The Acting Corps, Eugene Buica Refused refund for classes never taken North Hollywood California
At the end of August, 2007, I completed The Acting Corps four week Boot Camp I program. I am not a working actor, and was just taking classes to brush up on my technique (had been out of Hollywood and acting for nearly 20 years. I'm 52 years old)
I came into a little bit of money, and put down a cash deposit of $600.00 (Six Hundred Dollars Cash) toward their Boot Camp II session, which costs $1599.00. Due to a change in my work situation, I called and postponed my participation in that session. I had to do this again around the first of November, because my work had not picked up and I could not afford the remaining tuition. They reluctantly postponed it again, and when I contacted them to tell them I truly just needed a refund of $400 because I will be moving out of state temporarily because I can make more money elsewhere, they refused.
I am willing to allow them to keep the $200 cancellation fee, but I feel that allowing them to keep an additional $400.00 is absurd. After all, I had to keep postponing because I am broke and can't afford the remaining tuition. I simply requested a refund of money that I gave them on good faith, but when my circumstances changed, they have no understanding nor flexibility in processing a refund which would help me tremendously right now. IT'S MY MONEY!
Their treatment of me (and God knows how many other students) has been very rude and unethical, and I feel it is a total RIP-OFF! I hope someone will see the unfairness of this, and how greedy acting schools take advantage of students in many ways already - let alone keeping money for services never rendered. Even if I won the lottery tomorrow, I would NEVER go back to this horrible school. It's a shame - some of the teachers are wonderful, but the owner, Eugene Buica, obviously has major ethics problems.
Murphy
Van Nuys, California
U.S.A.
4 Updates & Rebuttals
~Amanda~
Glendale,California,
United States of America
Always Read The Fine Print!
#5Consumer Comment
Mon, May 17, 2010
In my opinion you got off easy. This is a business and they don't care about whether or not you need to go out of town, or if you are broke etc. If you tried to do this with a car lease or with your apartment there is no way they would allow it, so why should a school be any different?
You should have saved up all the money you needed and paid for the class up front. Its like owning a credit card, if you don't have enough money to pay your bill, then maybe you shouldn't have one in the first place.
You paid a deposit to ensure your spot in a class, and you didn't have the means to get to that class. The school is not liable for your inability to pay, and they charged you for canceling on them FOUR different times! So in my opinion you owe them another $200. Because of you they are missing out on receiving the $1600 of four separate students. That amounts to $6,400 that you cost this business because of your lack of planning.
You could have called the company earlier and gotten $400 back in the first place, but you kept postponing and postponing until you incurred so many costs the school had no choice to keep your money to re-coup their losses. In my opinion this is not a situation where you were ripped off, it is one where you didn't read the fine print and had to suffer needlessly. I am sorry you lost $600 of your hard earned money, but you should have realized what you were putting a deposit down for, and read the contract.
Diane
Los Angles,California,
United States of America
One of the Finest Acting Schools in the business
#5REBUTTAL Owner of company
Tue, November 03, 2009
The Acting Corps is one of the finest private Acting Schools in the Los Angeles area.
Its rigourous training lends itself to the the name of the school and appropriately so.
The caliber of teaching staff and former students speaks for itself. To run an educational facility by no means is a profitable endeavor, but one of fervent passion for community service. Its takes thousands of dollars in paperwork and staff members to deal with irresponsible, unorganized, jobless, self absorbed delinquents, who have delusions of gandueur. It is clear by your own admission that you were vague, elusive and lazy in your efforts to have clear communicaton regarding your own schedule and neglected to consider the time and effort in keeping up with your half witted notions of when the hell you planned on taking classes!
It seems , clearly, they exhausted and extended every opportunity for you to retrieve your funds, to make other arrangements and or to address your issues. You abused this courtesy with complete disregard for the instituitional guidelines.
The only ethical problem Mr. Buica has is that -he didn't see you coming.
Diane Kruger /Artisitc Director for iDBroadcast
Branding Talent to the next Level
iDBroadcast.com
Mary Holmes
Burbank,California,
U.S.A.
Former Student who had a GREAT experience has something to say...
#5Consumer Comment
Fri, March 28, 2008
It is so weird to read these crazy things about this really cool, wonderful place which has been a creative home to me. And it's also weird how we live in a time where people can say really mean things about someone without any kind of consequences almost. We're all in the arts because we're about love, and the whole country can learn from us, or should learn from us by looking at what we do and how we behave in the creative community.
Anyway, I don't want to rant, but I want people to know that because of this school, I advanced in my career more than I could ever imagine. I booked a couple of jobs, not anything huge, but some paying jobs and finally I can say I'm really doing this and ALL because of this place and the great teachers, and the really loving atmosphere, even the head of the school who is attacked because he tried to stick to their policy about flaking on your start date for your class??????
I don't know, in a way I guess people are smart enough to know that one person's opinion about something when they don't like the rules isn't that big a deal, but what really upsets me how even when I was there people would flake sometimes and then they'd be full of excuses and reasons why they couldn't stick to the rules. Everyone has a reason why their special and should be given special consideration but I personally like the discipline at this place. So there you go, do your own research, and figure it out. I have no reason to back them up, but this place did change my life and it's true a couple of people flaked in my class and it was only because they wanted to mess around and just PRETEND they want to do this so sure the office asked them to leave with no refunds, but that's fine, good riddance, it left more time for us who were serious and we're out here doing it now instead of complaining on the internet.
The only not so great thing I could say about them is that maybe the classes were around 18 people but my friend's class in Bev. Hills is like 40 people at his school and he gets up to act like once every two weeks. I just wish it would've been more like my class back home which was like 9-10 people, but I guess they have to pay bills and stuff and I still learned a lot and got to work in every class and now I know what I'm doing when I go out there.. So maybe people shouldn't sign up for classes they can't take and keep other people out of these classes who want to go there. I mean I get why they would be pissed, people are always trying to get into these classes and many times there is a waiting list and yeah, people don't like it when their money isn't refunded, then again you have to be fair to the school too. Whatever, my two cents. Peace out
Mary H.
The Acting Corps
North Hollywood,Michigan,
U.S.A.
The Acting Corps and Eugene Buica's RESPONSE
#5REBUTTAL Owner of company
Thu, March 20, 2008
The Acting Corps would like to respond to the previous comment by presenting facts which are available at our offices for anyone to peruse and consider. The Acting Corps simply wants to set the record straight and you are invited to make up your mind regarding the previous post.
The student, whose anonymity we will preserve, put down a deposit of $600 for a class that she cancelled no less than 4 times. Each time a student takes up a space in a class (our classes are always full) and they cancel at the last minute, there is a $200 date change fee. After our WAIVING the date change fee for her twice, the student asked for a refund of her remaining deposit.
At this point we offered her class credit which she did not accept. Our policy clearly appears on all of our paperwork and all the receipts that she signed. We bent over backwards for this student, denying 4 other students spaces in the classes that she dropped out of, yet nothing seemed to please her.
The Acting Corps is widely respected in the Los Angeles acting community and we regret that this student has chosen to attempt to blemish our good name the facts speak for themselves and evidence of the above, again, is available at our offices. We wish this student well.
Eugene Buica
Artistic Director and Founder
The Acting Corps
818.753.2800
www.theactingcorps.com