Unless you happen to be the guilty instructor!

Today I went in to Joanns to start my second round of classes. I looked ALL over the store to find the class with no success, so I went to the front of the store to inquire as to the class location. I was told by the education director that the class had been cancelled due to low enrollment (3 students). I told her that I was never informed and she said that she was sure she had called everyone and rattled off the names of three people, none of whom was me. So she looked in the lever 3 register and found me and me only. Well, needless to say, had they put me in the right class I'd probably be sitting happily to the instructor (because then it would have been 4 people!), except for the fact that the Wilton Instructor never bothered to show up for her level one class anyway, and didn't bother to call the store to inform them.

Okay, so it's bad enough that Joann's messed up and the instructor didn't show, but my main problem now is this: Due to her car breaking down she didn't show up for the last level one class, but the class all stayed and worked together and turned out some pretty nice cakes, and now none of us have our level 1 certificate and I am thinking that unless Wilton gets involved (I already e-mailed them), I am going to have to go somewhere else and pay for another level one course, which I don't want to do because this is all refresher for me anyway!

So, if you are a Wilton Instructor who lives in Pasadena, CA and teaches in Torrance, CA, get in touch with me pronto, please! If you are not said instructor, ignore this post.

Debbi

Ahhh Deja Vu....This happened to not only me but several others at numerous Michael's craftstore locations here.They cancel classes and never contact anyone....Instructers aren't sure what class they are teaching etc...I don't understand why common Courtesy isn't used anymore.We (a group of 7 class 2 students) even went so far as to hire the instructor..who is also a wilton instructor,to teach us the level 3 course over 2 days at a students house.We paid her the same amount as she would have gotten paid.We spread the class out over 2 days about 6-8 hours each day and we finished course 3 because the store had a personal issue with the instructor and cancelled the class and didn't invite her back...Never mind the students left hanging...Anyway...I understand your frustration!!!

Oh Yeah...we had more fun anyways..drank coffee and ate pastries and laughed and laughed!!! It was a fun weekend!!

debsuewoo, I am an instructor and I don't take it personally at all. The reason I even became an instructor is due to a bad experience I personally had. (Long story). Besides my bad experience involving the instructor, I had problems with the store. Now that I'm doing classes myself, and have been involved with a few different accounts, I can tell you that some times the communication between instructor and store is not at its best. (To keep it brief and politely). Not an excuse for poor customer service, but I've seen it alot. Sorry for your bad experience and maybe, honestly, you should consider teaching. Then the fun of taking the classes never ends. AND you meet aton of great new friends!

Rose

debsuewoo,

I feel your fustration...my instructor left alot to be desired.

My instructor was very rood.

My instructor was not the greatest. I wish I would have had a different one. She was nice, but that was as far as it went. I still don't know a lot of things that I should. I was not excited at all.

I have just become a WMI and I want to thankyou for you posts. I have not started teaching yet because the store is new and not yet open. But you gave me some things I need to watch for and pay extra attention to. I want the students in my classes to have a great experience and I hope that I can do what ever it takes to make that possible. Thank you again for your insight and I am sorry that you had a bad experience with your instuctor. My first class instructor was not a very nice lady (we called her the cake nazi), so I switched stores for the last two classes and had a great time. Good luck with everything. Keli....sorry such a long post!

I'm sorry for your bad experience with the Wilton instructor and the JoAnnes store. As an instructor I can say not all instructors are bad and I'm sorry you got one. You did the right thing by notifying Wilton of your experience. I hope you gave the instructors name because that person has a lot of explaining to do. Stay in touch with Wilton (squeaky wheel gets the grease I say). You deserve your certificate at no additional cost to you and they should do everything in their power to see that you get it.
Good luck.

I have some info that may help you
I have been involved in that store

please e-mail me

[email protected]

I had a very good experience in my wilton classes. The instructor was good. When she wasn't able to give the class they gave us a much experienced instructor that had 30 yrs decorating cakes.

My instructor was wonderful....fun, talented, a perfectionist, experienced, tolerant of our silliness, and all around provided a great learning experience.

What is the criteria for becoming a Wilton instructor. My instructor was not located in a chain store. This common thread seems to keep popping up. Possibly, the large stores have to many irons in the fire sometimes.

After reading here...I feel very fortunate.

