Complaints

This profile includes complaints for Varsity Tutors LLC's headquarters and its corporate-owned locations. To view all corporate locations, see Find Local Branches.

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  Varsity Tutors LLC

  8001 Forsyth Blvd Ste 1050 Clayton, MO 63105

  
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  Varsity Tutors LLC

  4525 Oak St Kansas City, MO 64111-1818

The complaint text that is displayed might not represent all complaints filed with BBB. Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:03/01/2024

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  ResolvedMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I reached out about tutoring. When it was determined that it was completely online I explained I had a smaller child and she may not benefit from it being online. They informed me that I could try the service for 30 days and if it was not working out to request to cancel and receive a refund. After repeated tech issues and my child not doing well online I canceled and hired local tutoring. They would not honor the agents misrepresentions and did not offer a full refund.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 03/05/2024

  Varsity is in receipt of the Complaint filed by *******************************. Varsity contacted ******************** upon its receipt of the Complaint and ultimately chose to provide a resolution that was satisfactory to her. Accordingly, it is Varsitys understanding that the matter has been resolved amicably. Varsity is proud to be an affiliate of the BBB and values the relationship. If you have any questions or comments, or would like to further discuss, please feel welcome to contact us. 
  
  

  Customer Answer

  Date: 03/13/2024

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me. They made the situation right and honored their policy. An agent had documented it incorrectly. They fixed the error and resolved the situation. It was a misunderstanding but they did the review and fixed it. I have no further complaint. 
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *******************************

• Initial Complaint

  Date:02/27/2024

  Type:Billing Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  Varsity tutor was providing my son with tutoring over the past few years. I am contacting the BBB because this is the third time that they began charging us monthly after Varsity Tutors assurance to me that there would be no charges. I don't remember the date for the first instance, but I tried to work with Varsity Tutors to resolve the issue. I talked to multiple representatives and the issue was escalated. The upper level employee made a deal to refund us some money and credit us some hours of tutoring that would not expire. My son was supposed to be able to use these credits that we had already (incorrectly) been charged for without additional fees. The credits did expire and Varsity Tutors began to charge us monthly without permission from June-Sept on the 15th of each month.In Sept of 2023, when we discovered that they had started charging us monthly, I contacted Varsity Tutors to try and resolve the issue. The issue was again escalated and they tried to again offer a refund by crediting our account with tutoring hours like they had the first time, which had not been honored. So, I filed a dispute with my credit card company and Varsity Tutor refunded our money for the June-Sept 2023 charges. Again, they credited our son's account with free hours that were still owed to us and said they canceled the ongoing monthly charges. I discussed this on the phone with Varsity Tutors, but I also have an email confirming this (which I attached).Unbelievably, in Oct they began charging us $199 per month again without our permission. We were charged $199 on Oct 15, Nov 15, Dec 15 of 2023 and Jan 15 and Feb 15 of 2023. We never imagined that this would happen a third time, and just recently noticed these charges had again been charged to our account. So, I am filing a formal complaint with the BBB.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 03/08/2024

  Varsity is in receipt of the Complaint filed by ***************************. Although Varsitys attempt to make contact with ****************** in response to the Complaint has gone unanswered, Varsity has effectuated what it believes to be an amicable resolution, and remains willing to discuss the Complaint with ****************** should she wish to do so. Varsity is proud to be an affiliate of the BBB and values the relationship. If you have any questions or comments, or would like to further discuss, please feel welcome to contact us. 
  
