US Elite Baseball

Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.
The US Elite response -while entirely unsatisfactory- was expected. Mr. H[redacted] completely failed to address the root cause of my dissatisfaction; the failure of US Elite to adhere to their “One team” commitment that is communicated in their online program description and was stressed verbally. The resulting unsatisfactory and substandard experience flows from this fundamental broken commitment.  I would not have had my son join US Elite if the actual, multi-team situation been honestly disclosed at the time we signed the agreement. This deliberate misrepresentation is the heart of this dispute. Misrepresentation is an ongoing issue at US Elite Baseball.  The accompanying 11 page exhibit provides clear evidence of Mr. H[redacted]’s misrepresentation and the actual state of the program.  Disappointingly, his response is a simple restatement of his misleading marketing message of success and “commitment.”  He continues to tout a completely unsubstantiated success figure of “90% or greater” and avoids the central issue: his failure to deliver what he and his organization explicitly (see exhibit) committed to –ONE TEAM.Here is a point-by-point rebuttal:The “90%+ retention rate” - Our 2019 team started with 12 players. 4 left before the season ended. We left after the season.  Three remaining parents stated that they would leave after fall because they were wholly dissatisfied with program quality as well as the misrepresentation I have detailed.  The program fell far short of what was promised.   4/12 = 33% retention; certainly more will leave as dissatisfaction is a pervasive sentiment among the parents.There was similar levels of dissatisfaction on the 2018 team. Parents expressed the same “not what was promised” sentiment.The combined summer 2019 roster had 36 players; The combined fall roster now has 17.  Not 90%+ retention or “nearly every player.”While I understand the cash flow considerations of running business, when I enquired, in January, about paying for Fall 2016 later in the year, Coach F[redacted] said that they “…can’t guarantee a roster spot if I don’t commit now.”  That is –undoubtedly- pressure to pay forward.  Especially, when considering that the payment of the fall tournament fees that Mr. H[redacted] refers to are not due in January.  The fall schedule was not worked out until August; therefore, there were no fall tournament fees due in January at the time of requested payment.  His cash flow claim is simply another intentionally misleading and false claim.  It does not stand up to scrutiny. Mr. H[redacted] constantly touts “Uncommon Standards” yet in his response he claims that his only obligations and commitments are simply to “provide a uniform, reserve a roster spot, a competitive schedule, and a coach.”  Anyone with even a rudimentary knowledge of baseball would agree that these are the bare, minimal essentials of a basic baseball program, not one that presents itself as “Uncommon” and something unique.  A visit to their website talks about how “Uncommon” US Elite Baseball is.The majority of the events our secondary team went to were lesser events; either small limited events, or we traveled hundreds of miles to play our own in-house secondary teams from other age groups.  In either case, these events were different from the primary team events which were higher profile or national events.  Our events had little to no scouting exposure. This is the direct result of having more than One Team. The organizational focus was placed on maximizing exposure of the primary team. Mr. H[redacted]’s claim that the team “never forfeited a game due to a shortage of players” and therefore meets his contractual obligation perfectly illustrates the difference between the program quality he promises versus what he actually delivers.  In fact, Mr. H[redacted] conveniently omits the fact that there were multiple instances that we had as few as seven players show up to play and that our coach called Mr. H[redacted] in an effort to obtain players with less than 30 minutes until game time. We needed to recruit players up to two years younger to avoid a forfeit on more than one occasion.  With no disrespect to those players, last minute player shortages created chaos week after week making our team uncompetitive. I was standing in the dugout next to our coach when those calls to Mr. H[redacted] were made time after time.  Mr. H[redacted] was nowhere to be found.  Our coach also contacted Mr. F[redacted] to obtain players from the primary 2019 team that always had many extra players on the roster.  There was no effort made to balance the rosters and fix the issue for our team.  Again, this situation was the result of multiple, unequally prioritized teams in our age group.  This was NOT the one team that was committed to. Nor is it “Uncommon Standards.” In summary, Mr. H[redacted] has the right to run his program as he sees fit.  He can hire coaches, select players and participate in any level of tournament play as he deems appropriate.  He does NOT, however, have the legal right to dishonestly represent the program as something it is clearly not.  His ethical and intellectual dishonestly is astonishing.   This issue is simply a matter of US Elite misrepresenting the program to a substantial segment of its customers.  Unfair business practices include false advertising, and misrepresentation of a good or service. When companies act in bad faith, they are committing unfair business practices.  As a result of US Elite’s unfair practices, I want a refund for the un-played Fall 2016 season in the amount of $1485. 
Regards,
[redacted]