Wow I feel so bad for you! That is so not a way for either the store or instructor to conduct themselves! I guess I was lucky enough to have 2 great instructors! I had one for course 1 and then a different one for course 2 & 3. they were both great and I consider them friends now! I guess I had better luck because my clases were at a cake suppy store and not a craft store,which still is no excuse.

I took a refresher course number 3 just to get out of the house. I was helping some of the students. She would just skip stuff and the girls are what , what did not get that. Now the instructor told me that wilton will re-imburse you if you are not satisfied with the class.

My instructor from 8 years was fabulous. I guess it is the roll of the dice.

Good luck

I have had an okay experience with my wilton courses. I took one and two.
The only problem was the instuctor. She didn't have a lot of information. I seemed to get more information from this site and teaching myself.

I found a great wilton instuctor that I email back and forth with. Only problem is she lives in another state! I found her on wilton's website. She can always answer the questions that my instuctor here cannot answer.

I am not going to take course three at the location I am currently at. I want to try another location and hope I get someone better.

Wow, that s**ks!
I was able to take all three classes, and once I was 1/2 hr late due to them not calling me too. Everyone else was there though!

The instructor was great, and said that we could also email her anytime with questions, but gave a bad email address!

Now I just wish I could take more classes like fondant or sculpturing, but there are none offered around here.

So, I'm teaching myself and if I have questions, that is when I come here!

I have taken course I & II at Michael's and have been pretty fortunate. They were both very knowledgable even though both have been teaching less than 5 years.

What's really great, though, is that they work together. They have worked out a schedule so one will teach II & III for 2 months and then switch (there are always 2 Course I's I think.) If one of them can't make it, the other one fills in. That happened twice at back to school time, but we still learned everything we were supposed to.

I'm sure there are good and bad, I just feel bad for those that don't have an option on where to go.

Ali (considering becoming a WMI myself)

I heard back from Wilton today (faster than I expected!) And I was assured that they will make sure that everyone in the class gets their level 1 certificate. They are also in the process of finding a new instructor for the store (apparantly the education director complained as well), so we'll see what happens. I mean, don't get me wrong about the total experience. The instructor was informative, but just inconsiderate not to show up or call the students making her apologies for not being there. Level 1 is just a refresher for me, so it's not biggie, but I want my certificate!

I too am a newbie Wilton Instructor at a Jo-Anns here in TN. So sorry you had such a problem. It will also give me some insight and things to watch out for when I start my classes. At the Jo-Anns here in TN the education director seems pretty hands on. They have a full time Wilton Insructor that teaches the I II and III I am just a fill in as they are opening new stores and want to make sure they have everything covered.

I took my I II &III at Michaels, my girlfriend and I were the only students so I know they can have a class with less than 3. My instructor was pretty good and I enjoyed my experience there. You did the right thing in complaining to Wilton. They want you to have a good experience. Good luck with it all and hope you get some fast resolution.

I love my instructor. The store sometimes gives her a hard time, but she is great!! I consider myself to be very lucky considering some of the things I have heard on here. My first class I went to the instructor didn't show up, but that's because the store told her the class was cancelled but they didn't call the students so we all showed up. The bad part about that was it's 1 1/2 hrs away from me so it was a lot of driving for nothing.

I am an Wilton instructor at a JoAnn store and just wanted to let you know that the store here requires 6 students for a class, not 4. They can and will make exceptions sometimes, but they don't like to.
It's the store's responsibility to call students if the course is cancelled. The store doesn't give me any of the students phone numbers. I don't see them until after the first night of Course I when I get a copy of the paperwork.
If you really want to get your certificate, the store actually has them. They are shipped with the Course books. You could contact the manager of the store and have them sign one for you.
Hope you have a better experience next time.

I felt the same way with my Wilton Instructor, infact my sister and I dropped out after the first few classes and are going to wait until we find some where new to go. Our teacher was very rude, and never showed us how to do anything, we learned by doing it ourselves, and playing with things...I love making cakes and decorating them, ok I love cooking period, but I didn't have the time to waste to sit in a class room and learn nothing!

I really feel bad that so many of you had bad experiences with Wilton instructors. All instructors are given the same teaching criteria in an "instructors class guide" which we are all supposed to follow so that all students are tought the same way. It clearly states that the instructor is to demonstrate how to do a technique to the students and then have the students try that technique. The instructor is then to go around the room to each student and see how they're doing and help them. This is all in writing in the guide and if the instructor isn't doing that - they're wrong and should be called on the carpet for it. There are also, in writing, set procedures as to what should be done if a teacher needs to cancel a class and reschedule it. Shame on any instructor that doesn't follow these and all procedures and if they can't - they shouldn't be instructing. There - now I'll get down off my soap box and calm down.

