What dancers say

• “I moved to the suburbs about two years ago, and the truth is I really miss being part of a dance school and social dancing community. I was hoping this studio would be a good fit, so I reached out twice through their website, once last week and once this week. I received a call back and voicemail today. When I called back to get more information, I spoke with Jaime. I was surprised by the tone of the conversation. One of the first things I heard was, “like I said in the voicemail,” which already felt a bit dismissive, as I was simply asking for clarification. As someone who has danced at four different schools in the city, I’m familiar with typical pricing for both group and individual classes. Once I realized how high the rates were, I ended the first call politely. I later called back and again spoke with Jaime with one specific question: if I took one private class, would I be able to attend the Wednesday group class? I was told I would need to take at least two classes. My next question was, “So would that be around $400 a month for 2 individual classes 45 min each?” and at that point, the call was disconnected. There was no call back or follow-up. From my end, it felt like the call was ended because I asked about the total cost. Over the years, I’ve learned that some dance environments have a culture that can feel like a mix of confidence and arrogance. I expect to run into that from time to time, but I did not expect to be hung up on simply for asking how much my total would be for two classes a month. I’ve been dancing since I was a teenager and I do it for self-care, not competition. I understand that instructors invest a lot in their craft and that pricing varies, but I also believe that clear, respectful communication about cost is basic customer service. I am sometimes compensated to complete reviews of local businesses, so I’m very aware of how important first impressions are. My advice to your business and customer service team: treat every inquiry with respect, especially when people are simply trying to understand your pricing. A calm, transparent explanation costs nothing, but hanging up on a potential student is discouraging and sends a strong message that questions are not welcome. This is an honest review of my experience as a prospective student. Unfortunately, this interaction left me feeling unwelcome rather than excited to join their community, so for now I’ll keep looking at other options in the area.”

  . Xiomara Ramirez

• “My wife surprised me last year with an anniversary special gift; a short dance lesson for couples. Fast forward 8 months and here we are, having fun, enjoying the lessons, doing exercise, strengthening our relationship, knowing more people and much more. You guys!!! This is the ultimate couple activity and this guy, Mr. Kam profesional dancer and great teacher runs this business in such a friendly professional way that you don’t want to leave!!! They have Friday’s hang out sessions where you can practice with a big group everything you learned. They have monthly events, one to one, and you can even have guests try! So yeah, 5 big shinny golden stars for this franchise in Schaumburg!!!”

  . ENRIQUE Cardenal

• “My fiance and I decided to take some dancing lessons mostly for fun but also in preparation for our wedding day. The instructors are all wonderful and skilled in teaching dance to beginners like us and all the way up to more experienced dancers. Both of us love the atmosphere that the staff has created and continues to create there making dancing fun and great exercise. They have a logical system for advancing that adds to the clear path that we are on to becoming better dancers. We look forward to being at the studio several times a week as relief from our busy lives. Thank You Team Schaumburg!”

  . Patrick McAndrews