US Elite Baseball Response to complaint ID [redacted]We are disappointed to hear that the father of a former player (We'll refer to as Mr.[redacted]) has filed a complaint against US Elite Baseball. Key leaders in the organization who are very familiar with Mr. [redacted], his son, and his team have reviewed...

his complaint. Per your request our response is as follows.Our organization has been helping players and families since 2006, and to our knowledge, this is the first written complaint we have ever received. Our program recruits players who have the talent, desire and ability to play at an elite level. Ultimately, our goal is to help them develop as players and people, and then play beyond high school and play in college or professionally. Since 2006 over 200 players have achieved that goal, as documented on our public website. Statistically, that number represents about 95% of our graduating seniors moving on to play at the next level. Furthermore, we have maintained a 90%+ retention of our players since 2006. The journey to help our players and families achieve their goals is full of ups and downs, and highs and lows. We use the word commitment frequently because without a solid commitment on everybody’s part, reaching the goals is virtually impossible. The coaches, instructors, administrators, our families and players are all held to very high standards (Uncommon Standards). Keeping commitments is a huge part of the program. In fact, this year our organizational theme was, “Commitment. Make it. Keep it”.Regarding Mr. [redacted]’s complaint; After attending a tryout and our kickoff dinner in December, 2015, Mr. [redacted]’s son was invited to play in the organization. He accepted his roster spot on the team by paying a $350 commitment fee, and the player fees associated with his team. In doing so he committed to playing two seasons (summer and fall), which was clearly outlined in his official invitation (enclosed). We take issue with many of the statements Mr. [redacted] made such as "I was pressured to pay for both the summer and fall season”. We have never pressured anyone to accept their invitation. In fact, each year we turn away literally hundreds of players who attend tryouts. However, we do have payment deadlines, which Mr. [redacted] met. These deadlines are necessary in order for us to make our commitments to order uniforms and register and pay for tournaments, etc.Our organization made a commitment to Mr. [redacted]'s son to provide a uniform for him, reserve a roster spot for him, provide a coach for him (in his case, a highly respected former MLB player) and provide a competitive tournament schedule for him. We honored and kept ALL of those commitments. His statement, “The second team went to lesser events, has chronic player shortages, and ultimately becomes an organizational afterthought" is inaccurate and subjective to Mr. [redacted]’s opinion. If that statement were indeed true, many more people would be complaining and leaving the program, which is certainly not the case. His team played in quality events and never forfeited a game due to a “shortage of players'. The issue here is that Mr.[redacted] and his son did not keep the commitment they made. Instead, they decided to leave (quit) their team mid season for their own reasons, which Mr. [redacted] clearly states in his complaint. An interesting note is that nearly every other player on Mr, [redacted]’s team has kept their commitmentand are still playing in the organization this fall. Despite Mr. [redacted]’s complaints, he can find little or no support to his claims from the parents and players on his team. In quitting the team, Mr. [redacted], effectively loses the money he paid. He made a commitment and took a roster spot that another player could have had. Now, he wants to renege on the commitment he made and be made “whole” again, while leaving the organization and his team with a void to fill. We vehemently disagree with his statements, and emphatically deny any refund request from Mr. [redacted]. In fact, we clearly state our refund policy on our website. Mr. [redacted] needs to re-read the policy, as well as review the commitment he made. We have offered Mr. [redacted] and his son the opportunity to remain in the program this fall and keep the commitment they made. They have rejected that offer.