Amadeus Home Music School reviews and complaints

This school is horrible. I ordered drum lessons for my autistic child. They billed me Dec. 15, 2008. After jerking me around for 1 month I got 4 seperatic lessons. The teacher was very nice but came a long distance and wasn't happy with the drive. I then discovered that I had been charged 2 more times from the school with in a week of each other. February 25 and March 4th, 2009. I contaced the school and Donna said there was a data base error and it was being corrected. I told her I was disputing the charges with my credit card company. So far only 1 of the charges has been revresed (by the credit card company). Then my teach quit because he hadn't been paid. I am still pursing the charge backs from my credit card company. I hope these people go straight to jail when all this is done.

These people dont give a crap... Drew who is suppose to refund my $ does not answer the phone. They charged me 1040 $ 3 x on my credit card in one month. I got back 2 of the charges and have been calling daily. I plan to drive there if I have to. Im not letting this go. They are frauds and I don't trust Donna either. I was told their computer was hacked which is such bull-s... because if the computer was hacked the hackers would not be charging music lessons.. I live in Long Island and they have a branch here in Huntington - so for anyone interested, this is the same company.

I worked for them, and things got totally out of hand -- they grew too quick and couldn't handle everything, and they let me go.
My understanding is that they are closing down, and have asked everyone to reverse the charges on their Credit Cards or call in and get a direct credit.
My friend in the company told me they want to resolve EVERYTHING, and that they feel bad about it.
Here is the number they told me to call: [protected]

They are fraudulent. We had the same experience. Am disputing the credit card charges now.

I have filed a claim with the New Jersey Better Business Bureau. Amadeus never responded to them and my complaint was put on file. I received my credit card statement today with 2 separate charges of 1, 563.00 one in January and one in February, 2009. I have not received the services I paid for which were supposed to bring my son's lessons up to February, 2009, lessons stopped in September, 2008 with no word of a refund or any offer to provide services already paid for. I am owed a refund and then I'm billed again for something I haven't received and never renewed? What is up with this fraudulent company and why are they still advertising?

How do you get a refund? My daughter's guitar teacher came 4 times and never returned, I thought it was his problem until I found the Amadeus website to complain and saw they are not operating! And then I found this website! I feel like a fool, but they had good reviews and references!

Yeah...I have 8 outstanding lessons, and I don't see anyway they're going to even attempt to reconcile. They just bailed. What an absolutely gutless and shameful move. How do they sleep at night. Their karma will do them in...but, ggp...if you have contact info, you should post it for everyone, so we can assault them with phone calls and emails...

I'm in the same position, as a teacher. I am currently waiting to be paid for 20+ lessons. No one emails or calls back, and I'm totally at a loss. I'm willing to finish out the current students lessons, but not if I won't be getting paid. If anyone has any info to help me out...please let me know. You can contact me through my blog: http://inthetigerden.blogspot.com/

I agree with what other teachers have posted. Its ridiculous. I had no idea what was going on until one of the parents I work for told me how he was getting double-charged. For me to get paid by this company involves at least a half-dozen reminders in email/phone calls. When I first started, they'd pay me every 4 lessons. Now, I log as many as 20 lessons before anyone gets around to paying me. Its frustrating because I enjoy working with my students, but I can't imagine continuing with this company much longer. How is this legal that they can wait to pay me whenever they feel like it?

I worked in management and had to leave because I was getting physically sick by what I suspected was going on. I would be happy to give any numbers, names, etc...to anyone that needs help.

FYI...I was told by the owner that in the client's contract, it states Amadeus automatically renews your lessons/credit card if you do not notify them of termination ahead of time. So, the owner thinks he is completely justified in charging the cards at least once, per the contract. I have not read the contract to see if this is true.

While they are claiming to honor remaining lessons and money owed, I suspect that one day they are just going to be gone. I have a feeling they are going to reopen in approximately 6 months under a different name, etc...just a hunch.

If anyone has any ideas on best method for us to connect, please post. I will be happy to email/call you.

