Complaints

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

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  Varsity Tutors LLC

  8001 Forsyth Blvd Ste 1050 Clayton, MO 63105

  
• 

  Varsity Tutors LLC

  4525 Oak St Kansas City, MO 64111-1818

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:12/01/2022

  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.

  I believe Varsity Tutors is participating in predatory business practices. I was going to cancel my tutoring initially back in late September 2022 as I was unhappy with my tutor. I was well within the 30-day full refund, but I spoke to an Account Manager at Varsity who set me up with a new tutor. I was pleased with my new tutor. The Account Manager convinced me to purchase more tutoring sessions and she convinced me to buy the amount she believed I needed to purchase which was way over what I thought I would need. I was wary, and I specifically asked about what happens if I don't use all the credits. I was told over the phone that unused credits would be refunded. Based on the verbal confirmation from Varsity Tutors, I agreed to purchase more sessions feeling confident that I would use what I needed and be refunded for what I did not use. I ended up purchasing 36 hours in total. My exam is coming up this Saturday, December 3rd and my last tutoring session is tomorrow, Friday, December 2nd. I will have approximately 9 hours of unused credits. This equates to about $1,000. I absolutely would not have gone through with the purchase if I was not told I could be refunded for hours I did not use.
  I did some googling and I see that other people had the same experiences with being told they can get refunded for unused hours only for Varsity Tutors to go back on their word. It's a shame that a company promising to help people, with a 100% satisfaction guarantee, can turn around and take money from multiple people that are looking at bettering themselves through education.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 12/14/2022

  Please see the attached letter for Varsity's response to the complaint.

  Varsity is in receipt of the Complaint (as defined above) filed by *** *********** on December 1, 2022.
  This letter shall serve as Varsity’s response to the matters raised in the Complaint; however, please note
  that the parties have reached an amicable resolution that fully resolves any and all issues in the
  Complaint.
  
  By way of background, Varsity is a live learning platform that, among other things, seamlessly connects
  experts and learners in any subject, anywhere, at any time. This includes connecting students with
  tutoring, academic enrichment, and test-preparation needs with vetted, independently contracted tutors
  and test instructors who provide those services directly to students (not Varsity), either in person or
  online, at times and locations agreed upon between them (such as a library or coffee shop, in the student’s
  home, etc), as Varsity does not have any physical locations for tutoring or instruction.1 Varsity’s platform
  also offers customers/students several different choices for how to engage with tutors, instructors, experts,
  and professionals including one-on-one (between one tutor and student), small group tutoring (between
  one tutor or instructor and a small group of selected students), group courses (with one tutor or instructor
  leading a session with a large number of participants), or combinations of the above. Customers/students
  of the platform can also get immediate, live, one-on-one tutoring or instruction in more than 100 subjects
  in as little as 15 seconds by connecting with a tutor through the Instant Tutoring feature on Varsity’s
  platform.
  
  In addition to the above, Varsity has expanded its offerings through its platform to include Professional
  Certifications. The Professional Certifications offering connects customers/students with tutors and/or
  instructors to assist in various professional certification tests (such as NCLEX or SHRM-SCP, among
  others), in a one-on-one format or group format. As independent contractors, the tutors, instructors, and
  experts who offer their services through the platform (in any capacity) have their own materials, styles,
  and methods as indicated on every page of Varsity’s website (*********************).
  
  Varsity highlights its policies on the website and attempts to set realistic expectations with the potential
  customers/students who seek to be matched with a contracted tutor, instructor, or expert through Varsity’s
  online platform. Varsity is transparent about its services and uses its Terms of Customer Accounts Use
  (the “TOCAU”) to reinforce the process. In fact, the potential customers/students must review and sign
  
  1 Although, in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, the in-person option is not currently offered; however, it was an
  available option to tutors and students assuming both were willing to meet in person until on or around mid-March,
  2020.
  Complaint # ********
  Page 2
  
  the TOCAU and acknowledge the policies before they ever engage in the services of a tutor through
  Varsity’s platform. Varsity’s website is also critical in setting these expectations and explaining the
  process and how it works, in addition to setting forth the terms of any guarantees, located at
  https://www.varsitytutors.com/guarantee-policy.
  
  Regarding *** *********** specifically and according to Varsity’s records, *** *********** first contacted
  Varsity in September 2022 in order to be matched with an online tutor. *** *********** made two separate
  purchases of hours through Varsity’s platform (September 9, 2022, and October 3, 2022, respectively),
  and executed a TOCAU for each purchase. Between September 9, 2022 and December 2, 2022, fourteen
  (14) sessions were invoiced to *** ***********’s account by her tutor for a total of 28 hours. On November
  30, 2022, *** *********** contacted Varsity to indicate that she had no additional tutoring needs at this
  time and, based upon having purportedly been told at the time of her initial purchase that she would be
  issued a refund of any hours that remained on her account if/when she completed her tutoring, requested a
  refund of the remaining eight (8) hours on her account. Despite being outside of the refund window set
  forth in each of the TOCAUs, Varsity decided to honor *** ***********’s representation of what she had
  been told, and issued the requested resolution. Accordingly, at the time the Complaint was received
  Varsity was already in communication with *** *********** and the parties ultimately reached an amicable
  resolution.
  
  Please consider this Varsity’s response to the Complaint (which, at this time, Varsity considers to have
  been resolved). Varsity is proud to be an affiliate of the BBB and values the relationship. If you have any
  questions or comments, or would like to further discuss, please do not hesitate to contact me.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:11/30/2022

  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.

  I was pushed into agreeing to a 12 month contract during a rushed telephone conversation. I was told I could cancel if we were not satisfied. I’ve had to fight with varsity tutors to get even the 4 hours promised. The tutorial g provided is awful. My sons grade has actually dropped during the less than 2 months with varsity tutors. I requested to cancel and they refused. I asked to speak to a supervisor and was assured one would call me. That was almost 2 weeks ago, and I hadn’t heard from anyone. They offer a new tutor, but from others reviews, that will not help. I want to cancel. I was never told I only had 30 days, or I would have canceled then. I am not seeking a refund of the wasted $777 I already paid, I just want to cancel moving forward. They are not providing adequate tutoring and I do not want to start over with a new tutor, snd throw more mo eat away. I do not want their services snd I do not want to continue to pay for subpar services.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 12/14/2022

  Please see attached for Varsity's response to the complaint.

