Snooker Academy Complaint Letter Advice

[snawaz]

Hi all,

This is not for the faint hearted, but I have drafted a letter of complaint to World Snooker about my experience with the academy. I would like advice before I send it.

Sorry guys letter removed as too many personal details!

However, those that gave advise, I take it on board, and appreciate it. Some useful advise. Thankyou!!!

[jrc750]

Maybe its just bad timing on your behalf, what with the pros needing a good practice place at this particular time of year, anyway sure i read somewhere the academy is closing/restructuring soon ??

[dannyd0g]

"when the coaches were in on the weekends I’m being told that the qualifiers and the World Championship take precedent over us!"

Well I'm sorry but what do you expect ? How would it be for all other players and fans if we were told the pros could not complete their world championship qualifier match because the tables were being used for coaching. Oh but that doesnt matter because Dr Nawaz wants to get his coaching in and thats much more important

As JRC says its unfortunate timing. You couldnt have picked a worse time of year to go the Academy if you'd tried. Maybe they could have warned you about all this right at the start though....

[Buxton147]

Complaint??? Seems harsh...

I have recently questioned a fair few players who have coaching/practice at the 'World Snooker Academy' on my visit for the qualifiers.
No one had a bad word to say so I find it unbelievable you had such a bad experience. It has such quality and appears to be second to none.
Yet.. From reading your posts you seem to have a strong opinion against the 'Snooker Academy' :S Maybe the Academy is not the problem, maybe it is yourself.

Hi all,

This is not for the faint hearted, but I have drafted a letter of complaint to World Snooker about my experience with the academy. I would like advice before I send it.

Sorry guys letter removed as too many personal details!

However, those that gave advise, I take it on board, and appreciate it. Some useful advise. Thankyou!!!

[snawaz]

Complaint??? Seems harsh...

I have recently questioned a fair few players who have coaching/practice at the 'World Snooker Academy' on my visit for the qualifiers.
No one had a bad word to say so I find it unbelievable you had such a bad experience. It has such quality and appears to be second to none.
Yet.. From reading your posts you seem to have a strong opinion against the 'Snooker Academy' :S Maybe the Academy is not the problem, maybe it is yourself.

Do you work for The Academy, as you sound very defensive to me!!!

I appreciate the extensive research you have done to come to such a favorable conclusion on The Academy, but you just don't know the circumstances surrounding this complaint. In my experience The Academy is not there for everyone. I feel (and this is my personal opinion only) that The select few are given precedent over us lowly players who just want to improve their game for personal satisfaction only! Maybe you are right, maybe it is just me. As others have suggested maybe it is just bad timing on my part, and I take all this on board.

However, I met Nigel Bond at The Qualifiers today and we had a really fruitful chat. He has agreed to give me coaching and I have already booked my first coaching session with him.

If The Academy don't want my money then there are plenty of others out there that are more than happy to take the business. I will probably learn more from a top professional player who is now a Grade A coach.

I hope this is not too harsh for you!!!

[snawaz]

Have to complain now!!!

Hi all,

For those that thought I was being too harsh read on.

I was going to let things lie until I went to The Academy today. I greeted Gary Baldry (one of the workers(and coach for some)), and he replied, I'm surprised to see you here today! I asked why? To which he replied he thought I did not like the Academy. I asked him how he came to this conclusion and he said you've been writing bad things about us on the forum. I tried explaining that my complaint had nothing to do with not liking the Academy. I tried explaining it wasn't the Academy i didn't like, it was the fact that I had my coaching sessions cancelled 3 times. The latest one being today when i was suposed to be booked in with Gary. However, as todays session was also canceled it would be 2 months from one session to the next. He tried explaining how he could not coach me on a Saturday as he concentrated only on the kids at the weekend, because at other times he had to be with Liang and often travelled abroad with him. When he got back he could not possibly spend any time with anyone other than the kids at the weekends.

I had gone there to practice snooker and he spent a good 10-15 minutes questioning me on what I had talked about on the forum. I explained to him I was expressing my opinion on my experience at The Academy so far. He said I'm not telling you what you can or can't write but it's he felt it was not fair to say these things after all they had tried to sort out for me(the cheap of the man). I laughed and said what have you sorted out for me. He quickly replied, that session on the weekend with Alan Trigg. I pointed out to him that I paid £90 for that session and that's all they have done for me so far. What about the 3 booked sessions that were cancelled. Exactly what have you done for me? He said it wasn't that he did not want my money(a reference to one of my posts) but it was all to do with there being no coaches available on the weekends (which is not true). This led to a whole other discussion

Anyway the argument went on for a while and (I have missed out a lot of the detail which will be included in the complaint letter) it would have certainly continued on for longer, but I was fed up with being intimidated by this World Snooker Employee, so I said look i've only come here to train and I started to walk to the kitchen to make a cup of coffee for myself before I started playing, and this ended the argument. IMO, this guy just doesn't want to admit to doing anything wrong, all he wanted to do today was defend himself and not admit to any of their faults!!!

I was paying £40 for the days practice session and it started off with an interrogation session. I'll tell you my whole days practice session was spoiled as all I could think about was the way he had treated me.

I know from what happened today that Gary will see this post but it has gone past the point where that matters.

Do people think I am still overreacting.

[Lisbon67]

Without getting into to much detail i personally think that if you have paid for a service then the terms & conditions of that service should be met. Its not acceptable for someone who is providing the service to question your concerns if they fail to meet your needs, we all live in a democracy and are entitled to our opinion.

