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Report: #37007

Complaint Review: Wujido Institute - Dallas Texas

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  • Reported By: Dallas Texas
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  • Wujido Institute 5400 Mockingbird Dr. Suite 207 Dallas, Texas U.S.A.

Wujido Institute, Dr. Harkens, Mark Schreiber Lies ripoff deceptive company Dallas Texas

*REBUTTAL Owner of company: rambling nonsense-noise

*Consumer Suggestion: Take it for what it is

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I feel obligated to report the deceptive practices of Wujido Institute. I am curently in the 16th month of my 18-month contract, and I have never missed a payment. Each payment is $125 and a late fees are $25, even if it is only one day late. I stopped going to class a very long time ago, but I continued to pay my student fees. I am a law student at SMU, and I respect the integrity of any contract I enter into. I even respect the late fees no matter how unreasonable they are. 20% more for one day late?! I would like to see a bank try that. Regardless, I entered the contract, and I will honor it. However, I am compelled to report the deceptive practices of this school. I was deceived and taken advantage of in several ways. The contract was very short. One page long. I was concerned about injury and/or if I had to move. I was assured by Mark (Salesman and Dr. Harkens' cult follower) that it would be no problem. He assured me that I would not be obligated under the contract if I had to move out of the city or was injured and unable to attend class. I was concerned at the time I signed the contract because I was not allowed to visit a class, and Mark seemed more concerned with getting me to sign than answering my questions. Unfortunately, I signed it anyway, and I am stuck with a big headache. As I said, I am a student at SMU with one semester to go. My wife was recently transferred to Omaha, Nebraska, and I will follow her. SMU approved visiting status at a law school in Omaha even though it meant losing around $15,000 in tuition. For my last semester, I could study at Creighton University, be with my wife, and still graduate from SMU's law school in May. I will be moving there in the middle of December. I decided to visit Wujido, drop off my December payment and seek a release from my last two payments since I would be 700 miles away. I spoke with Mark, and he told me there was nothing he could do. He said he did not have the authority to release me. He had the authority to sign the original contract, but not to release anyone. He told me that was up to Dr. Harkens, but he chooses not to deal with these things. The "Master" does not concern himself with such things. I had no recourse. I paid every month in good faith for a year without attending class, and they will not even talk to me about it. $250. It is not a lot of money, but I was lied to. Legally, I should be released from this contract as it is impossible for me to reap the benefit of the contract, but I am in a bad situation. I cannot seek a judgment before the payment is due, and if I don't pay, they will hand it over to a collection agency. I will get a hit on my credit, and I will have to deal with that company. If I want to go to small claims, I will have to spend the money to fly back down to Dallas, which will cost much more than $250. I am better off just paying them and saving my credit rating for when I buy a house this summer. This is not the only bad experience I have had with them. What they tell you and what they do rarely coincide. They speak about how seriously they take class, and it is a journey to make you a better person, and so on. Working at class will make you a better person. Kung fu is a discipline that has many benefits, but their actions do not convey this message. They have a pre-screening procedure to ensure only those mature and serious enough enter. Yet they allow small children to go to class and leave it to the students to babysit them. Since student are told to only go to class twice a week, the babysitters lose a class. They have two classes a night. One at five, and one at six. Both always start late. Dr. Harkens is there, but he chooses to begin on his own time. Dare we complain to the "Master?" Are we learning how to be patient? Also, the training room is very small. When I was training, we barely fit in the room. Many of us were concerned, and they told us they were going to expand the facility. In the meantime, they continued to take on as many students as they could, making the problem even worse and refused to offer more class times. I was excited to hear that they leased the adjoining place next door. Finally, there might be room for us all! No. They used the place to sell retail herbs and fighting equipment instead. The training room stayed the same size, same number of classes, and they kept enrolling more students. How is this offering more people the chance to learn life-improving techniques? How is this not acting like a typical business? Speaking of typical businesses, does a typical business call you the day before your payment is due to remind you to pay? It is irritating, and they will do it even if you ask them not to. Can you imagine if every business called you to remind you to pay them? House payment, electric, water, gas, credit card, etc. I could no longer attend Kung fu class because of work and my law school class schedule. I always had a conflict. I would not have attended class any more though. I was bitter. In fact, one of Mark's selling points was that they were not the typical dojo, and he made fun of the places that sold fighting equipment to up their profits. I was also troubled by the amount of respect Dr. Harkens demanded. It would not be a problem if he earned the respect, but he takes advantage of the students and hides behind his minion, Mark, to do the dirty work. Then Mark claims to have no control. The respect Dr. Harkens desires is appropriate in a martial arts teaching facility, but he has two mutually exclusive desires. I believe he really wants to teach his art, but his motivation for profit is stronger. He wants us to follow him like he is the Dalai Lama, but he fails to act with humility and is too afraid to deal with unsatisfied students. He expects us to believe he is some higher power that has total control over his life. The tout that it is the best workout of your life, yet Dr. HArkens has a gut and love handles. He also wants to teach us how have a strong character and to do what is right. Is it right to take advantage of someone in a business relationship? Is it right to lie to someone to get them to enter into a contract? Is it right to lie to someone to appease them temporarily? Please beware of this place. They are not flexible and do not care about individual students. Truthfully, I like Mark, but I think he is brainwashed. Some of Dr. Harkens followers get to a near cult level, and it is enough to make any God fearing man uncomfortable. Mike Dallas, Texas Click here to read other Rip Off Reports on Wujildo Institute

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This report was posted on Ripoff Report on 12/03/2002 03:43 PM and is a permanent record located here: https://www.ripoffreport.com/reports/wujido-institute/dallas-texas-75206/wujido-institute-dr-harkens-mark-schreiber-lies-ripoff-deceptive-company-dallas-texas-37007. The posting time indicated is Arizona local time. Arizona does not observe daylight savings so the post time may be Mountain or Pacific depending on the time of year. Ripoff Report has an exclusive license to this report. It may not be copied without the written permission of Ripoff Report. READ: Foreign websites steal our content

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REBUTTALS & REPLIES:
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1Consumer
1Employee/Owner

#2 REBUTTAL Owner of company

rambling nonsense-noise

AUTHOR: Jakeforlife - (USA)

POSTED: Thursday, December 08, 2016

Very difficult to get through this one.