  Varsity is in receipt of the Complaint (as defined above) filed by *** ***** on November 30, 2022. This
  letter shall serve as Varsity’s response to the matters raised in the Complaint; however, please note that
  the parties have already reached an amicable resolution that fully resolves any and all issues in the
  Complaint.
  By way of background, Varsity is a live learning platform that, among other things, seamlessly connects
  experts and learners in any subject, anywhere, at any time. This includes connecting students with
  tutoring, academic enrichment, and test-preparation needs with vetted, independently contracted tutors
  and test instructors who provide those services directly to students (not Varsity), either in person or
  online, at times and locations agreed upon between them (such as a library or coffee shop, in the student’s
  home, etc), as Varsity does not have any physical locations for tutoring or instruction.1 Varsity’s platform
  also offers customers/students several different choices for how to engage with tutors, instructors, experts,
  and professionals including one-on-one (between one tutor and student), small group tutoring (between
  one tutor or instructor and a small group of selected students), group courses (with one tutor or instructor
  leading a session with a large number of participants), or combinations of the above. Customers/students
  of the platform can also get immediate, live, one-on-one tutoring or instruction in more than 100 subjects
  in as little as 15 seconds by connecting with a tutor through the Instant Tutoring feature on Varsity’s
  platform.
  
  In addition to the above, Varsity has expanded its offerings through its platform to include Professional
  Certifications. The Professional Certifications offering connects customers/students with tutors and/or
  instructors to assist in various professional certification tests (such as NCLEX or SHRM-SCP, among
  others), in a one-on-one format or group format. As independent contractors, the tutors, instructors, and
  experts who offer their services through the platform (in any capacity) have their own materials, styles,
  and methods as indicated on every page of Varsity’s website (*********************).
  
  Varsity highlights its policies on the website and attempts to set realistic expectations with the potential
  customers/students who seek to be matched with a contracted tutor, instructor, or expert through Varsity’s
  online platform. Varsity is transparent about its services and uses its Terms of Customer Accounts Use
  
  1 Although, in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, the in-person option is not currently offered; however, it was an
  available option to tutors and students assuming both were willing to meet in person until on or around mid-March,
  2020.
  Complaint # ********
  Page 2
  
  (the “TOCAU”) to reinforce the process. In fact, the potential customers/students must review and sign
  the TOCAU and acknowledge the policies before they ever engage in the services of a tutor through
  Varsity’s platform. Varsity’s website is also critical in setting these expectations and explaining the
  process and how it works, in addition to setting forth the terms of any guarantees, located at
  ***********************************************
  
  Regarding *** ***** specifically and according to Varsity’s records, *** ***** first contacted Varsity in
  September 2022 in order to be matched with an online tutor. On September 21, 2022 *** *****
  purchased a Learning Membership for use on Varsity’s platform, which is a comprehensive solution that
  provides multimodal learning services to help customers achieve their learning goals. A Learning
  Membership entitles customers to set a number of live one-on-one tutoring hours per month on a
  recurring monthly basis, in addition to enrollment in certain live classes through the Varsity platform,
  among other benefits. *** *****’s Learning Membership would include four (4) hours each month for
  use with one-on-one tutoring through the platform. *** ***** executed the TOCAU on September 25,
  2022. During the first three (3) months, six (6) sessions were invoiced to *** *****’s account by her
  tutor. On November 19, 2022, *** ***** indicated to Varsity that she was unhappy with the services
  received to date. At the time the Complaint was received, Varsity had already communicated with ***
  ***** and the parties had reached an amicable resolution.
  
  Please consider this Varsity’s response to the Complaint (which, at this time, Varsity considers to have
  been resolved). Varsity is proud to be an affiliate of the BBB and values the relationship. If you have any
  questions or comments, or would like to further discuss, please do not hesitate to contact me.
  Regards,

• Initial Complaint

  Date:11/30/2022

  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.

  My child started to prepare for SAT exam with Varsity tutors on 10/5/2020 with tutor. My child planned to attend four years college. We targeted score from low 1400 and up. That score would be sufficient to apply to colleges.
  On 10/12/20 my child started to prepare for SAT exam with balance of 37 hours 56 minutes. Sessions were continued through first exam on December 5, 2020. The score was very disappointing below 1200, which makes my child ineligible to apply for universities. My child was very disappointed and wanted to go with ** ********* where other student from the same school received tutoring with high SAT scores outcome. I had faith in Varsity Tutors and convinced my child to stay.
  Next SAT exam was on 5/8/2021 and my child receive even lower score than a first time on low 1100.
  The last session with SAT tutor was on 5/5/21.
  I refilled the account on 6/14/21 total was 50 hours and 34 minutes, (after adding 47 hours) for SAT, which is equivalent to $3100, with intention to continue tutoring.
  After much consideration we realized that Varsity Tutors are failing us and decided not to seek tutoring.
  The whole experience with Varsity tutors put a great stress on my child and myself. My child did not learn anything with Varsity Tutors and declining scores were results. We spent seven (7) months studying with Varsity Tutors only to receive disappointing low score every time and not eligible to apply to colleges.
  The balance was left on Varsity Tutors account. It was reinstated once in 2021 and as of 5/16/22 expired. I was told that is contract is good for one year and I cannot get my money back ($3100).
  My child and I had highly unsatisfied experience and stress dealing with Varsity Tutors I am asking for reimbursement of my balance of 50 hours and 47 which is equivalent to $3100.
  Varsity Tutors is money making business with their policy that allow balance to expire after one year, rather that helping students to succeed.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 12/14/2022

  Please see the attached document for Varsity's response to the Complaint.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 12/15/2022

  Please see the attached letter for Varsity's response to the complaint. 

  Varsity is in receipt of the Complaint (as defined above) filed by *** ********* on November 30, 2022.
  This letter shall serve as Varsity’s response to the matters raised in the Complaint; however, please note
  that although Varsity’s attempts to make contact with *** ********* since its receipt of the Complaint
  have gone unanswered, Varsity has already provided what it believes to be an amicable resolution to **.
  *********** concerns.
  
  By way of background, Varsity is a live learning platform that, among other things, seamlessly connects
  experts and learners in any subject, anywhere, at any time. This includes connecting students with
  tutoring, academic enrichment, and test-preparation needs with vetted, independently contracted tutors
  and test instructors who provide those services directly to students (not Varsity), either in person or
  online, at times and locations agreed upon between them (such as a library or coffee shop, in the student’s
  home, etc), as Varsity does not have any physical locations for tutoring or instruction.1 Varsity’s platform
  also offers customers/students several different choices for how to engage with tutors, instructors, experts,
  and professionals including one-on-one (between one tutor and student), small group tutoring (between
  one tutor or instructor and a small group of selected students), group courses (with one tutor or instructor
  leading a session with a large number of participants), or combinations of the above. Customers/students
  of the platform can also get immediate, live, one-on-one tutoring or instruction in more than 100 subjects
  in as little as 15 seconds by connecting with a tutor through the Instant Tutoring feature on Varsity’s
  platform.
  
