Closure
A letter to myself.
Why I no longer support the Kharrazian Institue, Dr. K News Educational Programs
Discount Rate for POOR PEOPLE and Victim Blaming
TRANSCRIPT of conversations via email and FB messenger:
April 12, 2020
ME: Hello, I am very interested in this course. My business has been affected by the shutdown in California and since then I have been offering more nutritional counseling using and offering Apex Energetics. I have an account and website. I plan to go back to school for a PT or PA degree, starting with prerequisites in the Fall 2020. Attached are screenshots of my registration approval to Oxnard College. I am not attending yet. The temporary closing of my business has had me seeking answers as to how to move forward, and I am incredibly grateful for Dr. Vera Flannery for that fateful day over a year ago that she came to my office to tell me about your company. I don't know if you will accept my plan to attend school for one of these degrees as valid for a discount. But I'm hoping you can offer me the student rate of $395 to help me get through these rough times. My immediate aim is to work with existing clients I have that are struggling with Hashimoto's as well as attract new business online. To be able to elevate my services would help me greatly. A discount would help me achieve this as no sign of monetary relief is available in the near future as business aid is inundated. Though I have applied, I am like the millions waiting in line for processing. I appreciate your consideration and hope to hear back from you before early bird registration closes.
April 13, 2020
KI (Kharrazian Institute): Hello you can use the coupone code ------------ when you checkout using the regular red button. That would give you the studentprice. The code will expire tonight.
ME: Oh my goodness! THANK YOU INCREDIBLY SO MUCH from the bottom of my heart
January 13, 2021
ME: Hi there, getting ready to do taxes and noticed something on my invoice you should address. Please see attached photo for your review. Note, I appreciate the discount incredibly, but I find the "special rate" description inappropriate and insensitive. Decent people are paying hard-earned money choosing to learn how to help themselves and others during an economically challenging time. "TOGETHER" or "COMMUNITY" might have been better choices other than "POOR PEOPLE."
January 14, 2021
KI: I’m sorry for this. Unfortunately, my coupon code field hsas been verified to say “Special Rate for Hashi course” not as what is attached in your email, but I will check into it. Must have been a database error when I initially setup the coupon code for all of the discount requests we received prior to the course. We hope you enjoyed the course.
After reading this, I waited expected that he would email me with further information. But after a few weeks, I tried searching for contact information to communicate on the phone with someone, or an email to write directly to Dr. Kharrazian (because I think he should know how he is being represented), but the only thing available was a contact form on the websites they operate. Some months pass as I debate whether to post in one of the Facebook forums for support.
March 30, 2021
ME: I've tried to reach out to the Kharrazian Institute before making the hard decision to post this. I never received a full or sufficient explanation why the discount code was inputted as "POOR PEOPLE." As someone whose business has been shut down, I switched gears to practice online nutrition and used my money to further my education through this institute. I even sent my Apex Energetics rep a message, and she never responded. Now, I'm struggling with the decision of whether to continue using and promoting their products. (I truly felt like this person just wanted to brush it off and own up to his poor judgement without a real, sincere apology. Immediately after I posted and messaged, I was removed from the group.)
KI: It looks like you did [recieve] a reply and an explanation, it was an internal error that has been addressed. If you would like a refund and to cancel your course please let us know and we will remove you. (Just note, still no sincere apology.)
ME: I received a reply, but it is lacking. I appreciate the discount and I think your products are amazing. I feel that even on the back end, labeling/calling it a discount for "Poor People" is inappropriate and is very offensive. There wasn't really an answer or explanation for that. I will take a refund of what I pad for the course, thank you.
KI: We are refunding you and removing you from the courses. We are sorry you were not happy with the explanation.
ME: Me, too.
April 2, 2021 (I noticed that my access to all courses I was registered in was removed, ones I had paid for and taken before this incident.)
ME: Hello there- I noticed that you refunded me for two programs and deactivated my account for them which I did not ask you to do.
I only asked for a refund of the Hashimoto course. Please reinstate the Autoimmune and Brain programs. Thank you.
ME: I emailed about the invoice this year on January 14. I received no other response except the explanation that if was a database error. I waited four months for a follow-up. If you read my emails and messages I am very grateful. But it was never appropriately addresses and that's why I tried to reach out. There is no way to call it speak to a live personas far as I've looked for a way to. This is poor business practice, punishing the customer for trying to set things right.
