Scoiltrad Issue

OnTheMoor · Post by **OnTheMoor** » Sat Oct 16, 2004 10:38 pm

Hello,
So I just bought the beginner's flute course off scoiltrad.
Frist two lessons were great... but that's it.
Can someone please tell me where my other 8 lessons are?
Only two classes are downloaded and the links on the internet program just turn up Error messages for everything other than the first two.
I e-mailed scoiltrad, but I heard from one or two of you that I might not be hearing back too soon.
So did I pay $130 US to learn how to do the D and G scale? Pllllleaaasssseee say no.

Lambchop · Post by **Lambchop** » Sat Oct 16, 2004 11:40 pm

Ummm, the jury is still kind of out on that one.

Some folks have had great success with them; others have not. Some get through and others just . . . don't. Certainly, anyone who HAS had success might want to assist those who have not by intervening on their behalf. Please! Perhaps you could ask one of them to stop by the boards and collect up the names of those who are in limbo?

It's been so long since Conal's been over here that I've been fearing he's had some sort of personal tragedy.

You can relax about your missing lessons, because they're not really "missing." If you do a search of the board, you'll see that Conal O'Grada says that he will send the links to your next lessons when you submit your assessment. This is to prevent you from swooshing ahead and missing the important points.

As an internet-based instructor, I can see the rationale, and confess to employing it myself. However, I have an able assistant at the school who rides herd on me, and a computer guru who rides herd on the server, and although we have little glitches from time to time, things work out. Definitely, students have more than one way of getting in touch with us. I couldn't disappear even in those hurricanes we had.

Not that I really want to send in an assessment. No. But, in the interest of developing empathy with my students' plight, I expect I will.

Do let us know how you manage to contact them, won't you?

OnTheMoor · Post by **OnTheMoor** » Sun Oct 17, 2004 7:36 am

Thanks Peggy.
I don't suppose it says that on their website anywhere does it? I was under the impressiong that the assessments aren't mandatory. Just curious because I sent them an e-mail and I hope I don't look like an idiot.
Well, hopefully they're around to answer my e-mail. Thanks again.

GaryKelly · Post by **GaryKelly** » Sun Oct 17, 2004 8:04 am

I emailed, I phoned, I had friends email them on my behalf, and in 8 weeks I got no response whatsoever. I've applied to Visa for a full refund. Hope you have much better luck with them than I did.

Lambchop · Post by **Lambchop** » Sun Oct 17, 2004 12:26 pm

OnTheMoor wrote:I don't suppose it says that on their website anywhere does it? I was under the impressiong that the assessments aren't mandatory.

If it says it, I didn't find it. I did find that assessments were optional, leading me to believe that they were . . . optional.

Just curious . . . has any C&F'er actually done the package of beginner flute lessons? ALL of them? Three through ten?

I'm wondering if they just haven't gotten around to finishing them up.

SirNick · Post by **SirNick** » Sun Oct 17, 2004 1:02 pm

I had way better luck with MadforTrad.

OnTheMoor · Post by **OnTheMoor** » Sun Oct 17, 2004 2:40 pm

Dang. Keep your fingers crossed for me. $130 is a bit of money for a Uni student.

moxy · Post by **moxy** » Sun Oct 17, 2004 2:40 pm

GaryKelly wrote:I've applied to Visa for a full refund.

Coming from the Visa world (although I'm in Canada, I believe the rules are the same everywhere), you probably won't have Visa's assistance. Their take is that the agreement was between you and the merchant, and if the merchant isn't delivering the goods, you have to take it up with the merchant.

In other words, you authorized the merchant to charge you, therefore Visa processed the charge. If you hadn't authorized it, Visa would take care of it for you and remove it from your account.

But in your case, your dispute is with the merchant, not with Visa...

However, I could be wrong. Some banks do a "good will" gesture for their clients, once in a while, and gladly reverse a nuisance of a charge for their clients. But that means the bank is out the money, through no fault of their own.

If your bank does that for you, be very thankful.

