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

  
• 

  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:10/22/2022

  Type:Order 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 bought 30 hour tutoring time from Varsity Tutor for my daughter in 2019. The sales person first told me that
  unused time will be refunded. My daughter used 10.5 hours, so I called Varsity for refund. At that time I was
  told that I can keep the remaining hours and used in future. I was never told that these time would be expired
  in 12 months. Last week I logged in to my account and found my remaining time went to zero. I called the
  customer service, who told me it's their company policy that any unused time will be expire in 12 months.
  I told her that I was told differently and want to speak to the supervisor. A few hours later a lady called me
  back. She told me that she can credit 19.5 hours to my account, but I have to use it in 6 months, or it will be
  expired. I told her that I can't accept this and I will report to BBB. Then a day later I received an email from
  Varsity, telling me that my time won't expire in 6 months. How come this company can change their policy
  day by day? I can't trust this company and want my complete refund.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 11/04/2022

  101 S. Hanley Road, Suite 300 | St. Louis, MO 63105 | www.varsitytutors.com
  
  November 4, 2022
  
  Better Business Bureau
  200 S. Broadway, Ste. 2060
  St. Louis, MO 63105
  
  Re: Complaint #******** **** ************ * *** **** ***** ******
  ******* ****** ***** *********** ******** ** *** *********
  
  Dear Sir or Madam:
  
  Varsity is in receipt of the Complaint (as defined above) filed by *** **** on October 22, 2022. This
  letter shall serve as Varsity’s response to the matters raised in the Complaint; however, please note that ,
  despite the fact that *** **** has not been an active customer in over three (3) years, Varsity believes the
  parties have already reached an amicable resolution that fully resolves any and all issues in the
  Complaint.
  
  By way of background, Varsity is a live learning platform that, among other things, seamlessly connects
  experts and learners in any subject, anywhere, at any time. This includes connecting students with
  tutoring, academic enrichment, and test-preparation needs with vetted, independently contracted tutors
  and test instructors who provide those services directly to students (not Varsity), either in person or
  online, at times and locations agreed upon between them (such as a library or coffee shop, in the student’s
  home, etc), as Varsity does not have any physical locations for tutoring or instruction.1 Varsity’s platform
  also offers customers/students several different choices for how to engage with tutors, instructors, experts,
  and professionals including one-on-one (between one tutor and student), small group tutoring (between
  one tutor or instructor and a small group of selected students), group courses (with one tutor or instructor
  leading a session with a large number of participants), or combinations of the above. Customers/students
  of the platform can also get immediate, live, one-on-one tutoring or instruction in more than 100 subjects
  in as little as 15 seconds by connecting with a tutor through the Instant Tutoring feature on Varsity’s
  platform.
  
  In addition to the above, Varsity has expanded its offerings through its platform to include Professional
  Certifications. The Professional Certifications offering connects customers/students with tutors and/or
  instructors to assist in various professional certification tests (such as NCLEX or SHRM-SCP, among
  others), in a one-on-one format or group format. As independent contractors, the tutors, instructors, and
  experts who offer their services through the platform (in any capacity) have their own materials, styles,
  and methods as indicated on every page of Varsity’s website (www.varsitytutors.com).
  
  Varsity highlights its policies on the website and attempts to set realistic expectations with the potential
  customers/students who seek to be matched with a contracted tutor, instructor, or expert through Varsity’s
  
  1 Although, in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, the in-person option is not currently offered; however, it was an
  available option to tutors and students assuming both were willing to meet in person until on or around mid-March,
  2020.
  Complaint # ********
  Page 2
  
  online platform. Varsity is transparent about its services and uses its Terms of Customer Accounts Use
  (the “TOCAU”) to reinforce the process. In fact, the potential customers/students must review and sign
  the TOCAU and acknowledge the policies before they ever engage in the services of a tutor through
  Varsity’s platform. Varsity’s website is also critical in setting these expectations and explaining the
  process and how it works, in addition to setting forth the terms of any guarantees, located at
  https://www.varsitytutors.com/guarantee-policy.
  
  Regarding *** **** specifically and according to Varsity’s records, *** **** first contacted Varsity in
  January 2019 in order to be matched with an online tutor. On January 4, 2019, *** **** purchased a
  package of hours for use on Varsity’s platform, and executed the TOCAU on January 4, 2019. Between
  January 7, 2019 and April 1, 2019, nine (9) sessions were invoiced to *** ****’s account by his tutor.
  Over three (3) years later, in October 2022, *** **** reached out to Varsity to inquire about any unused
  hours on his account. It is unclear why *** **** waited so long to reach out to Varsity Tutors about a
  purchase from 2019.
  
  Regardless, and while not required to do so (as *** ****’s request falls well outside the refund window
  as set forth in the TOCAU, as well as the fact that the hours have specified expiration dates set forth in the
  TOCAU), Varsity has worked with *** **** to reach what Varsity believes to be an amicable resolution.
  
  Please consider this Varsity’s response to the Complaint (which, at this time, Varsity considers to have
  been resolved). 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 do not hesitate to contact me.
  
