Little Genius Academy of Metuchen, Inc.

*** *** provided days noticeOn this notice Ms*** advised that July 31, would be her sons last dayMs*** decided not to send her son from July 14th through July 18thAs stated in our enrollment agreement we do not make up days for absents, sickness or vacation
Ms.*** claims the teachers asked her to bring her son for a pizza party and cake cutting party that did not existBoth teachers claim that they never had this conversation with Ms*** and she stated that the *** was aware of her son attending on FridayThe *** was on vaction this week and wasn't e-mailed or contacted by either parent regarding August 1stYes, Miss *** (the ***) did seldomly switch days for Ms*** for special occasions, but always charged for additional daysMs*** son was on our roster for four day program, Friday's was his off dayWe have looked for e-mails from Ms*** to see if she ever contacted the *** in regards to August 1, and the *** was never contacted by telephone or e-mail notification in regards to August 1stBoth teachers were unaware that Ms*** was bringing her son on Friday and assumed she cleared this with the front officeOur teachers are not permitted to allow any additional days or time changes without ***s permissionMs*** was billed for the additional day of August 1, 2014, on August 21st when billing was completed and owes a balance of $60, which will be turned over to collections if left unpaidIn the past we had issues with Ms*** denying she was bringing her child in for morning care, when we approached Ms*** with the sign in and out sheets and camera footage, she then agreed she owed for morning care after months that her child was attending.....This unfortunately is an ongoing issue with Ms***, we tried talking to her about this issue and she told us that we are blocked from her e-mail, communication is key and if she isn't willing to discuss this situation I can only move forward with the information that I was provided by my *** and staffSincerely,

5
I am rejecting this response because your information in this post is not accurate. The past morning care issue has nothing to do with this complaint saint happened months ago and the issue was resolved and never involved video footage. I am not going to pay the $60. Please feel free to take us to court. if you want to bring up past issues let's go there. We never bounced a check or missed a payment when attending.We we have proof that some of the teachers hired at LGA are not well suited to be watching children. I advise that you go through all of your current staff and past staff  social media and see the kind of people that are being hired at your facility. Let's not even mention that some have and are posting photos while working in the class. In addition some even do drugs. You get what you pay for. Bottom line your school was cheap and we should of put our son in a more expensive and accredited franchise. Now I see why your good staff left to become Nannies of families that left your school! Bottom line we have proof of days that Miss [redacted] allowed our son to come in sans paying and swapping out days. Your policy isn't 100% solid. I'm addition the school policy and contract that we have is is pixelated from the time we joined in 2012 you can barely make anything out. That is your negligence as a business!

Review: I have researched and visited many facilities in the Edison, Metuchen area and decided to go with Little Genius Academy in Metuchen, NJ. I dealt with Angela [redacted] and the visit went nicely as well as discussing my son [redacted] who is 6 months daily activities, schedule and feedings.

Me and my fiancé decided to enroll him and was excited for him to start Monday because we liked the facility and thought the people were nice. On Monday my fiancé and I were very upset on how [redacted]’s day went. LGA did not follow any instructions given and we believe the care was not acceptable. Instead of feeding him every 3 ½ hours they fed him every 2 hours. Also he was hysterically crying when we went to pick him up. He was still double breathing 2 hours after being home from crying as bad as he did. We were upset but thought we would give them another chance and ask that they follow his feeding schedule and not let him get upset to the point where he would cry this badly.

The real problem started on Tuesday I went to visit him on my lunch break to check in and he was sleeping but he was sucking on another babies pacifier and was using a different babies bib. I sent my fiancé the picture of this and she was livid, we both decided that at the end of this day we would no longer have him attend this school. All of his items were marked clearly with his names so there should have been no confusion. When my fiancé went to pick him up Angela greeted her and told her that [redacted] did not have the pacifier in his mouth but this was a lie. Angela did not know we had a picture to prove this. When she was shown the picture Angela and her staff then changed the story and said this is what [redacted] came to the school with , which was another lie. At this point thoughts are we have lost all faith in LGA and believe that if they would lie about this then what else could they in the future.

We have dropped off the fobs and sent numerous emails and still have no response on whether we will get our deposit baDesired Settlement: an apology and refund of money for time not used.

Business

Response:

[redacted] began his first day at LGA. On this day he was fed 2 hours and 45 minutes the first feeding. Followed by a pouch of food 2 hours and 40 minutes the second feeding. The last two feedings were two hours apart. I spoke with the father that evening with the father's concern that [redacted] wasn't fed every 3.5 hours, and that he was crying hysterically when the mom picked him up that evening. He also told me that the baby was double breathing sound for two hours the evening the baby was home with the mom. I saw the mom when she was leaving that evening, I said hi happy boy, to the baby he smiled at me and the mom said he's happy now but when I picked him up he was crying. The teachers changed [redacted] every hour and he napped approximately 4x's short naps through out the day. Miss Dianne spent a lot of time holding [redacted] and bonding with him on this day. On April 15, 2014 when Mr. [redacted] dropped off [redacted], I brought him into the infant room to speak with the teacher about [redacted]'s schedule, they spoke about it and he left for the day. At lunch time Mr. [redacted] came into the baby room, [redacted] was napping and he took a picture of him while he was sleeping. That late afternoon [redacted] mother of [redacted] came in to LGA and stated that she was withdrawing her son due to the complaint that her son was left crying when she picked him up and that the teachers let him cry all day long the day prior. [redacted] told us that he must of been screaming for at least 15 minutes in order for him to be so upset. I spoke with my staff and I also viewed the video with the mother, showing her that her child was nurtured and picked up twice within 8 minutes. The video shows Miss Dianne holding [redacted], then she put him into the bouncy seat approximately 3.5 minutes later she put him in the swing. From the time the child was put in the swing the mother walked in 2.5 minutes later to pick him up. We showed her the video, she said I don't care I'm pulling him out there is no way he could of been crying like that. I then asked her if she spoke to the teachers about his day yesterday, she looked at me and said NO "I was going to rip someone's head off I was so angry". When the mother first walked in, I asked the mother what was wrong and the mother asked me about the pacifier, I told her I didn't know if he had a pacifier in his mouth. I'm the director I couldn't remember, nor did I see if he had a pacifier in his while he was sleeping. [redacted] and another child had the same pacifier and his pacifier and the bibs were not labeled. I do not lie to my parents nor would I ever lie about a pacifier. I told Mr. [redacted] to fill out the 30 day withdrawal form, which is policy and I have the signed enrollment agreement with our 30 day withdrawal policy. He returned his keys. The tuition was never paid, so they are seeking $550.00 for a security deposit they put down with an agreement to give us 30 days notice.

Consumer

Response:

I disagree with LGA’s response entire response. The reasonwe withdrew [redacted] was not because he was crying on April 14th but wasbecause there were lies on top of lies to cover the pacifier incident on the 15thwhich led me to believe the entire staff could not be trusted. If it was becausehe was crying I would have withdrew him on the 14th and not giventhem a second chance on the 15th. We viewed the video and thedirector would not let us look at the footage prior to the 3.5 minute shediscussed. The 3.5 footage was pointless because it was a video of his back andthen him being placed into a swing. I could clearly see that he was crying inthe swing but nothing to prove he was not before that. And in response to the statement made.(I then asked her ifshe spoke to the teachers about his day yesterday, she looked at me and said NO"I was going to rip someone's head off I was so angry"). This wasnever said [redacted] and I are highly educated individuals and would never make astatement that would suggest any violence especially to our sons daycare. Whatwas said was “I was livid yesterday and wanted to take my son and not speakwith anyone”.All of [redacted]’s items were named and labeled baby wipes,diaper bag, water bottle, similac formula, bibs and pacifier. [redacted]s bib and pacifier were a present given tohim that he and no other babies had in his class and I am sure of this because thepicture I have are nowhere close to looking like [redacted]s belongings. They are saying it was not labeled and I canprove that it was because if [redacted]’s items were not labeled which again theywere then how could it be another babies items were given to him , were theother babies in the class whom have been going there for months also labeled? Also this incident occurred on day two the 15thnot day one so on day one if there were any items that were not labeled I amsure they would have done so. We would have let [redacted] attend this school ifthey apologized and rectified the situation professionally instead they liedand tried to cover it up and when confronted with facts changed the story andlied again. We are asking for our money back minus the two days he attended. Irefused to sign any papers when dropping off the keys because I sent numerousemails and was ignored and received no response. When in person I was alsotreated very rudely. This was a sudden withdraw because there was no way I wouldlet [redacted] stay in the care of a school unable to provide proper care and onethat would handle a situation the way they did. I have done research and foundsimilar complaints. I have found a great school with a competent staff and nowherein LGA paperwork that I signed did it say anything about not refunding a deposit.

[redacted]

Business

Response:

We understand that any parent would be upset over their child having a different pacifier in their mouth. The allegations that we would lie over a pacifier is false. This was a misunderstanding, when the director was asked about the pacifier Miss Angela replied, “she didn't know if he had a pacifier”, because she was not in the classroom at the time. She told the parents she would look into this and get back to them. When Miss [redacted] came into pick up [redacted] that evening she was talking about how her child was double Breathing the previous day, she said she could understand how a pacifier could be mistaken,especially if it was the same one and unlabeled. Miss [redacted] said her child cried for two hours at home the previous night and was implying that it was because he was left crying and uncared for in daycare. We take these allegations very seriously. We understand as directors and more importantly parents that it is upsetting, to see your baby cry. However should the daycare be accountable for a child crying, with his mother for two to three hours in the care of his mother in their own home? We decided it would be best to view the video footage of the prior day because of the allegations being made. I wanted to view for myself how long the child was left crying, because I quote the mother said “he must have been left crying for at least ten to fifteen minutes to be as upset as he was". As the mother was packing up [redacted]'s belongings I found the footage and asked the mother to return to my office to view the video. I showed her that her child was cared for three times in less than 7.5 minutes and that he had been in the swing 2.5 minutes prior to her arrival. Miss [redacted] was abrasive and unapproachable when I showed her the footage that I didn't agree with her accusations, that her child was left crying for ten to fifteen minutes, because it clearly was inaccurate by the video footage. The accusation that we did not allow the parents to view the previous video is false. We encourage parents to view video footage, we would never tell a parent that they cannot view video footage. My door is always open for any of my parents that want to view their children. I understand that Mr. [redacted] is denying the language and the statements that his made, but Mr. [redacted] was not here at LGA that afternoon when Miss [redacted] picked their child up. We would never make up false statements about any of our customers. Our enrollment agreement policy is as follows: The obligation of full payment of tuition continues until the date indicated by the parent or guardian as the date of withdrawal. The parent agrees to furnish Little Genius Academy with a 30 (30) day written notice of such date of withdrawal, and failure to do so will result in forfeiture of the enrollment fee and tuition for the month of withdrawal. If the appropriate 30 (30)day written notice is given, your last month of tuition may be prorated. Mr. [redacted] did not pay the tuition, he paid the enrollment fee only. We did not pursue the tuition from the [redacted]'s, however due to our policy they forfeited their deposit pursuant to the enrollment agreement that they signed.

