Disappointed

[Heatheroe]

We started our class session on September 7th. We had our third (and what we thought to be our last) class last night. When we tried to schedule the pool and 2 days of OW check out dives, there was only 1 pool session available for the rest of Sept and no OW sessions for October. We leave for our vacation to Andros (slated to have the 3rd largest barrier reef in the world) on October 20th. Needless to say, we will not be able to dive now. The intructor knew we had a time limit as do most other people in our class so I'm quite upset that he didn't try and get us in the pool or quarry before now. I asked several times if we would have time for it all and he said "we'll do what we can".

We don't get to go on vacation more than once a year so I'm very disappointed about this. Of course we don't want to rush it but I think he could have been more acommodating for $600. If we do a referral in Andros we'll be paying $750 more for the cert dives.

Am I over-reacting? Or should I look on the bright side, maybe we'll try and plan another dive vacation sooner rather than later?

[XxMerlinxX]

Can't you get a referral for a dive shop a little farther away?

[Scuba.com]

Exactly how I'd handle it. Get a referral and either use another local dive shop or complete your class during your vacation. And no, you are not over reacting. MOST instructors would understand your time frame if you discussed it with them in advance and offer you options to complete your course within your time frame.

[doctormike]

Am I over-reacting? Or should I look on the bright side, maybe we'll try and plan another dive vacation sooner rather than later?

Not at all, that doesn't seem like great customer service.

Where are you located that you can't do OW in the next three weeks? Not sure what you mean that there are no OW "sessions"...

You have a class of paid students who need to do their checkout dives, right? What else do you need for a session? Is the instructor unable to find the time?

[g550driver]

I'd be very upset! If was made clear in the beginning, they should go out of their way somewhat and make it happen! Poor customer service in my opinion..:shakehead:

[XxMerlinxX]

Just wanted to add that I also don't think you're over reacting, I probably would've had a hard time keeping my cool with said shop's owner. Speaking of, which dive shop is this and where are you located?

[Heatheroe]

Wow, thanks for your perspectives. I didn't want it to seem like we wanted to rush through forgoing safety and proper learning. There is 1 pool session on Saturday and he thinks we can get all the skills done in one day. We need 2 dives over 2 different days. There "might" be a quarry dive this Sunday, he's going to call me back but we still need one more day for 2 last check out dives. I didn't think about a referral from another shop, that's a great idea! Thanks! I'm believe he's short staffed (or just tries to do everything himself) and he's taking a group to some fresh water springs Oct 15-18 so there won't be anyone to teach pool or do quarry dives. The $600 we paid (2 ppl) includes the classroom sessions, pool and check out dives in a quarry. The Fl springs trip is an extra $400-500 per person. He seems like a nice guy (although he hasn't learned our names yet) and maybe he will come through. But I do like the idea of working with another shop for a referral for the check out dives. Would it be a bad idea to do check out dives on the NC coast? We live near Charlotte and talked to about 4 different shops. We went with this one because it was close to home and we could get there by 6pm from the office. I'm thinking we made the wrong choice :(.

[warmwaterturner]

That's nuts! No OW sessions for an entire month? Do these guys only dive on Saturday, when the sun is shining, the wind is calm and the vis is 100+ ? Where are you? I would be on the phone to every LDS in the area. I am also amazed that you only got three classes in 21 days and NO pool time. You should not sit back and wait for the next trip. Raise heck! AND remind the LDS that you are looking to buy equipment at some point - that is if they can work you in to their schedule.

[Incognegro]

Try this place in Charlotte, they seem to have check out dives for the next 4 weekends.
Divers Supply Charlotte (http://www.divers-supply.com/Divers-Supply-Charlotte-C113.aspx#Char_cal)

[c0r3yz]

That's crazy.. Our local dive shop has OW classes starting every other week and dives every weekend. My wife had a gear issue during the pool session that required new rental gear and they schedule a special pool session for her during the week. They were very accommodating and have classes in the water at all times. If you need to reschedule, the most you wait is a week.

[Rileybri]

can I ask why you waited till the last minute to take a scuba class for a trip you presumably knew about long before booking your class on the "we'll do what we can" credo? Maybe he did what he could and still no dice on pool time. Get a referral for a shop down where you will be diving and problem solved. Just think real hard about WHO is at fault hear..............

[Heatheroe]

Warmwaterturner, that is so true. And yes, I think they only do pool on Sat and quarry on Sunday. It was not really made clear to me. Hopefully we can do the pool this Saturday, 1st quarry dive this Sunday and another quarry day some time before the 20th or do the referral with another shop. We've still got our last class next week and then we'll take the test.