  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:02/26/2024

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I wanted to try Varsity Tutoring and spoke to a woman there. I specifically asked more than once could I sign up for and only pay for 2 sessions then purchase more if I needed to. I was told yes. My tutor in my first session had no idea how to help me so I forfeited the 2nd session and thought well that was a waste of $200. Yesterday they tried to charge my credit card for $200 more and when I asked why, I was told I signed up for a subscription. Not only did the woman not mention the word subscription, she lied to me when I asked if I could only purchase 2. Luckily my card was declined; but Im assuming they will keep trying.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 03/05/2024

  Varsity is in receipt of the Complaint filed by *********************. Although Varsitys attempts to make contact with ************ in response to the Complaint have gone unanswered, Varsity has effectuated what it believes to be an amicable resolution, and remains willing to discuss the Complaint with Ms. **************** she wish to do so. Varsity is proud to be an affiliate of the BBB and values the relationship. If you have any questions or comments, or would like to further discuss, please feel welcome to contact us.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:02/21/2024

  Type:Billing Issues
  Status:

  ResolvedMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  *********************** ***************************************************************************************** RE: Refund Request for ******* 2024 Dear ************:I enrolled my granddaughter for an Algebra tutor for the last few months of 2023. The tutor was excellent. In late December he advised that he was travelling overseas to visit family for an extended period and did not expect to be available until late ******* or February. My granddaughter began a ************************************************************************************* the first quarter 2024.I was billed $521.10 on ******* 1, 2024, and $521.10 on February 1, 2024. I telephoned Varsity **** surprised especially by the February charge as I had assumed the $521.10 for ******* would be a credit to my account until tutoring resumed when her tutor became available. I was told by telephone that these were non-refundable charges and that monthly billing would continue unless suspended. I immediately suspended my account and expressed disappointment with the billing and the lack of a credit. The February charge was subsequently refunded.The use it or lose it characteristic was not explained when I signed up for Varsity Tutor. Charging when my tutor was overseas strikes me as egregious. Offering to locate a new tutor for me as of February does not address the ******* absence and seems an abuse of your service.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 02/27/2024

  Varsity is in receipt of the Complaint filed by *************************. Varsity contacted ****************** upon its receipt of the Complaint and ultimately chose to provide a resolution that was satisfactory to him. Accordingly, it is Varsitys understanding that the matter has been resolved amicably. Varsity is proud to be an affiliate of the BBB and values the relationship. If you have any questions or comments, or would like to further discuss, please feel welcome to contact us

  Customer Answer

  Date: 03/04/2024

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *************************

• Initial Complaint

  Date:02/17/2024

  Type:Billing Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I paused my account on July of last year, and I was told I can resume it whenever I want. I recently noticed that I have been charged 5 months' worth thinking my account is paused. They have refunded for one of the months, but I still have 4 months' worth of payment that I was unknowingly being charged for. I do not wish to use the remaining hours of the 4 months, my account will be cancelled on March 17th, I'm hoping I can get the refund for those 4 months.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 02/27/2024

  Varsity is in receipt of the Complaint filed by *****************************. Although Varsitys attempts to make contact with Mr. ******* in response to the Complaint have gone unanswered, Varsity has effectuated what it believes to be an amicable resolution, and remains willing to discuss the Complaint with Mr. Chahine should he wish to do so. Varsity is proud to be an affiliate of the BBB and values the relationship. If you have any questions or comments, or would like to further discuss, please feel welcome to contact us.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:02/17/2024

  Type:Product Issues
  Status:

  ResolvedMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I'm adding our family's complaint about Varsity Tutor's (VT) refund practices, lack of transparency, and confusing communications to the 100's of BBB complaints filed against Varsity Tutors in the last 12 months. Customer complaints include: "They just want to take your money..."; "They signed me up for a membership and I didn't know they had ..."; "It was not clearly stated..."; "They are still billing me..."; "This feels like a bait-and-switch..."; "This is not what I agreed to..." In our case, our college son started using VT in Spring of '23, paying $369.00 for tutoring on March 5, March 12, April 5, and June 5, for a total of $1,476.00. He found the tutoring helpful in some classes that were tough for him, especially as he has a learning disability and needs help breaking down complex concepts into smaller chunks. In our case, he got confused by the 14 tiny print pages of terms and conditions he received from Varsity Tutors, when it came to pausing the service for summer break. He paid $49.00 in July and $49.00 in August to (he thought) save 4 hours for the following year. When he contacted VT in Sept. '23 to cancel VT, he was told he could get those four hours back "free" in September if he stayed with VT. The customer service agent he spoke with *** have said our son would start getting billed again, but if so, it didn't register with our son, until we discovered charges of $329.00 on Oct. 5; $329.00 on Nov. 5; $329.00 On Dec. 5th (all in '23) and $329.00 in Jan. '24 had hit our credit card. Our son never used any hours during those months, and we want those 4 charges, totalling $1,316 credited back to our credit card. From the hundreds of consumer complaints we've reviewed from others, it is clear Varsity Tutors preys on the lack of sophistication of college students when it comes to recurring payments, and creates a wedge between students and their parents, through confusing, purposely vague, terms.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 02/27/2024

