were offering in comparison to such courses.  Both are qualified in their own rights. 
  
   
  To give context to the origin story of Ms. *******’s reported grievances, we must offer some detail of the events that have transpired since her departure from our studio leading up to this complaint. 
  
   
  On June 10th, 20 days after the training was completed, we received a text message from Ms. ******* stating the following:
  
   
  “I am very grateful for Mike’s training on May 22nd, although I would like to receive my certification. Moreover, I am confused as to why I paid for the training, when other teachers had free training. My move to Oakville is happening sooner than anticipated, so money is tight right now. If you can please reimburse for training, that would be greatly appreciated.
  
  Thank you,
  
  ********”
  
   
  We advised Ms. ******* she would not be reimbursed for the training. Ms. *******’s inability to accept our refusal to refund her for the training propagated the unfortunate deterioration of our relationship. We attempted to part ways amicably and wished Ms. ******* well in her future endeavors.  Ms. ******* has since taken her personal vendetta online, engaging in a very active smear campaign against our studio, the owners, and its instructors. Police were called but we were told that all actions at present fell short of any law enforcement engagement.  We were told to report any incidences if matters escalated. The libellous and defamatory nature of these activities are being reviewed by a lawyer now, and we will spare you of those details.  ** **** ******** **** **** *********** ** ******** ** *** ********* ******* ********* ** **** ** *** *********
  
  
  Finally, and most troubling, the relief Ms. ******* is seeking here (i.e., a full refund of the training course taken in the amount of $1,015.87) appears to have become a moot issue.  We have just learned that Ms. ******* contacted her credit card company and misrepresented the subject transaction as an act fraud/credit card *****.  This was a genuine, authentic transaction made with full awareness of the services to be received, AND full receipt of those services!  This entire set of transgressions on her part, including this complaint, are merely acts of revenge-fuelled buyer’s remorse.  The credit card company, in relying on her falsehoods, has reversed the transaction and we are now in the process of trying to remediate this outright *****.  We will be reporting this ***** ** ***** *** ****** **** ***** to the credit card company and bank, and police if instructed to do so. In the interim, it appears Ms. ******* has received her “refund.”  Her expressed desired settlement is now entirely improbable, assuming it wasn’t before **** ******** *** *** *********.  ** **** ******** ******** ** *** *********** *********
  
   
  We defer to your expertise on how best to navigate this complaint, given all the ancillary legal issues surrounding this matter that now entangle us even further with Ms. *******. 
  
  
  Please also confirm you have received this as an appropriate response to her complaint ** ** ** ****** ***** **** *** ******** *** *** ****** ****** **** ** ********** *********
  
  Please contact us to discuss further and devise any possible options to resolve this matter as it pertains to the BBB.  We have retained a lawyer to help with all matters described above that fall outside BBB’s dominion.
   
  
  Yours Truly,
  Mike and Lisa M.
  Owners and Founders of HOT Yoga and Pilates
  
   

  Customer Answer

  Date: 01/08/2023

  
  
  Complaint: ********
  
  
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

  
  The allegations about studio members and instructor complaints / altercations have never been brought forward by Hot Yoga and Pilates until now. 
  If these complaints are true, I am confused, why Lisa M, the studio owner, continued to persuade me to work at their studios and stated per her very last text messages from June 10, 2023:
  
  “The training offers you an opportunity to expand on the classes you currently teach at the studio, so you can ultimately teach more classes at the studio, as you expressed you wanted. It is an investment, as Once you teach 25 classes, you will have made your money back and then a lifetime of income potential.”
  
  Further Lisa said:
  
  “You have made it this far.. You have 5 regular classes with us weekly, plus a full Pilates training complete, Which would have been least 3 more classes weekly - You are walking away from a solid 8 classes/week schedule in a city you are  moving to. You can rest assure anyone and everyone teaching for us will be taking our specific HOT Yoga and Pilates paid training, or going to the same sources we did- Vegas for Gabi,  Thailand for Bikram, or BC for Bernie’s yin… if they want to teach for us.”

  Turns out none of the teachers teaching for Hot Yoga and Pilates paid for their training and it goes to show further how questionable their credibility really is. 
  
  I am satisfied with the outcome of the credit card company decision to reverse the transaction and refund me the money paid on May 12, 2023. I intend to use the funds to pursue appropriate training and receive certification. 
  
  *** **** *** ******* **** ** *********** ***** ** ******* **** *********** ** ***** ******* **. They have made these ******* allegations in their response dated July 27, 2023 and with Halton Police. I have requested the police evidence occurrence report *** ****** ** ***** ******* * ***** *********** *** ******* *** ********** ** **** ******** **** ********** *** ***** *********** ** ***** ******* ***

  Thank you for your assistance with this matter.

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