Significant Concerns Over Payments, Lessons and Refunds
Initially, we found there were some positives to Pace Swim. The coaches we experienced were generally engaging and good with young children, and the lessons helped build confidence in the water. Unfortunately, our experience became increasingly disappointing due to significant issues with reliability, communication and administration.
Our biggest concern is the recent pool closure. We understand Pace Swim had six months' notice of the situation, yet thousands of pounds were taken from customers for the new term. In our experience, lessons were then not provided as expected, while communication with customers was extremely limited.
We requested a refund because, in our view, the circumstances did not appear to meet the conditions in Pace Swim's own terms and conditions for relocating lessons to an alternative pool. The refund was refused, but we received no meaningful explanation of how the situation was considered consistent with those terms and conditions.
Ultimately, customers have paid substantial sums for lessons that have not been provided as expected, while the company has retained the money in full, failed to communicate adequately and refused refunds. We believe customers should reasonably expect clear communication and appropriate handling of payments when a service cannot be delivered.
We also had concerns about coaching qualifications. On one occasion, a coach was teaching Stage 5 despite the qualification information available to us at the time appearing to indicate that they were qualified only up to Stage 3. Parents should reasonably be able to expect coaches to hold the appropriate qualifications for the stages they teach.
Since moving to another swim school, we have found the lessons much better organised, with clearer communication and a more structured approach to progression. The contrast has been very noticeable.
We have also subsequently come across reports concerning disputes involving other venues, staff and clients, including allegations relating to unpaid debts and references to CCJs involving the company and/or individuals associated with it. We have not independently verified every report and therefore would encourage anyone considering Pace Swim to conduct their own checks rather than relying solely on these accounts.
Despite repeated attempts to resolve this directly, Pace Swim has failed to respond to me or provide any meaningful explanation regarding the money taken and my refund request. I have therefore now had to pursue a court claim to recover the money. It is particularly disappointing that customers are being left to take formal legal action to recover payments for lessons that have not been provided, rather than the company engaging with customers and resolving the matter directly.
Overall, while the teaching itself can be a real strength, our experience of the organisation and administration was much less positive. The handling of cancelled lessons, customer payments, refunds and communication has been our biggest concern, and we would encourage parents to consider these factors carefully before committing to a term.