Karate America
Reviews and Complaints

I would love to speak with you about it as well. My daughter has zero intereate because she was playing babysitter to the younger kids and the place is chaos. It was once a wonderful, cool place. Not it's just making money, even if the kids have become disengaged due to their lack of actual discipline

As I read most of these complaints, it is almost comical to see the Karate America reps reply. It makes me wonder if they all have black belts in dishonesty. I have been going to the Krav Maga school, and paying good money to do so. I have not seen my instructor in over a month. He has "Instructors in Training" who have been doing Krav slightly longer than I have. I hardly think being instructed by students is worth what I am paying. I tried calling to see if we were going to a certified instructor and was told that our instructor would be back in May... well, it's may... he is not coming back. Karate America is a scam, all they want is your money, they do not care about you, they do not care about your kids, they just care about money. They make you buy all their equipment saying it is for insurance purposes, but really, they just buy it from Revgear and mark it up. Rumor has it Karate America is so far in the hole that this is the only way they are going to stay in business, but who knows if it is really true. All I know is that if I have to base my opinion on their product I would believe the rumors to be true.

Dear Broke Parent: my recommendation, if your child still wants to learn martial arts, is to look for an instructor who does NOT teach Karate full-time - that's the teacher who does it because s/he loves it. The fees will be so much more reasonable. I LOVED Karate, and was blessed to have 2 amazing instructors. I blew out my knee, and have not been able to go back...

In Response to KravMaster

First, we apologize. We have been having scheduling problems with the chief instructor. He is finishing his semester in school (which ends May 20th), and his assistants have been running classes when he is not able to be there. The chief instructor has assured us he will be running all classes starting Monday, May 23rd.

If you would please contact our office, we can give you options—either putting your membership on hold or cancelling (with no cancellation fee). We sincerely thank you for your patience.

Sincerely,
Karate America Employee

My kids were taking classes for 1 year and when 2 of them were getting close to earning there black belt the instructors became real mean.. Ever class one instructor mad my son cry. They became so hard on them that no one wanted to go to classes. I put all this money and time into KA and for nothing. My kids hate going and I will not make them. My kids are little too and to be that hard to make them cry is not right. What a waste of time and money.

I have never seen a more fraudulent contract process than that with Karate America. I signed up my two sons in hopes we could make this work as a long term activity for them. I was told by local owner that if it didn't work out, we could pay a cancellation fee and get out of contract as I was very nervous that my youngest son would be able to participate. This happened in 2014. I paid the cancellation fee with total hardship to our family as my husband had lost his job but I have never not paid a bill in my life. They harassed me and said I had to pay the entire contract for 12 months. I sent letters with proof of payment and made multiple phone calls to Karate America and the credit agency they turned us into. I heard nothing for 18 months after sending proof of payment etc. I assumed it had been taken are of as I wasn't getting harassing phone calls from collection agency. 18 months later at end of 2016, I got a collection letter demanding $3, 000 (my sons participated for 60 days in this program of which I paid for as well as a $300 cancellation fee). Again, I responded to that letter with proof within 30 days. I never heard back from anyone and in March of 2017, a $3000 credit issue was reported on my credit report. I am appalled these people can stay in business as reports of this are all over the internet. I am sure the program is a good program, but they are taking advantage of trusting consumers.

Karate America empathizes with families having financial hardship. We understand it is a difficult economy right now, as it is for businesses as well. We are willing to offer several methods to assist our students. We offer to freeze a payment to allow the student to catch up on bills, the possibility of lowering the program and therefore the monthly payment, or transferring the membership to another family member. It is unfortunate that none of these options will work for this student.

As far as the membership is concerned, our memberships clearly state the time commitment. Both the expiration date and number of months of commitment are written in two different places. This is to ensure that everyone is clear as to what the agreement is.

Within the membership, written in plain English, not legal jargon, it states the purchase of safety equipment will be necessary for certain activities in the classes. This is for safety, and also required by our insurance company. Also, it is written in the membership that promotional rank examination fees are not included in the membership fees. This information is clearly written in order to ensure the student knows the terms and conditions up front. We do not wish to trick anyone, but we also cannot force people to read that which they are signing.