  In addition to the above, Varsity has expanded its offerings through its platform to include Professional
  Certifications. The Professional Certifications offering connects customers/students with tutors and/or
  instructors to assist in various professional certification tests (such as NCLEX or SHRM-SCP, among
  others), in a one-on-one format or group format. As independent contractors, the tutors, instructors, and
  experts who offer their services through the platform (in any capacity) have their own materials, styles,
  and methods as indicated on every page of Varsity’s website ************************
  
  Varsity highlights its policies on the website and attempts to set realistic expectations with the potential
  customers/students who seek to be matched with a contracted tutor, instructor, or expert through Varsity’s
  
  1 Although, in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, the in-person option is not currently offered; however, it was an
  available option to tutors and students assuming both were willing to meet in person until on or around mid-March,
  2020.
  Complaint # ********
  Page 2
  
  online platform. Varsity is transparent about its services and uses its Terms of Customer Accounts Use
  (the “TOCAU”) to reinforce the process. In fact, the potential customers/students must review and sign
  the TOCAU and acknowledge the policies before they ever engage in the services of a tutor through
  Varsity’s platform. Varsity’s website is also critical in setting these expectations and explaining the
  process and how it works, in addition to setting forth the terms of any guarantees, located at
  ***********************************************
  
  Regarding *** ********* specifically and according to Varsity’s records, *** ********* first contacted
  Varsity in February 2020 in order to be matched with an online tutor. *** ********* made two separate
  purchases through Varsity’s platform (February 15, 2020, and October 16, 2020, respectively), and
  executed a TOCAU for each purchase. Since the first purchase in February 2020 through May 5, 2021,
  twenty-five (25) sessions were invoiced to *** *********’s account by multiple tutors with whom ***
  ********* had been matched during the course of her relationship with Varsity. As set forth in the
  TOCAUs and indicated to *** ********* during her communications with Varsity prior to the filing of the
  Complaint, purchased hours expire one year after the date of purchase; thus, *** *********’s request falls
  well outside of that time-period. Nonetheless, Varsity notified *** ********* upon receipt of the
  Complaint that a set number of hours had been credited to her account, which Varsity believes to be a fair
  and amicable resolution (although, as of the date of this writing, *** ********* has chosen not to respond
  to Varsity’s email). The credited hours are available in *** *********’* account for her use on Varsity’s
  platform at her discretion within a 90-day period from the date of credit.
  
  Please consider this Varsity’s response to the Complaint (which, at this time, Varsity considers to have
  been resolved, as it has addressed *** *********’* concerns with what it believes to be a fair and amicable
  resolution considering the amount of time that has passed since the hours expired). Varsity is proud to be
  an affiliate of the BBB and values the relationship. If you have any questions or comments, or would like
  to further discuss, please do not hesitate to contact me.
  

  
  

  Customer Answer

  Date: 12/19/2022

  Complaint: ********
  
  
  

  
  Thank you for your prompt response.
  

  
  

  I am rejecting this response because:

  
  

  I paid for failing tutor services for seven (7) month from October 2020 to May 2021 with declining  SAT score.
  

  The SAT score my child received was much lower than expected on first exam on December 5, 2020 and even lower score on last test on May 8, 2021.

  
  

  We do not need tutoring services form Varsity Tutor anymore.

  
  

  The last payment was made on June 14, 2021 of  $3100 was never used as we switched to another tutor services.

  That payment was lost/expired after one year.

  
  

  My child and I had highly unsatisfied and upsetting experience with Varsity Tutors.

  I am asking for reimbursement of my last deposit of $3100.
  
  

  Varsity Tutors is money making business with their policy
  that allow balance to expire after one year, rather that helping students to succeed.

  
  
  

  
  

  
  

  Sincerely,

  
  
  
  ***** *********

  Customer Answer

  Date: 12/20/2022

  Varsity Tutoes stated that they provided resolution to credit account for 90 days. The email was never received by me and I was not able to learn and respond to conditions of agreement. As of December 17, 2022 the balance on account is $0.

  I would like to re-open case on grounds thar Varsity Tutors were dishonest in resolution if this complaint. 

  
  

  Best regards, 

  ***** *********
  

  

  Business Response

  Date: 12/21/2022

  *** ** ****** ***** ***** *** * *** ****** ** ***** * *********************
  December 21, 2022
  
  ****** ******** ******
  *** ** ********* **** ****
  *** ****** ** *****
  
  Re: Complaint #******** **** ************ – ***** ********* (“*** *********”)
  Varsity Tutors LLC’s (“Varsity”) Response to the Customer Communication Dated
  December 19, 2022 (the “Follow Up Communication”)
  
  Dear Sir or Madam:
  
  Varsity is in receipt of the Follow Up Communication (as defined above), which was in response to
  Varsity’s December 14, 2022, communication addressing the overall Complaint (“Varsity’s Reply to the
  Complaint”). This letter shall serve as Varsity’s response to the Follow Up Communication, and will
  confirm that Varsity believes it has provided an amicable resolution.
  
  As communicated in Varsity’s Reply to the Complaint, Varsity notified *** ********* upon receipt of the
  Complaint that a set number of hours had been credited to her account. Although *** ********* indicated
  in the Follow Up Communication that she was unaware of the credit to her account, Varsity’s records
  indicate that *** ********* acknowledged her receipt/understanding of the credited hours on her account
  via email on December 21, 2022. Accordingly, Varsity believes the issues raised in the Follow Up
  Communication to be rendered moot (and does not believe there are any additional outstanding issues to
  resolve).
  
  Please consider this Varsity’s response to the Complaint (which, at this time, Varsity considers to have
  been resolved). Varsity is proud to be an affiliate of the BBB and values the relationship. If you have any
  questions or comments, or would like to further discuss, please do not hesitate to contact me.
  
  Regards,
  
  
  ****** *****
  ****** ********* *********
  ** ***** ******** * ** ***** ********
  ** ***************************

• Initial Complaint

  Date:11/25/2022

  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.

  On 19 November I signed ip and paid 269.00 for 4 hours of live tutoring and access to the website. The person on the phone said they would provide me with names and profiles so that O can choose a tutor for my kid. I should have known since most reputable companies offer online sign up and not just over the phone. The first tutor assigned did not meet the basic criteria I provides (native english speaker with education degree). The second tutor did not meet any of those two criteria either and the third one was a personal fitness trainer. I called for a fourth time and was told we can fox it, at this point I feel they are purposely matching with people I will say no to so that I can be blamed for not using the hours.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 12/07/2022

  Please see the attached documents for Varsity's response

  Varsity is in receipt of the Complaint (as defined above) filed by Mr. ****** on November 25, 2022. This
  letter shall serve as Varsity’s response to the matters raised in the Complaint; however, please note that
  the parties have already reached an amicable resolution that fully resolves any and all issues in the
  Complaint.
  