I worked for them, and things got totally out of hand -- they grew too quick and couldn't handle everything, and they let me go.
My understanding is that they are closing down, and have asked everyone to reverse the charges on their Credit Cards or call in and get a direct credit.
My friend in the company told me they want to resolve EVERYTHING, and that they feel bad about it.
Here is the number they told me to call: [protected]

my husband bought me lessons for xmas and we got the runaround and double charge too. he told the credit card company and they creditted us back all of our money, wish there was more we could do to stop others from being ripped off. the number we used to talk to a real person was [protected] and her name was Donna Esposito if you want someone to yell at, thats what we did!

These people are sheisters...do not deal with them...They will rip you off-especially if you use a credit card to pay them..I have been teaching for them for a few months and they have not paid me for my work and have charged my student's parents hundreds of dollars. Do not use these people! They are very nice on the phone but as soon as they get your $ forget it...They need to be shut down and strung up by their cohones..!

I have filed a claim with the New Jersey Better Business Bureau. Amadeus never responded to them and my complaint was put on file. I received my credit card statement today with 2 separate charges of 1, 563.00 one in January and one in February, 2009. I have not received the services I paid for which were supposed to bring my son's lessons up to February, 2009, lessons stopped in September, 2008 with no word of a refund or any offer to provide services already paid for. I am owed a refund and then I'm billed again for something I haven't received and never renewed? What is up with this fraudulent company and why are they still advertising?

I am a piano instructor with Amadeus as well as have my own business; where in SC do you live? I would be glad to provide you with lessons for your girls. I am considering pulling out of Amadeus for similar reasons I've read on this website. I have had my own private lessons business for over 25 years with a Masters degree in music. I also have become very frustrated with them. I live near Myrtle Beach and you may contact me @ [protected]- Gayla

I signed up for piano, guitar, & violin. It was going REAL great although my guitar/piano teacher did nothing but talk theory and after 3 lessons of each I asked for a new teacher which they could not produce so I added my remaining lessons to the violin as this teacher Joseph was AWESOME! Unfortunately, I had to have surgery and had to take a break from lessons for a few months. By Jan. 09 I let the company (Donna) know that I was signed off by my doctor and could start back up again for my final 12 or so lessons remaining. She said great I will let your teacher know. After a month of waiting, I called again, and by then Donna's # left another person's # as contact, upon calling that one, it was out of service. I have placed 26+ emails in and a dozen call messages to my teacher and no one has responded. I am owed nearly $700.

I would love to get my lessons complete or money back. Anyone interested, please contact me:

Nicole D8Nicole8L8E@gmail.com

Thanks

I live in NJ. I am a piano teacher. I took on 3 students and was getting paid regularly. Then I was told that one of my students decided to go with someone else. I thought, fine. And I needed to get paid for the final two lessons. That was 70 dollars. 6 months later, no emails, no check, no nothing. And now the web site says they are trying to pay everyone and refund as fast as they can. yeah, right. Never again.

I'm a full-time guitar and piano teacher and I have two students through Amadeus. I started with the first one through them about a year ago, and I have consistently been jerked around when I email them to request payment. The quickest it has ever happened is about 6 weeks, and I always have to send at least 3-4 requests. As I get progressively more pissed off, they always respond apologetically and blame it on the "payroll department", and they tell me that they have no contact with the payroll dept. except by email, and they also told me 8 months ago that they were getting ready to implement an auto-pay system, but obviously that hasn't happened, as I currently owed for 16 lessons that I originally requested over a month ago, and even when they give me final notice that payment has been mailed, it takes a few weeks, and that hasn't happened yet.

Anyway, I've been through so many headaches with this company and it's somewhat comforting to see that other teachers feel the same way, although it mostly just makes me more angry. Class action lawsuit? I would absolutely love to take part in that. I wonder if it's legally feasible.

-Jake
musiclessonskc (at) gmail (dot) com

Hi justineamelie,

I am a piano teacher at Amadeus, too, and I am in the similar situation about the paychecks. I finally got my 4 overdue checks in December 2008, and I am still waiting for their reply from the payroll department to let me know about the remaining one. They have not responded to my email for few days now... I also have been working for them for more than a year now, and I agree with you that their current "fraudulent business practice" has begun recently as I can see from their recent demeanor when it comes to our checks.

