Next Step Beauty Academy Complaints Thread

pmduk

NB it doesn't mean a similar post might not reappear, either posted by MSE on their behalf, or by a properly recognised company rep for the firm. (Although they don't seem to be the sort of co to bother with the necessary hassle to do things properly.)

superflygal

You're right pmduk. I am fully expecting a newly registered user to appear representing them!!

SFG x

pmduk

More likely, we'll have several new users purporting to have taken loads of their courses and they're the best thing since sliced bread. It's sad, because it means good reports from new users are always taken with a huge pinch of salt.

superflygal

Totally agree PMDUK, there are a plethora of unimaginatively and similarly written 5* reviews, on the internet about this company, by apparent sycophants!

Unfortunately, these appear to mask the more truthful ones. All of those posters have only made 1 post, and guess what that is about this company! They were so amazing apparently, they were happy to register and review them. It is almost as if someone from this company has reviewd themselves!! Watch this space!

SFG x

Former_MSE_Andrea

Hi

The company has asked to provide a response. MSE doesn't endorse anything a company says on the forum.

Hi there, we are very sorry to read your comments. As you know we provide accredited courses which incorporate both distance learning (though full online video demonstration and manuals) as well as practical training sessions. The online material covers the course entirely and demonstrates exactly what is covered within the training sessions. With over 40 locations nationwide and tens of thousands of scheduled training sessions it is unfortunate but inevitable that not all will be able to run and although we try very hard and work tirelessly to run each and every session it is simply not always possible. This can be for a number of reasons and not always down to numbers for example illness and bad weather.

On the rare occasions this happens students are offered an alternative date, alternative location or a full refund if they have not accessed the secure online training material or a partial refund if this has already been accessed as setout in the order/invoice. We simply are unable to refund the training material once it has been accessed as this was delivered.

We continue to work with trading standards and other bodies to ensure we comply with all legislation and this would not have been a factor in any decision to refund the fees paid by you. Having successfully trained over 3000 students last year, we have no control over reviews provided and are very proud of the comments achieved. We do however always take on board comments to further develop our courses and service.

We would be delighted to talk to you about this further should you wish and welcome you to call us directly or drop and email and wish you all the very best in your career.

Regards

Next Step Beauty

superflygal

Thanks Andrea,

They have just cut and pasted their original response, which hasn't addressed any of the subsequent points I made, as I expected.

SFG x

pmduk

I'm a grumpy sod, (my mates say they based Victor Meldrew on me) but... I told you so!

We've all read, both here, and elsewhere the rude and unhlepful response you'll get if you do phone them.

superflygal

Ah pmduk I don't believe it!! you seem lovely not Mr. Medrew at all!

I just hope people who need support find this thread! I have read lots of complaints and people wanting to collectively report them, one one site in particular, but for security reasons they won't publish email addresses. On another Beauty professionals website i left a review but the mods there told me Next Step Beauty had threatened legal action against them unless it was removed (then it was). Trouble is, when you review somewhere most people would type "nextstep beauty reviews" rather than "next step beauty wont refund" so the dreadful experiences are masked by all the 5* reviews posted by first time reviewers...... Smoke and mirrors...