  Regards,
  
  
  ******** ******
  ********* ******* *******
  ** ***** ******** * ** ***** ********
  ** ***************************

• Initial Complaint

  Date:10/20/2022

  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 am a graduate student seeking Statistics tutoring through Varsity Tutors approximately 1 week ago. I received an initial assessment call on 10/15/22. I informed the representative that I was looking for a tutor accustomed to working graduate-level statistics within the upcoming week due to midterms deadlines for 1-hour sessions two times a week. It was confirmed I would be paired with someone that would fit my needs. I purchased the 8-hour/month plan for $649/month on 10/17/22. On 10/20/22, I had an appointment with a tutor and no one showed up for the session despite expressing the importance and timelines. I noticed the tutor scheduled 1-hour session once a week. I eventually accepted the 1-hour session only for the tutor not to show up. I rescheduled with another tutor the same night because of the timelines and again it was a no-show. Apparently the system is automated to reflect acceptance by the tutor when in fact no one has confirmed the session. 2 hours later, I received a text message from the original tutor stating Varsity told them they were taking care of me being paired with someone to fit my needs. Once again, Varsity has failed to provide a very expensive service in the midst of midterms which is already a very stressful time. I was clear about my expectations. Varsity couldn't meet my expectation and I would like the $649 refunded.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 11/04/2022

  101 S. Hanley Road, Suite 300 | St. Louis, MO 63105 | www.varsitytutors.com
  
  November 4, 2022
  
  Better Business Bureau
  200 S. Broadway, Ste. 2060
  St. Louis, MO 63105
  
  Re: Complaint #******** **** ************ * ****** ******** ***** **********
  ******* ****** ***** *********** ******** ** *** *********
  
  Dear Sir or Madam:
  
  Varsity is in receipt of the Complaint (as defined above) filed by *** ******** on October 20, 2022.
  This letter shall serve as Varsity’s response to the matters raised in the Complaint; however, please note
  that the parties have already reached an amicable resolution that fully resolves any and all issues in the
  Complaint.
  
  By way of background, Varsity is a live learning platform that, among other things, seamlessly connects
  experts and learners in any subject, anywhere, at any time. This includes connecting students with
  tutoring, academic enrichment, and test-preparation needs with vetted, independently contracted tutors
  and test instructors who provide those services directly to students (not Varsity), either in person or
  online, at times and locations agreed upon between them (such as a library or coffee shop, in the student’s
  home, etc), as Varsity does not have any physical locations for tutoring or instruction.1 Varsity’s platform
  also offers customers/students several different choices for how to engage with tutors, instructors, experts,
  and professionals including one-on-one (between one tutor and student), small group tutoring (between
  one tutor or instructor and a small group of selected students), group courses (with one tutor or instructor
  leading a session with a large number of participants), or combinations of the above. Customers/students
  of the platform can also get immediate, live, one-on-one tutoring or instruction in more than 100 subjects
  in as little as 15 seconds by connecting with a tutor through the Instant Tutoring feature on Varsity’s
  platform.
  
  In addition to the above, Varsity has expanded its offerings through its platform to include Professional
  Certifications. The Professional Certifications offering connects customers/students with tutors and/or
  instructors to assist in various professional certification tests (such as NCLEX or SHRM-SCP, among
  others), in a one-on-one format or group format. As independent contractors, the tutors, instructors, and
  experts who offer their services through the platform (in any capacity) have their own materials, styles,
  and methods as indicated on every page of Varsity’s website (www.varsitytutors.com).
  
  Varsity highlights its policies on the website and attempts to set realistic expectations with the potential
  customers/students who seek to be matched with a contracted tutor, instructor, or expert through Varsity’s
  online platform. Varsity is transparent about its services and uses its Terms of Customer Accounts Use
  
  1 Although, in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, the in-person option is not currently offered; however, it was an
  available option to tutors and students assuming both were willing to meet in person until on or around mid-March,
  2020.
  Complaint # ********
  Page 2
  
  (the “TOCAU”) to reinforce the process. In fact, the potential customers/students must review and sign
  the TOCAU and acknowledge the policies before they ever engage in the services of a tutor through
  Varsity’s platform. Varsity’s website is also critical in setting these expectations and explaining the
  process and how it works, in addition to setting forth the terms of any guarantees, located at
  https://www.varsitytutors.com/guarantee-policy.
  
  Regarding *** ******** specifically and according to Varsity’s records, *** ******** first contacted
  Varsity in October 2022 in order to be matched with an online tutor. On October 16, 2022 *** ********
  purchased a Learning Membership for use on Varsity’s platform, which is a comprehensive solution that
  provides multimodal learning services to help customers achieve their learning goals. A Learning
  Membership entitles customers to set a number of live one-on-one tutoring hours per month on a
  recurring monthly basis, in addition to enrollment in certain live classes through the Varsity platform,
  among other benefits. *** ********** Learning Membership would include eight (8) hours each month
  for use with one-on-one tutoring through the platform. *** ******** executed the TOCAU on October
  20, 2022. There were scheduling conflicts with the tutor who was initially placed with *** ********, and
  ultimately, *** ******** was not satisfied and requested a full refund. Varsity accommodated ***
  ********** request for a refund because it was made within the 30-day refund window set forth in the
  TOCAU.
  
  Please consider this Varsity’s response to the Complaint (which, at this time, Varsity considers to have
  been resolved). 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 do not hesitate to contact me.
  
  Regards,
  
  
  ******** ******
  ********* ******* *******
  ** ***** ******** * ** ***** ********
  ** ***************************