  By way of background, Varsity is a live learning platform that, among other things, seamlessly connects
  experts and learners in any subject, anywhere, at any time. This includes connecting students with
  tutoring, academic enrichment, and test-preparation needs with vetted, independently contracted tutors
  and test instructors who provide those services directly to students (not Varsity), either in person or
  online, at times and locations agreed upon between them (such as a library or coffee shop, in the student’s
  home, etc), as Varsity does not have any physical locations for tutoring or instruction.1 Varsity’s platform
  also offers customers/students several different choices for how to engage with tutors, instructors, experts,
  and professionals including one-on-one (between one tutor and student), small group tutoring (between
  one tutor or instructor and a small group of selected students), group courses (with one tutor or instructor
  leading a session with a large number of participants), or combinations of the above. Customers/students
  of the platform can also get immediate, live, one-on-one tutoring or instruction in more than 100 subjects
  in as little as 15 seconds by connecting with a tutor through the Instant Tutoring feature on Varsity’s
  platform.
  
  In addition to the above, Varsity has expanded its offerings through its platform to include Professional
  Certifications. The Professional Certifications offering connects customers/students with tutors and/or
  instructors to assist in various professional certification tests (such as NCLEX or SHRM-SCP, among
  others), in a one-on-one format or group format. As independent contractors, the tutors, instructors, and
  experts who offer their services through the platform (in any capacity) have their own materials, styles,
  and methods as indicated on every page of Varsity’s website ************************
  
  Varsity highlights its policies on the website and attempts to set realistic expectations with the potential
  customers/students who seek to be matched with a contracted tutor, instructor, or expert through Varsity’s
  online platform. Varsity is transparent about its services and uses its Terms of Customer Accounts Use
  
  1 Although, in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, the in-person option is not currently offered; however, it was an
  available option to tutors and students assuming both were willing to meet in person until on or around mid-March,
  2020.
  Complaint # ********
  Page 2
  
  (the “TOCAU”) to reinforce the process. In fact, the potential customers/students must review and sign
  the TOCAU and acknowledge the policies before they ever engage in the services of a tutor through
  Varsity’s platform. Varsity’s website is also critical in setting these expectations and explaining the
  process and how it works, in addition to setting forth the terms of any guarantees, located at
  ***********************************************
  
  Regarding Mr. ****** specifically and according to Varsity’s records, Mr. ****** first contacted Varsity
  in November 2022 in order to be matched with an online tutor. On November 20, 2022 Mr. ******
  purchased a Learning Membership for use on Varsity’s platform, which is a comprehensive solution that
  provides multimodal learning services to help customers achieve their learning goals. A Learning
  Membership entitles customers to set a number of live one-on-one tutoring hours per month on a
  recurring monthly basis, in addition to enrollment in certain live classes through the Varsity platform,
  among other benefits. Mr. ******’s Learning Membership would include four (4) hours each month for
  use with one-on-one tutoring through the platform. Mr. ****** executed the TOCAU on November 20,
  2022. On November 22, 2022, Mr. ****** indicated to Varsity that he was unhappy with the services
  received to date and indicated that he wanted to cancel the Learning Membership. At the time the
  Complaint was received, Varsity had already communicated with Mr. ****** and processed the
  cancellation of the Learning Membership.
  
  Please consider this Varsity’s response to the Complaint (which, at this time, Varsity considers to have
  been resolved). Varsity is proud to be an affiliate of the BBB and values the relationship. If you have any
  questions or comments, or would like to further discuss, please do not hesitate to contact me.
  

  
  

  Customer Answer

  Date: 12/07/2022

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

  They provided 3 different tutors that did not meet the criteria we agreed upon and would have been unable to complete 1 hour a week since we lost a week. I did not cancel on 22 November, I requested cancelation and a refund on 24 November. I was lied that I will have a say in the selection of tutor instead they assign me a personal trainer to teach 5th grade readingI did not use the services and did not receive a refund. 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Sincerely,
  
  
  
  ******* ******

  

  Business Response

  Date: 12/21/2022

  
  

  To be clear, at the time of the Complaint, Varsity had already communicated with Mr. ****** and processed his request to cancel the Learning Membership (as indicated in Varsity’s initial reply to the complaint, dated December 7, 2022). Although Mr. ****** indicates in his December 8, 2022, rejection that he “did not receive a refund” for the first month of his Learning Membership, Varsity notes that a full refund was not part of the desired settlement indicated in the Complaint (which simply stated “Contact by the Business”). Nonetheless, in an effort to address the December 8, 2022, rejection and provide a resolution, Varsity decided to issue the requested refund and thus believes that the outstanding issue(s) related to the Complaint have been amicably resolved. 

  
  

  Please consider this Varsity’s response to the Complaint and December 8, 2022, rejection (which, at this time, Varsity considers to have been resolved). Varsity is proud to be an affiliate of the BBB and values the relationship. If you have any questions or comments, or would like to further discuss, please do not hesitate to contact me. 

  
  

  
  

  Thank you, 

  ****** *****

• Initial Complaint

  Date:11/22/2022

  Type:Order 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 bought tutoring time from Varsity Tutors in three tranches at three different times in the last 2 years for my four children aged 18 to 14. Because we intended to use the time with all 4 kids, I bought a lot of hours because the salesperson told me that unused time will be reusable for my other children. My daughter used several hours and went off to college. At that time I was told that I could keep the remaining hours and use in the future. I was never told that this time would be expired in 12 months. Last week I contacted Varsity Tutors to schedule time for my son, who needs tutoring ASAP, and was told my time was removed on 10/25/22 as it had been one year. I logged in to my account and found my remaining time went to zero. I called customer service, who told me it's their company policy that unused time will expire in 12 months. I told her I was told differently and wanted to speak to the supervisor. I was told no manager or supervisor will talk to customers!! I was told I could leave a specific request for a manager (which I had already done), and they would call me. Varsity Tutors is not dealing with consumers honestly, and if these were gift cards they would be in violation of the law. They do not even send out an automated email warning that the time will expire. No option to extend, JUST GONE. I had a remaining balance of 7.5 hours, and I would like them reinstated, please. My son urgently needs help and this is $500 worth of tutoring, which I can't just repurchase.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 12/05/2022

  Varsity is in receipt of the Complaint (as defined above) filed by ****************** on November 22, 2022.
  This letter shall serve as Varsitys response to the matters raised in the Complaint; however, please note
  that the parties have already reached an amicable resolution that fully resolves any and all issues in the
  Complaint.
  