When I signed the contract with Amadeus, I was confident that I would be able to expect the steadier source of side-money/income (although I was not given many students, still), and they seemed very organized and thorough at the beginning. I now feel that it would be very hard for me to continue teaching in such a work environment. I sincerely do hope though that the situation will get better for both students and teachers.

Just a quick follow up to my last post after reading the others' complaints:

I feel for the fellow who's "guitar teacher" was a moonlighting fork-lift operator. When they took me on, their vetting process seemed thorough enough; I have a university background and have performed in various professional ensembles -- music is my livelihood and my sole source of income.

If any other Amadeus teachers see this posting, please contact me. I wonder if there's a possibility of a class-action suit.

I'm a music teacher for AHMS (they contract their work out to private instructors). I've been working for them for over a year now, never with any problems with payment, but I'm as of now three checks overdue. As far as I'm aware, these kinds of customer complaints didn't exist a few months ago -- the company's fraudulent business practice seems to have begun right when the economy went south. I'd guessed they were having trouble getting commercial paper like everyone else at first, and were running the teachers in circles about paychecks, but I didn't realize the students were getting screwed as well.

This also puts me in a real spot, given that the one student I have through this company has payed for many many weeks in advance, and as of now I don't think I can continue teaching in good faith (expecting I'll get payed at some point).

I just want to point out that the company was not started as a scam, but they seem to have been caught in a tiff here, and the management has apparently decided to plow ahead at whatever cost to their clients and contractees.

I am sorry I didn't read the BBB report before I was scammed in much the same way. I am in the process of trying to get a refund. What a ripoff! Be smarter than me, check out their reputation before giving away your credit card info and committing to a service that never provides. PS They are soliciting me via phone and email to spend even more money on nothing.

Gor Ripped off by Amadeus music school...one teacher showed up and said my son's hands were too small for the guitar and nobody ever showed up again. I kept following up but each time it was a new story or a new person taking the call...they charged $464 and it has been a year! The website now says they are being acquired and refunds will be sent...anyone received any money back yet?

could someone provide me with the address for the amadeus home school center? my attorney needs the address. my experience has been very similar to all of yours. please help.

would someone be so kind as to walk me through on how to place a complaint with the better business burea...sadly all I have is my emails to Diana Efre promissing she would be sending me a teacher...however, to no avail has this happened. I've been waiting since July 2009. Where is "shame on you" when you need them. I'm a hard working single Mom just trying to provide my daughter with a positive outlet instead of that large abcess she has called a cell phone growing out of her head...glad to see I'm not along in Long Island.
hawaii5@optonline.net

Hello, I have a story of these rotten @%$@@## . I am a guitar teacher and advertise on the web for local customers. Thats how they find your teachers. They take your money before they even know they can find you a teacher. Especially for the instruments that are not as popular like violin and such. They told me I would be paid $40 per lesson which is about what I charge and that I would receive payment after the 4th lesson. Well right from the start, the student and I had an excellent rapport. When it came time to get the first check I had to call and call and scream. Finally got one, never got another. They took the students money actually charged him twice, and never paid me. Im so dissapointed because it puts a reflection on good people like me who try to make a little extra money by helping me. Now this guys memory of amadeaus is me. He says he doesnt feel that way but you know thats how he will put it together.

They owe me money! I have learned a valuable lesson and I will check the better business bureau before working for any other agency.

I dont know that Rich is to blame because he was scammed out of money by Michael Lawson and he reported him and stuff.

The thing I am angry with Rich about is that he signed me up for this knowing full well it was a mess.

an email from a teacher:

"Hi all,

I just received the attached e-mail today from an ex-hiring coordinator of Amadeus Home Music School. At the beginning of this year, I had a hunch that something wasn't right with the way Amadeus runs their "business", but what I've forwarded you definitely confirms that hunch.

To make a long story short, I and several other teachers through Amadeus have been duped into teaching classes with no payment for our services. Worse, all of my students through Amadeus have had their contracts renewed, being charged double, even triple their initial amounts without consent. Please contact your credit card company immediately, if you haven't already, and put a block on Amadeus charging your account, or better yet, you may want to consider cancelling the card altogether. If you wish, you can try contacting Amadeus for a refund - but I've had no luck with getting in touch with anybody via e-mail or phone.

