Complaints

This profile includes complaints for Capitol Debate's headquarters and its corporate-owned locations. To view all corporate locations, see Find Local Branches.

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  Capitol Debate

  2185 Faraday Ave Ste 100 Carlsbad, CA 92008-7206

  
• 

  Capitol Debate

  2100 Palomar Airport Rd # 211 Carlsbad, CA 92011-4405

  

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:02/19/2025

  Type:Customer Service Issues
  Status:

  ResolvedMore 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 writing to request a full refund of $5240 that I paid to Capitol Debate in 2020 and 2024. I first registered the camp before COVID in 2020 with $2,016 with tuition, room and board. With COVID, my kid was hospitalized a few times due to mental health issues and we were not in the position to attend right after COVID. I requested to refund the money, but was told that no refund and I can only use it as credit. To avoid losing money, I registered in 2024 camp and now the tuition sored to $3224 without room, board and meal. It is 60% increase!!! If I selected the same camp program with room and board, the price will be $3,999 (98% increase). As a single working mom, I can't afford to do the $3999 camp so I had to down grade to the $3224. 1) when I check out, there is no place to pick to apply the $2,016 credit. To save the seat, I had to register fast so I checked out without the credit. After that, I have requested numerous times to apply the credit and issue me the refund. NOOOOO responses!2) There is no communication about the camp info, and I looked on the website. The website gave me the wrong week, so I arrived to the MA camp site one week late. I called numerous times to reschedule it and emailed in June 2024 to request help. NOOOOOOOOO responses!! I am deeply disappointed how the institution capitalized parents' desire to jack up the price by 60-98% in 3-4 years. AND I am incredibly frustrated that they completely ignore consumer's rights to issue refunds appropriately. AND there is no sincerity to respond to consumers' questions. Simply NOOOOO responses!!! I no longer want my kid to attend the camp anymore! I strongly request the full refunds of $5,240 to me promptly. If no resolution, I will file the lawsuits in the small claim court to seek for justice. Thank you!

  

  Business Response

  Date: 02/26/2025

  We appreciate the opportunity to address Ms. ***** concerns regarding her childs registration for Capitol Debates summer program. We take all customer feedback seriously and always strive to provide clear communication and fair policies for all families attending our programs.
  
  First and foremost, we sincerely empathize with Ms. ***** situation and understand the challenges she has faced over the past few years. While we regret that her child was unable to attend camp, we have consistently communicated our policies, including our no-refund policy, which was clearly stated at the time of her original registration and reiterated in our subsequent email correspondence.
  
  Regarding her concerns about communication:
         Our team proactively reached out via phone and email on both Day 1 and Day 2 of camp when her child did not arrive, following our standard protocol to ensure families are aware of their campers absence and to offer assistance.
         We acknowledge that she had challenges applying her existing credit during checkout. However, our team has been available to assist with credit application, and we have offered guidance on how to use the credits toward future programs.
         We also recognize her frustration regarding the camp date confusion. Our camp information, including dates, is always posted on our official website, and our team is available to answer questions regarding registration details.
  
  While we cannot accommodate her request for a refund, we remain committed to working with her to ensure that her credit is applied toward a future Capitol Debate program that best fits her childs needs. We would be happy to discuss options with her directly. We have reached out to Ms. **** and await to hear from her. 
  
  We hope this explanation clarifies our position, and we appreciate the opportunity to respond. Please let us know if any additional information is required.
  

  Customer Answer

  Date: 02/27/2025

  Their response didnt resolve my complaints at all and didnt take any responsibility to issue any refund.  I am not satisfied at all.  
  

  Question: they reached out to me directly and shall I work with them directly or through BBB?  I asked the same question to BBB a couple times and have not received the responses yet. 
  

  Thank you!
  Jean 

  

  Business Response

  Date: 03/07/2025

  We have reached to the customer and look forward to hearing back.  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:10/22/2023

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  ResolvedMore 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.

  Hi, I signed my daughter up for the **** camp, confirmed and paid in full. Following week I got a call from ***** who is the office manager of the camp indicating that my daughter needs to move to another campus in **. We were very disappointed and some back and forth ensued, ultimately it was determined that my daughter would need to attend camp in **. Not ideal as we wanted to goto the **** camp but since our plans were conformed we agreed to attend the ** camp. At that point in time I asked when can I expect the difference to be refunded to me, as the yale camp was more expensive than the one in **. I was met with silence and completely ignored on all the times that I followed up with calls and messages. They now have a 300 dollars credit on my account however I do not want a credit. They have held my money since May and I want the refund back. Its not a credit as I didnt change my mind, they charged me a higher price for a lower level camp and therefore it is unethical to now hold my money for so many months. It seems this business has a history of not giving customers back what is rightfully theirs. Pls help to correct this egregious bad business practice.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 10/29/2023

  Resolved

  Customer Answer

  Date: 10/30/2023

  
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution would be satisfactory to me.  I consider this matter resolved. Thank you for your help. 
  
  Regards,
  
  Mei Messenger
  
   
  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:08/26/2022

  Type:Service or Repair 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.

  Capitol Debate public speaking Unfortunately, he had an unsatisfactory experience with the camp it did not deliver the quality of learning we originally signed/paid up for. They call it public speaking and they never practiced public speaking it was all debate. I contacted ******************* from Capitol Debate to say we were frustrated no public speaking was being taught. He said they would be practicing. They never did. We paid a significant amount of money for terrible service. They promised to send me my sons video and certificate and have not. I have emailed and called and have received no response to solve this situation.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 09/02/2022

  Dear *****,

   

  Thank you for your comments.  Sorry to hear that ******* was not able to attend the last day of camp.  He missed the opportunity to demonstrate to you all the skills he gained at camp and receive his certificate.  We were able to film ******* the day before and ***** emailed you a link to that video with *******'s certificate and teacher feedback.  Students have the opportunity to practice public speaking every single day of camp.  ******* did impromptu speeches, extemporaneous speeches,  and persuasive speeches.  He also participated in many mini-debates plus 4 Full debates at camps!   We had separate public speaking lessons on voice projection, articulation, vocal variety, eye contact, hand gestures, body movements and intonation.  After every single ******* the teachers helped ******* put his new skill to practice!   ***** has both called and emailed you and looks forward to hearing back.