Merlin, I sent you a PM

[Heatheroe]

Try this place in Charlotte, they seem to have check out dives for the next 4 weekends.
Divers Supply Charlotte (http://www.divers-supply.com/Divers-Supply-Charlotte-C113.aspx#Char_cal)

will do, we just bought our weights from them.

[Heatheroe]

Rileybri, actually we signed up (paid) at the beginning of August and there really were only about 2 classes starting (one we'd already missed 1 day of, another one that didn't fit our schedule) between then and the one on the 7th, so who is at fault HERE?

[doctormike]

can I ask why you waited till the last minute to take a scuba class for a trip you presumably knew about long before booking your class on the "we'll do what we can" credo? Maybe he did what he could and still no dice on pool time.

Sorry, I'm still with the OP on this one. I hardly think that six weeks lead time is the "last minute". I do agree with you that "we'll do what we can" is a red flag, but the issue seems to be open water time, not pool time. I never heard of a quarry not having any open spots... If the instructor is too busy to certify the class of students that already paid him for his time, then maybe he needs to hire someone else.

IMHO, if you put $600 down and say that you need OW certification within six weeks, most dive shops would be happy to take care of you (especially since they will probably get your gear business as well). Most of the time on this board, we are complaining about shops that do the whole certification in a weekend!



Get a referral for a shop down where you will be diving and problem solved. Just think real hard about WHO is at fault hear..............

It is certainly suboptimal to use up two of the OP's limited vacation dives in Andros for the OW checkout dives. Most people prefer not to do that if they don't mind doing the checkout dives in the colder water at home (as seems to be the case here).

Also, they have paid for their OW cert dives up front with this LDS. If they went to another place for the checkout dives would their instructor refund them part of the $600 to cover the new costs? If not, then the problem really isn't solved.

[TreyR]

Divers supply is usually booked with ow classes. I can set you up with a shop in Gaston that will do private lessons at your convinence for same cost as most other shops.

[DivemasterDennis]

I want to reply to you as a dive pro and as an attorney. At the shop with which I am affiliated, every student who signs up has a specific syllabus of all class sessions and pool sessions, and select among open water dive options. We have monthly local open waters most of the year, and some opt to do their open waters at their vacation destination. We do a lot of classes- one to 3 open water classes every week most of the time. IF ( and it is a big IF) you specified in your contract with the dive center what needed to be done at the time you began, and they failed to provide what was needed, you should get a total refund. If there was ambiguity, then you won't. However, if you relied on the dive shop's representations of when you could complete the class, you should get at least a partial refund to put toward certification elsewhere. The vast majority of dive centers and instructors are very reputable and honorable. I am sorry you encountered one that wasn't. Don't give up on our wonderful sport!
DivemasterDennis

[Heatheroe]

Thanks Dennis, and everyone else. I thought we did our homework. I just assumed there were more instructors. And we expressed verbally what our vacation plans were so nothing in writing (I didn't know that could be part of a contract). We've been in his shop numerous times. We actually bought the manual about a year or so ago. We've been mulling over the idea of getting certified for a while now. The plan was for my husband to get certified first since he was so much more comfortable than I was (we've done 2 resort dives) but when it came down to it, I didn't want to be left out of the fun!

I'm guessing he's the only instructor and he has more students than usual because he did a half off promotion which we didn't know about until the 1st class. Thanks for all of the suggestions.

[Incognegro]

Didn't thnk about the private sessions, check you're local dive clubs, you may find someone that do your last pool and OW

[Dead_eye]

I would be all over this guy.

In that time frame, up here in the Great White North ( Toronto) you could have taken all of your classroom & pool in a weekend and then your OW the next weekend.

I know that this does not help, but maybe a call to the certification body is also in order. They may like to know what has gone on.

[Heatheroe]

I really do appreciate all of the responses. I had no idea I would feel such a community spirit from divers all over the place. I hope I can find that here locally as well. Subaboard and you all ROCK!