KI: Again you were given a student discount when you are not a student, and you were given an apology, and an explanation.
ME: You've totally missed the point. Very unprofessional.
April 2, 2021
I reached out to Apex Energetics who promotes Dr. Kharrazian's lectures and nutraceutical line. In an email to my new area rep, I
detailed my expereince with the Kharrazian Institute.
ME: Hi Alica, I wanted you to know about my experience with the Kharrazian Institute. At the start of the pandemic with all the uncertainty,my business closed as many were, lots of business owners were thinking about how to survive. I thought it would be a good idea to pivot to onlinenutrition counseling. Although finances were unsure I made a leap of faith.
I asked for a discount and was grateful for the offer I received back.Earlier this year as I prepared receipts for filing taxes, I noticed something on one of my invoices from the Kharrazian Institute. The discount coderead, "Special Rate for POOR PEOPLE." I reached out via email (there is no phone number listed), and the explanation was that it was a database error. I waited for more follow-up and four months later, tried to reach out through one of their groups. It goes downhill from there. I've since been removed from notjust the one course from that particular invoice, but from all courses I've paid for. It has been a very hurtful and disappointing experience. I thought yourcompany should know. I love the K-line sold by Apex Energetics, but at this time I'm at a crossroads. Attached are the conversations I've has withKharrazian Institute. In the end, I feel I've been punished for speaking up.
I immediately received a phone call from the regional rep who listetned and was very kind. He promised to set up a meeting with the vice president of sales and Dr. Kharrazian.
After waitingseveral weeks for a response, I was told by the regional rep:
April 28, 2021
Hello Ayn, I've gotten super busy today so I just thought I would drop you a note. I feel bad but KI has declined to reinstate past courses for you.The explanation I received
was “it all comes down to making our community safe and healthy for everyone, including us.” They expressed concernover the professionalism of you posting your complaint
publicly on their FB page. Please know that Apex values your business and Alica and I are hereto support you in any way we can. We were trying to play the middle man in an
attempt to help smooth over the situation however it is Kharrazian Institute’sright to make their decision and we really have no control over that. I am more than happy to discuss
this more over the phone but it would need to be tomorrow. Please let me know if you would like to talk. Again sorry about this. BTW we have some telecast webinars that Alica
could arrange for you to view if you would like. (They are not listed with the Better Business Bureau)
ME: This is disappointing news. I posted on the social forum as a last effort for accountability. I struggled with the decision knowing the possibility of retaliation,but honestly,
my soul couldn't rest. I strongly feel that it's this very mentality of viewing people as lesser that stokes and perpetuates division, prejudice, and inequality. Unfortunately, to me,
it is a sign of the attitude that Dr. Datis Kharrazian, his company, and staff have (not a good one). Instead of a discount code such as "Community" or"Together" this representative
of the Kharrazian institute chose "Poor People." The fact that Dr. Kharrazian and his institute won't remedy this situation, in addition, considerme to be a threat for speaking up,
shows their true colors and leaves a very bad feeling overall. I hope that you can see it from my point of view. I've been punished for seekingaccountability, which is the very
temperature of our current social environment across the nation. It might seem like a small thing to fight for a sincere apology, but it is this veryescape of responsibility that
destabilizes humanity and perpetuatenjustice. I feel like it mays i seem like I'm making a mountain out of a molehill by wanting to know that Dr. Kharrazianwas aware of how
he is being represented. Now, I realize, perhaps Kharrazian himself truly feels this way. Remove me from the social platforms so I can't interact with other learners, fine.
But they've completely taken away access to the material. Speaks volumes about his character. Am I off track here? I understand that your hands are tied.
Bottom line: This person never truly apologized and to the customer, me, was never held accountable, nor did the company or Dr. Kharrazian ever speak to not
sharing this employee's poor opinion, but allowed him to brush it off. This all that inequity needs to stand on. When your child treats someone inequitably or disrespectfully,
do you let it slide? No, you make it right. You make sure that the human you are raising knows that it's not okay, and you make sure the injured person knows that you are
sincerely sorry and that the action is not alright with you either. Accountability is where human decency falters and we find ease in blaming the victim.
You can't leave a review about their company online anywhere, except Facebook, which I am now blocked from.