- Feb 4, 2010
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I don't normally disagree with you, but in the case you are referencing (if I am reading correctly) several people who paid did not get what they paid for. If they were to get a full refund of the competition fees that the gym did not attend, that would be fine. Unfortunate for the kids to miss out on competition, but at least the business would be operating legally. However, to take funds that were paid by customers and use them for other purposes and then tell those customers who paid 100% "sorry, you get nothing" is not only unethical, but illegal.Just because the packet says they are supposed to pay X-amount doesnt mean the families actually paid it.
My first gym was a very small gym and people not paying tuition happened constantly. They would pay for comp fees but "couldn't find money" for monthly tuition. When the owner started cancelling competitions those same people would be the most surprised. "But we paid our comp fees!" Thats great but you're 3 months behind on tuition and the money went to gym fees instead. You don't get to dictate what expenses are paid when you are behind.
No sense in kicking those people off the team because there was no one to replace them in the gym and the team would have to be disbanded. Those people were not allowed to come back the next season and debt collectors then took over.
IMO, the gym owners side to this story is completely relevant. There are a handful of scenarios like this that could happen that could make a gym owner decide to pull a team from a competition last minute. And instead of airing other people's business on the local news the gym owner replied with no comment. Obviously he could be totally scamming families, but I know that people don't always live up to their end of agreements and then play victim when they didn't get what they wanted.