[Heatheroe]

Ok, the shop owner said he would really try and work with us to get certified before our trip. We tried to do the pool session this past Saturday. Instructor preferred we not use wetsuits but we brought our shorty wet suits any way. Air temp was 60 degrees, water probably low 70s, strong wind at 10mph+. Once we got to the shop he gave other students full suits and told us to use our shorties since we brought them. We drove to the pool (small, OUTDOOR hotel pool, extremely cloudy, 5 feet deep) and had to get in w/o wetsuits to do the swim tests. There were 5 people in a tiny pool trying to do laps, no mask or snorkel allowed. I kept swallowing water from the wake of the people beside me and i was freezing. Then treaded water for 10 minutes. Then put on dry wetsuits over wet skin. Not fun. Wetsuit zippper broke so I was exposed more than anyone. Donned all equipment in water. My primary reg felt like it was stuck. It took ALOT of effort to get air. Instructor wasn't concerned and said use the octo which was a cheesy reg that released bubbles right in front of my face. Once in the water we immediately started with the mask clearing skills. By this time 3 of us were shaking uncontrollably. Four out of five people quit. We went back to the shop. Owner said the next pool session was also outdoors and that he wouldn't be indoors until November. We're leaving for vacation October 20th so won't be certified and unable to dive. The check out dives are in local quarries or lakes yet he doesn't rent booties, gloves or hoods. I am not buying those as I will never use them. I DON'T WANT TO DIVE IN COLD WATER! We're debating quitting the whole thing and losing $600 because we think the program is poorly run, unorganized, owner is condescending and puts down any equipment that is not top of the line. We're not required to have wetsuits but he looked at my shorty (sea elite, I know basic but I only use it for snorkeling) and said it would not be up to par for his program. We only have 4 months to complete certification (SDI) from what he said and now it's getting to be winter here so I don't know what we will do. We can finish the class, take the test and complete the pool session then get a referral somewhere warm for the cert dives but of course that will be more money. He has pissed off everyone in our class with his attitude. I think he is inherently a nice guy but some of the things he says are out of line. Classes were unorganized with much unnecessary personal stories, videos, interruptions.

We definitely picked the wrong shop.

[Jax]

Oh, Heather, please don't give up! :hugs:

Why won't this guy give you a referral? I sure hope you report him to his agency. All that is just wrong.

[doctormike]

Four out of five people quit..... the program is poorly run, unorganized, owner is condescending .... He has pissed off everyone in our class with his attitude.... [B]I think he is inherently a nice guy


Wow, either you are a very tolerant person, or there is no competition for dive training in your area!

I hate to pile on in these types of threads, because of course we are only hearing one side of the story. However, if the situation is really as you described it, it sounds like the least that you can do is let the agency know how things have gone (as well as Yelp and Scubaboard, as you have done). You might not be the first one to run into this problem.

Asking people to do skills in low 70 degree water for a length of time without exposure protection is just wrong, IMHO.

[Heatheroe]

Thanks Jax and doctormike. I really do not want to bash anyone and I haven't mentioned the shop's name or owner and won't unless it's in a private message. I am trying to be open-minded and see things from both perspectives.

I'm just so new to this and thought I asked all the right questions before we signed up but now I know I did not. That is mainly why I posted here, to get more info on how things are normally supposed to go when you get your OW certification.

We still plan to get certified but we'll probably have to wait until our next vacation.

[Kingpatzer]

Ok, the shop owner said he would really try and work with us to get certified before our trip. . . .

While it's great that he's going to "try," trying won't ensure you are satisfied with the result.

I would go see the guy in person. I would ask that he make a commitment to you, in writing, that he will get your certification completed. I would ask that he commit to providing a full refund if he can't get your certification completed. I would make sure you have a referral in hand for your currently completed work, and that he would update the referral you hold as each additional component is completed (some less reputable shops withhold referrals as an extortion tactic).

I would ask him to get out his calendar and tell you exactly when he's going to do each component. I would stress that you don't care if another class is scheduled or not, that he took your money and it needs to be done even if you're the only student in the class.

Be polite, but firm. In the meantime, find other shops in your area who can work with you.

Frankly, this seems ludicrous to me.

As for the pool conditions. In 70* water, you should absolutely have a wetsuit on. There is no excuse for that one.

[doctormike]

While it's great that he's going to "try," trying won't ensure you are satisfied with the result.

I would go see the guy in person. I would ask that he make a commitment to you, in writing, that he will get your certification completed. I would ask that he commit to providing a full refund if he can't get your certification completed. I would make sure you have a referral in hand for your currently completed work, and that he would update the referral you hold as each additional component is completed (some less reputable shops withhold referrals as an extortion tactic).

I agree that the OP has not gotten good customer service at the very least. And I'm not an instructor or a shop owner, but I think that few instructors would give a money back guarantee regarding training. People don't complete training for a wide variety of reasons unrelated to the instructor (inability to master basic skills, loss of interest, lack of time, etc..), so I'll bet that no one would give you THAT sort of deal.

