James Golightly said that for two months, he and his son had reason to be grateful to the Sylvan Learning Center in Denver, N.C.
Tutors at the center were helping improve the Huntersville teenager's reading comprehension, and for the first time in his life, he was performing as well as his peers in school, Golightly said.
Then one evening in November, Golightly and his wife got a call from the center's director notifying them that the owner was immediately closing the center. The family has yet to receive a refund on the $3,500 they paid for tuition.
The Denver center was one of four Sylvan Learning franchises in the Carolinas that owner Gary Romich abruptly closed last year.
Romich, 56, said financial difficulties led to the closings of his centers in Shelby and Denver, and in Rock Hill and Spartanburg in South Carolina. But the Shelby resident vowed to repay all the parents who are owed refunds. He said he mailed the first batch of refund checks on Thursday and will send the rest soon.
Everybody who prepaid will get paid back. So I mean it's not anybody ripping anyone off or anything like that, Romich told the Observer. ...I'm doing everything I can do to make sure everybody is taken care of.
The four centers had about 120 customers, Romich said. He declined to say how many of those are owed money.
Based in Baltimore, Sylvan Learning Inc. has issued licenses for about 850 tutoring centers worldwide, including seven in Charlotte and the counties surrounding it.
Sylvan has revoked Romich's license because he failed to follow proper procedures before closing the center, company spokesman Nick Kouwenhoven said. The company requires franchisees who close centers to return all money to customers for services that weren't rendered.
Several families whose children were tutored at Romich's centers have told Sylvan that they prepaid for services that weren't delivered, Kouwenhoven said. He says parents should contact Romich directly.
Romich, who opened his first learning center in 1999, says he was forced to close the centers because he got behind on royalty payments to Sylvan.
The large majority of Sylvan Learning Centers are individually owned and operated by franchisees, who pay a percentage of their revenue to the company in exchange for instructional materials, training and other services.
Golightly said he has received no calls or emails from Romich since the closing, and has gotten no indication that the former owner intends to repay parents. He and his wife have talked to a lawyer about filing a lawsuit.
He just closed his doors and left us in the lurch, Golightly said. ...They were making a difference with many families and many kids. That's the biggest loss - the education of the children.
Two other parents, whose children received services at the Shelby and Rock Hill centers, have also contended Romich owes them money, according to a Jan. 5 story in the Shelby Star newspaper.
Romich said the economic slump left him struggling to keep his business afloat. It has been so bad, he said, that he hasn't taken a salary from the business in two years. Recently, he said, he sold his car so that he can repay parents.
Romich owes the IRS more than $100,000 in back taxes, records show. Romich says he believes he owes the IRS less than that and has been gradually repaying his debt.
Staff researcher Maria David contributed.
Options for parents
Sylvan Learning Inc. says it will try to find new tutoring options for customers who were displaced by the closings. Those who would like to find another local center can call 800-627-4276, ext. 8118.
The company also offers online tutoring to those with computer access.
The company says it's not responsible for repaying the customers at the closed centers because those were owned by Gary Romich. They said customers who believe they're owed refunds can contact Romich at gbromich@bellsouth.net or cdsylvan1630@bellsouth.net.
