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Item: Dance Cafe
Rating: 1

I danced at Dance Cafe for two and a half years, so frequently in fact that near the end of my time there I was spending roughly R 2 500 per month on lessons. Sadly, I took ill, and was medically unable to continue. To my deep disappointment, the owners of the studio greeted this news with apathy, making it clear that whether I take the lessons I had contracted them for or not. Their only interest was to ensure that I continued paying. In spite of numerous attempts to cancel my contacts after the lapsing of a 3 month period (as provided for by the Consumer Protection Act), they continued to insist that I pay the full term of my contacts. This amounted to about R 16 000. It was a difficult time for me, made worse by their continued pressure to pay them the full contract amount. Finally, the harassment became too much for me to bear. I paid the amount to them, on the condition (which they expressly agreed to) that the lessons would be held for me until such time as I was able to return. My road to recovery was long. They made no further attempt to contact me to determine when I might return. Two years later, I was ready to begin dancing again. I contacted them and requested that we begin planning the lessons that they owed me. To my surprise, their first response was to simply ignore me. No communication from them was received for two weeks in spite of numerous attempts on my part. Finally, silence gave way to blatant untruth. They claimed that a clause had mystically appeared in my contact that lessons lapsed after a 'reasonable time'. No such clause was ever stated in my contact. Furthermore, our agreement that my lessons be held never made mention of a time limit. I tried to discuss the matter with them, to reach some form of amicable compromise. To this point, their communication held only a tone of annoyance. Now, it became outright aggressive. They informed me that they had consulted their lawyer, and that legal action would ensue if I continued to pursue them further. All requests for the contacts and emails were met with excuses. First the owner’s laptop was ******, then they had lost the contact somewhere and could not find it. Again, silence ensued. Finally, I admitted defeat. I do not delude myself into believing that I will ever see a cent of the money that is owed to me, or the lessons that I had purchased in good faith. I write this in the hopes that you, dear reader, will learn from my mistake, and take heed of my warning. Whether you are someone just looking for a few classes of fun, or a seasoned dancer, please refrain from dealing with Dance Cafe under any circumstances. They operate without moral conscience, or basic human decency, masking their predatory business practices beneath polished wooden floors.

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