Not receiving the remaining tuition fee as promised, many parents went to Apax Leaders center to demand.
On the afternoon of October 11, about 15 parents went to the Apax Leaders center on Phan Xich Long Street, Phu Nhuan District, to demand money. They said the unit was late in refunding tuition fees.
At this time, the center had no students or teachers, only staff on duty. After waiting until 5pm, the parents had to leave because the center was closed. The night before, about 100 parents had come to the center for the same reason.
In 2020 and 2021, many parents paid for their children to study English at the Apax Leaders system, but the payment was unfinished because the centers were closed. After many negotiations, Apax divided them into two groups with different repayment schedules. To date, many parents in group 1 have received their full money back, through three installments, lasting from June to August.
Group 2 was promised to pay back the tuition in 5 installments, 20% each. According to the commitment minutes at the Apax Southern Parents' Meeting in April, the first payment for group 2 was on October 9. The remaining installments were on November 20, December 2023, and March and May 2024, 20% each.
Ms. Huong, District 7, said that she was supposed to receive 10 million VND from Apax on October 9, but so far, she has not received any money or any notice of late payment or extension. She contacted the company's staff but got no information.
"For more than half a year, parents have been waiting, spending a lot of effort, money and giving Apax too many opportunities but they have not kept their reputation," said Ms. Huong, adding that she no longer knows how to get her money back so she was forced to go to the center in Phu Nhuan district to wait.
Similarly, Mr. Phuoc, District 3, shared that he was very hopeful when he saw many parents in Group 1 receiving their tuition fees back. However, three days after the commitment with parents in Group 2, he still has not received 20% of the amount (about 16 million VND) that Apax owes.
"Now we don't know where to go to get the money back. We hope the authorities will take measures so that Mr. Thuy (Mr. Nguyen Ngoc Thuy - Chairman and General Director of Apax Leaders) can fulfill his debt repayment obligation to his parents," said Mr. Phuoc.
Parents wait at Apax Leaders center, Phu Nhuan district, afternoon of October 11. Photo: Le Nguyen
Responding to VnExpress on the morning of October 11, Mr. Nguyen Anh Tuan, who represented Apax in the dialogues with parents in April in his role as CEO, always said that the first payment to group 2 was on October 20, not October 9. He said the parents' actions affected the company's operations and did not respect the agreement.
"We are preparing and trying to pay the parents. There are still 10 days left, why can't the parents wait? If we don't let the company operate, how can we handle it?", Mr. Tuan said.
According to Mr. Tuan, more than 80% of parents in group 1 have been refunded, although the payment time is sometimes 5-10 days later than agreed.
When asked about the first payment deadline according to the minutes, October 9, Mr. Tuan said he would review it. This afternoon, he said he had quit his job at Apax Leaders.
Minutes of the meeting between Mr. Nguyen Ngoc Thuy and parents in the South on April 9. Photo: Provided by parents
Apax Leaders is a chain of English centers for children, licensed since 2016. On the website, the chain says it has 120 centers nationwide, with about 120,000 students. In Ho Chi Minh City, according to Mr. Tuan, Apax Leaders has more than 15,000 students.
At the end of 2022, Apax Leaders was complained by many parents in Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi, Dak Lak, and Da Nang because the teaching quality was not as committed, "taking the money and abandoning the customers" and demanding a refund of tuition fees.
In early March, the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Education and Training said that Apax Leaders had announced that it had 41 centers, of which 25 had requested to dissolve and 14 had relocated, but in reality only one center remained in operation. The Department has transferred documents related to Apax Leaders' operations to the Ho Chi Minh City Police at the request of this unit.
Up to now, Apax Leaders has reopened two centers in Ho Chi Minh City, including Him Lam (District 6) and Phan Xich Long (Phu Nhuan District).
Le Nguyen
*Parents' names have been changed
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