Does anyone else go to an Arthur Murray and have a hard time with the studio's customer-unfriendly policies? I have been at the Arthur Murray Ann Arbor studio for over two years but they have policies that make me wonder how they are still in business. For example, they will not allow me to take a lesson at a nearby Arthur Murray, nor will they allow my friend from that Arthur Murray to take a lesson at my studio. I never feel like they listen to any of my concerns. The teachers gossip about students behind out backs (and sometimes when we are in ear-shot). Going to Arthur Murray is VERY expensive and I am getting tired of such a poor customer experience. Anyone else have problems with their Arthur Murray?
Also, if you are in southeast Michigan and have a suggestion for a better studio, please share! Thank you.

If you look at old posts there are raging debates about the evils and perils of chains. Fred Astaire and Arthur Murray have a lot of enemies. You will notice that their friends:
A. tend to work for them,
B. are in one of those magical few places with decent instructors and managers,
C. is a haplsess soul. One of the people who are still in the thrall of finding dance and haven't figured out they are being ripped off by teachers who prey on their emotions and love of dancing.

I was a Fred Astaire student (read victim). It took me a long time to find the right independent instructor. You have to go out there and research them like you would someone you were hiring because that is what you are doing. Get on the internet and start researching your area. Go out and meet the instructors. Watch how they work with students and NEVER pay for more than one lesson at a time. There are great teachers out there. You can find them. If your area supports more than one AM than I can guarantee you there are independent chains. I just googled ballroom dance Michigan and there are tons of hits in the southeast.

Good luck!

Alarm bells go off as soon as I hear "they won't allow me". AM studios are like that all over the world. I have a friend who was very happy at an AM until she told her instructor about a dance she went to on a weekend. It was not associated with any studio. Her instructor told her she was 'not allowed to' go to any dance in the city without his permission. She reminded him that he had no control over her social life, she could dance where she wanted and she left the studio and found an independent.