OnTheMoor · Post by **OnTheMoor** » Sun Oct 17, 2004 3:01 pm

moxy wrote:
GaryKelly wrote:I've applied to Visa for a full refund.
Coming from the Visa world (although I'm in Canada, I believe the rules are the same everywhere), you probably won't have Visa's assistance. Their take is that the agreement was between you and the merchant, and if the merchant isn't delivering the goods, you have to take it up with the merchant.

In other words, you authorized the merchant to charge you, therefore Visa processed the charge. If you hadn't authorized it, Visa would take care of it for you and remove it from your account.

But in your case, your dispute is with the merchant, not with Visa...

However, I could be wrong. Some banks do a "good will" gesture for their clients, once in a while, and gladly reverse a nuisance of a charge for their clients. But that means the bank is out the money, through no fault of their own.

If your bank does that for you, be very thankful.

Looks like you're gonna have to go do some 'collecting' Gary since you're closer. Don't forget mine!

Wanderer · Post by **Wanderer** » Sun Oct 17, 2004 3:55 pm

moxy wrote:
GaryKelly wrote:I've applied to Visa for a full refund.
Coming from the Visa world (although I'm in Canada, I believe the rules are the same everywhere), you probably won't have Visa's assistance. Their take is that the agreement was between you and the merchant, and if the merchant isn't delivering the goods, you have to take it up with the merchant.

In other words, you authorized the merchant to charge you, therefore Visa processed the charge. If you hadn't authorized it, Visa would take care of it for you and remove it from your account.

But in your case, your dispute is with the merchant, not with Visa...

However, I could be wrong. Some banks do a "good will" gesture for their clients, once in a while, and gladly reverse a nuisance of a charge for their clients. But that means the bank is out the money, through no fault of their own.

If your bank does that for you, be very thankful.

In the US, if you buy something, and it doesn't arrive, or you dont' get what you paid for, you can certainly apply for a full refund from the credit card company (VISA, MC, etC) and get one.

OnTheMoor · Post by **OnTheMoor** » Sun Oct 17, 2004 4:25 pm

Moxy, I found this on the Canadian VISA site
http://www.visa.ca/en/personal/shop_epromise.cfm
Have any info?

s1m0n · Post by **s1m0n** » Sun Oct 17, 2004 6:07 pm

I've found that pretty much anything a bank tells you they can or can't do is provisional, and that polite persistance can usually bring them to change their minds.

If what you're asking seems reasonable to you, it is probably possible to get a bank to agree to do it, whatever they tell you the rules say. The person you're talking to may not have the authority to override, but *someone* does, and if you keep at it you'll end up talking to that person.

It's the same with universities, btw. Everything is up for negotiation, rules or no rules, but they won't tell you that.

Jerry Freeman · Post by **Jerry Freeman** » Sun Oct 17, 2004 6:36 pm

In dealing with credit card companies, phone companies, the Internal Revenue Service, etc., I've found the most effective words I can say are, "May I please speak to your supervisor."

In many cases, the person who first handles a call is trained to say no, and on questioning will insist that they can't do what you ask. I've even had them say that their supervisor will not be able to do what I was asking, either, but then that turned out not to be true.

I've found that the first person's "no" is very often not the final answer at all and that someone further up the heirarchy is perfectly willing to accommodate a request.

Best wishes,
Jerry

s1m0n · Post by **s1m0n** » Sun Oct 17, 2004 8:02 pm

Exactly. You don't want to get their backs up, but you *do* want to convey the message that you're not going away until they accomodate your reasonable request.

Use the "may I speak to your supervisor" line judiciously, because that's calling the person you're talking to a powerless peon, and even if it's true it stings when you hear it.

If it's a call centre you're talking to, the buzzword you want is "escallate"--that's call centre jargon for punting the call to a higher-up, who might actually be able to say yes or to deviate from the script.

glauber · Post by **glauber** » Sun Oct 17, 2004 8:14 pm

Wanderer wrote:In the US, if you buy something, and it doesn't arrive, or you dont' get what you paid for, you can certainly apply for a full refund from the credit card company (VISA, MC, etC) and get one.

Yep... what happens is they put the money in nowhere land and start an investigation. American Express is the easiest to deal with, but Visa is certainly doable. I've been able to cancel charges for stuff i didn't really buy (errors), more than once.

Scoiltrad used to work very well, though. I don't know what the heck happened. I hope Conal is OK.