To expect a refund from the NCT

[Passthemuslin]

Did my ante-natal classes last year, a 'provisional' date was set for group reunion after all the babies were born. We heard nothing about the session, although I wouldn't really have wanted to take DS out then as the weather was so bad. We didn't hear anything for ages, so one of the other mummies had to chase it up for us. We did have the contact details for the woman who was supposed to be running it, but the responsibility should have been on her to contact us, not the other way round. They are now saying she was ill so couldn't do it sooner, and have given us another date for next week.

To be honest, most of us meet up weekly anyway, so there is no point in having the reunion now. The ones who don't meet up would probably not have come anyway. Have asked for a refund of 25% of the course cost, as the reunion was 1 session out of 4, but they are only offering 1/8 of the cost, as they are saying it was 2 hours out of 16.

AIBU to expect a refund?

You're not, but good luck! DD was born prematurely so we only attended 2 meetings out of 8, and got nothing!

Was it only 2 hours out of 16?

Have they offered to organise it?

It's difficult cos they are a charity in the end. I was very fed up with my NCT classes, they were due to start 2 months before my due date, then the course leader got ill and they started a month late. So I only got half of them before the baby was born. I was quite stressed about it at the time (thinking it would be impossible to have a baby without the full NCT course!).

But it did make me realise that it's a charity, mainly run by volunteers who put in their effort for no recompense. And that you couldn't really rely on it.

so in that sense I sympathise but YABalittlebitU for wanting a refund.

We got a 50% refund when our antenatal class ended up only being 5 people, so we managed to get through everything in one day instead of two.

I don't now how much of the cost of classes goes to the 'teacher', but if they're paid hourly I can sort of understand why they're calculating your refund based on hours missed, rather than sessions, tbh.

How does that work then?

4 sessions, one of them (the reunion) lasting 2 hours, the remaining 14 hours spread across 3 sessions?

wow. Did you really have 3 sessions lasting more than 3 1/2 hours each?

If so, she has a point.

If the other sessions were 2 hours, then you can claim to be refunded 10 out of 16 hours.....

NN - it was 2 hours out of 16, but there were 4 sessions in total, 3 before the birth and one after, so it is 1 session out of 4.

They have offered to organise it and have given us a date for next week, but there is no point attending as the babies are all a couple of months old now and we meet up anyway. Would rather have the money than have to pay for something we do for free!

QS - I can't remember the exact times, but we had two long day (about 6 hours each) and a 2 hour breastfeeding session before the birth, so yes, 14 hours, but we paid for 4 sessions and only got 3.

YABU

They have given you a choice of a new date or a proportional refund. You want more money in place of a session that you would not have attended anyway. What if one session had been 8 hours and this one had been 2? Would you still have expected 50% back?

The post-natal meet up is nothing to do with the regular social meet-ups. It is effectively an opportunity to talk through any remaining concerns and for the teacher to get feedback about experiences.

In that case, yabu to expect 25% refund. Do you really think a 2 hour social session is equal in value to the time of a trained breast feeding councellor and teaching from an antenatal teacher? You have paid for 16 hours, and got 14 hours, so if any refund would be due, it would be for 2 hours. In my opinion.

What they have offered is reasonable if you only missed 2 hours. The reunion session is basically sitting there reliving the birth with someone who can help make sense of it a bit. And yes, the teachers are paid hourly.

They are a charity, they've offered you reasonable compensation and an alternative session - I think you should get over it.

You paid for a course not sessions. Each course is different but the pricing in the local area for the courses is the same.

NCT is a massive rip off anyway, i dont think youl get anything back. but still try

Or go to the session that you paid for and which is now being offered.

YABU for heavens sake its a Charity, you've been offered an alternative, get over yourself and find something else to worry about!

I don't really want to go to the session if no-one else from the group is going to be there. Also, there does not seem much point in talking about the birth now, not really something I want to rake up again.

I suppose I might have to settle for the amount they are offering, luckily it is not a huge amount unlike some of the London courses.

Out of interest, KnittedBreast, what makes you say they are a rip off - did you have a bad experience?

In retrospect I don't think my NCT exeprience was that great, not exactly a rip-off, but my friends who didn't go to NCT got very similar sessions via the NHS - I went to those too, we had Active Birth and Breastfeeding and Meditation, all sorts of nice things via the NHS midwife system.

But the experience of the classes starting a month late did make me less keen, cos in that month I had to go and find it all out for myself anyway, in case the baby came early.