Swim!, nationwide swimming school opened from the Olympians Rebecca Adlington and Steve Parry I recently canceled several of my child's lessons, but this makes getting a refund unnecessarily difficult.
Parents who pay by direct debit must request a refund by completing a form within 30 days. There is no mention of this in any text or email notice regarding cancellation. As a result, I accidentally paid for five canceled lessons.
I have repeatedly raised this issue with the company, but in vain. It feels as if they are profiting from the parents' ignorance.
SE, address unknown
Other parents have moved to online platforms, including Trusted pilot deplore the opaque process and poor communications.
Customers have to sift through six pages of terms and conditions to find the refund clause. Even then, they may not get their money back – another clause warns that refunds will only be given in “certain circumstances” if lessons are canceled by the provider. The FAQ on the website also mentions the refund process, but this is not enough.
According to consumer lawyer Gary Rycroft, not including this procedure in cancellation notices is likely to be an unfair practice under the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008.
“Customers are automatically entitled to a price reduction or refund under the Consumer Rights Act, and a company cannot condition that refund on discovery or completion of a hidden process,” he said.
I put it in Swim! It was shameless. “We do not limit legal rights, and any customer who believes they are entitled to a refund can easily request one,” it said, ignoring my question about why the refund process is not highlighted in cancellation notices.
Instead, the company made a vague promise: “We value feedback from customers and consumer advocates and are committed to continually improving our communications and customer service on this issue.”
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