First, I must say that the receptionist is one of the peppiest persons I've ever met; she's always been very helpful and I've overheard her tactfully handle difficult situations. Chrissy's (CDA) appear to try hard to accommodate their customers/parents. I?ve never heard anything bad about CDA in the 2yrs we?ve been there so apparently what the previous reviewer ?knows? isn?t ?known?.
As the price of just about everything else has gone up, I was anticipating a price increase. I agree that it would have been better to notify parents about the fee increase prior to paying for the recital, but it was probably just an oversight caused by trying to put off raising prices. I doubt that Chrissy feared a mass defection over a $6 per month price increase that puts their fees on par with other studios. I?ve found the ?no refunds for any reason? policy at every dance academy I?ve looked at (at least 5) so that isn?t unique to CDA.
The check or cash only policy was instituted around the time we started there. They used to do debit/credit, perhaps they stopped due to the fees the card companies charged as Dollar Tree did for awhile-I don?t know the details. Yes, it?s a bit inconvenient, but I?m going to set up an automatic bill-pay with my bank for the Fall so this won?t be an issue. They don't require you have any of their logo gear (like I've seen elsewhere) unless your dancer is on their small competition team, so that keeps costs down a bit for the parents of recreational dancers.
My dd?s first year was a little crazy as her class had frequent substitutes, but this year was great; and she?s never had a teacher that made her cry (I?ve seen that in other studio reviews). The only thing I would change is to split the recital into two parts for younger and older dancers; Chrissy?s has expanded to the point where the recitals are getting a bit long. Chrissy seems very open to parents' suggestions so I?ll drop a note about that :o)
I also want to add that the location at 1604 and Bandera is convenient with snack shops, eateries, and a grocery store, next to or very close to the studio. So as long as my daughter is happy there and learning what she wants to learn I see no reason to leave.
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