I think that what you can expect is that once you have put down your money, the instructor/LDS will make a good faith effort to provide you with a reasonable schedule, and extra sessions if necessary for students that are having problem keeping up. I totally agree about the referral, although I have only heard of referrals for the OW portion of training, not for the pieces of the non-OW training that has been done. I think that if you go to another shop, they would probably start from scratch if you needed more than just the OW dives.





Thanks Jax and doctormike. I really do not want to bash anyone and I haven't mentioned the shop's name or owner and won't unless it's in a private message. I am trying to be open-minded and see things from both perspectives.

Well, it doesn't sound like you are an unfair or unreasonable person. For those of us who work with customers (clients, patients, etc..) in any way, sooner or later someone is going to comment on the experience (positively or negatively). I don't think that anyone has the right to expect a dissatisfied customer to keep their opinion to themselves, especially in the Internet era...

[Incognegro]

Hate you had an bad experience with THAT instructor, but sounds like he's just in it for the money and doesn't care about really getting students certified. I'm new to diving, but isn't the rules of diving, not to dive if it's too cold, if you have faulty equipment, or feel uncomfortable with the dive. With the bad experience you're having with him, would you really want to try open water with him? He's already shown that he has no concern for his students. you may not want to post his name here, but you should post it with the certifying agency and the BBB. I just did mine in March of this year, and the class room and pool session was done over 3 days, it took me a little longer because I couldn't get by the float test. But the shop worked with me until I did pass it. and also the shop where I went for my OW referral was willing work with me too if I hadn't.

[buddhasummer]

We started our class session on September 7th. We had our third (and what we thought to be our last) class last night. When we tried to schedule the pool and 2 days of OW check out dives, there was only 1 pool session available for the rest of Sept and no OW sessions for October. We leave for our vacation to Andros (slated to have the 3rd largest barrier reef in the world) on October 20th. Needless to say, we will not be able to dive now. The intructor knew we had a time limit as do most other people in our class so I'm quite upset that he didn't try and get us in the pool or quarry before now. I asked several times if we would have time for it all and he said "we'll do what we can".

We don't get to go on vacation more than once a year so I'm very disappointed about this. Of course we don't want to rush it but I think he could have been more acommodating for $600. If we do a referral in Andros we'll be paying $750 more for the cert dives.

Am I over-reacting? Or should I look on the bright side, maybe we'll try and plan another dive vacation sooner rather than later?

I dont think you are over reacting, maybe under reacting I would have gone postal... but I would also have made 100% sure before paying for the class that it would be completed prior to my trip. Either way I think it's lame service. Good luck.

[Colliam7]

Ok, the shop owner said he would really try and work with us to get certified before our trip. . . . small, OUTDOOR hotel pool, extremely cloudy, 5 feet deep . . . By this time 3 of us were shaking uncontrollably. Four out of five people quit. We went back to the shop. Owner said the next pool session was also outdoors and that he wouldn't be indoors until November. . . . The check out dives are in local quarries or lakes yet he doesn't rent booties, gloves or hoods. , , , We're debating quitting the whole thing and losing $600 because we think the program is poorly run, unorganized, owner is condescending and puts down any equipment that is not top of the line. . . . Classes were unorganized with much unnecessary personal stories, videos, interruptions. We definitely picked the wrong shop.Three comments, generally cosistent with the responses you have received: 1. There are always two sides to every issue, I appreciate your efforts to be balanced. Unless you have painted a very inaccurate picture (which I doubt), you did pick the wrong shop to meet your needs. If you booked in August for an October trip, you did so far enough ahead. If you made your travel schedule and needs clear to the owner, he had the initial option of saying - 'Yes, I can work with that.', or 'No, I cannot meet your needs, and I suggest you pursue training elsewhere.' As stated, there is no guarantee on certification, but your description outlines a situation where there is simply not any reasomable attempt to provide adequate training. 2. Although your specific location in NC is not noted in your profile, I presume you are somewhere in the Charlotte area. I would be surprised if there was not a shop with a) an instructional staff adequate in size, and b) access to indoor pool facilities, appropriate to accomodate your needs. 3. At this point, THERE IS STILL TIME to accomplish you goals, and do it in a safe, competent manner. But, it is very unlikely that you can do it through the current shop, based on your descripotion of the operation. You need a private class - yes, more expensive, but also more flexible and tailored. Although you have already invested in the course through the current shop and are affiliated with a particular agency, I would suggest you not let that limit you, and find a shop, irrespective of agency affiliation, that can accomodate a private class, with pool time available. IF you really want to get certified before the trip, then spend the money, and meanwhile negotiate with the shop owner for some level of refund.

