SwimQuest - Millburn — Attraction in Millburn

1 Star – Demands on Money over Emotional Safety and Swim safety of Children

I had a terrible experience at Swim Quest in Millburn, NJ. My 4- and 5-year-old children were already in the water for their lessons when Cory, the manager, demanded that we leave immediately because of a payment issue. There was no room for flexibility, and instead of addressing the situation calmly or offering a solution, Cory came into the pool area and made a scene in front of my distressed children.

He would call that I had to get out of the water (myself and two kids) immediately and go to the front desk to pay even though there is a rule for parent to be in the water for one of my kids. He was more focused on enforcing rules and collecting money than ensuring a positive, safe experience. I explained to him I cannot leave the pool per Swim quest requirement that I be in the water for my younger daughter and that I can resolve any payment issue after the session. He didn't seem to understand and said he had "orders" for Devon the owner or GM for site to get the payment by credit card prior to me entering the water. It took some time for me to get them to bring over a young lifeguard who came into the water. When I went to the front desk to make payment, I then noticed through the glass that the young lifeguard had left. The whole "i'm going to force you to pay right now within 2 minutes approach" doesn't speak volumes on their customer service.

Obviously, I didn't pay right there due to Safety and requested Cory himself to speak to the young lifeguard (who was a looked to be a teenager or 18 or so) that he must stay inside the pool the entirety of the time that Cory is working on the payment. It took 15 mins for them to figure out what partial amount was owed. During this, my 4 yr daughter came crying and distressed that I was missing and ran out of the water cold & wet to me at front desk & they still wanted me to pay right then and there without getting a towel for her to warm him up.

I told them their bedside manner is horrible and care about money over people. To make matters worse, we left the Millburn location, Cory WALKED to our car in the public street parking to ask for payment and if I was going to do it today– which felt completely unprofessional and unsafe, especially with small children in tow trying to get in the car at a public street parking spot. I understand the need to manage payments, but this behavior was unacceptable and made us feel uncomfortable and disrespected, especially our kids asking why is he asking for money.

I would not recommend Swim Quest to anyone looking for a supportive, caring environment for their children. Any time there is a payment concern, they quickly become rude and unemotional. In this case, I used my credit card's owner capabilities to have my bank investigate the situation and they were able to help. Worst of all, they use scare tactics and said that I am committing fraud by asking your credit card company to dispute a payment, which is a service many credit cards have on your behalf. The credit card dispute team will speak with the financial dept of a business to support claims related to non-provided service, poor quality, service, etc. They need to look up the definition of fraud also and do training on customer service. I get it I own a business and cash flow is important but the customer is first and foremost for emotional AND physical...

(1) Severe risk for young kids, unsupervised during a semi-private lesson. (2) Terrible customer service (3) coerced into paying in full, bait and switch.

The semi-private lesson we signed up for is classified as 3 kids to 1 instructor. Each kid gets private time with the instructor while the other two have to wait at the side of the pool at the steps.

Back story: My two-year old daughter signed up for the 1 on 3 semi-private lesson. The first lesson did not go well (unsurprisingly) because of her separation anxiety. My daughter loves being in the pool, but when she's held by an adult she knows or in a float. Hence why we wanted to do swim lessons in the first place. We knew it was going to be an adjustment. At first, I wanted to be in the pool with my daughter, because she doesn't know how to swim for safety purposes. We were told to NOT go in the pool, "it makes it worse". During this first lesson, my wife and I had to sit at the side of the pool to keep her supervised while the instructor took the other kid(s) across the pool. We were told the screaming/crying was standard for the first trial lesson, which we understood. To troubleshoot the owner said to send her with a non-parent next time, and she will be supervised at the side of the pool by someone else, we presumed another instructor. We had to take the leap of faith and pay in full for the remainder of the semester after that "sales pitch". We were still excited at this time.

The second lesson was much worse. Our caregiver took our daughter, but the instructor never took our daughter in the pool. Our caregiver was told the same as the first lesson, that she had to sit at the side in the pool, but was promised she "didn't have to go in the pool". The owner admitted to wrongdoing and that there was an issue in the women's bathroom so there was a mix-up with the lesson, but policy is no refunds. The instructor had NO IDEA she was in charge of my daughter. RED FLAG. Side note: the instructors seem to be great and none of this is their fault, in my opinion.

I'm not sure how you can leave a two-year old that can't swim unsupervised at the side steps of the pool. The owner of the company told me putting your feet in the pool is not the same as being in the pool, and our two year old would be fine at the steps. He told me no refunds would be issued and that he can't help with us "misunderstanding" what being in pool means and what being supervised means at the side of the pool. Second, I asked him if he had kids, and if he would leave them at the side of a pool if they can't swim. This was wrong of me, and I probably should not have done that. That being said, his answer was that a lot of families that love their experience at SwimQuest. RED FLAG.

In short, I do not feel safe sending my daughter to SwimQuest (1) the instructors don't know which kids to teach (2) the owner told the parents not to come, it makes it worse (3) the two-year olds can sit at the pool steps unsupervised (4) the owner told me his policy is no refunds, and he has a good track record so he's fine with an...

I have been a parent of a SwimQuest Swimmer since June 2017. To date, I still have one swimmer enrolled in their program.

My first SwimQuest Swimmer started in June 2017 at 1.5 years old. The separation anxiety was REAL. Tough for mom and tough for the kid, however the SwimQuest instructors demonstrated skill, kindness, and patience with both of us. We (all) persevered and then thrived. This swimmer just participated in their first swim meet competition. They demonstrate skill, kindness, and an interest in helping other swimmers. None of that would have been possible without the professionals at SwimQuest.

My second SwimQuest Swimmer started in June 2017 at 6 months old. Any concerns, questions, or reservations I had were heard by the owners and staff with kindness and addressed with professionalism. Through all developmental milestones (crawling, walking, talking, and an abundance of sass + limit testing), the SwimQuest staff navigated it all and continued to provide top tier instruction while meeting my child where they were in terms of their physical and emotional needs.

My third (and final!) SwimQuest Swimmer started in June 2019 at 6 months old. Currently in their final year of lessons at SwimQuest, they are advancing as a swimmer and becoming truly proficient in terms of stroke skill and execution.

It is without hesitation or reservation that I say if I had more children, they’d also be going to SwimQuest to learn to swim. Friends of mine have sent their children to SwimQuest on my recommendation and been delighted with the service provided.

Having my children learn to swim at SwimQuest is a decision I will...