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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

to think my friend got conned on this social media course and should get a refund?

43 replies

BellaBearisWideAwake · 23/03/2011 21:04

Hi, this is really in behalf of a friend who writes a blog, who paid a decent amount of money to attend a social media course which didn't come up to scratch. Her post is here:

mediocremum.com/2011/03/21/is-it-british-to-complain-and-not-do-anything-about-it/

What do you think? Should she get a refund?

She was advised to come on here by a reader of her blog but hasn't ever been on MN so I'm posting on her behalf while I wonder if this baby will ever arrive

OP posts:
CotswoldCountryMummy · 23/03/2011 21:15

she should definitely get a refund. It's within her rights.

Original poster
BellaBearisWideAwake · 23/03/2011 21:17

thank you

OP posts:
MmeLindt · 23/03/2011 21:47

They have certainly not fulfilled their obligation, as they set out in the description. No idea what she can do about that, since even a the bad review on her blog doesn't seem to be persuading them to act. Not great marketing, that. :)

The aims of the course are actually not that difficult, she could probably find the answers to them easily online. Bit of a cheek to charge over £400 and then not even teach it properly.

lalalonglegs · 23/03/2011 21:58

If she can prove that these things were not touched on (did she take notes through the day? Has she spoken to other attendees and shared her disappointment?) then she can go to the small claims court.

A1980 · 23/03/2011 23:03

The "course" (and I use the term loosely) included teaching the following things:

How to grow your Twitter followers

How to blog and grow your blog followers

How to record and upload Youtube video and grow your video followers

How to feed Twitter and all your social networks into Friendfeed so you can watch your own news channel and filter faster

Is that a joke?

She paid £500 for this?

Original poster
BellaBearisWideAwake · 24/03/2011 06:45

A1980- that is a very valid question!!
Thanks for feedback to everyone

OP posts:
FreudianSlippery · 24/03/2011 07:23

I think your friend was nuts paying for that kind of course tbh, but you'd be amazed at what people charge for teaching stuff like this. Even though the very nature of the Internet means it's easy to find out for free Hmm

But no, that isn't on at all Angry

Glad I followed that link - my dad knows that couple - I'll email it to him.

Original poster
BellaBearisWideAwake · 24/03/2011 07:25

FS thank you (although I suspect they do know!)

OP posts:
FreudianSlippery · 24/03/2011 07:26

I do think though that although she's said what DIDN'T happen on the course, she's not said what did happen? WTF were they waffling on about all day if not what they were supposed to be teaching?

YANBU anyway...

Butternutsquash22 · 24/03/2011 07:27

Serves her right for going to such a stupid course in the first place...

Original poster
BellaBearisWideAwake · 24/03/2011 07:56

Genuine question: is that relevant?

OP posts:
Original poster
BellaBearisWideAwake · 24/03/2011 07:57

Really not being snarky there

OP posts:
MmeLindt · 24/03/2011 08:15

To be honest, I do think that they are taking the piss, even offering this course. Everything that they are offering to teach is so easy to find out online, some of it is irrelevant.

Your friend could have saved herself a lot of money, time and energy. I understand her motives, it is easy to be caught up in the "successful blogger" thing, but to be honest there are so few people who actually make money from blogging.

And unless she is looking to make money from it, I cannot really understand why she would go on such an expensive course.

Which has nothing to do with the question - should she have her money refunded - which was a bitter lesson for her and a warning for other bloggers.

CotswoldCountryMummy · 24/03/2011 09:06

wow, that's a really mature, insightful and constructive comment there butternut squash. How old are you? 5?

Butternutsquash22 · 24/03/2011 09:21

Well she went on the course, participated, and then 'chose not to fill in the evaluation form'. So for this reason she has absolutely no reason to expect a refund as she did not voice her complaint at the correct time.

AlpinePony · 24/03/2011 09:24

Is this just a way to promote her blog? Is this something which was suggested on the course? Spam a successful site such as mn?

Tbh - I'm rather with those who believe that she got what she paid for. A fool and his money et al.

Original poster
BellaBearisWideAwake · 24/03/2011 09:28

Oh no no no. I promise it isn't. She really is a friend, and she tried to sort it out quietly but no joy. She's had loads of feedback from twitter anyway. Just thought I would ask.

OP posts:
Original poster
BellaBearisWideAwake · 24/03/2011 09:30

It's not me I promise. I'm not into 'mummy blogging' at all.

OP posts:
stubbornhubby · 24/03/2011 09:34

did they advise her on the course to post links to her blog on sites like Mumsnet ?

Original poster
BellaBearisWideAwake · 24/03/2011 09:38

I have no idea. Honestly just asking.

If I was trying to promote her blog, I would have done it ages ago. Or suggested it to her to do it herself. She's not on MN.

OP posts:
QuintessentialShadows · 24/03/2011 09:53

Sad and pathetic really. And pretty alien to me. Even as a forum user. I cannot see the real life benefit of having every aspect of life scrutinized through strangers online. What does it matter what we think? Is your friend unable to decide for herself whether the course she attended did what it advertised? Why waste time debating this online, why not just make a complaint? Does everything really have to be "public"?

And if this is a social experiment to get people to her blog, it is a pretty boring and uninteresting one.

I dont read blogs. I dont care.

Original poster
BellaBearisWideAwake · 24/03/2011 10:01

It really isn't a social experiment. Honestly.

I'm sorry if people think I am doing this somehow for my own ends. I promise I am not. I don't know how to prove this though! The blogger is not me, I don't blog.

I think i'll go back to pregnancy and childbirth threads from now on!

OP posts:
MmeLindt · 24/03/2011 12:43

Oh, stop it, you cynical lot. I became aware of this thread on Twitter, when I saw that mediocre mum said that a friend (BellaBear) had asked MN for advice on this. This thread was not started as a way to up hits to her blog.

I don't think, "A fool and his money..", although I do think that the blogger has been a bit naive. She did ask others for advice and was told that the course was a good one. I have no idea why someone would do a course like this, but she thought it would help get her blog more readers. Which is what we bloggers want, no matter how we wrap it up as being all about expressing ourselves, and writing for me blah blah.

Sadly there are others out there looking to make a quick buck.

DuplicitousBitch · 24/03/2011 12:51

i don't think she has a leg to stand on. it was a basic course about stuff she seems to know about already.

QuintessentialShadows · 24/03/2011 12:52

sorry MmeLindt. I just dont get it.

Why do bloggers want more readers? What is it that you have to say that is so interesting to everybody? And if it really was so interesting, would not the readers come automatically, through reputation / word of mouth?

I think the need to blog is possibly greater than the need to read a blog.

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