A BC dad took matters into his own hands to seek financial justice after a basketball camp his son attended did not live up to its promises.
AW started a case against FORM Basketball Academy with the BC Civil Resolution Tribunal and sought over $3,000 in damages because the program wasn’t organized as promised.
In total, he was seeking a refund of $3,280 plus an additional $328 for extra travel costs that were incurred because he had to add his son to an earlier planned family trip.
In defence, FORM disagreed with AW’s claim that his son didn’t receive any benefit from the program and added that they offered a partial refund. The tribunal inferred that FORM was asking it to dismiss the case.
The program was supposed to run from April to August 2023 and include practices, games, tournaments, and travel and accommodation for those tournaments. According to the claim in the tribunal’s decision, there were supposed to be at least nine tournaments.
PE, who runs the academy, said that AW’s son attended the camp, that AW’s payments were late, and that he still owed the camp money.
Emails submitted as evidence included further details about what was supposed to be included. An email from March 2023 states that practices would be weekly until May when they would then be twice weekly.
The email stated that exhibition games would be added to the schedule and that the first tournament would be between April 28 and 30 in Seattle. It also included a link to a schedule for other tournaments, including a tournament in Toronto from July 21 to 23 and a tournament in Las Vegas.
A second email was sent on April 4, 2023, which included revised fees to a lower amount. Two options were available: $1,862.50 without travel and accommodation or $3,280 all-inclusive. AW provided evidence that he made these payments by May 29.
Further evidence suggests that members of the basketball academy did not get everything they were promised. PE did not dispute that participants only attended one tournament and no other practices, tournaments or games after May. In an email to AW, PE blamed a communication breakdown.
After reviewing the emails and evidence submitted, the tribunal determined that PE owed AW $2,348.75, including reimbursement for the basketball fees he paid and $349 in tribunal fees. The tribunal dismissed his claims for travel expenses.