Pitman training centre closed without warning - paid for course but they are refusing refund on basis that it is a franchise

[notquitesureagain]

I paid for a really expensive excel course at a local training centre. I work for a small charity and it was a comparatively big expense i.e. I had to get approval before signing up and thought long and hard about it. The centre closed 'temporarily' before Christmas and then 'until further notice'. I went again this morning and there is still no-one there.

Head office tells me they will transfer me to another centre (but I signed up on the basis that the local centre would be really useful and accessible around my work schedule, I won't be able to get to any of the others) or do distance learning (which I particularly didn't want to do hence signing up to a course at a centre).

I've asked for a refund but been told that because it is a franchise and 'no monies have been paid to Pitman Head office' I can't get one. All the phone numbers for the people who ran the original centre are dead now so I can't contact them to get a refund (they've given me an email address but there's little hope of getting a response).

Is there anything I can do? It seems really odd that, having signed up with Pitman Training they themselves hold no responsibility for the fact that I can no longer do the course I paid for.

Would really appreciate advice from anyone in the know. Thanks

[LurkingHusband]

Did you pay by credit card ?

[QueenLaBeefah]

Maybe put in Twitter?

As an aside I have been looking into doing a particilar course. I now won't be using pitman if this is how they treat people.

[notquitesureagain]

I paid by bank transfer. Is that better or worse?!

QueenLaBeefah yes, I suppose I could try the public shaming route. But yes, I really wouldn't recommend a course with them. They've been really unhelpful about the whole thing. And actually the reason I went with them rather than some random course was because I was drawn in by the brand, which clearly means nothing if it ultimately comes down to their having no responsibility for what happens in the franchised branches