Sylvan Learning Reviews

Afrah told them that they could, but that it was the policy of Sylvan to place a 30 day hold on the transfer or refund "in case they came back" and "to call after 30 days." My daughter thought this was strange since they were moving out of state, but she complied. After the 30 days, my son-in-law called the center to see about a refund. Afrah got on the phone and said there was approximately $250.00 coming back to us. We felt like there should have been more since we had only been there two months, so we asked if there was a list we could see of the hours she'd been tutored. Afrah said she was in a meeting but would get back to us about that. When my son-in-law got off the phone with her we all discussed how many hours she'd been tutored and decided Afrah was probably right. I told both my daughter and son-in-law that I trusted her. Well....that came back to bite me in the rear!

We never had a chance to tell her we were fine with the $250.00 refund because we've never had the chance to talk to her since. At one point Afrah did leave a message on my son-in-law's phone saying she was calling about Rylah's account. The message was from the number 214-342-3305, but when my son-in-law tried to call her back, he got more than any kind of run-around I've ever witnessed! The first time he called, someone hung up on the other end without saying a word; he immediately called back and the person on the other end said "wrong number!" without him saying anything but hello; and the THIRD time he called the number, the person on the other line (clearly Afrah) told him he had called "Bob **'s office." We were absolutely STUNNED by the unprofessionalism and disrespect of this woman! Since then, we have tried to call the office again with no return call.

I personally have tried to call Sylvan customer service to speak to a representative, but it is an automated system that asks for your zip code and then takes you to the nearest Sylvan Learning Center. I have tried writing an email on the corporate website in which a representative was supposed to get back to me and which hasn't happened at the time of this review; and I've called the Dallas-Highland center one more time (this time speaking with Sunny who seemed flabbergasted by our experience) and who told me to "write an email on the corporate website." Last but not least, I tried calling the Sylvan center here in our town to see if they would be able to help us get in touch with ANYONE at corporate, but again it appears to be a dead end. I had every intention of getting my granddaughter back into a Sylvan Center for further tutoring, but after all of this it is needless to say that it will will never happen.

If we weren't able to get our money back, couldn't Afrah have just have told us that in the beginning? Why the runaround? Why the avoidance? It could have saved us a lot of frustration. In closing, I have to wonder how this place has so many 5 star reviews. We can't be the only people to have experienced such a clown show. If I could leave 0 stars I would. Please, please be leery of Sylvan. Update on my review. As of today's date - 9/2/25 - I have never heard back from Corporate and never heard back from the Dallas Sylvan office. I have been completely ignored....

We attended the first session, though we accidentally arrived a day early. I showed the office staff my daughter’s state test results, which clearly highlighted her strengths and contradicted their assessment. Despite this, he insisted on following their curriculum and said only if no progress was seen would they consider my perspective. That should have been a red flag.

The first session started late. Afterward, my daughter told me the math was “very easy.” Based on that, I decided not to continue. On the day of the next appointment, I called to let them know my decision and that I would not be bringing my daughter back. No mention of a refund policy was made at that time. I called back minutes later and was then informed there was no refund policy and that the associate had reviewed it with me. I told them he absolutely had not.

I went to the office in person. The original associate was “unavailable,” so another staff member assisted me. She pulled up a copy of the refund policy I had signed electronically. I explained that the policy was never reviewed with me but noted that, since it exists, I wanted to initiate a refund request. She told me she would have to speak with corporate and follow up.

After waiting three business days with no response, I sent an email. Only then—at the end of the business day—did I receive a call from the original associate. He repeated that there is no refund policy and told me I would not be getting my money back. In the end, I lost $3,000 to this company. Their practices were unprofessional, misleading, and deceptive. I informed them that I would be taking further steps by contacting their corporate office directly.

Then, they are monitoring his progress pretty closely to where, if he is excelling in one area, they're quick to mix in new material. Or if he is still needing more time to focus on one area, they're making sure that there is an undercurrent of that curriculum still available for him to practice on his sessions. He likes going to Sylvan. I believe having that prize-based incentive, where if they do well, they accumulate tokens that they can then cash in for prizes. My son responds well to being rewarded for his hard work.

Going to Sylvan has been beneficial. We're seeing really good strides in his reading. It's worth the investment. I would recommend it to others. If their kid is needing more attention in a particular subject or whether they are falling behind or if they're not being challenged enough, it's a great place to get a good assessment with, to see where your kid is. They have a great action plan for your child. They have a nice individual development plan for your kid if you feel like they're not being challenged or need more help with the school that they're going to.