  Varsity is in receipt of the Complaint filed by *********************. Varsity contacted ************** upon its receipt of the Complaint and ultimately chose to provide a resolution that was satisfactory to her. Accordingly, it is Varsitys understanding that the matter has been resolved amicably. Varsity is proud to be an affiliate of the BBB and values the relationship. If you have any questions or comments, or would like to further discuss, please feel welcome to contact us. 
  
  

  Customer Answer

  Date: 03/16/2024

  This complaint has been resolved to our satisfaction.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:02/16/2024

  Type:Product Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  In October of 2023, I contacted Varsity Tutors to get help for my son for a Chemistry class. During my call, I was told I would pay a certain amount of money each month that I used the service. I could buy blocks of time in either four hours a month or eight hours a month. At no time was I told this was going to be a revolving, monthly charge. My son stopped using the service in December and told. the tutor he would no longer need the service. We called Varisty Tutor's 800 number and informed them we no longer needed the service. I continued to be billed $369 for ******* and February. I called today to request a refund and was told I was not eligible for a refund. Their records clearly indicate we did NOT use their service in ******* or February so as a true customer service satisfaction, the money should be refunded. I also received an email from Varsity Tutor stating that my service was cancelled on NOVEMEBR 11, 2023 and that I would not be billed any further after that date. Yet I was billed in December, *******, and February. I am willing to give up the December **** because my son did talk to his tutor that month. However, ******* and February MUST be refunded.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 02/27/2024

  Varsity is in receipt of the Complaint filed by ***************************. Although Varsitys attempts to make contact with Mr. ********** in response to the Complaint have gone unanswered, Varsity has effectuated what it believes to be an amicable resolution, and remains willing to discuss the Complaint with Mr. ********** should he wish to do so. Varsity is proud to be an affiliate of the BBB and values the relationship. If you have any questions or comments, or would like to further discuss, please feel welcome to contact us. 
  
  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:02/15/2024

  Type:Billing Issues
  Status:

  ResolvedMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I engaged Varsity Tutors on 9/5/2023 to provide tutoring to my son, a senior in high school, following a long intake process on the phone, during which I shared detailed information about my son's learning style, ADHD, autism and challenges with executive functioning. I agreed on a one-month trial, stressing that my son was opposed to online tutoring and, while this was unlikely to work out, we wanted to try to make it work. We paid $329 for the month.After a few sessions with a tutor, who was not well matched with my son, we decided not to pay for any additional tutoring.In January **** I noticed that Varsity Tutors continued to charge my credit card for an additional 4 months, for a total of $1316.00 in excess of our agreement.You can see from the screenshot of my online account with **********************, taken in February ****, that my membership is a "1-month plan" and is shown as running for one month only, September 2023 - October 2023. A review of other complaints about Varsity Tutors, at the Better Business Bureau and other forums, reveals there is a pattern of Varsity charging customers beyond the agreed term, so my case us by no means rare.I am requesting a refund of the excess charges, a total of $1316.00.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 02/22/2024

  Varsity is in receipt of the Complaint filed by ************************************. Although Varsitys attempts to make contact with ***************************** in response to the Complaint have gone unanswered, Varsity has effectuated what it believes to be an amicable resolution, and remains willing to discuss the Complaint with ***************************** should he wish to do so. Varsity is proud to be an affiliate of the BBB and values the relationship. If you have any questions or comments, or would like to further discuss, please feel welcome to contact us.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 02/22/2024