As one example of what could be done - in another part of the state - in the the Raleigh-Durham area, there are a number of shops, among which probably three do the majority of training, in terms of volume. If you walked into one of the larger shops this morning and asked for a private class with a schedule that would permit certification (assuming your performance supported it, of course) in time for your trip, I can assure you it could be done, and time arranged for an indoor pool. It might require flexibility on your part, and would not be 'cheap', but it could easily be done. So, in an equally large, metropolitan area like Charlotte, I cannot imagine that you could not get it done.

[Rileybri]

You asked how it “usually” runs; Well t my LDS Waterfront Dive Center (Only one of 2 within a reasonable distance away and one is going under) When you pay for a class you get your cert. even if they have to bend over backwards to do it. The dont have their own pool but we do have a lake to train in conditions dependant. They are a NAUI shop primarily but do offer a few PADI certs. They offer one of three choices one week intensive, six week spread out of custom with referral.
Is the shop you are working with your only choice? You may have better luck going to another shop, a competitor and seeing if they will help you out? At the very least that info will make good ammunition for getting what you need from your current choice of LDS. how ever this winds up for you I would never step foot in that LDS again and would provide accurate information who the shop is to the cert. agency, Yelp and hear on SB lest someone else winds up in the same position as you are in now.
In the future dont leave key components to an expensive dive vacation for a few weeks before you go and dont take "maybe" and "will try" as acceptable answers. Its your $$ they want and its your choice to learn to dive with them!

[Heatheroe]

Thanks Rileybri. We have been going back and forth with what to do. We just don't get a good vibe or feeling from this guy (like you know you're not going to be friends, hang out or dive with this person). He comes across as condescending and he may not realize it. Don't get me wrong, he's a really nice person but not great with the instruction. We're not going to get a partial refund, already asked. As it stands now, we're going to go on vacation, do another discover scuba course and pick up the class with him some time down the road. If at any time I feel unsafe like I did last week, things will get more serious and we'll stop being nice about this whole fiasco. I know we should bare some of the blame but from what everyone is telling me, there are definitely some things wrong with this scenario. I mean, we are the customers, right?

[Rileybri]

Aside from accepting vagary and misdirection from someone who has demonstrated (based on your reporting) an inability or unwillingness to provide appropriate services for the money they received from you have no more responsibility or fault. I would however if I was in your position tell him to go take a long dive on a small tank, report hi/the LDS and move on. It may wind up costing a few hundred more dollars but hay in the grand scheme of diving its will be a drop in the bucket. Find someone else to teach you and wash your hands of this whole affair.

[Heatheroe]

Thanks to you too Colliam7. Sorry, just now saw your post. We found an SDI shop that can do 2 indoor sessions this weekend and 2 check out dives next weekend for about $550 more but current LDS says he can only give a referral for the OW portion and we have to complete pool work with him. So without any sort of partial refund and a vacation coming up, it's just not doable, even if he did give us the referral. The new shop has been really great to work with so far over the phone. Even though they're an hour away, I think we're going to pay them a visit when we get back :eyebrow:

[Colliam7]

We found an SDI shop that can do 2 indoor sessions this weekend and 2 check out dives next weekend for about $550 more but current LDS says he can only give a referral for the OW portion and we have to complete pool work with him. That last part seems strange, but I confess that I don't know the SDI system, and it may be true.
So without any sort of partial refund and a vacation coming up, it's just not doable, even if he did give us the referral. I can appreciate your situation. The more you share about your interaction with the shop and owner, the less impressed I am with his business practices, not to mention approach to instruction.

[Heatheroe]

That last part seems strange, but I confess that I don't know the SDI system, and it may be true.

Sorry, to clarify, he can't give a referral for both confined and open water but he can sign off that we've completed the class and taken the test, allowing us to complete pool and OW somewhere else.

[LowDrag]

I am sorry to hear about your situation and being new to diving myself I have no credible advice to lend. I will say though that not all LDS shop owners are going to give you the same level of service that you have received so far. It is like anything else in this world some are good and some are not. I hope you stay interested in diving and I also hope you have a great vacation even though it will not be a dive vacation. Take care.

[OzGriffo]

Wow. That's about all I can say. I did the theory online, booked in a course at the LDS, sat the test the next morning, dove twice that day, and three times the next, and was OW certified. Taking weeks or months to get certified in OW sounds crazy.

