Refunds for swimming lessons due to COVID

[Sunnydaysarethebest]

I feel like we are all losing out financially due to COVID however some companies are being selfish and not refunding money even though they can’t provide a service. I cannot get a refund for my daughter's swimming lessons even though the pool is still closed and the instructor also cannot fit us into her diary until November.

Apparently they are well within they’re rights to withhold refunds according to her.

Does anyone have any advice or words of wisdom?

I’m trying to see both sides here but struggling.

We paid £200 just before COVID and she only had one lesson.

Yanbu.

£200 is a lot of money. How many lessons was that for? Our swim lessons are roughly £40 a month.

Most places I know are refunding or carrying over until they can provide a service again. Dh's gym froze his membership and we have an annual pass at a zoo that was frozen until it opened again.

Our direct debit was suspended as soon as the lessons stopped-it’s through the council though so not a private company. And £200 is a lot of money so I’d be annoyed too.

I think at this point it's probably more about whether or not you want there to be swimming lessons for her to go back to. A lot of self employed people slipped through the cracks of the support and if they haven't earned anything for four months, they're simply not going to have the money there to refund, though I'm sure they will give the lessons when they can (I'm not sure what pool opening guidance is).

I just let all this stuff go,unprecedented times and all that

They are not within their rights. The CMA have made that very clear.

www.gov.uk/government/publications/cma-to-investigate-concerns-about-cancellation-policies-during-the-coronavirus-covid-19-pandemic/the-coronavirus-covid-19-pandemic-consumer-contracts-cancellation-and-refunds

I'd definitely persue it. I get it's hard times for businesses, but it's also hard times for everyone and losing £200 when no service given isn't easy. We are all going to feel the affects financially from the last few months and counting.

My company work in the trade where venues we supply had to close for months. We didn't invoice anyone during that period. We lost a lot of money and who knows how we will recover but we didn't give any service.

I'm swimming teacher and we just carry it over to the other block or refund. Shes out of order.

I'm self employed aswell op its no excuse.

@user1487194234 that’s not feasible for most. It’s a lot of money to be out for a service not received.

I’ve got around 140 I think paíd for my sons classes as the block had just started not before Corona. My main concern is that the new hours might not match the ones I can do so hoping they don’t refuse a refund. Also my son with 2.5yo and after nearly 7 months without getting in a pool might now tell me that no way he’s going in

Could you claim via your card ? Sometimes they’ve an insurance for something that you’ve claim for but hasn’t been fulfilled.

Sounds like there are two issues here. One is the level of satisfaction with service provided initially and the second is the time frame for recommending lessons. The first is very much within their control but they will have many people to reschedule surely and are still intending to fulfill the contract entered into, just not as quickly as you'd hoped. Also, if I've understood correctly, you're suggesting that you want to withdraw your child without giving them the chance to address the quality issue. On balance I'd say you given the context we now find ourselves in.

I paid for some 1 to 1 swimming sessions for my child at Easter. Very similar situation. It was assumed that I would be ok to not have a refund and at some unspecified point in the future be able to do a 1 to 1 lesson

We actually had some lessons booked in before covid which were going to go ahead with so we would have been through the block booking by now. So I was giving them a chance to fix it I’ve been politely trying to fix the issue.

It’s more the fact that covid happened and we couldn’t have the lessons. An unforeseeable situation yes. But if they can’t fulfil their contract I don’t understand why they didn’t issue refunds.

I issued refunds out of goodwill and couldn’t understand why they wouldn’t do the same.

I had a look into credit cards but I think it has to be the whole amount.

I know a swimming company that rents space near our offices are still being charged for hire of the pools. They have refunded clients but now the future of the business is hanging in the balance. I imagine this is the situation they are in however, I would not be able to swallow a loss of £200 so completely understand where youre coming from.

I work for a company that provides kids sports lessons (not swimming but probably set up in a similar way)
For anyone that had booked & paid for April - July term we rolled over all the lessons they had missed to the Sept term. We did cancel 2 lessons at the end of the March term due to lockdown - we have said not refunding those as my boss made the decision to pay staff rather than give refunds (staff are self employed & not eligible for furlough)
For a couple of lessons I think it’s fair enough, for a whole term they should at least roll over.
We have had a lot of people asking for a refund for the 2 March lessons (it’s about £14 in total)

I paid £90 for football lessons (run at school) from Feb half term until the summer holidays (there was a discount for block booking), and only got about 3 weeks out of them. I haven't heard from them, the only activity that I haven't heard from. They are running summer clubs and I have booked DS in for a few days because he's done fuck all sport/ socialising for 4+ months and it's good for him/ us.

School aren't doing any extra curriculars like that that mix classes in September. I would hope that when they are able to restart back at school that it could be honoured, but at the time I accepted it as a sunk cost, and at least the company has survived.

£200 for one lesson and no avaliablity until November is very poor though.