  By way of background, Varsity is a live learning platform that, among other things, seamlessly connects
  experts and learners in any subject, anywhere, at any time. This includes connecting students with
  tutoring, academic enrichment, and test-preparation needs with vetted, independently contracted tutors
  and test instructors who provide those services directly to students (not Varsity), either in person or
  online, at times and locations agreed upon between them (such as a library or coffee shop, in the students
  home, etc), as Varsity does not have any physical locations for tutoring or instruction.1 Varsitys platform
  also offers customers/students several different choices for how to engage with tutors, instructors, experts,
  and professionals including one-on-one (between one tutor and student), small group tutoring (between
  one tutor or instructor and a small group of selected students), group courses (with one tutor or instructor
  leading a session with a large number of participants), or combinations of the above. Customers/students
  of the platform can also get immediate, live, one-on-one tutoring or instruction in more than 100 subjects
  in as little as 15 seconds by connecting with a tutor through the Instant Tutoring feature on Varsitys
  platform.
  
  In addition to the above, Varsity has expanded its offerings through its platform to include Professional
  Certifications. The Professional Certifications offering connects customers/students with tutors and/or
  instructors to assist in various professional certification tests (such as NCLEX or SHRM-SCP, among
  others), in a one-on-one format or group format. As independent contractors, the tutors, instructors, and
  experts who offer their services through the platform (in any capacity) have their own materials, styles,
  and methods as indicated on every page of Varsitys website (www.varsitytutors.com).
  
  Varsity highlights its policies on the website and attempts to set realistic expectations with the potential
  customers/students who seek to be matched with a contracted tutor, instructor, or expert through Varsitys
  online platform. Varsity is transparent about its services and uses its Terms of Customer Accounts Use
  
  1 Although, in light of the ******19 pandemic, the in-person option is not currently offered; however, it was an
  available option to tutors and students assuming both were willing to meet in person until on or around mid-March,
  2020.
  Complaint #********
  Page 2
  
  (the *****) to reinforce the process. In fact, the potential customers/students must review and sign
  the ***** and acknowledge the policies before they ever engage in the services of a tutor through
  Varsitys platform. Varsitys website is also critical in setting these expectations and explaining the
  process and how it works, in addition to setting forth the terms of any guarantees, located at
  https://www.varsitytutors.com/guarantee-policy.
  
  Regarding ****************** specifically and according to Varsitys records, ****************** first contacted
  Varsity in February 2021 in order to be matched with an online tutor. On February 9, 2021, ******************
  purchased a package of hours for use on Varsitys platform, and executed the ***** on February 9,
  2021. Between February 16, 2021 and December 1, 2022, twenty three (23) sessions were invoiced to Ms.
  ******** account by her tutor. Between November 17, 2022 and November 30, 2022, ******************
  communicated with Varsity to inquire about the expired unused hours on her account that were purchased
  over one and a half (1.5) years ago. As set forth in the *****, purchased hours expire one year after the
  date of purchase, thus her request fell well outside that time period. Nonetheless, Varsity contacted Ms.
  ******* upon its receipt of the Complaint and the parties reached an amicable resolution.
  
  Please consider this Varsitys response to the Complaint (which, at this time, Varsity considers to have
  been resolved). Varsity is proud to be an affiliate of the BBB and values the relationship. If you have any
  questions or comments, or would like to further discuss, please do not hesitate to contact me.
  

  
  

  Customer Answer

  Date: 12/06/2022

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ***************************

• Initial Complaint

  Date:11/09/2022

  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.

  We signed up for an annual Varsity tutors plan with senior sales director *****************, over the past three months we were placed with numerous tutors who are mediocre in skills and work ethics most of them did not work out to our original expectations. We have decided to call up Varsity tutors to cancel our membership today but were told that we couldn't because we have passed the "30 day trial period" so we are stuck with our membership and we have to pay them until it expires whether if they can actually provide the right tutor or the right service that we signed up for.This was NEVER mentioned by ***************** over the phone.This is unacceptable and ridiculous to ask for their customers because it is THEM that have failed on their part to provide the right tutor for their customers. Over these three months we have ONE decent tutor but she decided to quit working after a few sessions and now we are back to the searching game with them and paying for one tutor after another waiting for them to come up with the right person. Before making the purchase we conveyed thoroughly what we wanted in a candidate, and what we are trying to achieve. Varsity tutor took our money, signed the agreement knowing these requirements but over these three months have failed miserably to meet them, yet they are asking for us to pay them still.What we would like is to have our contract terminated for I DO NOT plan on using them again so I DO NOT want to pay for them. On top of this they need to change their policy to not include this "you can't only cancel within the 30 day trial period" rule in their agreement because if tutors can stop working whenever they want then it won't mean anything even if consumers do find the right tutor within that 30 days isn't it? STOP THE *****

  

  Business Response

  Date: 11/23/2022

  Please see the attached documents for Varsity's Response

  
  November 23, 2022
  Better Business Bureau
  200 ***********, Ste. 2060
  *********, ** 63105
  Re: Complaint #******** (the Complaint) ***************** (**********)
  Varsity Tutors LLCs (Varsity) Response to the Complaint
  Dear Sir or Madam:
  Varsity is in receipt of the Complaint (as defined above) filed by ********** on November 9, 2022. This
  letter shall serve as Varsitys response to the matters raised in the Complaint; however, please note that
  the parties have already reached an amicable resolution that fully resolves any and all issues in the
  Complaint.
  By way of background, Varsity is a live learning platform that, among other things, seamlessly connects
  experts and learners in any subject, anywhere, at any time. This includes connecting students with
  tutoring, academic enrichment, and test-preparation needs with vetted, independently contracted tutors
  and test instructors who provide those services directly to students (not Varsity), either in person or
  online, at times and locations agreed upon between them (such as a library or coffee shop, in the students
  home, etc), as Varsity does not have any physical locations for tutoring or instruction. Varsitys platform1
  also offers customers/students several different choices for how to engage with tutors, instructors, experts,
  and professionals including one-on-one (between one tutor and student), small group tutoring (between
  one tutor or instructor and a small group of selected students), group courses (with one tutor or instructor
  leading a session with a large number of participants), or combinations of the above. Customers/students
  of the platform can also get immediate, live, one-on-one tutoring or instruction in more than 100 subjects
  in as little as 15 seconds by connecting with a tutor through the Instant Tutoring feature on Varsitys
  platform.
  In addition to the above, Varsity has expanded its offerings through its platform to include Professional
  Certifications. The Professional Certifications offering connects customers/students with tutors and/or
  instructors to assist in various professional certification tests (such as NCLEX or SHRM-SCP, among
  others), in a one-on-one format or group format. As independent contractors, the tutors, instructors, and
  experts who offer their services through the platform (in any capacity) have their own materials, styles,
  
  Varsity highlights its policies on the website and attempts to set realistic expectations with the potential
  customers/students who seek to be matched with a contracted tutor, instructor, or expert through Varsitys
  online platform. Varsity is transparent about its services and uses its Terms of Customer Accounts Use
  1 Although, in light of the ******19 pandemic, the in-person option is not currently offered; however, it was an
  available option to tutors and students assuming both were willing to meet in person until on or around mid-March,
  2020.

