Temple Kung-Fu... again

**xxx23** · Posted On: 7/27/2005 10:45pm

Hey everyone.

I know there have been threads about this before, but I wanted to see if there had been any new developments or opinions since the last one.

Basically, I'm wondering what you all think of Temple Kung Fu. I "trained" there for a few months, and just quit - but not before they'd gotten $1500 out of me that I'll probably never see again. Have any of you been there? Have you gotten your money back when you were entitled to, or have you pursued them legally? I was an idiot to have succumbed to their brainwashing, and now I'm trying to figure out what to do next.

I'm aware that there's another forum on the web relating to Temple Kung Fu, but I'd like to get the opinions of people who post here as well.

Thanks in advance.

***JohnnyCache*** · Posted On: 7/27/2005 10:47pm

Tell us more about how they got you and how you got the idea it wasn't going to meet your needs! It's always good to hear from another "one that got away"

**xingyifa** · Posted On: 7/27/2005 10:47pm

$1500?!?!?!
Jesus man
That much money could have bought you over a year of top notch training...
You know that feeling you get when you see another guy get kicked in the nuts? That's what I'm feeling for you right now.

**xxx23** · Posted On: 7/27/2005 11:04pm

I'll admit it, I was completely new to MA, and the whole mystification and guardedness of it was what snared me at first. The "it's so lethal and all of our students are so elite" angle made me sign the first contract and justify the first expense of around $400 or so (that was just the down payment - didn't even cover the first month!!). I figured I'd be getting the best training available.

As classes continued, I realized we were doing the same simple blocks and punches a thousandfold. When I would practice with a partner, they gave in to every strike and didn't attack me in a committed way at all. I wanted to learn this to defend myself, and it was becoming pretty clear that the situations they were giving us were completely unrealistic.

Then came the kicker, the infamous "Kung Fu Club". I was told that I'd been "nominated" by the higher-level students and instructors and that I had the honoured chance of joining the club. I had to write a letter stating why I wanted to join and submit to questions that were administered by candlelight in a back room. After they had "deliberated", I was told that I'd been accepted and had to recite an oath. Incredibly strange and very unsettling.

After this, I was told by the instructor that I'd have to sign another contract and make *another* down payment of $700 to continue my training at this higher level. I succumbed to the sales tactics, in part because most of the other students were in the Kung Fu Club and I figured that must mean it wasn't as unreasonable as I thought.

We continued to do the same blocks and uncommitted sparring, and my training was not accelerated at all after having joined the club. I decided to do a cursory internet search on Temple Kung Fu to see if anyone else had had a similar experience, and lo and behold... an entire forum of ex-students and instructors frothing at the mouth, most of whom had been screwed over way worse than me.

I cancelled my contract the next day, and was told by the instructor that my $700 was non-refundable because the two contracts were "together", and that they would be applying a penalty fee of $40 per half hour for all classes I'd attended since signing the first contract.

That's the story...

***JohnnyCache*** · Posted On: 7/27/2005 11:13pm

Jesus. Someone should tell prime time live about these fuckers.

Do you still have your contracts?

**lm2** · Posted On: 7/27/2005 11:24pm

thats the usual price for one year TKD in Florida not including testing, but xingyifa right. usualy their a contract involved so no law suits would help. To avoid this from happening again stick getting some dvd from whatever MA program your interested.These can open youre eye or quickly turn you off before investing getting thier belts.. (i spell terible i know)

**xxx23** · Posted On: 7/27/2005 11:54pm

I still have my contracts, but I'm not sure what to do. I'm not sure if pursuing them legally is an option, if they would have means to retaliate in some way... it's all pretty sickening. Needless to say, it sucks that my first experience with MA turned out like this!

**Poop Loops** · Posted On: 7/28/2005 12:08am

Don't sweat it man, I was there too. Like you, it was my first MA. I thought "**** all these TKD schools, I want something else".

The thing was, my dad was getting the "real" training and I was just stuck aside to the kiddie class. The thing was, I was supposed to be the one training and my dad doing it just as a hobbie and to spend time with me. He had no real interest in it, I did. But who payed the bills?

So after a year, I got my yellow belt and thought to myself "what have I learned...?" NOTHING. NO forms, NO sparring, NOTHING. Horse stance, Bow/forward stand, cat stance, and a few punches. Some Kung Fu, huh?

I still don't know how much money my dad payed. I asked, he said "...a lot..." I'm guessing in the $2.5k range for a year for both of us. Mind you, this was 2 times a week for me and like 3 for him. Whereas in BJJ I'd pay $1200/year, but I get like 7 available classes per week and 1.5 hours each, instead of just 1. Oh and I'm actually LEARNING here, so it's worth every penny.

PL

***JohnnyCache*** · Posted On: 7/28/2005 12:44am

Originally Posted by xxx23

I still have my contracts, but I'm not sure what to do. I'm not sure if pursuing them legally is an option, if they would have means to retaliate in some way... it's all pretty sickening. Needless to say, it sucks that my first experience with MA turned out like this!

You - and maybe PL too - should scan these contracts. I've very hot to read some of them.

**Shadowdh** · Posted On: 7/28/2005 2:50am

Originally Posted by xxx23

I cancelled my contract the next day, and was told by the instructor that my $700 was non-refundable because the two contracts were "together", and that they would be applying a penalty fee of $40 per half hour for all classes I'd attended since signing the first contract.

That's the story...

Can they retroactively charge you without informing you first...??? to charge you the $40 AFTER the fact seems wrong... anyone know if they can do it...???