Le_PomPom

Hi Superflygal,
I had problems with this company too - and they sound very similar to yours!
I did the complete nail technicians course with them in 2011, which was ok (trainer was great, but they recommend the cheapest products and encourage you to buy their kit, which is made up of all different brands, and is not what is encouraged in the beauty world, mixing systems). Anyway I enrolled on this course, and cleared my diary, then the date was changed a week prior to the course taking place, which I wasn't pleased about as I am self employed, so had cleared all my appointments, and then found I had to change appointments again!
Last year I decided that I wanted to do a pedicure course, and coincidentally I received an email from Next Step Beauty with an offer on their Pedicure course, so I thought I would book it. The course was local to me, and only half a day. I had booked this course for the start of summer, so that I could offer this service to my clients in time for the summer holidays. The day of the course I decided to check my emails in the 'Student Portal' located on their website to double check I had the correct details, and found that they had emailed me a week prior, cancelling the course. I emailed them back to ask why, and if they could not contact me through the student portal, but via my personal email address, that they had, as I didn't log into the portal often. I got a generic email back, saying that they don't often have to cancel courses and I was transfered to the one running the next month which would take place.
The following month, I checked my emails on the Student Portal a week prior to the course to find it had been cancelled again! No email to my personal email address as requested, and again the course was not running, although I had been assured it would be. Now I had lost 2 afternoon's work! I phoned the company to ask them what was going on, they said that looking at the class list the course would definitely run the following month, so I decided that I would wait and do it (although I had now missed the optimum summer period!). Guess what happened? Yep, it was cancelled again - and yes, no notification via my personal email address, just through the student portal on their website! I decided to cancel my booking and get my money refunded. I paid to take the course somewhere else, they ran the course on the date advertised, and training was great!
However NExt Step Beauty refused to refund my money, saying that I had accessed the Student Portal where the course material was! I never downloaded the course material, but they said that they could see I had accessed the student portal. Of course I had, how else would I have known the course was cancelled on 3 different occasions if I hadn't. They seem to have very little concern for their customer service. I asked them on 2 separate occasions to email me personally, but they failed to do so, then used the reason of accessing the student portal as a reason to not refund me! I was told, over the telephone that I could be refunded £10.00 of the £114 I had paid to them for the course not taking place. If the practical course only costs them £10.00, they should be able to run it if 1 person or 20 people turn up. I doubt very much that the cost of the practical course is this little. I was told that I could transfer to another course, as I explained that I had now done my pedicure training with another company. I had lost all faith in this company and told them so, and said I didn't want to train with them. Still no refund! Finally I got my money back after contacting trading standards and getting them involved. But as you can imagine, the refund was not simple. I was told 3 different times that I had been refunded, yet the money was not in my bank account. I think that this company makes the refund process so difficult that they hope people will get bored with chasing them! I would never recommend this company. Only one person there was anywhere near helpful and this wasn't the MD! I would recommend people to look for another training academy rather than use these!

superflygal

Wow, thanks for your story Le PomPom. I am so pleased you got a refund, I agree, they make life as difficult as possible for people to get a refund. It is also the stress and loss of earnings that further stress levels. Totally unacceptable. That in itself is probably grounds for a legal case.

I ended up contacting my credit card company, and asked them to do a chargeback. Next Step immediately responded to this sending them a letter asking that they do not remove funds from their account without their agreement and refuted my claim, stating I had used valuable resources. This was a lie. I had logged into the Portal a week before the course date, as I was so keen to make a start and succeed and they had made it quite clear how essential it was to study their online resources in their emails.

Once in the portal, I found nothing, just a blank page! I messaged them through this portal asking how I accessed the material I had paid for, and the following day had a cancellation notification. I phoned them to ask for a refund. I have to say their MD was a horrible woman she sounded like she was positively enjoying telling me I couldn't have a refund as I had accessed the Student Portal. I told her there was no content and that I had emailed to advise them of this, she just claimed to be unaware of any missing materials and said on the face of it I was not entitled to a refund at all, I was not even offered a partial one!

I was a nervous wreck when I came off the phone from her. I can see how they keep money, She was so intimidating, that sort of behaviour scares people from complaning. I think they are like smiling assasins.

I eventually got a refund through the Section 75 law, which means credit card companies are jointly responsible for goods ad services. This meant, however, that I received a goodwill refund from Mastercard, and Next Step kept my original payment.

I was thinking, just suppose if, a company successfully trains 3000 students a year, and then unbeknownst to us reschedule a further 3000, out of which 2000 never get refunded at an average £300 per course, thats £60,000 clear profit, through legally debatable methods, without lifting a finger!

I have never dealt with such a poor organisation as Next Step Beauty, and I hope I won't have to ever again!

Please feel free to PM me anyone too afraid to mention their case online, I can point you to Trading Standards and other Legal Bodies that can tackle these unethical practices.