Pacific Wilderness, San Pedro

Let me clarify some things here since Tamara is getting everything SECOND HAND from her boyfriend. Her boyfriend Jacob, enrolled in our March 19th OpenWater SCUBA Class on 2/22/22. In order for Jacob to even see class schedules, he had to download the following form from our website's Home Page (A GIANT Blue Banner that says "Welcome Groupon!".) In doing so, the pdf download gives all students Class schedules, what to expect each of the four days of class and required gear and Materials. Additionally, it outlines cancellation & makeup fees. Download Here: http://pacificwilderness.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/Groupon-Beach-Class-Info-Sheet-March-2022.pdf Jacob had to go to this link to view schedules as they are NOT available anywhere else... it's obvious he did not read anything and only viewed the schedule to pick his class. When Jacob did phone in to register for the 3/19 class on February 22nd, our Employee Helen helped him. She retrieved the Groupon #, enrolled him in the class and covered what he needed to do (Helen is VERY Specific in what students need to do as she is an Instructor of more than 10 years). If he (Jacob) had any problems understanding our Estonian Girl Helen - who has lived in the US more than 20 years - Jacob should have said so. I find it funny that he uses this as an excuse since Helen normally teaches over 100 students per year and no other student found her pronunciation to be a barrier to learning / understanding. Either way, Jacob already had received the information on what he needed to do TWO TIMES at this point. On March 12th, our Instructor Cory sent out a reminder (This would be the THIRD time Jacob was contacted). There were 8 students in the class including Jacob, ALL other students got the email and came to class prepared. On March 18th, Jacob called the shop to see if he could come in the morning of class to get his gear and books, but our employee explained that Jacob had a 5 chapter Book to read and a 5 hour DVD to watch, so he would have to come in THAT DAY right away to try to complete the work before class started the next day at our 9am opening or he would have to pay a transfer fee of $150. Jacob got angry and claimed he never got the email from the Instructor. The employee verified Jacob's email address and it was correct. The employee explained that the Instructor email would have been the third time all this information would have been covered and that each time this is covered, students are told to come in to get fitted for the required gear and pick up the course materials AT LEAST A WEEK BEFORE CLASS BEGINS. Jacob claimed, "I was never told". Finally, the day Jacobs class was to begin, Jacob came in hours after class started and argued about having to pay a transfer fee. He was told the Instructor is paid per person, and the fact that Jacob did not prepare for class or follow basic instructions was not going to come out of the Instructors pocket. THEN Jacob asked to speak to the Instructor (who was into his third hour of teaching class). We told Jacob we were not going to interrupt class on his behalf and policies are clearly outlined. We also explained that receiving the Instructors “Reminder” email was irrelevant at this point, since he was already told what needed to be done twice before. Tamara inferring that Jacob was charged the $150 even though he showed up is misleading in her statement “not because he didn't show up, but because he wasn't told he had to pick up his materials a week ahead of time.” When, in fact, this information was given to Jacob both in writing (via the schedule pdf) & verbally by Helen when he registered. Tamara’s next statement is ridiculous: “They then told him he had to pay $350 for gear....even though before they said it was included...because "really you are paying for the books and not the gear." Since when does books cost $350????? What? Maybe Tamara should read the information as well. NOWHERE does it say the “REQUIRED” Gear is included. ALL our information (Website, downloads, employee briefings & even Groupn) shows some gear is provided & some is required. We further state (Everywhere) that Course Materials cost an extra $100 but are FREE if the Basic Gear (Mask, Snorkel, Fins, Boots & Gloves) are purchased at Pacific Wilderness. Your Boyfriend Jacob spent $287.00 on Gear and received the $100 Materials package for FREE. So, when you state “Since when does Books cost $350” – maybe check for what was actually received: Jacob spent $287 + Tax on a $100 mask (we sell masks for as low as $39), He picked out a $20 snorkel (we have $10 snorkels), He picked out $80 fins (we have $59 Fins), He picked out $50 Gloves (we have $24 Gloves) & he picked out $40 Boots (These are the least expensive). So Jacob CHOSE to spend $287 when he could have spent about half of that. In return, he got all the course materials (a $200 Value that we sell separately for $100) for FREE! Tamara, perhaps both you and Jacob need to read & listen before you make purchases & comments that are inaccurate. Case & Point that is most glaring: Perhaps read the GROUPON AD! Specifically "About this Deal" & the "Fine Print" Sections where it clearly shows Basic Gear is required & The Materials are FREE if Basic Gear is purchased from us.