Be careful of Automatic Withdrawal from your Bank Account at Sign Up Time. I believe it is the…read moreonly way you can sign up for classes at Bridgewater Martial Arts. I signed the document for my twins and sent them to class. After a while, I felt I would not be able to handle the cost, so I took the kids out, however, with the demands of life I forgot I signed that document and the charges kept on coming, regardless if the kids were in class or not. Overtime the monthly charges added up, and I would see this charge once in a while, just figured it was part of my financial picture under the label "Bridgewater MMA". After I looked into what that name meant, I realized it was for Martial Arts Classes the kids no longer attended. My heart sank, I added it up, Total Cost came in over $4000 given to this Center for not a thing. I spent a couple of weeks mulling over what to do. Should I go to small claims court? Should I just talk with the Instructor and see if payments could be made? It was an obvious mistake and Martial Arts has some kind of Honor Code built into the Why people do Martial Arts. I tried talking to John Hatfield, he was driving his car, so, he had to pull over. I explained my mistakes and my situation with my kids financially, and he was fast on the attack to protect and defend that money giving to him, with no option to return any of it. When I brought up the idea of recouping some of the money through payments so that the business would not be over burdened since the class numbers are very large, a business like that would be able to handle this cost. "Thats a car Payment!" he exclaimed. "I got a kid in college!" he exclaimed. "Ya.. John...I got Three kids to put through college on my own, one in there now, and two on the way.....so what is that claim????" That call went bad.
A second meeting at the Dojo.....Nothing, just a strong cold stare, not an ounce of heart, just a sucks for you guy kind of response and approach to the whole thing. I was blown away, the guy didn't care. John offered nothing, I had to ask if the kids could take the classes, that wasn't his offer, and I ask it just to see if there was any consideration he might have. The point is, I had to ask for it. Also, the point is, when it comes to financial mistakes, this Dojo will grip that money tight. No heart will be shown for any kind of human situation. Is that the mind you want for your child? $4000 and a single Dad, Mother lost to Cancer, 2..... 8 year olds needing any family money they can have, 1 sophomore in college....no a heart, not a soul in this human situation where an honest mistake was made, and No one noticed the payments were being made, and the children were not in class for 2 years. Be Very Weary of those Automatic Withdrawals. I wonder what the Shaolin Monks of Harvard would think if they were told this story???? Where is the honor in any of this????? This thing haunts me, it bubbles up for me, i feel like a stupid dumb ass that i am for not catching this sooner, its psychological pain as it bubbles up for me. When I think of it, that money was for taking care of the kids, and I just let it slip away to Pay for whatever and where ever it goes to, through that business. This story needs to remain here, because it actually happened, true in every respect. Sadly, handled, badly by all, not just me.