We are not in this business just for the money. There are many much less strenuous jobs that could earn our instructors a living, but they have chosen to dedicate their lives to the study of martial arts and to passing on that information to students—in order to better those students’ lives. We disagree that young children cannot make a commitment for achieving their black belts. They may, however, need the help of their families to reach that goal. This is why the membership is signed by the parent, not the child. Children learn commitment and follow through at a young age. I would encourage anyone who reads this to attend one of our Black Belt testings in June or December, and watch the ring with the youngest students, as young as 6. These children have been training since 3 years old and now understand the concepts of commitment, goal setting, and perseverance. If they learn to be successful at a young age, they will be successful their entire lives.

We are still willing to offer our assistance as noted above. Please call, and we will do all that we can to help.

Sincerely,
Karate America Employee

I do believe that children are at the most important learning stages of their lives between the ages of 1 and 6. So if you don't beleive that children as young as three can learn how to listen, pay attention, and follow directions, you are wrong. There are many parents that have to find a good learning centers for their children. Karate America core foundation is to teach COURTESY & RESPECT. There are seminar all over the country that charge a lot more than 150 per month, to teach your child CONFIDENCE. And they are just a weekend seminar and about three times the amount you are being charged for one month. And to have unlimited training for your child for a month at 150 is not expensive at all. Do the math: the average child does 3 to 4 classes per week, that is about 8 dollars per class. That is about minimum wage, for something that is much more value than minimum wage. And I know you and your child and your child didn't loose interest HE LOVED THE CLASSES!

Yes a complete scam of handing you a contract on a piece of paper, you signing it, then claiming they defrauded you. Apparently you can write so I will assume you can read too what is your excuse for not reading it, it took to long, the lettering was small, the words to big? You’re the type of person who will next demand a bank modify your mortgage because you again cannot live up to your responsibilities. I feel sorry for your kids, hopefully they see you for the [censored] you are and decide they want to be productive members of society instead of a drain like their mother.

I can tell you, from this story alone I would never join Karate America. It is hard to imagine the hassle they put this man and his wife through. Transfer orders should be enough to document that a member is leaving. Soldiers are generally not transferred within the same city, so it should not matter where they are going, just that they are. Quite frankly, it is not their business where they are going. That is probably why they were let out of their lease with no problem, regardless of who was on the lease.

Following policy and doing the right thing might not be the same. This man had a document that showed the woman named was transferring. The fact that he had the document is near solid proof of his claim, why else would he have it in his possession? The fact that their last names were not the same is irrelevant. I was married also and we did not change our names either. In the military, it is a pain to go through all that and retain your identity and familiarity. Many people wait till they get out to change their names and some never do. He said it was his wife, end of story. There should be no questioning, interrogation or proof necessary.

I can only speculate that had this been an unmarried partnership or same sex couple, KA might have held the member hostage indefinitely. Marriage is only a piece of paper and people do have long lasting and permanent relationships that are equally important. They should not have to be married to move together. If the contract protects only married couples, then they need to get with the times and change that language. Even though this member was married, if the contract was more comprehensive, then he would not have had to prove that he was.

If I had been this member, I would have canceled my method of payment. If KA wanted to sue for the remainder, then they would have to get extradition from Italy. I doubt any judge would rule in favor of a company that was so unpatriotic and one to take money from people who were unable to take advantage of the company services. This is just an example of why not to sign up for any service that has a cancellation fee. They make plenty on your membership while you are using their service. There is no logical reason to pay them for nothing. I left a gym that had one after my year was up and moved to one that doesn’t hold their members hostage with a contract. I can leave anytime and go back anytime. That is the way to keep your members happy, not by arguing with them.

I would again like to clarify that Karate America did not benefit monetarily from the circumstance previously discussed. We froze the student’s payments in order to give him time to obtain proof of move, as he agreed to provide when he signed his membership. We were not required to freeze payments. We did it solely to assist the student.

The orders did not specify accompaniment. I personally read the orders in their entirety. I also had several of my coworkers review them to be sure I had not missed something. None of us found anything remotely connected to the membership signer. As I had mentioned, the military personnel and the membership signer did not even have the same last name. We had no evidence that they were connected in any way, let alone that the signer was accompanying the military personnel to Italy.

As for the apartment complex breaking the lease, again, the military personnel was, surely, listed on the lease, if not as the primary signer, then certainly as an occupant. The orders would likely be enough to break the lease in that circumstance. Unfortunately, we did not have the same circumstance. I wish we had. It would have been a much easier situation.

I hope this helps clear up any confusion.

