ArtistWorks Bewertungen 681

I was ripped off $300 dollars by the auto renew scam

Bandwith??

I paid for a year and the site is lower than molasses.
This is 2023 and this review has no reflection on the teachers. I've made a video to share with them on the issue and I'm awaiting a response. I am hopeful for a refund. Simple navigation on the site averages over 2-3 minutes per click. I've tried on every device possible. Although they spam your email to get you hooked. A true disappointment. If their response time is anything like the site, I'll be waiting a LONG time. Step up Artistworks.

I am enjoying the service of Artistworks.com so far.
Piano teacher Zachary is really very, very good. No doubt about it. Well done, Zachary!
Otherwise the platform works great. Looks like a good deal. 👍🎹🎶

I signed up for the Sierra Hull Mandolin course, which was great. No complaints about the course. However, I just didn't have the team to keep up with it, and eventually stopped altogether. I wasn't planning on resubscribing, but to my surprise, when I logged back into my account, after months, I found out I was just charged full price for another year! Default auto-renew is a deceptive practice by ArtistWorks. Had their been any warnings about turning off Auto-renew, believe me I would have. So either they turned it back on, or I was never warned, which I shouldn't need to be in the first place. I was charged $280, for a service I no longer have a use for. Please make this right ArtistWorks and provide me a full refund. It's only been 4 days since the renewal. There should at least be a grace period for full cancellation and refund.

Update I received a refund, thank God and AW. Lesson is watch out for autorenewal. My previous comment: Was charged for cancelled subscriptions. I subscribed to two courses. I know how their auto renewal works so as soon as I subscribed, I cancelled auto renewal. I checked numerous times months ago to see on my account that the auto renew was not on. Now when the subscription renewal date came I was charged full price. It looks like some of the way the account stuff was shown on their website has chagned so maybe this was all a data error.

Similar to many other here, I signed up under one of their promotions for a 365 day membership. My original email receipt stated "Automatic Renewal for: 279.00 on: July 5, 2022." I cancelled within the 365 day period; however, I was billed for a renewal fee of 279.99 on July 3rd -- day 364. I figured this could be easily resolved with a support ticket with supporting documentation uploaded where I explained what happened and would get a quick and easy refund.

After a couple days, I received a canned response from ArtistWorks Support, Amy, stating their strict "No Refund" policy and citing their Terms & Conditions. It was also pointed out that "we send several notifications that the subscription will be renewing." I received exactly one email (found in my spam folder) stating the automatic renewal would occur on July 4th -- NOT July 3rd.

I was offered:

"1. 25% refund on renewed subscription.
2. Switch your current subscription to any other course of your choice.
3. A gift card for the remaining value of your subscription, to be redeemed at any time, any course.
4. Place your account on hold until you are ready to resume.

Please let us know which option you prefer."

None of these options will work for me as I did and do not authorized this charge to occur. This is pretty clear that the membership was cancelled and I was billed within the 365 day billing cycle. The fact that there is even any dispute about this is very frustrating. I am very disappointed in the poor customer service and predatory billing practices. I can only imagine how many other people fall victim to this scam. Reading other reviews on Trust Pilot, it looks like I am not the only person to experience a situation like this.

Be warned.

I am very happy with the classes so far but I wanted to add something. I think as long as the pandemic is still with us a lot of people are going to have staffing problems, and it sounds like Artist Works is one of them. This is for two reasons I believe: 1. A lot more people are signing up because they're stuck at home and everybody's experiencing staffing problems so why not this school, right? 2. Where have you been that you don't know how auto renew works? I have a lot of accounts online and I know that if I go to my account there will be a place where I can cancel auto renew. In fact the first thing I did when I signed up here was to look for that place and it was very easy to find. 3. if you pay with a credit card you always have the option of filing a request for reversing the charges if you feel that you have been charged for something that you didn't order.

Terrible renewal practice where they do not let you know in advance your renewal is due so you cannot cancel. Then it is impossible to get a refund and you get charged an exorbitant amount as initially you signed up with a promo which then does not carry forward.
Change your practices and be more transparent. I will never come back even though the content is good. Appalling.

And before I get a response about "reading the terms and conditions", I work in the health service, 12months of a very busy year later I did not remember the date to cancel by and initially I did use the site lots but then was incredibly busy. Now it's too late and quite frankly I forgot in my busyness and that's my hard earned money gone. Yes many services do use auto renew but artistworks seem to be the only one to not send a reminder and hide behind their "terms and conditions" as a way to justify what they are doing. Poor show and hugely disappointing.

When I enrolled last week in a holiday 50% program, I was charged full price due to my entry error. However, after over a week of phone calls and emails, I have received no resolution or even a live response. This is frustrating, and now I see other comments with similar experiences. Geesh, come on guys...