Although i understand & sympathise with you and the Academies dilemma, if it was me who was in your position i would be looking elsewhere, once bitten twice shy as they say..:snooker:

[cally]

Well, i dunno fella...

I think i'd be quite interested in what you'd been saying on a "public" forum if it was me too...

And i think you should have expected the greeting you got really, i would have been questioning you if it were me, if news got back about posting on "public" forums about me or the way i compose myself etc... You should keep some things to your self and just get on with what ever you was going to do about it...


Bit of advice for ya Doc...Keep some things to yourself on forums, especially when it's about the way people run things and sh@t like that. it never seems to be the best thing to do on forums to say the least...

Like instead of writing that last post, you should just saved it for the letter your writing. .

I frequent quite a few forums and whenever anyone starts a thread like this it get's a bit sh!tty most of the time and people like to tell their mate that so and so said this and he tells so and so to gain some more browny points blah blah blah...

Sure ya get me, like i said, keep some things to yourself on these "public" forums if i were you bud.


Ant...:snooker:

[snawaz]

Well, i dunno fella...

I think i'd be quite interested in what you'd been saying on a "public" forum if it was me too...

And i think you should have expected the greeting you got really, i would have been questioning you if it were me, if news got back about posting on "public" forums about me or the way i compose myself etc... You should keep some things to your self and just get on with what ever you was going to do about it...


Bit of advice for ya Doc...Keep some things to yourself on forums, especially when it's about the way people run things and sh@t like that. it never seems to be the best thing to do on forums to say the least...

Like instead of writing that last post, you should just saved it for the letter your writing. .

I frequent quite a few forums and whenever anyone starts a thread like this it get's a bit sh!tty most of the time and people like to tell their mate that so and so said this and he tells so and so to gain some more browny points blah blah blah...

Sure ya get me, like i said, keep some things to yourself on these "public" forums if i were you bud.


Ant...:snooker:

Hi Cally,

Thanks for the advice!!!

You know what, I was so pi**ed off after what happened today, but a level headed argument like yours has taken all the tension out of me.

Originally hearing rumours on the forum that the Academy was closing made me upset but after what I have experienced there I understand why.

I'm sure The Academy needs every penny it can get but it appears they have people there who are on a different wavelength to the financial side of running this Academy.

F**k 'em, like Lisbon67's advise, i'll take my money elsewhere.

[steedee]

This isn't quite the same thing but....

When i used to work for Rileys, we used to host the qualifiers for various tournaments on the 9-ball tour as we (stretford) were the first club opened specifically with 9-ball in mind. The qualifiers were held over a couple of days and usually during the week. We opened earlier for the pro's and all the 9 ball tables were in use until the final match of the day had been played, this could often be around 7pm.

As the club was 9ball specific we obviously had a fair few regulars who played 9ball and for those two days they were simply told that no tables would be made available until the final match had been played and either they wait or go to another club. Its not an ideal situation and the regulars suffered because of this but the fact is, if it wasnt for an increase in popularity in the professional game, then there would not have been such an influx of people wanting to play it at their local club. the two go hand in hand but if you dont put the professionals first then the sport will suffer and nobody would want to play it anyway.

This country, and Sheffield in particular is lucky to have such a wonderful facility as the academy to help nurture young talent, develop them and build on the sucess if the game in the future. you only need look at the pios table and the number of academy players pushing for tour places to see what an important part it is playing in the future of snooker, but for its sucess to continue the professional game has to be prioritised otherwise the whole set up becomes pointless.

im sure you're reasonable and intelligent enough to understand this and the issues you have are probably more with how you were dealt with because of the academys procedure and not with this procedure itself but having spent a fair bit of time with fustrated and angry 9ball players explaining the tour situation, im aware of both sides of this. i would say personally, if i could get the time the finance and the motivation together to get professional coaching at the academy i would see pass the treatment in this case accept the professional tour comes first and reschedule for a better availabkle time because its a big opportunity to let pass, however if you've now got Bondy on board that too should see you right!

good luck with it anyway pal.

[snawaz]

Hi Steedee,

You are absolutely correct in saying my issue is with how I was treated by the staff, and not with The Academy.

[cally]

Hi Steedee,

You are absolutely correct in saying my issue is with how I was treated by the staff, and not with The Academy.

So, you have issues eh, maybe you should see a doctor.....

Soz bud, i'm bored...... lovely day too, should be out polishing my motors just can't be assed...:snooker:....

[snawaz]

So, you have issues eh, maybe you should see a doctor.....

Soz bud, i'm bored...... lovely day too, should be out polishing my motors just can't be assed...:snooker:....

Haha

I'll see one of my partners in the morning. Thanks for the advice.

[Buxton147]

Moan moan moan moan.... Theres always one spoil sport, take up something like tennis.

Haha

I'll see one of my partners in the morning. Thanks for the advice.

[snawaz]

Moan moan moan moan.... Theres always one spoil sport, take up something like tennis.

Hi you!!!

4 posts now. And all started after The Academy Complaint Letter Post. Well done!

And personal attack posts. Even better!!!

Buxton147, clever name. Why the 147? Don't tell me you've had one!

It's good to see The Academy are keeping tabs on this post. Keep it up.

Tennis! I'm sure you would like me out of the scene!!! You really shouldn't try to discourage people like this, my good friend!!!