Sincerely,
Karate America Employee

Karate America knows it's customer service policies suck which is why the try so hard on these comments to try and "prove the customer wrong." What branch of the military was this "karate america employee" in? None I bet. Just another civilian with a "support our troops" bumper sticker doing everything he or she can to screw the military out of their money. If the orders are "accompanied" orders then YES MILITARY ORDERS DO MEAN THE SPOUSE IS MOVING TOO. I find it strange an apartment complex would break it's lease without hesitation but you idiots at KA wouldn't.

-Navy Veteran

We have already addressed your concerns. Please give me a call to finalize the cancellation and to discuss any further questions you may have.

Sincerely,
Karate America Employee

I did ask the student to send a copy of his orders, initially thinking the orders were for himself, and when I realized they were for his wife, I assumed they would contain something within that would specify her husband was travelling with her. I apologize for having made that assumption.

When the student first made the offer of sending a letter from his lawyer, I did not know the lawyer was with the navy. If the student can offer official documentation from the Navy showing that he is moving with his wife, we would accept it as proof of move. I am not in the Navy and, therefore, do not know exactly what kind of documentation could be acquired. As long as it is official Navy paperwork and specifies that the student is moving to Italy, we would accept it.

Having said that (making sure our policy on military moves is clear), I am happy to report that I have talked to the membership board, and having spoken with the instructor, they have decided to cancel the membership. The instructor verified that, to the best of his knowledge, the student is married to the person named on the orders, that the student had told him about the move previously, and that he trusts the student is being truthful. This is not something Karate America usually does, but the membership board has decided the military orders will suffice, given that we have the instructor’s word. The cancellation paperwork will be sent to the student’s home today, 2/16/11.

We want to thank the student for being a member of the Karate America family and wish him and his family luck in Italy. Also, we thank the family for their service to our country.

Sincerely,
Karate America Employee

I am the employee who wrote the response. I am extremely upset that the response has offended anyone, especially a former member of our military. That was, absolutely, not my intent.

Unfortunately, being a business, we must follow protocol, just like the military. We want to help the student with his transition as much as possible—which is why we are willing to offer the freeze of payment in order to give him time to acquire the necessary documentation.

Normally, we do accept military orders as proof of move. We cancel memberships for military personnel who are moving on almost a daily basis. This circumstance just happens to be peculiar. I have had several other people read through the orders, and none of us has found anything that specifies that the transferring member of the military is bringing anyone, let alone the membership signer. If it is possible for something from the military to be provided to us that would show that the signer of the membership was being moved with her, we would be happy to cancel the membership immediately. Unfortunately, what has been provided offers no link what so ever between the person on the orders and the membership signer. The last names are even different. (We received only orders, no marriage license.) We are only asking for what is specified in the membership—which was agreed upon by the student: “legitimate verification of the move.”
Having talked to the instructor who has taught the student and being told that he is a nice man, I personally believe everything the student has told me, but unfortunately, that does not give me the ability to brush aside standard procedure. I am hoping whoever reads this will understand the predicament we are in with this particular circumstance. We very much want to help the student and be able to put this behind us, but we have to follow the same rules that we do for everyone.

Also, please remember we have no motivation to give the student a hard time. As I have already mentioned, we are willing to freeze the March payment in order to give the student plenty of time (two months) to acquire proof of move. If we are not making money off this, we have no reason to purposefully be difficult. Personally, I would prefer to be able to put this behind me.

I hope to be able to resolve this quickly, for both the student’s benefit and my own.

Sincerely,
Karate America Employee

We understand the student’s frustration, and we feel for his stress at moving to another country. Much work must be involved in that large a transition.

We did receive the referenced orders and have reviewed them to find the signer’s name does not appear on them and that there is no specific reference to a family moving with the military personnel. Unfortunately, military orders for someone else do not serve to prove move. It is policy that the move of the signer and/or student must be proven. The name on the orders does not appear on the membership, neither as student nor as signer, and there is no mention in the orders of the name of the person on the membership.

In order to assist the student, we have offered to place a hold on the March payment to give him plenty of time to acquire proof of move for himself. This will allot him two months—from February 15th to April 15th—not two weeks as stated in the complaint. We understand the pressure he must be feeling with moving out of the country, and we are willing to work with him to make it as fair a process as possible. The membership does not require us to offer this freeze of payment.