Review: I gave 30 days written notice to Little Genius Academy of Metuchen, NJ that my sons last day would be July 31st, 2014. His tuition was paid in full for the month of July. Though his tuition was paid in full he was not in the entire week of July 14th- July 18th. His teacher asked us to bring him in on Friday August 1st so that they could do a Friday Pizza and Cake Cutting. We agreed and the school manager was aware. On August 1st we had a zero balance with the school. Keys were handed to the [redacted]. Our contract states that any outstanding monies need to be paid on the last day when keys are given in.

We were never asked to pay for my child attending an additional day apon our departure from the school.

We received an invoice on September 1 asking for $60 for the additional day. In the past two years that my son attended the school we were allowed to make up days if we missed even though their contract stated differently. We have come in on picture days, halloween or party days and have substituted days. We have record of all of those days by the way of Miss Natalie, Miss Tina and even the school manager. Their policy is not solid. In addition we have extra days through out 2014 and were only charged $45. The school picks and chooses when they want to administer their policy and this is false advertising.Desired Settlement: Billing Adjustment

Business

Response:

[redacted] provided 30 days notice. On this notice Ms. [redacted] advised that July 31, 2014 would be her sons last day. Ms. [redacted] decided not to send her son from July 14th through July 18th. As stated in our enrollment agreement we do not make up days for absents, sickness or vacation. Ms.[redacted] claims the teachers asked her to bring her son for a pizza party and cake cutting party that did not exist. Both teachers claim that they never had this conversation with Ms. [redacted] and she stated that the [redacted] was aware of her son attending on Friday. The [redacted] was on vaction this week and wasn't e-mailed or contacted by either parent regarding August 1st. Yes, Miss [redacted] (the [redacted]) did seldomly switch days for Ms. [redacted] for special occasions, but always charged for additional days. Ms. [redacted] son was on our roster for four day program, Friday's was his off day. We have looked for e-mails from Ms. [redacted] to see if she ever contacted the [redacted] in regards to August 1, 2014 and the [redacted] was never contacted by telephone or e-mail notification in regards to August 1st. Both teachers were unaware that Ms. [redacted] was bringing her son on Friday and assumed she cleared this with the front office. Our teachers are not permitted to allow any additional days or time changes without [redacted]s permission. Ms. [redacted] was billed for the additional day of August 1, 2014, on August 21st when billing was completed and owes a balance of $60, which will be turned over to collections if left unpaid. In the past we had issues with Ms. [redacted] denying she was bringing her child in for morning care, when we approached Ms. [redacted] with the sign in and out sheets and camera footage, she then agreed she owed for morning care after months that her child was attending.....This unfortunately is an ongoing issue with Ms. [redacted], we tried talking to her about this issue and she told us that we are blocked from her e-mail, communication is key and if she isn't willing to discuss this situation I can only move forward with the information that I was provided by my [redacted] and staff. Sincerely,

Consumer

Response:

5

I am rejecting this response because your information in this post is not accurate. The past morning care issue has nothing to do with this complaint saint happened months ago and the issue was resolved and never involved video footage. I am not going to pay the $60. Please feel free to take us to court. if you want to bring up past issues let's go there. We never bounced a check or missed a payment when attending.We we have proof that some of the teachers hired at LGA are not well suited to be watching children. I advise that you go through all of your current staff and past staff social media and see the kind of people that are being hired at your facility. Let's not even mention that some have and are posting photos while working in the class. In addition some even do drugs. You get what you pay for. Bottom line your school was cheap and we should of put our son in a more expensive and accredited franchise. Now I see why your good staff left to become Nannies of families that left your school! Bottom line we have proof of days that Miss [redacted] allowed our son to come in sans paying and swapping out days. Your policy isn't 100% solid. I'm addition the school policy and contract that we have is is pixelated from the time we joined in 2012 you can barely make anything out. That is your negligence as a business!