St. Jude Retreat

November 14,
Re: ***
To whom it may concern:
This is in response to the above
referenced claim. Ms
*** *** ***
was enrolled in our residential program to help people to overcome drug and alcohol problems at our Twin Rivers Retreat from 10/10/
to 11/4/She voluntarily checked out of the program prior to completing
the program stating that she was not satisfied with the accommodations but was
satisfied with the program itself
I need to make some
clarifications as some items in her complaint are incorrectMs*** did not
pay $15,The cost of the 6-week program in a shared bedroom at the Twin
Rivers Retreat is $14,of which her spouse, Mr*** *** paid $12,
Ms*** applied for and was awarded financial aid (scholarship) in the
amount of $2,from the Saint Jude Retreats scholarship fund to assist her
with paying for the program cost
Upon arrival Ms*** expressed
that she had thought she would be in a semi-private room with just two peopleThe
bed that was available at the Twin Rivers Retreat was in a newly remodeled suite that had a capacity for
five people of which there were only three (3) guests in the room including her while she was
in attendanceAdditionally the room is set up so that there are only two (2)
people per sectionAs soon as Ms*** expressed her dissatisfaction with
her room the Retreat House Director offered to have her transferred to our
Mountain Retreat into a semi-private room with just one roommateShe declined
the offer saying she would make do
After being at the retreat approximately
a week Ms*** complained that there were no social activities for women and
older people although there are regular weekly trips to the movies and local
shopping malls, as well as “beauty/spa trips” are planned frequently where
guests can get their hair and nails done As we have a policy of accommodating guests’ activity requests if the activity is available locally and in season,
Ms*** was asked what activities she would like to doShe said she didn’t
knowA trip to a larger shopping mall in Albany (more than miles away) was
suggested and she said she would like thatShe and one other guest were taken
to Crossgates Mall and seemed to enjoy their day
She expressed concern to the
Director that she thought there were guests that were using illicit drugs in
the house at which time a thorough investigation was conducted by the Director
(as is policy when guests express these kinds of concerns) including drug tests
being givenIt is company policy that results of these kinds of investigations
and any actions taken are kept confidential to preserve the privacy of our
guests so the results of the investigation were not discussed with her,
although she was reassured that it was being handled confidentially
Each time that Ms***
expressed concerns, they were addressed promptlyAnd Ms*** was offered to
transfer to another retreat house a few times but declined each timeShe was
provided with special activities and the Director and staff spent copious time
listening and addressing her concerns and accommodating her special requests
In spite of all of this Ms*** chose to leave the program earlyMs***
sent in this complaint to the Revdex.com immediately upon leaving and prior to talking
with our organization or requesting any kind of refundWhile all
monies paid for our program are typically non-refundable, there are special
situations and circumstances where we do provide credit to return to the
program or a pro-rated refund if warranted, and there are documented procedures
she can take to request a refund
Our refund
procedure was put in place nearly years ago at the direction of our auditors
to help preserve our 501(c)not-for-profit status by securing full
documentation for all outgoing funds, especially those written to
individuals. Had Mror Mrs***
called our Guest Services office with whom they placed the reservation and paid
for the program, they would have been told to submit a written formal request
for a refund stating the reasons for her leaving the program early and any
special circumstances that would warrant us granting a refund. We have made exceptions and provided
pro-rated refunds in the past when this procedure is followed for specific
circumstances such as when someone must leave the program due to health issues,
legal issues, and family emergencies.
Since
submitting this complaint Ms*** did contact our office on or about 11/7/
I talked with her directly and informed her of our refund policyI listened to
her concerns which were similar to those expressed in the complaint centering
on accommodations and her suspicions of other guests’ behaviors and staff
issuesI made her an offer to either return and stay at our Executive Retreat
to complete the program at no extra charge or to have her husband who is the
payer submit a written request for a pro-rated refund stating her reasons for
leaving and why a refund should be grantedI informed her that this document
is a formality and required for our records but that I would personally
guarantee they would be approved for a pro-rated refund after the document is
submittedBased on the total amount they paid $12,and the fact that she
did stay to complete half the program, the pro-rated refund would be $6,
As I know
how much Ms*** can benefit from completing our program, I strongly
recommended to her that she take advantage of the generous offer to complete
her program at our Executive Retreat as all rooms are private, all classes are
private and it has additional amenities and activities geared toward older
adults as the average age of our guests there is years oldThe value of completing
the program at the Executive Retreat is minimally $13,depending on which bedroom
is available at the time she enrolls
I am
currently awaiting a response from Ms*** as to which option she is
choosingI will update the Revdex.com once I hear back from herThank you
Kindest
regards,
***Executive
Director
Encs