My instructor at Michael's was wonderful. She came around and helped us all and was overall very encouraging.

Yes, classes are to be taught the same in every course no matter where your located. Ofcourse all instructors will be alittle different in anything "above and beyond" that they include, but is AFTER they teach what is set by Wilton. We are instructed that in class it's "THE WILTON WAY". No lie, talk about dedication, I had a student who was going to miss the third night of class and would not return until just before her last night because she was going to visit her family member out of town. Well she set it up to take the class at the local store near her relative and returned for her final night to me and never missed a beat. Honestly.

Rose

i just have to brag about my wilton instructor!!! she is so wonderful!!!!!! micheals treats her very good because they love her too!!!
she was so patient, so kind, she let us run over time if we needed too, she gave us her home phone number and told us to call any time we needed anything, and i have. she is the greatest!!!! sorry you guys didnt have the same experience!

my aunt took a wilton 1 course and her instructor wasnt so woopi either....so i know it depends on who you get.

good luck!
melody

As a former Wilton Instructor I will put my 2 cents in.

As a Wilton Instructor you MUST have a "back-up" instructor. Thing happen and if you have a back up instructor you have someone that can sub for you and you can sub for them.

Also, you are not just supposed to "SHOW UP" to teach the class. You are to go a few days earlier to check out the roster, the supplies and...if you don't have enough people for a class paid up....YOU take the interest sheet and start calling people.

As an instructor whenever I scheduled a course 2 or 3 class I would always call the "grads" from course 1 to see if they were interested.

I also scheduled 2 Course 1 classes back to back so if anyone missed a course one class they could come to the class they missed.

I was ALWAYS busy...I had a class running EVERY night and 2 on Saturday..a day class and an evening class.

First night of class I'd take EVERYONE'S phone number in case I needed to get in touch with anyone.

People will be people. Some people are just careless and lazy and do not put 100% into anything they do.

A Wilton Instructor MUST enjoy teaching, the pay is not that great!..lol

how do you become an instructor?

my instructor did not have a "back up" because she asked us to switch to another night one week since she has something to do with her daughter.

I am sure there are some WONDERFUL instructors!!!! The bad ones just seem to ruin it for the rest. The same goes for anything that deals with people.
Customer service is WAY down! People do not take the time to say 'hello, how can I help you?'
At the checkout in stores the cashiers NEVER say hello or goodbye or did you find what you were looking for. Some just stare at you. I will not say hello until they say hello to me!! That is their job.
I had a problem with a pizza delieverly lady one time - she just handed the pizza to us while talking on the PHONE!!!! (cell phone) and then we needed to sign something and she didn't even have a pen!! she asked us to get one!
I called and reported her. She did call me later and said she was sorry and said she had some family problems to deal with. BUT THAT IS NOT AN EXCUSE!!!

(sorry to vent)

my point is...there are good people, instructors, cashiers, pizza delieverly ladies, but the bad always stand out more than the good.

mom of two girls.

You are so right about customer service! and you're also right about things happening, but as a professional you handle them without disturbing the majority.

I can understand if your instructor had to reschedule a class, I think I've had to do that also...but I gave my class a choice...keep the same night with a sub or reschedule so they could be with me..

Most chose to stay with me..lol

Bad customer service burn my goat. I am VERY vocal about cell phones too. I mean I live with my little pink barbie phone glued to my ear, but I am NEVER rude. I won't even talk on the phone when I have someone in the car with me...nor do I talk on the phone when I walk into a store..( I hate having to hear about other people's little lives!)

It doesn't matter what you do, you must do it with EXCELLENCE!

I'm having a lot of trouble with that...most of the kids in class are not worried about their grades...they fell they don't have to give 100% of their efforts because they are NOT being paid!

HELLO...WE are paying 250 dollars a day for our education. I cannot comprehend the attitude!

UGH..

sorry for highjacking your post, but I needed to vent too..lol

I had a great instructor at my Michael's. I was sad when Course 3 ended. She gave us her home phone number and e-mail address for any help we needed.
I hate it some of y'all had a bad time..

lol - i needed that!! thank goodness i am not the only one who feels this way.

I guess I learned from my pop-pop, he managed sears stores for many years of his life and retired from there. he felt that customer service should be number one. and it should be!