The Ancon Group - Design, Renovations and Estate Management: Weblogs

My Problem with James Swan author of "101 Things I Hate About Your House" Continues

Updating the saga of my attempt to get the promised refund for a canceled Design Master Class organized by Mr. Swan earlier this year.

In emails subsequent to those below, James Swan indicated that he would indeed send the refund. Meetings with a "new book keeper" were supposed to prepare the check and get it on the way. 10 days ago, I was promised to have it by the end of the week. Of course, that hasn't happened. You can read the entire exchange below.

Back in February, I was very excited to be attending a Design Master Class in NY. Speakers such as Bunny Williams, Barbara Segal, Bill Indursk. The class was being organized by James Swan, the author of "101 Things I Hate About Your House" The tuition (for early enrollment) was $795.00 which was paid on 2/3/11 In the interest of economy, airfare and non-refunable hotel reservations were made.

But sadly three days before the class was to be held, it was canceled. The reason was given that the demand that the class be broadcast over the internet was so great, that Mr. Swan had determined to reschedule it when the technology was available. He gave me the option to transfer the fee to the next class (which has never been scheduled) or "return your registration fee". Since there were no dates indicated for the next class and my travel schedule so busy, I chose to have the fee refunded.

"Consider it done" began his reply.

If only it were that simple. This began a series of emails and calls (calls which were never returned) asking about the status of the refund. I hoped it was resolved two weeks again when I placed a call to his office (he was again unavailable) on his voicemail indicating that I was at the end of trying to get a response and if I didn't receive my refund I would have to move the complaint over to PayPal and Facebook. I quickly got an email with the promise of a FedEx shipment. One week later, after more emails, I was provided a tracking number. However, this tracking number had no scans on it from FedEx. I told him there was no record of the letter being sent and he replied that he would follow up with FedEx. Now, a week later, no check, no FedEx.

I posted on my Facebook account, a status update indicating that I was having a problem collecting a refund for a class I has purchased on Facebook without naming any names. My private messages soon indicated that I was not alone in this situation. Subsequent webinars had been paid for yet not received. Now yet another series of these are being sold.

Why would a high profile individual with a book in new release and relationships with Ballard Designs be so disinterested in doing the right thing? I can't really understand it.

2/21/11

Dear Alex,

I’d like to take a moment and extend my appreciation to you for your

interest in The ID Master Class. You have indicated, by your registration,

your support for this new and exciting venture.

It is in the spirit of creating the best possible event that I write you

today. We have had overwhelming interest in adding to the IDMC experience

a Webinar feature. In our efforts to make this a reality we have come up

against an insurmountable time/technical challenge which has necessitated

a decision I’ve not taken lightly. To properly facilitate this addition

and respond to demand we have made the difficult decision to postpone the

course. That this may cause an inconvenience is a thought that concerns me

greatly and for any such inconvenience I apologize. It is my hope that

your interest would not be crippled by this delay and that support for our

larger dream may continue. To this end I would like to offer you either

of the following:

-Transfer of your registration fee to the new course dates (we await

confirmation from the venue for new March dates and will inform you

immediately)

-Return your registration fee and look forward to your registration once

new dates are confirmed

I hope you understand my difficulty in reaching this decision. In a new

business venture one only wants to nurture the best of relations. It is my

wish that you can share with me a vision for a stronger, more exciting

event in the very near future?

Respectfully yours,

James Swan

jim@james-swan.com

http://www.linkedin.com/in/jamesswan

http://twitter.com/JamesSwan

http://is.gd/aYq5r

James Swan | New Wall Enterprises, LLC 468 N. Camden Drive, Suite 262 |

Beverly Hills | CA | 90210 Phone: (310) 860-5657 | Fax: (310) 854-1807 |

www.James-Swan.com

2/21/11

Dear James,

I'm so sorry to hear that the class has been postponed. Go ahead and refund the registration fee and I will see if I am going to be available when it is rescheduled. My March and April are booked pretty tight.

All the best,

Alex

2/21/11

Dear James,

Thanks. I hate that the class was postponed. I am able to change my plane tickets to my next trip to LA for a $100 change fee but the pre-paid portion of the hotel is non-refundable. Hopefully this won't be the same story for too many of your other attendees.

Best regards,

James.

2/21/11

Dear Alex,

Consider it done. We have inquired to see if we can debit (sic) the credit card used via Paypal and should have an answer early tomorrow. If need be we will have a check cut and mailed to you. I will keep you informed in this regard.

Best regards,

James

2/27/11

James,

  Any news on the refund?

Alex

3/2/11

Alex,

Thanks. Our Constant Contact rep has been working to get refunds processed through their Paypal connection. He indicated yesterday that things looked good. I should have status from him later today. I'll keep in touch.

Best always,

James

3/8/22

Alex,

Bookkeeper just sent off forms to Constant Contact for refund through Paypal. They seem to think these will be processed upon receipt by Paypal. We're following up on this end and will keep you posted.

Best regards,

James

3/18/11

Hi James,
I hate to be a pain, but it is almost a month since the class was canceled and no refund yet. Can you let me know when I will receive the refund for the cancelled Master Class?

Thank you,
Alex Dahlgren

3/18/11

Alex

Not a pain at all. We sent everything off to Constant Contact last week and have not followed up with them. My apology. I'll be back at my desk later today and will call then. I will email you once I have reached them.