  Complaint #********
  Page 2
  (the *****) to reinforce the process. In fact, the potential customers/students must review and sign
  the ***** and acknowledge the policies before they ever engage in the services of a tutor through
  Varsitys platform. Varsitys website is also critical in setting these expectations and explaining the
  process and how it works,
  https://www.varsitytutors.com/guarantee-policy.
  Regarding ********** specifically and according to Varsitys records, it was the students parent (******
  Hong) - not ********** - who authorized the purchase and executed the ***** in connection with seeking
  to be matched with an online tutor. ************ made the initial purchase of a Learning Membership on
  August 22, 2022, which is a comprehensive solution that provides multimodal learning services to help
  customers achieve their learning goals. A Learning Membership entitles customers to set a number of live
  one-on-one tutoring hours per month on a recurring monthly basis, in addition to enrollment in certain
  live classes through the Varsity platform, among other benefits. The Learning Membership would include
  four (4) hours each month for use with one-on-one tutoring through the platform. ************ executed the
  ***** on August 23, 2022. During the first few months, thirteen (13) sessions were invoiced to Mr.
  Hongs account by his tutor. On November 9, 2022, the customer indicated to ********************** that they were
  unhappy with the tutoring services received to date. Varsity was already in discussions with the customer
  upon its receipt of the Complaint, and despite being outside of the refund window stated in the *****,
  ultimately reached a resolution that was agreeable to all parties.
  Please consider this Varsitys response to the Complaint (which, at this time, Varsity considers to have
  been resolved). Varsity is proud to be an affiliate of the BBB and values the relationship. If you have any
  questions or comments, or would like to further discuss, please do not hesitate to contact me.
  Regards

  Customer Answer

  Date: 11/24/2022

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *****************

• Initial Complaint

  Date:11/09/2022

  Type:Customer Service 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.

  Varsity Tutors does not explain up front that credits expire. Furthermore they push you to buy a “package” because it’s cheaper in the long run than buying hourly. But I would have never used Varsity had I k own. Furthermore, the only reason they weren’t used in a year is because the tutor my son liked quit. In this day and age if you buy credits, get a gift card,etc they don’t expire… except at Varsity Tutors. They don’t call you to tell you your credits are expiring but they sure will call you to tell you to buy more hours!! Very poor on their end and not good customer service at all.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 11/23/2022

  Please see the attached documents for Varsity's Response

  Re: Complaint #******** (the “Complaint”) – ***** ******* (“Ms. *******”)
  Varsity Tutors LLC’s (“Varsity”) Response to the Complaint
  Dear Sir or Madam:
  Varsity is in receipt of the Complaint (as defined above) filed by Ms. ******* on November 9, 2022. This
  letter shall serve as Varsity’s response to the matters raised in the Complaint; however, please note that
  the parties have already reached an amicable resolution that fully resolves any and all issues in the
  Complaint.
  By way of background, Varsity is a live learning platform that, among other things, seamlessly connects
  experts and learners in any subject, anywhere, at any time. This includes connecting students with
  tutoring, academic enrichment, and test-preparation needs with vetted, independently contracted tutors
  and test instructors who provide those services directly to students (not Varsity), either in person or
  online, at times and locations agreed upon between them (such as a library or coffee shop, in the student’s
  home, etc), as Varsity does not have any physical locations for tutoring or instruction. Varsity’s platform1
  also offers customers/students several different choices for how to engage with tutors, instructors, experts,
  and professionals including one-on-one (between one tutor and student), small group tutoring (between
  one tutor or instructor and a small group of selected students), group courses (with one tutor or instructor
  leading a session with a large number of participants), or combinations of the above. Customers/students
  of the platform can also get immediate, live, one-on-one tutoring or instruction in more than 100 subjects
  in as little as 15 seconds by connecting with a tutor through the Instant Tutoring feature on Varsity’s
  platform.
  In addition to the above, Varsity has expanded its offerings through its platform to include Professional
  Certifications. The Professional Certifications offering connects customers/students with tutors and/or
  instructors to assist in various professional certification tests (such as NCLEX or SHRM-SCP, among
  others), in a one-on-one format or group format. As independent contractors, the tutors, instructors, and
  experts who offer their services through the platform (in any capacity) have their own materials, styles,
  and methods as indicated on every page of Varsity’s website (*********************).
  Varsity highlights its policies on the website and attempts to set realistic expectations with the potential
  customers/students who seek to be matched with a contracted tutor, instructor, or expert through Varsity’s
  online platform. Varsity is transparent about its services and uses its Terms of Customer Accounts Use
  1 Although, in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, the in-person option is not currently offered; however, it was an
  available option to tutors and students assuming both were willing to meet in person until on or around mid-March,
  2020.

  Complaint #********
  Page 2
  (the “TOCAU”) to reinforce the process. In fact, the potential customers/students must review and sign
  the TOCAU and acknowledge the policies before they ever engage in the services of a tutor through
  Varsity’s platform. Varsity’s website is also critical in setting these expectations and explaining the
  process and how it works, in addition to setting forth the terms of any guarantees, located at
  https://*********************/guarantee-policy.
  Regarding Ms. ******* specifically and according to Varsity’s records, Ms. ******* first contacted Varsity
  in January 2021 in order to be matched with an online tutor. On January 21, 2021, Ms. ******* purchased
  a package of hours for use on Varsity’s platform, and executed the TOCAU on January 22, 2021, though
  she ultimately entered into an updated TOCAU on September 29, 2021. In addition, she made additional
  purchases through the platform. Between January 26, 2021 and November 21, 2021, thirty two (32)
  sessions were invoiced to Ms. *******’s account by her tutor. In November 2022, Ms. *******
  communicated with Varsity to indicate that she was unhappy with the tutoring services received to date.
  Upon receipt of the Complaint, Varsity contacted Ms. ******* and, while not required to do so, Varsity has
  worked with Ms. *******g to reach an amicable resolution. Please consider this Varsity’s response to the
  Complaint (which, at this time, Varsity considers to have been resolved). Varsity is proud to be an affiliate
  of the BBB and values the relationship. If you have any questions or comments, or would like to further
  discuss, please do not hesitate to contact me.
  Regards,

