KarateBuilt ™ Martial Arts Academies

My kids have been in ATA Karate 4 Kids for 3 years now. They love karate and love Mr. Kreskow and Mrs. Sandborn. Both instructors have always been great to us. We love it here.

Well, this is Unilocal and I have to write an update to what I have experienced. First of all, I want to clearly separate the instructors and instruction from the business side of Karate for Kids. I still think the instructors are great but the business side of this particular location to me is unethical.
First, I bought four vouchers from
because on the voucher it said limit four per family. When I went to redeem the vouchers, they would not even honor the first one because right away they tried to hard sell me by telling me that I had to pay an enrollment fee of over $ 100 to start. Well, I refused because the voucher said clearly one month of unlimited karate lessons and a free uniform.
So I got my son his first month of unlimited karate lessons plus uniform per terms of the voucher.
They also told me it was meant for 4 (separate kids) per family even though it said nothing of the sort in writing on the voucher.
When the first month ended, Karate for Kids begrudgingly «allowed» me to turn in the second voucher. By the end of the second month, my son was ready to go from white belt to orange belt and to my shock, they told me it would cost me $ 70 to pay for his belt. My son, who is five, was sitting right there waiting to graduate so I said I would pay the $ 70 because I did not want to disappoint him. Then one of the instructors continue to tell me in order for my son to graduate, I would have to pay the enrollment of over $ 100 plus $ 147/​month (they were giving me a $ 40 credit for my remaining two vouchers) and after 2 months, my fee would go up to $ 187. He also told me that the vouchers were for a «special introductory class» where you were allowed to take one class a week for 4 weeks even though the voucher clearly said unlimited amount of classes for one month right on the voucher. Needless to say, my son did not graduate because the terms were outrageous.
Karate for Kids when you log onto their website has no fees posted for a good reason. Because once you walk into their door, they try to hard sell you into the highest membership possible. If you refuse, they tell you they are holding a special karate class on a Sat morning and invite you to attend with your child. Once you are there, they try to get you to pay for a year of fees upfront with discount, of course. During this time there are no mention of other additional fees like $ 70 per belt or any other fees.
I think a lot of parents once they are roped in because they’ve paid for a year worth of classes upfront just pay these other outrageous fees because they feel like they don’t have a choice.
I can’t believe no one has Unilocaled about this. Well, I’m keeping it real and I’m Unilocaling.
I’ve also contacted
and filed a complaint that this particular location is not honoring the terms of the livingsocial vouchers.
The truth is, if they would honor my vouchers per the terms they themselves printed on the vouchers, if they were clear and upfront with all their fees, I would most likely have my son continue taking their classes for years to come. But to have fees blindside me is hard for me to swallow.
Needless to say, I am extremely disappointed that for a business where they teach the kids about respect, responsibility, honor, and honesty, that they have not shown respect, responsibility, honor, and honesty to me.