I’m struggling a bit here .... on one hand I think the course material , content and standard of teaching is pretty good. I signed up for the Noam Pikelny banjo course and he is just superb in his approach, knowledge and delivery. I can also report a very quick response to my video submission ... two days in fact, and when it arrived it was detailed and enthusiastic. So all good on the course itself. The issue I have is one lots of folks seem to be having ... customer service. My subscription auto Renewed ... I’m fine with this as I want to remain a student. Thing is I noted on the renewal going through that Artistworks were offering 12 months for the same price as the 6 I just paid for. Like anyone looking to get best value I messaged them to advise I would in fact like to sign up for 12 months, requesting they cancel my 6 month plan and refund me first. That was over a week ago now and I’ve had no response, not even to my follow up message asking when I may reasonably expect a response ... nothing. either customer services are extremely over worked ... in which case hire more staff ... or there is a culture issue at artistworks when dealing with customers , particularly around finance and memberships. Customer retention should be important to such a company and they key that that is satisfaction ... bad, or in this case, a total lack of customer service (and this is by no means a complex request I have submitted) can be sufficient to sour the relationship between Artistworks and the customer, however good the experience of using the service is. Will I renew next time ? Maybe not now on principle
... come on Artistworks ... you can’t pair world class teaching with such disregard for service .... sort it out! ... update .... 12 days now and still no response ....

A Great way to increase your knowledge and experience as a musician.

I am currently in a dispute with ArtistWorks about my Ukulele Level 1 Certificate program. I finished all my lessons, passed my quizzes and video submissions, but have been unable to take my last quiz and submit my last video due to a glitch in the ArtistWorks system that says I haven't submitted Video 8. In fact, Video 8 was submitted and graded and is visible on my Report Card. For an online course site to not be able to handle tech issues that hinder their students from success and from obtaining what they paid for in advance is not only unprofessional but unethical. I have written message after message about the issue only to receive assurance it was begin taken care of. It wasn't. And it hasn't been. Although I really wanted my certificate and only lack ONE lesson quiz and video in receiving it, I'm tired of asking for what I paid for. I'm asking for a full refund of the $250 I paid for the Level 1 Certificate program. I have submitted my request and I will keep you informed of the progress of that situation.

THIS ISSUE HAS BEEN REMEDIED BY ARTISTWORKS. It did take quite some time, but I do appreciate that I can now finish my Level 1 Ukulele Certificate because I wanted to do that more than I wanted a refund. The course has been thorough and the tests, both written and performance, help to insure actual progress and success. After Level 1, I hope to continue on to Level 2 and feel certain that ArtistWorks has taken care of this issue for future courses.

ANOTHER UPDATE:

After FINALLY getting the above issue remedied after, I don't know, weeks and weeks, I was able to complete and successfully pass the Ukulele Level 1 Certification Course. Of course, on the site, it says I'm STILL in Lesson 12, even though Lesson 12 clearly shows the quiz and video submission were complete and the Passing Grade is showing. I never received a "Congratulations" for finishing and after more than a week after completion, I have not received my Certificate.

The only thing I signed up for on ArtistWorks was the Certificate program, but I have asked them to cancel any subscription because I will not work with them again. There is nowhere on my Account where I can cancel anything, including credit card. Believe me I have looked on the Account page, Profile page, etc. There is NO Membership information and maybe because I only signed up for the course, but since there is LITERALLy NO CUSTOMER SERVICE, who knows?

It really doesn't matter how good the instructors are if you don't get what you paid for from the Service. I really doubt that the Master instructors realize how the customers are treated and I think if they knew, they would no longer be a part. I'm going to personally contact my instructors and tell them about my terrible experience. I'm really tired of businesses thinking they are doing the customer a favor when it's the customers that pay their bills and their artists.

Here is a list of the times I contacted ArtistWorks during this 12-week (now turning into 20+ week program:

Subject Id Created
Last activity▼
Status
Ukulele Level 1 Certification Course Certificate
#118147 1 minute ago 1 minute ago open
Ukulele Level 1 Certification Course Certificate
#117955 8 days ago 2 days ago open
Ukulele Level 1 Certification Course Certificate
#118029 4 days ago 4 days ago solved
Ukulele Level 1 Certification Course Certificate
#118028 4 days ago 4 days ago solved
Re: After weeks and weeks of requesting the capability...
#117633 18 days ago 10 days ago solved
Ukulele Level 1 Certification Courst
#117845 11 days ago 10 days ago solved
I'm sorry. I was able to get in. Not sure what was...
#117847 11 days ago 11 days ago solved
Lessons/Report Card - I can't get into my Ukulele lessons or report cards
#117846 11 days ago 11 days ago solved
Good morning. I'm trying to take my Lesson 12 qui...
#117231 1 month ago 17 days ago solved
After weeks and weeks of requesting the capability...
#117627 18 days ago 18 days ago solved
Re: I have written several times about trying to finis...
#117560 21 days ago 21 days ago solved
I have written several times about trying to finis...
#117388 1 month ago 24 days ago solved
I still have not received the ability to take my L...
#117290 1 month ago 1 month ago solved
Re: Your ticket 116582 has been solved!
#116985 1 month ago 1 month ago solved
I'm trying to finish up this Certification Course ...
#116582 1 month ago 1 month ago solved
Ukulele Certification Course - Level 1
#111542 3 months ago 2 months ago solved
Just wondering when my video grade will be up on l...
#111569 3 months ago 3 months ago solved
Ukulele Certification Course - Level 1
#111487 3 months ago 3 months ago solved
Ukulele Certification Course - Level 1
#110174 4 months ago 4 months ago solved
Ukulele Certification Course - Level 1
#110066 4 months ago 4 months ago solved
ArtistWorks