Best regards

Jim Swan

3/21/11

Dear Alex,

Made contact with Constant Contact earlier today. They have confirmed at they've forwarded the necessary paperwork to Paypal for crediting. We're now reaching out to customer service at Paypal. I will update you once we have new information. Thank you for your patience with what seemed to me a very simple transaction.

Best regards,

James

3/21/11

Dear James,

Thank you for the update. Let me know what you hear regarding when I will have the refund.

Best regards,

Alex

3/28/11

Dear Alex,

Just checking in and letting you know I've sent off a confirmation request to Constant Contact asking them to confirm Paypal's processing of your refund. I'll check back once I have a response.

Best regards,

James Swan

4/1/11

James,

We are the end of another week and still no word on exactly when I am going to see the refund for the cancelled class.

There is no acceptable reason that this should have taken over a month. If I don't have an answer on Friday, I will have no choice but to file complaints with PayPal and Facebook. I have been as patient as is reasonable.

Alex Dahlgren

Sent from my iPad

4/6/11

James,

Still nothing. No response to my emails or from the messages I have left at your office. Because of the long delay, it appears you have little interest in resolving this in an amicable way. I was a fan, but now am disappointed and feel as though I have been scammed. I took you at face value and set time aside for the class. I purchased air fare and hotel. This experience has been very disappointing.

If I do not have confirmation today that you will be sending a check out within 48 hours, I will have no option but to go public with the way in which this has been handled and refer it to small claims court.

Alexander Dahlgren

Sent from my iPad

4/7/11

Dear Alex,

My apologies for not getting back with you. Tracking your refund should have been foremost for me but I've allowed myself to be distracted by a busy travel scheduled. Not an excuse just an explanation.

To resolve this refund as quickly as possible I've asked my accountant to hand cut a check and overnight it to me for signature. I will then forward it to you. This way we know it is done and your are made whole. I probably should have done this from the start. I'll email you the tracking number when I send you the check.

Sincerely,

Jim Swan

4/7/11

Thank you. I look forward to having this resolved and appreciate your working to expedite the matter.

Alex Dahlgren

Sent from my iPhone

4/12/11

Dear James,

  Please advise as to the current status of the refund and when I may expect to receive the check.

Thank you,

Alex

4/14/11

Dear James,

We are now one week since you last indicated you would obtain a check overnight and send it on to me. I was to hear back with a tracking number. I have received no word. If I do not receive an email confirmation that I will be receiving my refund for the canceled class in February by close of business on Friday, I will have no choice but to believe that you do not intend on refunding my enrollment fee.

I hope we can resolve this and move ahead.

Alexander Dahlgren

4/15/11

Your Fed Ex shipment with tracking code 8708 8763 5702 has just been dropped off at our local pickup box.

James Swan

4/18/11

I don't know what the pick-up time is on that box, but the tracking number has not yet shown up in the FedEx system. Please confirm that the number is correct and the address to which the letter was sent.

Thank you

Alexander Dahlgren

4/19/11

James,

The tracking number is still not in the system. Please update me as to the status of the shipment.

4/19/11

I'll confirm both once I'm back at my desk this afternoon. The pick up time was 6 p.m. so it should have been in the system shortly after drop off. Will double check on this end and update you.

Thanks,

James

4/20/11

Alex

I've been delayed in returning home. Arrive late today and will pull Fed Ex receipt to confirm # and address and to follow up with local Fed Ex office.

James Swan

4/21/11

James,

What is the status of the shipment? It is now a week since it was to have been sent.

Alex Dahlgren

4/21/11

Alex,

I've not heard back from the local fed ex office. I will telephone them now for an update. If they can't confirm the location of the envelope I'll send another out. Don't know what else to do at this point.

James

No word from him since. It appears that the next stop is Small Claims Court. I really wanted to avoid that, but at this point it seems that there is no other option. He is currently selling tickets to his next series of classes. I have received private messages indicating the the most recent ones were canceled and no explanation given. I must in good conscience recommend that anyone thinking of taking any of the offered classes thing twice.

Posted by A Dahlgren at 02:07 PM in Weblogs | Permalink | Comments (0)

Entrance Canopies: The New Front Porch

In traditional residential architecture in the United States, the transition between outside and inside happens via the porch. It provides shelter from the elements, a place to sit down, and a subtle indication that what lies beyond is somebody's private domain. But in modern and contemporary residences, the addition of a porch would be anachronistic, so other means are used to provide shelter and create that important transition. The photos that follow highlight entrance canopies, overhead elements that can receive myriad treatments.

read the entire article at www.houzz.com

Posted by A Dahlgren at 11:39 AM in Weblogs | Permalink | Comments (0)

Jazz Up the Bath or Shower With Stone, Paper, Color and Light

Bathrooms tend to be smaller spaces, but don’t let that factor stop you from having a little fun. Instead of feeling intimidated by minimal square footage, use it to your advantage. Less space means less to decorate, less stuff, and less time and money. If you’re feeling like your bathroom could use a pick-me-up (even if you're one of the lucky bathroom owners where space is on your side), consider jazzing it up with an accent wall. For the most part, all it requires is paint or wallpaper, and the results could be transformative.