Sorry for my delay in posting again; work has been super busy. This thread seems to have gone quiet which I’m confused about
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I read the trustpilot review response (that @Psuedoshoes posted, thank you!) and had referred it in an earlier post as I was so shocked with this response too.
@Mibb At the moment my friend does not feel ready to speak up - I’m being as supportive and encouraging as I can but I think it is unlikely she ever will as she feels she is the failure; she feels she has let down her daughter; she feels the money she paid was clearly explained to her and so she has no recourse (and collectively this is where the issues lie in my mind as no one should be left feeling this way!) and she feels intimidated by the Robins tactics.
My therapist friend is working a lot with anxious teens at the current time and is very concerned about the patterns that are emerging here. YCFF seems to have some very worrying practices which could be very damaging and there are so many unanswered questions, such as: what is the criteria to be accepted onto the programme (it seems to us that they’re looking for parents who are desperate or dealing with their own anxiety); what are the qualifications of those working with these young people; do the young mentors have DRB checks (to list just a few).
Their new offer of a 1 week trial is all well and good but I don’t feel it is enough to understand if this is the right approach for you/your child. It’s a pseudo-offer in my mind and just reinforces my beliefs about the unscrupulous practices of this company.
If they are not unscrupulous why are they dodging my friends request for information that should be freely available (i.e. she asked who is their data controller; why aren’t they registered with ICO??!).
I am seriously questioning who will speak up for those people who are already struggling with a child with anxiety (and possibly anxiety them self) and who don’t feel ready, willing or comfortable to speak up for themselves about YCFF practices?
But what about those people who likely feel intimidated by the Robins demeanour (‘passionate’ I think Martin calls Sam in that trustpilot review response which is worded in such an intimidatory way!) or who are now in debt due to paying a significant sum for something they don’t see the value in?
Has anyone watched the documentary series ‘Don’t f**k with cats!’?? I almost feel as though there would be a benefit in creating a private group away from Mumsnet to investigate YCFF and to offer help and guidance to anyone who is dissatisfied with their business practices. We could advise them how to request a SAR or take out a CCJ to reclaim paid sums (which I’m trying to encourage my friend to do, but she is reluctant following intimidation tactics from the Robins). Anyone interested in setting up something like this..??
Can anyone help who lives near the area they are based as they list their registered office as: Cornucopia 37 High Street Clovelly Bideford Devon EX39 5TE (this is freely available information online) but this seems to be a visitor centre so I can’t see how they are using this as a registered office address. I may telephone the visitor centre tomorrow and ask..?
What else can we do? Contact Watchdog? Panorama? Local press?
Finally I came across this online course which is offered from a reputable organisation in Australia and it’s a fraction of the cost, it might be worth checking out: mindninja.lifelessonsglobal.com/order-483680461620339624901