[mathauck0814]

If you paid with a credit card, call and contest the charge. You needed a service by a date and it wasn't delivered.

[vladimir]

We found an SDI shop that can do 2 indoor sessions this weekend and 2 check out dives next weekend for about $550 more but current LDS says he can only give a referral for the OW portion and we have to complete pool work with him.

That last part seems strange, but I confess that I don't know the SDI system, and it may be true.That is pretty standard, in my experience.


Sorry, to clarify, he can't give a referral for both confined and open water but he can sign off that we've completed the class and taken the test, allowing us to complete pool and OW somewhere else.Typically, a referral attests that you have successfully completed the theory and the pool work, leaving the open-water dives to be conducted elsewhere. It was conceived with divers like you in mind--those who don't want to dive in cold water.

A referral should be cheaper than a full certification (that includes the open water dives in the price). Paying him $600 to attest that you have completed the theory is probably a waste of $600. Resorts at your destination are likely able to give you a full certification course--at full price--or conduct the check-out dives with a standard referral, at some lesser price. I doubt they have a provision for pool work and checkout dives that offers a significant discount (or time-savings, for that matter).

[diving-fan]

$600 is way too much for that. I am not sure about the system, but can't you negotiate that you just have the pool session with another person? If they don't have enough diving instructors to get you ready in time, they should allow you to get someone external.

[blackvans1234]

My LDS that I was certified at (in NY) conveniently did not rent gloves, but they did have 3ml gloves for the 'competitive' price of $60. They also didn't tell us that until our last CW class was finished, and maybe 8 days before we had our checkout dives.

My sister bought a pair, I used amazon, and got 2 day shipping for like 3 dollars extra. In total I paid 33 dollars for 3mil gloves.


IMO Shop owner should not be instructor.

[Heatheroe]

yeah, i'm just going to have to chalk this one up to inexperience. He knew our timeframe from the day we paid for the course, he knows his process and how long things usually take and he should have been proactive with letting us know and accommodating us. I asked for a partial refund but of course he said no. "I don't break it down like that". I think he should stick with just the technical classes and leave the newbies to someone else. There is actually another instructor (the only other one) who is much better to deal with, very knowledgeable, been diving for 30 years and used to own his own shop.

We're going to go on vacation next week, do the discover scuba (again), finish the pool work with the other instructor when we get back then make another trip somewhere to complete the OW portion. I haven't said anything directly to the shop owner about our negative experience because I didn't want any kind of retribution during the test and pool portions of the course. I honestly don't want to ever even see him again as this whole fiasco has caused alot of stress between my husband and I. I called the regional SDI manager but he never called me back.

[OzGriffo]

My LDS that I was certified at (in NY) conveniently did not rent gloves, but they did have 3ml gloves for the 'competitive' price of $60.


IMO Shop owner should not be instructor.

I think it's a common tactic. Like the shop I know that doesn't give OW students logbooks as part of the course, but has them conveniently for sale for only $50. Or only tells students on the nav course that they need a compass (that should be obvious really) and a slate (also conveniently for sale for $50) when they turn up for the course but doesn't mention it in the pre-course communications.

My LDS even tells me that he thinks dry-suit courses are just a rort to get more money out of people who buy a dry-suit.

[ktomlinson]

Heatheroe, don't give up, if just out of principle. If there is any kind of instructor/student dynamic going on forget that. Go into the shop, look this guy in the eye and tell him that you expect a full refund. From his own mouth he says that he doesn't break down the cost of a class, so instead of a partial refund you should receive a full refund. He knew your time frame and didn't perform the job you hired him to do. Don't let him make you doubt yourself or back down. Calm, cool, collected and assertive go a long way. If he doesn't go for it you could always take him to small claims court.

[jm]

Hi Heather, SDI/TDI HQ would probably be very interested in looking into this matter, as this instructor is issuing certifications with their name on them. Here is the link:

International Training :: Home :: Contact SDI / TDI / ERDI :: English (http://www.tdisdi.com/index.php?did=18&site=1)

If you explain your situation as calmly and as courteously as you have here on SB, they may take it up with your instructor. I am not affiliated with their agency but I understand that they are a really good organization. After all, they know that other certification agencies would also very much like to provide you with training so it is in their best interests to help you.

[LowDrag]

JM is giving great advice. I know with the company I work for, if a customer calls in, the management team wants to know what is going and if the customer takes the time to write then that carries even more weight with the higher ups. Good luck in getting some satisfaction.