The student did offer other documentation to prove his move. Unfortunately, anything he offered was not going to show to where he was moving. A cancelled lease could simply mean he was moving his apartment within Jacksonville. His apartment management was probably able to cancel his lease because his wife was surely listed on the lease as a tenant. (If her name appeared on his membership with us as the student, we would be able to accept the orders as proof.)

We hope we can come to an amicable understanding, and we wish the student luck in Italy.

Sincerely,
Karate America

Thank you customer 31579 for your kind words and praise. This is of course the experience we want all of our students to have.

Just wait. You will find the JaxHomeSchoolMom knows exactly what she is talking about, lol.

They are a MCDojo that cares more about the all mighty dollar than actually teaching kids...They shame the art and I am glad we went with a non-corporate dojo like Kenjin Ryu Martial Arts Center. They actually care about the kids and you will always find instructors teaching the class, instead of paying students teaching as Karate America does, Talk about making the buck off of free teaching for them, while making a profit off of the person teaching!

This is absolutely true! This company is a scam! I am dealing with the same exact issue! It is impossible to get them to stop charging your card even months after canceling. I spoke with several people in the corporate office that are even shadier than the Karate America centers. Ms. Alange and Ms. Harrison told me two completely different stories about how to go about canceling the member

ship. The bottom line is Don’t Not Use This Company!

STAY FAR FAR AWAY! Karate America rips people off. My daughter and I were doing classes here but had to stop for medical reasons. They kept charging my credit card for 6 months. Now they absolutely refuse to refund the money that they stole from us.

BEWARE OF THEIR EXTREMELY UNSCRUPULOUS BUSINESS PRACTICES!

The June graduation was great. My ring the adults did an outstanding job and as always I enjoy having the opportunity to help support the testing. I also wanted to share with you that I felt the demo team was terrific. I enjoyed Master Moore and the rest of the instructors perform their form, the board breaks and weapons were awesome and Master candidate Gimmenez and his son were just adorable. It was a very positive event and I believe the parents, family and friends had a great time as well.

I charge ASF, and its enforcement of "child contracts" as indifferent, negligent, reckless child endangerment.

ASF utilizes bullying tactics, through binding "contracts" that force children to remain connected with programs even when the programs demonstrate a negative impact on the child's well being.

Case in point deals with karate "schools". ASF collaborates with such schools to implement such contracts with students, minors, and their parents. While even the smallest bit of research on your part will bring this to light, I can use my own young child as an example.

I enrolled my six year old boy into a karate program while he was in kindergarten, at the age of six. I did fill out paperwork dealing with payment for my son's participation. I admit, I was naive, I did not recognize the tenacious money grabbing contractual obligations involved with my son's participation. I had no idea that such binding contracts could, or would, exist in relation to minors...especially small children.

Karate schools, and the relationship held with instructors, are an intimate form of education for children. Bad schools and bad instructors may not be obvious at first - but can have a significant detrimental impact on the health and well being of a developing child. Even good schools and instructors, if the program is not a good fit for the child, can have equally negative impact on the child's development.

In the case of my little boy, it took a few months before the negative impact the karate school was having on him. I had enrolled my little boy into a program that I had hoped would build self-esteem, self-confidence, strength, and the ability to defend himself if the need were ever to arise later in life. I hoped these positive impacts would be with my son both in school academics and within his social life as he grew.

However, a few months into the program it finally became clear. This program was having the reverse impact on my son. My son demonstrated...

-exhaustion with school and academics

-anxiety

-sadness/depression

-bouts of anger

-general distress and a decline in self-esteem

Once it became clear that these social, academic and emotional issues were connected with karate I wanted to cancel participation. Initially, this would be temporarily, so that we could gage what was going on with my boy, and perhaps (reluctantly) permanently if necessary. I spoke with the karate instructor. He insisted a "freeze" on the account. In my nativity, I thought this was simply the instructor hoping to keep us connected, so I agreed.

Apparently there was a technical glitch (at least that's what I'm told), and the freeze did not go into effect. ASF tried to bill me. Fortunately, I had had a problem with my debit card and had just had it replaced...so the charge didn't go through.

I called ASF, thinking it would be a cordial conversation where this charge would be corrected and everyone would be happy. Turns out, the representative was quite condescending. She insisted the instructor would never have done such a thing. I insisted she contact the instructor and she replied "they don't contact the instructors". Further, she insisted that we were bound to this contract for TWO YEARS!

