Local Yoga Business Closes and provides no refunds?
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By John Henning
It appears the yoga studio, Yoga Sutra, at Walnut and Broad in Philadelphia, has closed without any warning. We were told that clients pre-registered for class on Monday morning and the company was out of business by Friday.
The Pottstown Herald was also told that someone purchased a 10 class pass on Wednesday and then the company closed their doors on Friday. The message to her – no refund, feel free to use the pass at the NYC Yoga Sutra.
As you can see below, there is a notice on the company’s website that says they are out of business and to email them to pick up mats. All of the other links on the Website have been removed.
The editor of the Pottstown Herald Newspaper emailed the company through their Website and the Director as well, to request a comment, and as of this publication no response was received. We also contacted the NYC location to see if they had any additional information, here was the response:
———————
Dear Mr. Henning,
This email has been forwarded to the upper management in Philly. Please
note that your source who is claiming we will be providing no refunds is
inaccurate.
Best regards,
Yoga Sutra NYC
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However, no further communication was received from anyone at the Philadelphia location to clarify if, when & how refunds would be provided.
This letter was emailed to a client and posted to the internet:
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September 16, 2009
Dear friends of Yoga,
I am writing as the Director of Yoga Sutra Philadelphia, and am deeply saddened by the closing of the Philadelphia studio. We worked hard to keep the Philadelphia studio alive and to all of our great disappointment, the doors were closed last Friday.
I know Yoga Sutra was a special place for many of you and the bonds made here are meaningful. The teachers are devastated to no longer have a home to teach and practice, but mostly we will miss you. Later this week or early next week, I will be sending out an email letting you know where Chae and I will be teaching in a joint venture; it will be close to Yoga Sutra. I will also let you know where the other teachers end up so you can stay connected to your favorite teachers. Yoga Sutra was very selective in the hiring process for teachers and know we offered high quality instruction and guidance. I hope you are able to continue taking class with us.
I also know some of you need to pick up mats. You can come in Friday during lunch 12-1, Monday afternoon from 3-6 or today, Wednesday 9/16 before 5:30pm. Realizing you may not be able to come during those times, you can email me to set up a time to pick up your mat: kellyoga108@gmail.com. I’m doing the best I can to assist the closing of the studio, but I can not answer any questions that are not about picking up your mat, finding out where teachers are going to be teaching or offering moral support.
On behalf of the teachers and desk staff at Yoga Sutra, thank you all and keep practicing!
Warmest Regards,
Kelly Smith
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No phone number was posted on the site, so our staff was unable to reach the management of the Studio. Readers are welcome to comment below on the status of your membership & classes.
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I have attempted to contact the office many times with no response. The NYC office emailed me and said that the statement of no refunds is not true, but unfortunately actions speak louder than words.
Here is the Pa Attorney General Consumer Complaint area:
http://www.attorneygeneral.gov/complaints.aspx?id=451#
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I purchased a 20 class card for $180 on the Thursday night before the studio closed. I had intended to purchase a 10 class card, as I had in the past; however the young lady working at the front desk advised me that there was a special running and that I would get two additional free classes if I purchased a 20 class card, so that is what I did. When I went to use one of those classes the next Sunday am, I found that the studio had closed. I’ve called the NYC studio and left messages three times regarding the issue of a refund, but have received no response. I’ve also emailed one of the former instructors from the Philadelphia location about this issue. She was responsive and indicated that she would do what she could to get someone who had the power to authorize refunds to reply to me, but I still haven’t heard a thing.
The staff at the NYC location may be claiming that “the source who is claiming we will be providing no refunds is inaccurate”, but the evidence would suggest otherwise. It seems that they have no intention of getting back to those of us who are requesting a refund. It also appears to me that the management purposely tried to get patrons to buy as many classes as possible (by offering a special) with the knowledge that the patrons would not be able to actually get what they paid for.