• Initial Complaint

  Date:11/03/2022

  Type:Order 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 paid $745 for my daughter's math classes in Feb. 2020. A tutor came twice or thrice (I don't remember exactly) but we didn't like what was being offered. We called Varsity tutors and said we will contact them back for another tutor. But Covid happened and the focus completely shifted from my daughter's education. When I called Varsity tutors asking for a refund of unused funds, they denied saying we signed an agreement and money cannot be refunded. We received an email in May 2020 saying they are trying to reach us. But I am a health care worker struggling in the middle of pandemic. Couldn't respond to their email. I didn't receive any communication after that. I know it has been a long time. Unfortunately, I didn't read the agreement completely. Never thought Covid would happen. The person I spoke to, said, I signed an iron clad agreement that clearly says my funds will expire. With inflation, we could really use these remaining funds which is a huge amount for us. Varsity tutors said they wouldn't even let us use the funds in future. We are simply losing hard earned money. Can you please help us in getting the refund? Thank you so much.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 11/23/2022

  Please see the attached documents for Varsity's Response

  Re: Complaint #******** (the “Complaint”) – ********* ****** (“*** ******”)
  Varsity Tutors LLC’s (“Varsity”) Response to the Complaint
  Dear Sir or Madam:
  Varsity is in receipt of the Complaint (as defined above) filed by *** ****** on November 3, 2022. This
  letter shall serve as Varsity’s response to the matters raised in the Complaint; however, please note that
  Varsity’s attempts to make contact with *** ****** in response to the Complaint have gone unanswered.
  Varsity remains willing to discuss the situation with *** ****** to reach an amicable resolution.
  By way of background, Varsity is a live learning platform that, among other things, seamlessly connects
  experts and learners in any subject, anywhere, at any time. This includes connecting students with
  tutoring, academic enrichment, and test-preparation needs with vetted, independently contracted tutors
  and test instructors who provide those services directly to students (not Varsity), either in person or
  online, at times and locations agreed upon between them (such as a library or coffee shop, in the student’s
  home, etc), as Varsity does not have any physical locations for tutoring or instruction. Varsity’s platform1
  also offers customers/students several different choices for how to engage with tutors, instructors, experts,
  and professionals including one-on-one (between one tutor and student), small group tutoring (between
  one tutor or instructor and a small group of selected students), group courses (with one tutor or instructor
  leading a session with a large number of participants), or combinations of the above. Customers/students
  of the platform can also get immediate, live, one-on-one tutoring or instruction in more than 100 subjects
  in as little as 15 seconds by connecting with a tutor through the Instant Tutoring feature on Varsity’s
  platform.
  In addition to the above, Varsity has expanded its offerings through its platform to include Professional
  Certifications. The Professional Certifications offering connects customers/students with tutors and/or
  instructors to assist in various professional certification tests (such as NCLEX or SHRM-SCP, among
  others), in a one-on-one format or group format. As independent contractors, the tutors, instructors, and
  experts who offer their services through the platform (in any capacity) have their own materials, styles,
  and methods as indicated on every page of Varsity’s website (*********************).
  Varsity highlights its policies on the website and attempts to set realistic expectations with the potential
  customers/students who seek to be matched with a contracted tutor, instructor, or expert through Varsity’s
  online platform. Varsity is transparent about its services and uses its Terms of Customer Accounts Use
  1 Although, in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, the in-person option is not currently offered; however, it was an
  available option to tutors and students assuming both were willing to meet in person until on or around mid-March,
  2020.Complaint #********

  Page 2
  (the “TOCAU”) to reinforce the process. In fact, the potential customers/students must review and sign
  the TOCAU and acknowledge the policies before they ever engage in the services of a tutor through
  Varsity’s platform. Varsity’s website is also critical in setting these expectations and explaining the
  process and how it works, in addition to setting forth the terms of any guarantees, located at
  ***********************************************
  Regarding *** ****** specifically and according to Varsity’s records, it was the student’s parent (******
  ******) - not *** ****** - who first contacted Varsity in February 2020. On February 3, 2020, *** ******
  purchased a package of hours for use on Varsity’s platform, and executed the TOCAU on February 3,
  2020. Between February 15, 2020 and February 23, 2020, two (2) sessions were invoiced to *** ********
  account by her tutor. The ******* reached out to Varsity on or around November 3, 2022 - after over
  almost two and a half (2.5) years since their last use of the platform - to inquire about unused hours on
  their account. As set forth in the TOCAU, purchased hours expired one year after the date of purchase,
  thus their request fell well outside that time period. Varsity contacted *** ****** upon its receipt of the
  Complaint in order to discuss the issues raised in the Complaint; however, as referenced above, the
  customer has not responded to Varsity’s request(s) for communication.
  Please consider this Varsity’s response to the Complaint, and Varsity remains willing to discuss this
  further with the customer when they are able. Varsity is proud to be an affiliate of the BBB and values the
  relationship. If you have any questions or comments, or would like to further discuss, please do not
  hesitate to contact me.
  Regards

  Customer Answer

  Date: 12/01/2022

  I am ** ******, the mother of the kid. ** ****** is the father of the kid. ** ****** paid the tuition fee. I am a healthcare worker. During pandemic time, I had to go into quarantine and covid testing 4 times. I suffered from loss of pay because of insufficient working hours. It was quite a stressful situation. Then my husband and I had to temporarily separate for some time. I was trying to take care of the family on my own. And then inflation happened. 

  Varsity tutors didn't make any communication regarding expiration of the funds. They did call both me and my husband several times when we had to make the payment. Even if the funds were expiring, we couldn't have done much because of the stressful situation we were going through.

  The Varsity tutors personnel I talked to, is saying that we signed an iron clad agreement and we will not get our money back.

  According to my opinion, their business policy is not fair. Varsity tutors thinks it's okay to keep a customer's hundreds of dollars just because the customer couldn't use them in the given time? Why couldn't they send a check of remaining funds if a parent didn't respond? I am only asking them to refund my money back. I am not asking Varsity tutors to pay me their money.

  We spend hundreds or even thousands of dollars on our kids in hopes of giving them a good future even though it is hard on parents financially. 

  
  

  I hope you understand the situation and help us.

  
  

  Thank you very much.

  Regards,

  ********* *******

  

  Business Response

  Date: 12/14/2022

  Please see the attached document for Varsity's response.