Meaningless rambling complaints about things that had nothing to do with apparent desire to not pay his agreement.

Sounds like he talked with Mark who was one of the recruiters.  Mark is a colorful personality.  I have no cult so he is not a cult follower.

It is true that some students form a very strong attachment but cult behavior is discouraged and strong rational and deliberative behavior is encouraged.  Students are taught very thoroughly to that end.

Student contracts at the time were 18 and 36 months.  There was a kick out provision that students could do a no-fault termination of the 18 -36 month and not have obligation to pay the remainder.  cost $25.  I thought it was absolutely brilliant and anyone could get it.  Presented to everyone.

I know salesmen, we all, they lie they twist. so...

THE POLICY OF WUJIDO, AND MY POLICY WAS ABSOLUTE

A RECRUITER CAN NEVER LIE, NO WHITE LIE, NO DISTORTION, NOTHING OR THEY ARE FIRED!

This is an absolute fact.  No one has ever been lied to.

I teach them to be friendly, helpful, direct the students attention to benefits.  Be honest, always with integrity,and never lie.  NEVER, NEVER, NEVER.

Andrew was caught lying in 2007  I stripped him of his brown-belt rank.  That is a heavy penalty

I caught him falsify a daily report in 2008 I forbade him to train on the floor or participate in any class.

in 2013 I caught him stealing from the school and he was terminated but made to participate in an audit to find anything and everything he did.  I have his confession and the items registered for anyone to examine who wishes to.

This person, student I know little detail but his review is just a mess.  Many students still with me do as I do.  They want to support the school even if they are not always able to attend.  As I have done with my own teacher.  This is not unusual.

If he is unhappy and wanted to talk with me he should have done it.  The amount of words he put into the confusing and pointless review (meaning I doubt that anyone reading it except me will really care about all these details of his life and why we should have sympathy with him) I think maybe he wanted to speak to someone at the school and MARK who is, I admit a colorful fellow was not that person.

Mark is in south texas, he invested heavily in gold and bought some property down there to get away from the  TPTB.  He is a bloodline Shriver so they are all a little weird.  My training helped him very much.

I do not think anyone did anything bad here.  Things didn't work out.  at about 280 students at the time and an extremely active environment. There were 4 or 5 staff and 15 assistant teachers.  Lot of things going on.  If he doesn't say anything no one is going to notice.

I hope he is doing well, him, his wife and family if he has. 

Good fortune

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#1 Consumer Suggestion

Take it for what it is

AUTHOR: Collin - (U.S.A.)

POSTED: Wednesday, January 15, 2003

I have been a student at the Wujido Institute for quite some time, and I've questioned everything I've seen. I have my problems and my praises. Mark is a salesman. He is very good at what he does, but I can understand how some of the school's actions can cause friction.

In my initial interview to study at Wujido, Dr. Harkin told me that I wouldn't do well at the school- that I was too immature to attend. That was in 1997. I just wanted to break bricks and impress my friends. He was right. I came back in 2002 (with the same amount of immaturity), and was interviewed by Mark.

I went through the process that other people have laid out on this site, but I didn't sign that day. But I felt uncomfortable with signing the contract without seeing the class. I wasn't content with the "secrets' line. I still don't see how it could hurt to see 15 minutes of a class. Then again, I haven't studied martial arts for 30 years and opened a school. I talked with other students who had been there a while, and they were less salesman-like than Mark. They convinced me that Wujido was a good place to get a workout and learn Shaolin Kung Fu. That's what I wanted, and that's what I'm getting.

People complain a lot about the late fees on this site. I've been late more than I've been on time. I'm very familiar with the Wujido late fee. As I'm familiar with the TXU Electric late fee, the SBC late fee, and the Engagement ring late fee. If you don't pay your bills on time, you will be fined. Welcome to the real world. You are informed of the late fees at the initial interview. No surprises.

It all boils down to this: The Wujido Institute is for training in the Martial Arts. As you learn, you believe in yourself a little more, you gain respect for people around you, and you understand how your body really works. You also work out muscles that don't get a lot of attention oin your daily routine. This can be difficult. This isn't tae kwon do. It's not for everyone. A couple people who have posted on this site have said that it's almost like a religion. Wujido is not a religion, but you are critiquing it like it is. These people are human. They make mistakes. They're just trying to do their jobs, be it teacher, salesman, or instructor. Dr. Harkins is a nice guy who can throw a man fifteen feet. He receives the respect that is traditional for martial arts, but nothing is expected above that. I can imagine how people could get carried away with their awe of him, but that's specific to the individual. I would pay my fees each month just to watch the man spar. It's amazing.

I don't know what these people expected. Judging from their posts, you can see their errors. let me help:

If you sign a contract, honor it.
If you don't pay your bills, you will be fined.
If you sign up to learn something, learn it.

You're welcome.

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