Aplus4u

Stay very very far away from this company. It is not a company you want to entrust your childrens tutoring needs to.

I answered an ad on craigslist for this company.

For a tutoring company, they are in desperate need of tutoring in how to a) communicate, b) write less dense instructions, c) hire staff who understand the English language, and d) hire staff who understand what constitutes good customer service.

AN EDUCATIONALLY CHALLENGED TUTORING COMPANY
So you have an understanding of how challenged this company is:
I applied April 27, and was accepted as a tutor; at the time, I told them I would not upload personal data over the internet because my personal data had been compromised and hacked twice. I asked them to please send me a mailing address. This concept of mailing address never registered, as I was never sent the mailing address. Over the course of my correspondence with this challenged company, I asked three times for the mailing address.

When I finally reached someone at the office and this company does not place clear messages on their answering machine I was told to try back in late August/early September (because they are closed for the summer) to send my application. Another note on their answering machine: the message says theyll be there between 3pm and 6pm; every time I tried during that time, no one answered the telephone. This company didnt have the smarts to say they have summer hours!

WHAT THEY FAILED TO COMMUNICATE
I finally found out that there is a Director of the South Gate Center named Zelda, who is the only one on staff during the summer. This is not on their voice mail!

This company has their communication wires severely crossed.

WHAT I DID TO PREPARE MY PACKET
I had a TB test done, which I had to pay for, and a Livescan (fingerprints) which I had to pay $69 cash.

NOTE: Neither the TB test nor the Livescan is refunded. AND, A+ will deduct $70 from your first check to cover tutor binder and any kind of supplies that we send to you to conduct the tutoring sessions. If and when you choose to leave the company and return all supplies, the money will be refunded to you.

July 12 I emailed again (no one was answering the telephone or returning my messages), and told them that I was getting my Livescan that day. It was a 50 mile round trip to get the Livescan. I told them I have left repeated messages with your office.

That day, I finally received a communication from A+ tutors which said NOT TO GET MY LIVESCAN!? Really? What a coincidence.

OK. So what was going on with this office that NOW they respond when I tell them Im going to get one of the essential documents required for hiring?

A+s email to me on July 12, after I got my Livescan said Todays email is the first one that I have received. And I replied. As my office hours were never 3-6, I know who failed to respond to you. Looking for ward to working with you next year.

This email message was from Zelda.

And not even a well constructed message. But this story gets better.

SEPTEMBER FOLLOW-UP
I emailed again early September, as I was told to try back late August, early September, which is when the school year starts. Another data point this severely challenged company failed to communicate. I assume tutoring happens year round. Again, not clear communicators.

AGAIN, I asked for the address.

I received no reply. So I made a decision to contact the owner, Jennifer Valdman, M. Ed.
I told her the following:
-- I was at an impasse because my packet was filled out and ready to go on 7/12 but I was not given an address to mail my packet to; and, that I had asked for that address three times.
-- I had asked for that address because my personal data had been compromised twice in the course of two years, so I would not submit my personal data over the internet to A+.
-- I had repeatedly called and emailed A+ after I completed the packet and continued to receive no response from A+.
-- On the day I got my Livescan, I was told when I returned from getting the Livescan, not to get the Livescan!?
-- Later that night of getting the Livescan, I received a telephone call from a staffer (not Zelda) from A+ tutors who had been privy to my unanswered emails REALLY?! And wanted to help. I told her I was disappointed, and angry, at the lack of communication on A+ Tutors part.
-- Zelda asked me to contact her late August/early September, which I did, but had received no reply.
-- I told the owner that I was requesting a refund of my Livescan fee of $69 and withdrawing my application.

THE OWNERS RESPONSE:
Thank you for your email. However, this is the first time I hear from you. We are very prompt at replying to all of our applicants and our email and phone are listed and like I said this is the first time I hear from you. We do not reimburse for Livescan as is clearly stated on our application page. You applied on-line in April and we asked for you to submit all of your paperwork right away so that you can tutor the students we had until June. You did not submit the paperwork and so we deactivated your application as the school year ended. If you wish to possibly work with us this school year (if there will be work available in your area) we can keep your application on file and contact you then to have you send us your documents. If you still want your application deleted from our system, we can do that as well. Let me know.

MY RESPONSE
I WAS TOLD NOT TO SUBMIT ALL OF MY PAPERWORK!
It sounds as if one hand does not know what the other hand is doing.

You are not prompt to responding to your applicants. Do you know how many emails I sent before the staffer I referred to below picked up that no one had responded to my many emails?

NO ON TOLD ME MY APPLICATION WAS DEACTIVATED! Yet another example of derelict communications. If I hadn't written to you, when were you going to tell me this?

You did NOT ask me in April to submit all my documents.
You need to get your facts straight.

What kind of a business are you running?

Zelda asked me to contact her again Aug/Sept, which I did.

And now you're telling me my app has been deleted?!

A+ Tutors is a disorganized communication-challenged organization, and I intend to tell as many people about you as I can.

OWNERS 2nd RESPONSE
I am sorry you feel that way, but we always strive for our communication to be prompt and clear. We also have all of our communication documented in our system and this is the first email I received from you. According to our records, Zelda has told you to submit your HR paperwork (which she documented in our system) and you did not submit your paperwork to tutor the students we had in your area last school year.

Per your request, we will delete your on-line application from our system. If you choose to reapply in the future, you are more than welcome to do so. Again, I am sorry for any misunderstanding, but all of our procedures were followed and documented in our system per company procedures.

MY FINAL RESPONSE
Don't sugar coat your shortcomings.

Zelda is wrong.

I clearly told her that I could not submit on line because my identity has been compromised twice already by submitting online. She said she would give me the mailing address.

Jennifer, the more you try to excuse the ineptitude of your staff, the deeper you dig yourself in a hole.

Your company has cost me not only $69 which I cannot recoup, but xerox costs, time, and resources.

You are a poor excuse for a business, and especially one that tutors.

Maybe you think you documented what went down, but again, YOUR STAFF DID NOT COMMUNICATE COMMUNICATE COMMUNICATE.