Jim S.

STAY AWAY! Shaw Academy is a disreputable organization known for using a "free-trial" offer that leads to hundreds of dollars of unauthorized Credit Card charges. They are manipulative and coercive.

My story is below. You can use Google to learn about the many more people around the world who have been taken in by their methods.

In late December, 2020 I came across an advertisement on FaceBook for Shaw Academy. The name is similar to a school that operated in my city several years ago.

The offer was for a free month of classes towards an Acting and Drama Diploma.

I registered for this course on December 29,2020 and received an introductory email. The first red flag was in that email. The email suggested that I obtain a course ToolKit because it would be essential to my learning over the my four-week introductory period. When I clicked on the link I learned that there was a $49.99 charge for the toolkit.

I was concerned about this because there had been nothing in any of the information I read about additional charges for course materials. But after considering this for a day or two I decided to obtain the materials. This turned out to be a huge mistake. First, it indicated that I was interested and enthused about the course. Second, it meant that they had received my credit card information.

On Monday, January 4,2021 I participated in my first online course. After reviewing the materials and viewing the video I felt that the course was adequate. It certainly wasn't earth shattering but it did provide an overview of acting methods and skills. The materials were pretty standard and nowhere worth the $49.99 cost.

Later that evening I received a phone call from someone named Faheem. He began by asking me how the course had gone. I responded that I was frustrated with some of the technical problems I had encountered but once I was set up I thought the course was okay. He didn't seem to listen to me but proceeded to give a long spiel about Shaw Academy. His accent was very thick, he spoke very quickly, and the Cell connection was not very good.

With many requests for him to speak slower I came away with the understanding that I would have access to courses for the next year. At no time was I informed that there would be an additional cost. Nor was I asked if I agreed to any additional charges on my Credit Card.

By this time I was starting to feel very uneasy about my relationship with Shaw Academy. The non-stop emails, the strange phone call at 11:20 pm and the constant attempts at up-selling were all red flags.

At this point I decided to google Shaw Academy. What I found was a multi-national corporation that had received numerous complaints by people around the world who had signed up for a free four-week trial and ended up with problem after problem. These included difficulty ending the relationship, unauthorized charges on their credit cards, and constant manipulation and run-arounds.

It was then that I decided to check my credit card balance. I found a charge for the $49.99 for the course materials which I had authorized. In addition I found a number of unauthorized charges: (1) An unauthorized charge for $49.99, (2) a second unauthorized charge for $49.99 and (3) an additional unauthorized charge of $279.95.

That's right. My response to an offer of a free trial for weeks had led to a total of over $380.00 of unauthorized charges on my credit card within hours if my first class.

Of course I wrote immediately and asked for a refund. I just received a response. "I understand that you are looking for a refund. I looked into your situation and our refund policy does not allow one in this case." The email offered a "Lifetime free membership"

I've responded that Lifetime free membership isn't "free" at all since I was charged over $380 with-in one day of starting the course. Furthermore, I no longer wish to have any kind of relationship with this organization. I also noted that it is despicable for Shaw Academy to be running this kind of scam on people like me who are financially vulnerable due to the COVID-19 crisis.

I consider my case unresolved and will continue to update this post until I receive a full refund.
There are many online education opportunities that won't try to scam you like this.

I just joined a week ago to try and boost my online Santa bookings this year. With-in two days I had my first two bookings with many more coming in. Gig Salad Rocks!