Chris Owens

Review of Neighborhood Music Store

I recently signed my daughter up for violin lesson...

I recently signed my daughter up for violin lessons with an instructor at Neighborhood Music School in August. Upon signing her up, I filled out all of the requisite paperwork and was given the name of an instructor who would be responsible for teaching my daughter. I did not get to meet the instructor that day, which was not a problem. The following day, I went back in to confirm the name of the instructor and get his contact information so that I could book my daughter's first lesson. The staff had a difficult time locating my paperwork so that the registration fee and lesson fee could be paid for (which was inconvenient, but not a major problem). The staff member was able to locate my paperwork and then schedule my daughter for a lesson. That week I was contacted by the instructor, Albert Romero. He confirmed our appointment for Sunday, September 2nd at 1:00 p.m. On Sunday, Mr. Romero canceled my daughter's lesson at 9:40 a.m. via text message stating that he needed to cancel the lesson due to the Labor Day holiday. I responded and informed him that I needed at least a twenty-four hour notice from him if a lesson needed to be canceled to accommodate my schedule. I also asked him when we could reschedule my daughter's first lesson. Mr. Romero did not respond to that message until today (I do not recall him contacting me since our exchange on Sunday, September, 2nd). Mr. Romero informed me today that he would no longer be teaching for Neighborhood Music School and that I should look into possibly retaining another instructor for my daughter. I informed Mr. Romero that I had canceled my daughter's lessons with Neighborhood Music School. I also let him know that in the future it would behoove him to keep in better contact with his clients. He responded by saying he did not need my advice and thank you. I responded in return by telling him that due to his erratic communication pattern, he actually did need my advice. His next text said, "I hope you find what you are looking for." I texted him back and told him I hope he treats his clients better in the future. As I mentioned before, I went and canceled my daughter's lesson with Neighborhood Music School this past week before my unfortunate exchange with Mr. Romero. I do not know the name of the gentleman who assisted me with the cancellation of my daughter's lessons, but both times I had dealings with him, he was very pleasant and did his utmost to make my experiences positive. During the cancellation process, he sincerely apologized for Mr. Romero's erratic and irresponsible behavior, and offered me the opportunity to look into another instructor for my daughter. I declined his offer (because Mr. Romero's behavior did not particularly reflect well on this business, so I will look elsewhere). He immediately refunded my payments for the registration and lesson fees and e-mailed me a receipt of the transaction with an additional apology. He apologized for the inconvenience and Mr. Romero's behavior once again before I left the store and thanked me for my business. While I was not pleased with the overall result of my experience at Neighborhood Music School, I was very appreciative of the service that I received from this gentleman. He was very professional and concerned about my experience and did his best rectify the situation. I do not want this review to unnecessarily sour anyone's opinion of this establishment. Up until I had to deal with Mr. Romero's casual attitude about cancelling my daughter's lesson and then not contacting me until several days later, my experiences here were very routine and pleasant. I would hope in the future that Neighborhood Music School will be a little more proactive in the way they monitor how reliable their instructors are and how serious they are in meeting the needs of their clientele.