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *************************-*****

• Initial Complaint

  Date:02/12/2024

  Type:Billing Issues
  Status:

  ResolvedMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I signed up for a membership at Varsity Tutors in March. They didn't tell me the length of the membership or the billing date. The tutor that was assigned to me wasn't teaching me very well. So I requested to change my tutor. The second tutor also wasn't teaching me very well. So I stopped using the service. I started reading my book and I was able to get a good grade. Then in April 2022, Varsity tutors charged me $276 without warning me. They didn't tell me that the billing date or that they signed me up for a 24-month membership. I want a refund.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 02/21/2024

  Varsity is in receipt of the Complaint filed by Bilguun Purevjav. Although Varsitys attempts to make contact with Bilguun Purevjav in response to the Complaint have gone unanswered, Varsity has effectuated what it believes to be an amicable resolution, and remains willing to discuss the Complaint with Bilguun Purevjav should they wish to do so. Varsity is proud to be an affiliate of the BBB and values the relationship. If you have any questions or comments, or would like to further discuss, please feel welcome to contact us.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 02/21/2024

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  Bilguun Purevjav

• Initial Complaint

  Date:02/12/2024

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I have had a membership to Varsity Tutors since March 2023. My current membership is for 4 hours of tutoring per month (for my son) and am billed $329 on the 22nd of each month. In mid-December I paused my membership because 1) we were going on away for Christmas and 2) my sons schedule had changed and he was finding it difficult to make the scheduled times with his new tutor. In late-January I realized that without my knowledge or permission, Varsity Tutors unpaused my account and charged my credit for another month plus two extra tutoring sessions ($123.39). These two extra tutoring sessions were charged because the tutor claimed my son was a no show on Dec 20 and Dec 27 two dates that my account was paused. When my account is paused I have no access to any of Varsity Tutors services so dont know why a tutor is allowed to make charges against my account. Additionally, this tutor is no longer working for Varsity Tutors (I got a notification that he left in early January) so we dont even have a tutor assigned to us anymore. I have tried contacting their customer service several times by phone but have been on hold for up 10 minutes with no option to leave a message. So I emailed them but their customer service rep just says that pausing is only for *********************************************************************************************** on their website. They are also seemingly making it more difficult to continue pausing or cancelling my account. I used to be able to to that through the app but now the only account change I can make via the app is the change my membership plan hours (revise up or go to an annual plan). It is very difficult to reach them by phone and it seems now they have closed my support request ticket.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 02/23/2024

  Varsity is in receipt of the Complaint filed by *****************************. Although Varsitys attempts to make contact with ************** in response to the Complaint have gone unanswered, Varsity has effectuated what it believes to be an amicable resolution, and remains willing to discuss the Complaint with ************** should she wish to do so. Varsity is proud to be an affiliate of the BBB and values the relationship. If you have any questions or comments, or would like to further discuss, please feel welcome to contact us.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 02/26/2024

  Complaint: 21279487
  
  I am rejecting this response because:
  

  I am unsatisfied with their offer of a resolution. They did not explain why my account was charged by their tutor/employee while it was still paused. Furthermore, their desired resolution was to downgrade my account subscription to a pay-as-you-go which doesn't resolve why their employee was able to charge my account. Additionally, I'm also unsatisfied with their explanation that accounts can only be paused for 30 days because 1) this is not mentioned on their website or app as an explicit policy and 2) I did not receive any notification that they were unpausing my account. The communications that they say I haven't responded to seem to be the automatic emails that ask what I think about their customer service.
  
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *****************************

  

  Business Response

  Date: 03/05/2024

  While we understand there may be a discrepancy regarding Varsitys attempts to communicate with *****************************, it is Varsitys understanding that **************** requested resolution of a refund was ultimately issued; accordingly we believe the matter to be resolved (although Varsity remains willing to further discuss any outstanding, unresolved concerns with Ms. ***********;directly should she choose to do so).