From there, I continued communication with ASF arguing that contracts involving minors were unethical and immoral and, should be, illegal. Every step of the way, ASF insisted that this contract was binding and, unless I moved, the contract would not be terminated.

Finally, after extensive arguing and standoff, another representative (Chris Peterson), suggested a one month freeze. Later, the karate instructor contacted me and stated that there had been a technical glitch and that ASF had contacted him, and the two month freeze was now in effect. I still demanded that ASF end this contract on the grounds that contracts involving small children was immoral and ethical. Of course, they refused my demands.

Now, a few months later, my standoff with ASF continues. I want to stress, again, my little boy demonstrated...

-exhaustion with school and academics

-anxiety

-sadness/depression

-bouts of anger

-general distress and a decline in self-esteem

I can't believe my little boy is not the only one to demonstrate such things. I know there are others out there like him, some younger - some older.

Parental concerns, and the health and well being of the child, are not the first, and foremost concern of ASF and the karate schools...er "businesses" they connect themselves with. In fact, as ASF has proven, there is a total apathy and disregard for the health and well being of children.

On another thread, one poster argued that he was upholding a contract that a mom was objecting to, related to her boy (in another state, with another school). This person argued that the contract was for the betterment of the child. That such contracts place motivation (or should we call it bullying and pressure?), prevent a quitter attitude among their participants (that, he states, is prevalent in this day and age). Read that again, please and consider the meaning. This karate instructor is making it clear that the expensive contracts are meant to essentially pressure the poor kid into continued participation. Essentially, that he is saving the child from the poor parental decisions made by this mom who wants to withdraw her child from the program. Talk about arrogance.

I thought that statement was made by Chris Peterson (because the guy did not identify himself as an instructor, but did appear to identify himself by the name of "Chris"). When I brought this up to Mr. Peterson, he made clear he was not the one to make that post, but that the instructor of that school did.

However, the point it made - and cannot be denied. These contracts place pressure on families for the continued participation of a child with a karate program, even if the parent has determined that the program hurts the child's well being. And, at least in some cases, are meant to place pressure for the child to continue to participate. I know I feel pressured...forking out $150 per month for two years will influence many parents to continue to have their child participate and receive these damaging services that are being paid for. And, lets face it, not all parents will recognize that they have the option of paying without their child participating. Forget the parent for just a moment...what about children's rights? These contracts violate the rights of children! Children are left unprotected while ASF squabbles to milk the parents for all they can.

Follow me here for a moment. I want to repeat the symptoms my son demonstrated a third time...

-exhaustion with school and academics

-anxiety

-sadness/depression

-bouts of anger that had not been seen before (or since, after he stopped attending). This one was quite a surprise. He was always a boy who sought out friendships with others, but now was in frequent conflict with others children...even strangers (i.e. at McDonald's play centers).

-general distress

Take this little boy (and also apply this to any child - we know there's others out there), and follow these symptoms down the road as the child continues to develop at such an impressionable point in his or her life. What do you imagine? How do you see things turning out for this child? At best, a dysfunctional life - a child who someday never lives up to the potential he could have. But...that's at best. I stress again, karate schools and instructors are a very intimate form of education for a child. These symptoms my son demonstrated from his experiences are real...and very concerning. Step back and imagine these very real symptoms a second time. Other than dysfunction, how else do you see this turning out for a child as he grows and matures under the intimate influence of a damaging karate program? It's a bit scary. I have a hard time saying the word. Suicide.

It's speculation of course. But, you follow those symptoms...those kind of things can lead a child in that direction. All because of an intimate, and very damaging, program the child was pressured to continue. Now, I will stand up for my son. I will watch out for him. That's why this contract dispute is occurring in the process. Let's face it. Not all parents will do that. Many will feel defeated from the very first moment they are told they cannot cancel the contract. And, many parents, especially those who do not connect with their child well, will simply bow to the pressure they feel from the contract and require their child to continue participating...due to the pressure of high payments they are forced to continue for these services.

Now, I will stress, Chris Peterson and ASF do not comment one way or another on whether these contracts are fair for the children. Whether these contracts are good, or immoral and evil...violating children's rights (children, those which are most helpless and need such protection). Chris Peterson, and ASF simply state that the parent is obligated to continue the payments that "they agreed to". (If other parents are like me, they were naive, not realizing that these "contracts" were so binding - especially due to the fact that they involved young children - that one could not cancel).