On one hand, the quality of instruction was/is superb -- I am signed up for the Noam Pikelny banjo course and he really does have valuable lessons to share. On the other hand, it is an ancient browser-based system that belongs on AOL ca 1997 and the money does not seem to be going towards updating Artistworks to join the modern world. The lack of an iPad/iPhone app and a very clunky website has really limited my use of the service. Like many, many others, I was also taken by the hidden and kinda scammy auto-renew policy, so I guess I'm signed up for another year, though I haven't had any use of the service for ~9 months. So it goes I guess...

STAY AWAY. FRAUD AND NO CUSTOMER SERVICE. When you sign up your account defaults to "auto-renew." I haven't used it 6 months and just noticed I was billed an additonal $200. Nevermind trying to reach someone. They are stealing my money for a service I have not used. Just try to reach someone to talk about it. IMPOSSIBLE. I am trying to get a refund, but whoever is raking in all this money is hiding behind their "policies." TERRIBLE

As opposed to the “Very Cool” review below this one, my rating could not be bribed/bought by ArtistWorks.

After using their Support Forum where one of the sections is “Ask Howard [Levy]” to ask an informational question about observations I’d made on harmonica practice, and receiving no reply for weeks, ArtistWorks (through an email to me, not for public consumption) suggested I use a ‘Shoutbox’ feature on the homepage to try and get an answer. After another couple weeks, I got a partial answer but it really didn’t address the question I asked. To which (again, in Shoutbox) I replied that I had a follow up question in the Forum about this. Fast forward another few weeks and I’m basically told by this instructor that he doesn’t know the answer and to send him a video. What I had asked him about didn’t require a video demonstration. Nor is the Video Exchange feature intended (or publicized) to be used for an elemental conversation where I just need a little information.

During these weeks of delays, I was stuck in a holding pattern because the information I needed at the time was extremely basic to moving through the lessons. I had some further email communication with ArtistWorks Support, in which they placated me and absolved themselves of any responsibility in the matter. For a tiny company, it has quite a bureaucratic, very corporate sense of what’s right and wrong whereby those who are paying the bills are the ones in the wrong always and the company proudly shines its sanctimonious halo every day.

Ultimately, the same “Support” person emailed me and suggested they lengthen the duration of my subscription to try and make up for the delays Howard Levy had cost me. But, what do I actually gain? The time I’ve lost is gone, period. The “value” of the subscription was reduced with each and every delay. I’m sure as hell no longer interested in spending more money on a new subscription for a different instrument. I informed ArtistWorks that they need to address the root of the problem and not attempt to bribe my continued use as that only makes me a part of the problem - when a reasonable person actually thinks about it. And since an officer of the company makes commentary to these reviews publicly, it seemed reasonable that an officer of the company should probably be next in responding to my emails. It had become clear that Support is kept on a very short leash by those who actually control the company.

With that, I received an email reply from Support that a refund was being processed for my cost. I had never once requested a refund. My subscription was terminated. I had never once requested my subscription be terminated. And with that, I was booted off the platform.

It’s the arrogance of opportunistic companies like this that do harm. I fully expect that ArtistWorks’ forthcoming response on TrustPilot will be yet another self-serving “apology”. Certainly someone in ownership there understands the concept of professional integrity, which owns the how’s and why’s to Artistworks’ failings?

A fine service!

Excellent customer service and wide variety of high quality music courses. I researched a range of online guitar lessons (read many reviews and articles that compared different online music programs) and ArtistWorks was the best choice overall for my goals. I studied classical guitar for years with a teacher one-on-one and then went a few years without lessons. I wanted to start lessons again and I wanted quality lessons that were well organized, comprehensive as well as affordable and flexible with the ability to get personalized feedback from a professional. ArtistWorks hit all the markers. I highly recommend this company. Thank you!

Applied to them re a severe health issue and it was dealt with promptly and without hassle. I had posted a slightly critical review as I had received no communication or resolution . It turned out the matter was resolved just that they hadn't sent me an email to inform me but any of us can make a mistake. Thank you ArtistWorks

Video exchanges do not get responses for many weeks, even months.
That is unacceptable given that this is supposed to be the big differentiator and the thing they hang their advertising flag on.
Nah, there are better sites with a lot more quality content. Jamplay and Truefire are better.