| Denver Dance Starz |
| Denver Dance Starz Michelle Martin Cheats! Thornton, Colorado |
| 1st of Jun, 2011 by User423264 |
Let me start out with the most aggravating issue.
I paid (as well as the other dance moms) $75.00 for a recital costume. We were told to pay in January 2011. We were shown a picture of said costume.
When costumes arrived....May 25th 2011 (one week before recital) they are completely different and look to cost about $24.99. The earrings that came with it are so cheap; they are palstic clip ons that fell apart immeaditily! When looking through the Cataloge of the company they used ---A Wish Come True-- I noticed all the girls costumes were ordered from the "value section". When I brought this up with the Director, Michelle Martin, she gave me a song and dance about how they have to pay for taxes and shipping. Well, the shipping is free if ordering more than 3k in merchandise; which the company clearly did. Not to mention the tax rate is 6%.
I called A Wish Come True and ask that they tell me how much said rectial costume actually cost. Their reply...." We don't owe you a price. We will not disclose that information". I asked ...Isn't there a code of ethics that you follow regarding companies grossly over charging for your ordered product? "NO" and hung up on me.
Now, It doesn't take a genuis to figure out the cost.....when looking through other companies who have similar cotumes, they are $29.99. That is a $45.00 dollar differenece. Ok....so that's said, now onto the teachers. The teachers are 16 year old students who spend the entire class on their cell phone or chatting with their friends who came to visit. Or eating the take out they ordered.
No one seems to know what the heck is going on. They constantly have conflicting information. To end this report....not only do they over charge for costumes but they do for shoes and tutition. Also...if you are late paying said tution you will face a whopping $25.00 late fee. Look some where else for your little dancer; it will save you $$$$ and the headache of dealilng with this ridiculous company. |
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First of all, let me start off by stating that I am in no way affiliated with DDS, my child is a student. My daughter has been dancing for 6 years, part of that time was spent at another studio and most studios overcharge for costumes. We paid $80 for her ballet costume at the another studio (which was also in Thornton). Our tuition was $45 per month for one class, which is slightly more than DDS, but about the same as most local studios. The teachers are NOT 16 year olds (that would be the Junior teachers or the TA's). My daughter was in several classes, and each of her TEACHERS were at least 22 or older, she also had a JUNIOR TEACHER in each class, each of whom was about 15-18 years old and a competition dancer. I believe the term 'junior' is used to imply that they are not the TEACHER. Some classes also have a TA or teacher's assistant. Also, stating that Michelle Martin is a cheat is pretty pathetic and slanderous. In what way did she 'cheat' you? In January, when your child was measured for his or her costume, the price was listed on the wall. Also, when you sign up for classes, it is stated that for Summer Recital there is a costume fee ranging from $75-$85. At the costume measuring date, they have a contract (that parents sign) informing you that the costume pictured may not be the one that you receive as they are subject to availability.
To address your statement: "teachers are 16 year old students who spend the entire class on their cell phone or chatting with their friends who came to visit. Or eating the take out they ordered." These are older competition dancers who spend most of their evenings at dance class and you are observing them between classes on dinner breaks IN THE LOBBY. The classroom doors are closed during class time, so I find it very hard to believe that your statement is true, and if it was, maybe you should bring that up with the studio director aka Michelle Martin. As a parent, I would not want to pay money for class time wasted.
Lastly, your statement regarding the "whopping $25.00 late fee, " pay your tuition on time and you won't pay that! Tuition is due on the 15th of EACH MONTH and considered late if payment isn't received by the 20th. I think DDS gives plenty of time to pay your bill. I have yet to come across a company that is willing to let you pay a BILL LATE and not assess a late charge. I am sure that had you spoken with Michelle Martin regarding your billing issue, she may have worked with you. Michelle Martin is wonderful to these dancers and she cares for them. This is a family run business and they run it like one, but it is STILL a business. For the record, since you appear to be really cheap, you may want to sign up for recreational dance classes at one of the local rec centers, as they are considerably less expensive, you pay upfront (to avoid late fees) and since you make the costumes yourself, they are practically FREE!
A Happy Parent at Denver Dance Starz |
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