What ASF has essentially demonstrated is indifference. Indifference to the health and well being of children. Indifference to children as a whole - as long as they can siphon money over an extended period. But, is it even simply indifference we are talking about here? Is this blatant negligence? Negligence is likely the better word choice here.

I argue that contracts involving children are methods of entrapment, indenture and enslavement of a child and should absolutely never be allowed. They should be illegal in our nation - especially here in the 21st century. I never would have imagined that, here in our country - a nation that protects the rights of children - would see a situation where children's rights are ignored. Are we in the United States, or are we in a third world country here? Binding, long term contracts such as this, are things I would have imagined in a third world nation. A nation that cannot, or will not, protect children's rights.

These contracts should never be. Not with my son, or with anyone's child. Children are unpredictable and their growth and development can go in many directions. Their needs change. Whether a program is recognized to be detrimental to a child within a day, within a few months (as it took my child), or within a year, there should NEVER be a binding contract on a child with such an intimate educational program. Once a parent recognizes that such a program is detrimental to a child's well being, ASF and that karate program should immediately, when requested, cease all relations with that child and that family...that INCLUDES payment. As I have already demonstrated, the continued enforcement of a "contract" keeps the connection alive. All relations should cease for the betterment and rights of children.

But, again, I stress. ASF (and Chris Peterson - who's defense of ASF are all over these boards), makes very clear - they are only concerned about the money. Never, ever - when ASF is defended on these boards - do they express concern for the child. In all cases, they seek to enforce the contracts and collect the $$$$

I will state this. After a significant standoff on this issue, Chris Peterson (months later), has finally offered an alternative. He has blessed me with option B: a buyout of the contract. There is no such buyout option stated in the contract. So, this has been created out of "nothing". So, this buyout has been artificially inserted only after extensive arguing. The buyout is $450. Honestly, I don't have the money for the buyout - I'm still trying to figure out how I will do it while still feeding my children. But, that's beside the point. It should not have taken months as I demanded a cancellation of the contract for this buyout to finally be offered as an option. Further, a buyout option should not even be necessary to begin with - when a parent recognizes that a karate program is having a significant negative impact on his/her child's health and well being and development, ASF should be ready to immediately cease relations with that child and family and simply end the "contract". How many other parents have tried, and felt despair at ASF's obsession to enforce long term payments they felt they had to fold? These aren't cell phone contracts or a direct tv contract we are talking about here. These are living, breathing, impressionable, developing young people...who are at critical points in their lives as they grow and mature.

I love my son. My little boy. I'm sure you love your children. When I send my son to school I feel that his teachers love and care for him. I feel like the school administrators watch out for his well being. When dealing with ASF and my son's karate program I recognize that one thing has been demonstrated here. To them children = $$$$$$. Nothing more. If they cared about children, these contractual agreements they enforce would cease. That's a shame. Business is one thing. But, one should never go into business involving children without also having a love and care for...children, and children first. This is America.

This is indifference. This is negligence. This is reckless child endangerment. ASF, end all ties to my child. Now. End all child contracts. This is America. We love our children here. We believe in children's rights here.

I signed my 6-year-old up to attend Karate America after school for $100/week. I purchased the equipment that he would need and paid for 2 weeks of classes. After doing this, I received an email stating that I would receive 100% of my money back if my child did not like the activity. I also received a letter via postal mail that stated that I needed to take advantage of the prices before they increased. I went to the facility and paid, in full, for the remaining sessions for the the rest of the school year. My child attended these classes for about a month before he stated that he didn't like it and was being bullied. I informed the facility of the problem and requested a refund. She then provided me a number to call ASF Payment Solutions. I called them on March 27th and they told me to send the email and they would look into and contact me with a decision in 10 days. I sent the email 8 times, to 3 different email addresses, before they "received it" on April 14th. I received a phone call a week later stating that they reviewed my email but I would not be receiving a refund because the email was not referring to the after school program. I advised that the email does not specify that it's referring to anything. They then told me that I could only cancel if we moved over 25 miles away or if my child had a note from the MD staying that he is disabled. I asked if I submitted the paperwork showing that we reside over 25 miles away would I receive a refund. She said no, it would cancel my contact but I would not receive any money back. I asked again why would they not honor the email that I was sent, she stated that I could not receive my money back because the email was not included in the contact. We then went over the contract together. I stated that at no time does it state that I could not receive a refund. She stated that it doesn't state that I could either. Now I am without $1600, my child does not attend their facility and they refuse to honor what they stated and just give my money back!