I'm in a tough spot, because even though this is not at all the way I do business, I feel responsible in letting you know what's going on. Unfortunately, this will be my last week teaching for Amadeus. I understand some of you have not received all the lessons you intially paid for. The good news is that many of the credit card companies are aware of Amadeus' scam machine, and are willing to work with you on issuing refunds. I'm hoping the forwarded e-mails below may help you in recovering some if not all of the funds that were wrongly charged to your account. I am here to answer any questions you may have, so please feel free to call me anytime or e-mail me back at your convenience.

I will still be teaching all my regularly scheduled students until the end of the week

Attached email:
Good luck getting anything out of this company...They have been taking advantage of a lot of people, taking money from clients, sometimes double and even triple charging their credit card, and not paying their contracted teachers or their hiring coordinators, customer service reps, etc... Your client should be thankful that they have not double and triple charged their credit card. You should contact the client immediately and let them know to cancel the credit card which they used to pay Amadeus with. They have truly scammed a lot of people over and over again. Also beware, they have also been going under another name, Allegro Home Music School. Sorry to hear about yet another victim of this less than reputable company. If you look on the sites ripoff.com, complaintboard.com, the BBB, you will see that you are one of many being taken advantage of by this company. They have also lied to several others, including myself, stating "the check is in the mail." I believe that several people are trying to get a class action lawsuit against this company and its proprietors. I have forwarded all the complaints that I have received, including yours to my personal email and will be turning them over to the New York and New Jersey State Attorney General's office, as well as the Federal Trade Commission and any other agencies that may possibly put a stop to this company's scamming."

I was charged 3x the original amount. After contacting the school they said they sent a check in the mail. Nothing yet. I was lucky that my teacher sent me this. Don't blame the teachers, blame the company.

*CLASS ACTION*
We are all victims of Amadeus. They got me, a PA resident, for a $440.00 unauthorised charge on 3-3-09. i am looking into a class action. if you are interested in joining us, the many, e-mail me at (a.miraglia@hotmail.com) with the date they ripped you off, how much they got, what state you live in, and your e-mail address. if we can get enough of us together on this, we can make a difference and put not only Amadeus, but their new school "Allegro", out of business as well. Yes, they continue to do this scam under a new name, with our money! I look forward to hearing from you. your friend, a.miraglia@hotmail.com

Amadeus = Allegro Home Music School
Owner Michael Lawson is now trying to squeak by without paying refunds, owing thousands of dollars to teachers and charging unexpected students multiple times on their credit cards. He is a fraudulent business man that should go to jail. He is now trying to start up the same company with a different name. Be aware that Amadeus Home Music School, www. home-music-school is still the same bad dude wearing a different hat.

Attention all former and current teachers:

Protect your SSN#! Hire a company to protect your identity. If Amadeus has your SSN#-which this is the only way to pay you-they have mine, I advise you contact an indentity protection organisation so your SSN# will be protected. I used Debix.com and it was only $24.00 a year. I signed immediately because so many clients are onto Amadeus, they might start scamming through our SSN# to try to steal more money. Protect yourselves!

Contact you local Dept of Labor to report not receiving wages for services rendered. Also, contact your Attorney general's office and the Dept of Consumer Affairs. Get the word out. I have also reported them to the IRS for Fraud since I have not received a 1099-MISC for 2008 from them.

Also check channel 11 in New York tonight-Friday April 3. There will be a segment on this fraudulent company. 10:00 Eastern time.

Good luck to you all!

Same story once again. I was in the process of signing up my son for piano lessons. I gave them my credit card number (big mistake). I saw this message board prior to signing the contract and therefore never signed it and never sent it in. I was still charged for $460. My credit card company was able to retrieve the money and credited my account. Now it is 3 months later, and my credit card was just charged for another $544. I have closed my credit card account, informed by credit card company of the fraud (who are trying to resolve it again), filed a complaint through the BBB, and I have contacted a news station (who is researching the story and considering running it).

There are three positive comments on this website regarding Amadeus Home Music School; funny how all of them are written on the same day. No doubt that was done by someone who works for them.

AVOID THEM AT ALL COSTS!