  Varsity is in receipt of the Follow Up Communication (as defined above), which was in response to
  Varsity’s November 23, 2022, communication addressing the overall Complaint (“Varsity’s Reply to the
  Complaint”). This letter shall serve as Varsity’s response to the Follow Up Communication, and will
  confirm that Varsity believes it has provided an amicable resolution and remains further willing to discuss
  any outstanding issues with *** ****** and/or *** ******.1
  
  Upon initial receipt of the Complaint, Varsity contacted *** ****** (the account holder) and provided a
  link that he could have used to schedule a time to speak with Varsity’s representatives regarding the issues
  raised in the Complaint (and do so at his/*** ********* own convenience). As of November 23, 2022 (the
  deadline for Varsity to submit its Reply to the Complaint), no such call had been scheduled and Varsity
  had received no communication from either *** ****** or *** ******. Accordingly, Varsity’s Reply to the
  Complaint indicated that its attempts to communicate had gone unanswered. On November 28, 2022 –
  after Varsity’s Reply to the Complaint was submitted and before the date of the Follow Up
  Communication – *** ****** contacted Varsity and indicated that they were ready to resume tutoring,
  and Varsity ultimately issued a credit of a set number of hours for use on the platform at *** ******’s****
  ******** discretion. *** ****** communicated to Varsity on December 12, 2022, that he would be in
  further contact with Varsity regarding use of those hours after having a chance to talk with his daughter
  and understand her schedule. Although this contradicts *** ******’s indication in the Follow Up
  Communication that she would like a refund, Varsity believes that the outstanding issues set forth in the
  Complaint as well as the Follow Up Communication have been amicably resolved.
  
  Please consider this Varsity’s response to the Complaint (which, at this time, Varsity considers to have
  been resolved). Varsity is proud to be an affiliate of the BBB and values the relationship. If you have any
  questions or comments, or would like to further discuss, please do not hesitate to contact me.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 12/15/2022

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

  The dates and communication Varsity Tutors mentioned are wrong. After seeing Varsity Tutor's response in BBB on Nov. 23rd, ** ****** contacted varsity Tutors, someone made a note of the complaint and said they will get back to us in 2-3 days. But we did not receive any phone call. We waited for a while. Noticing that no response was received from Varsity Tutors, ** ****** called them again on Dec. 12th, 2022. A person named, Natalie told ** ****** that they sent an email. When ** ****** said he did not receive any email, she asked him to check the spam. ** ****** then noticed that he received a mail on Dec. 5th in spam stating "utilize the link below so that we can set an appointment to address your needs". When ** ****** clicked on the provided link, it said **** **** calendar is currently unavailable. Then ******* put him on hold, checked that **** is no longer there. She said she will look into this matter. When ** ****** asked for refund, ** ******* said they cannot give refund but they will credit the hours and we need to use those hours ASAP. Because ** ******* said refund is not possible, ** ****** told her that he needs to check with his daughter. ** ****** told ******* that email communication will be better than phone communication. She gave him the email id: ****************************** She said she can respond promptly if we send an email to this email id. I sent an email to the above mentioned email address on Dec. 13th asking if those hours can be transferred to the tutors who are providing classes to my daughter currently because they refused to give refund. I mentioned in the email that it'll be hard on my daughter to change tutors in order to accommodate Varsity tutors. So far I did not receive any response. I checked my spam email also this time.

  I don't know if the tutors I mentioned are affiliated with Varsity tutors or not. The math tutor who came through Varsity tutors in 2019 or the beginning of 2020 didn't work out for us. We finally found some good tutors after some trials. It would help us a lot if Varsity tutors can transfer those hours to the tutors I mentioned in the email. It'll not be fair to ask my daughter to change tutors when she already got used to the current ones. I hope Varsity tutors wouldn't make this any more harder and understand our situation. Even we want to have an amicable resolution where we wouldn't lose $750. 

  Thank you.

  
  Sincerely,
  
  ** ******

• Initial Complaint

  Date:10/29/2022

  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.

  I paid for finance tutoring services to prep for an portfolio management exam. I paid $649 per month for 3 months. My tutor accidentally disconnected from the session twice. Then muted himself so I could not hear what he was saying. He did not have a calculator with him and had to leave to go get it. I provided him with the finance questions showing my work and the answers I got on a practice test. 30 minutes into the session he is still stuck on the first test question and he was unable to solve the problem or explain how to solve the problem. It was clear that he did not have the necessary knowledge or qualifications to be a finance tutor. I messaged him that I was disconnecting from the session because it was clear he was unfamiliar with the material. I then called Varsity Tutors and spoke with ****** to try to get placed with another tutor. She had zero knowledge about math or finance. I lost all confidence that she would be able to Varsity Tu me with a suitable tutor. I asked her to please cancel my subscription and refund the charges to my credit card. She pushed back hard and then informed me that Varsity Tutors does not give refunds. I got ZERO help from my tutor and wasted half an hour. I'm now out $649!!! Oh, I got this hot mess on video. Terrible product and service. I want my money back!

  

  Business Response

  Date: 11/11/2022

  Please see the attached documents for Varsity's Response

  Complaint *********
  Page 2
  (the “TOCAU”) to reinforce the process. In fact, the potential customers/students must review and sign
  the TOCAU and acknowledge the policies before they ever engage in the services of a tutor through
  Varsity’s platform. Varsity’s website is also critical in setting these expectations and explaining the
  process and how it works, in addition to setting forth the terms of any guarantees, located at
  https://www.varsitytutors.com/guarantee-policy.
  Regarding *** ******* specifically and according to Varsity’s records, *** ******* first contacted
  Varsity in October 2022 in order to be matched with an online tutor. On October 16, 2022 *** *******
  purchased a Learning Membership for use on Varsity’s platform, which is a comprehensive solution that
  provides multimodal learning services to help customers achieve their learning goals. A Learning
  Membership entitles customers to set a number of live one-on-one tutoring hours per month on a
  recurring monthly basis, in addition to enrollment in certain live classes through the Varsity platform,
  among other benefits. The Learning Membership would include 8 hours each month for use with
  one-on-one tutoring through the platform. *** ******* executed the TOCAU on October 16, 2022.
  During the first month, one (1) session was invoiced to *** ********* account by her tutor. On October
  29, 2022, *** ******* indicated to Varsity that she was unhappy with the tutoring services received to
  date. At the time the Complaint was received, Varsity had already communicated with *** ******* and
  the parties had reached an amicable resolution.
  Please consider this Varsity’s response to the Complaint (which, at this time, Varsity considers to have
  been resolved). Varsity is proud to be an affiliate of the BBB and values the relationship. If you have any
  questions or comments, or would like to further discuss, please do not hesitate to contact me.
  Regard

• Initial Complaint

  Date:10/28/2022

  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.

  the company makes a pass guarantee unfortunately i didn't pass the test and when i reached out on the refund i was told i didn't meet the qualifications due to being 2 hours short. this was never explained to me up front and a family emergency arose to where i couldn't complete the final two hours had i known this i would have postponed my test to for the final two hours. I reached out numerous times and got blown off until this morning when i was told of the shortage. I would not recommend this company for tutoring. it's no not explained well and after the got my money they were gone.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 11/03/2022

  Please withdraw this complaint it has been settled to my satisfaction