Karate America is a cut throat buisness. they offer ENTRY level classes in belt collecting by teachers whos best quality is in sales not self defence or martial arts. the real teachers are students who have learned the repetition of the moves found in any 19.99 self defence book. if you want your child to learn karate only go month by month ...which karate America does not offer. my childs sales person / instructor went back to driving a truck. the new overwieght female who took over was rude. this place in jacksonville Atlantic blvd is run down smells bad and is only intrested in the money. you cant cancel the contract even if you want to and if you stop attending, they keep charging you as if your child was attending. (attended for 6 months and we now owe 5k and counting.)they tried to bully me around when I said I wasnt coming back after they said my child was ready for another belt 3rd one in 6 months not stripes, I did not feel he was ready its not about the money... I invested $500 in gear (no problem its for my child) that I am willing to gift to anyone silly enough to join. I wanted my son to get a few pointers on how not to get bullied now I have a bully of my own Karate America unethical tactics towards their constumers.

I too have been considering Karate America for my twin boys aged 8. I am going to look to America Top Team, they have a better assortment of trainings, and the research I have done has revealed more pros than cons, not even close to these series of complaints.

My sister and I took lessons from Karate America for a year and some months. Recently, we found out we've been stationed (by the military) to Japan, and we paid in advance for our 3 year contract. We became concerned that we'd just wasted thousands upon thousands of dollars in that contract, so we requested a refund and cancellation. KA could keep the money for the services we did use for the year and few months, we just wanted the other 2 years we weren't going to get. We discussed the idea with the head instructor of the school, and he was the one that suggested we ask for a refund. We called the headquarters and they demanded proof of the orders and of residency in Japan, and offered to give us a transfer to a school in Japan. However, where we're going, there are no Karate Americas in the area so the transfer would be no different from just donating the money to them. After fighting and fighting to even get in contact with anyone helpful, our instructor came up from behind and tried to pass it off as though he misunderstood what we wanted, that we wanted a time credit and not a refund, despite him being the one to have suggested it in the first place. The fight is still ongoing but it seems Karate America is not military, family, child, or money friendly.

Not to mention the treatment we received as a school from the head instructor. I have severe depression, and one of my triggers to a "spell" is disappointment of other people. I'd never had a serious problem with self harm or crying spells so violent until I joined KA. After climbing the ranks to a mid-low belt, I began to take notice on the way our instructor would treat his students. He often took to hitting us (not in a demonstration, just to do it), degrading us (and his employees), and belittling our abilities and intelligence. There's a fine line between keeping your students modest and keeping your students down. Multiple students and instructors have left our school to escape the terrible treatment of this instructor. Old teachers, who happen to be close friends of mine, happen to tell me on the pass that he would often hurt them if they didn't do what he wanted exactly how he wanted it.

All around, my Karate America experience was one of the most emotionally damaging experiences I've ever had. I will not continue the service, nor will I advise others to take it up. I have close friends who are interested in martial arts, and I'm going to do my best to ward them away from Karate America as a whole.

Wow! I was actually looking at locations to sign up both of my boys as my older one is begging me to put him in karate when I ran across not just this website, but yet another one with several additional pages of complaints. I acknowledge there would not be so many locations if there were not some customers happy with the service. However, if I wanted to gamble, it would do it in Vegas with money, not here in Jacksonville at the welfare of my children. Thank you to everyone who has posted their experiences for those of us.

There are good schools and bad schools, regardless of what organization you belong to. Don't let the bad schools make you feel left out. Before you sign up for martial arts, find out what the fees are and read what you are signing. Many people don't "really" read the agreement, then complain about it when they want out. I agree that there is and should be a cancellation fee if you no longer wish to train. There is a chain to follow to get the results you are looking for.
Each ATA school is independantly owned and operated. It is up to that specific school owner how they handle each membership. I encourage you to do your research before you sign up.
On a note regarding gear: get new gear that is yours alone and dont share it...that IS how germs spread. New gear assures the school you have the best safety gear to start with. Used gear is not garaunteed for your safe sparring practice. We are speaking of martial arts gear, not football!
Do your research, check out the school, look for positive reviews and READ your agreement before signing it. You are signing a contract.