Resources

I thought I'd done my homework until I pursued help by filing a dispute with my credit card company. Then I realized I'd barely scratched the surface of information available. Still, I also have to say that the only thing I've found out so far that would have kept me from continuing with the Reiki Council and The Sanctuary School is that I should not have begun classes until I had payment information from TFC. Connie Vrenios had me using used books donated by a previous student for over a month, which was over half the time I was there. I had no business using their materials until they were "mine" and being paid for through the loan I thought was being submitted. Hopefully other would be students, from whom Rick Vrenios or Connie Vrenios request(s) a down payment from in order to submit a loan that doesn't end up submitted, may benefit from information provided in the resources below.

Illinois Legal Aid

Nolo

Illinois Pro Bono

Carol Stream Office of Praire State Legal Services provides free legal services in civil legal matters for persons who have incomes below 125% of the federal poverty guidelines and senior citizens age 60 and older regardless of income.

ISBE - Illinois State Board of Education In Illinois, a school's curriculum usually must be approved by the ISBE. As it happened for me, that may not apply to classes taken as a member even if you are a student or licensed.

Illinois Department of Finanical and Professional Regulation

Chicago Better Business Bureau

National Certification Board for Therapeutic Massage & Bodywork

American Massage Therapy Association

American Massage Therapy Association Illinois Chapter

Associated Bodywork and Massage Professionals

My Experience with Rick Vrenios, Connie Vrenios, Reiki Council and The Sanctuary School

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This blog details an attempt to complete a Reiki-based massage therapy program at The Sanctuary School which was cut short by Rick Vrenios and Connie Vrenios who chose not to submit the loan we agreed to in writing. A scan of that loan application dated June 13 2007 is chronologically entered near the bottom of this page.
To clarify a point made by Connie Vrenios and Rick Vrenios' in their BBB response about me creating a "flurry of communications", 1) this began in pursuit of my $2000 downpayment; 2) it's unlikely attorneys are inclined to immerge themselves in dense, convoluted communications for issues like this. Surely most would glance at this mess and rightfully refuse involvement. Maybe Connie Vrenios and Rick Vrenios relied on offensively dense and convoluted communications to prevent legal pursuit. I can't speak for them, but I have a consistent history of being verbose, so again their accusation is baseless and unprovable.

This blog is intended to serve as a constructive outlet for this experience. Though I'll never know why this happened, I do want others to know Connie Vrenios and Rick Vrenios disappointed me to the core. I also want to believe someone else will be helped by not being similarly victimized. My biggest mistake with The Sanctuary School and the Reiki Council though was wanting to continue to trust after common sense said enough is enough. There could have been much more to say here, but I didn't journal as I should have. Much is already not posted here because it's mostly rambling while trying to organize where I went wrong.

Outside legal means, any representative for The Sanctuary School and Reiki Council who decides to contact me should email transparent and clear discussion and know it will all be posted here and backed up elsewhere. This blog will be edited for clarification, typos and updated to add evolving details, so it will remain a work in progress through the last communication.

Friday, December 14, 2007

November 29, 2007 BBB my rebuttal to complaint# 94145268 sent to Ms. De Courtenay who had it posted

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(Just sent to Ms. De Courtenay at the Chicago BBB so this doesn't appear on the BBB response link yet. The scanned images in the response are already posted further down on this page chronologically within other posts.)

November 29, 2007 response to BBB complaint # 94145268.

This focuses on the loan or contract, 06/13/2007 transaction for $2000, false accusation of investigation, indeed.com post, false claim to heal a chronic injury, inability to prove defamation, Connie Vrenios’ handwritten note, Find A Therapist screenshot and inaccurate transcript each representing efforts to deceive from the beginning to present association with them.

1) On November 28, 2007 I called TFC at (800) 832-5626. It was confirmed this loan or contract is a binding agreement. The TFC representative confirmed there is no information about this contract in their system and was concerned this form was used to obtain $2000 without submitting the contract.

2) Connie Vrenios and Rick Vrenios did not provide proof to support their statements. This complaint was not acted on until after a BBB email was forwarded from me to Rick Vrenios and Connie Vrenios that stated the complaint closed with no response and an unsatisfactory record.

3) The refund reflected above remains in dispute, but combining facts with this muddied dialogue builds a clearer picture. The loan or contract above is the only written agreement. It appears Rick Vrenios and Connie Vrenios just wanted $2000. Based on my 600-hour certificate they claim 163 hours of inhouse, continuing and tutoring education, but how can the same 163 hours be used simultaneously as stated? How can anyone be definitionally tutored with a few to a dozen people in most classes? There is also this email from Connie Vrenios:

From: Connie Vrenios
To: cs_colvin@yahoo.com
Sent: Thursday, July 19, 2007 10:33:42 PM
Subject: your note & etc.

Hi Catherine -

We received your note - Yes, you are scheduled for this weekend’s Reiki-ssage I class if you wish to continue. If you have the time tomorrow, please come in after 12 - before 12 it’s too busy - & we can talk about things.

Rick said to tell you that since TFC levies their fees from the time they receive the application, he hadn’t faxed in your paperwork yet - has to do with fiscal responsibility, not your student status. OK, breathe now.

I’ll give you a call in the morning - I wasn’t sure how late you stay up & didn’t want to disturb your household.

Connie

4) The blogs are tracking communications chronologically. I won’t make it easier for Connie Vrenios and Rick Vrenios to scam others by hiding from what they did to me. They blogs are:

http://thesanctuaryschool.blogspot.com
http://reikicouncil.blogspot.com
http://cscolvin.blogspot.com
http://catherinesrespite.blogspot.com – a few early posts and one recent

5) What Rick Vrenios and Connie Vrenios consider proof is questionable. Among other things Connie Vrenios and or Rick Vrenios a) lied about the loan or contract, even calling it imaginary; b) attempted to use Connie Vrenios’ handwritten note as proof of licensure; c) inferred a Find A Therapist utility was proof of practicing without a license when they could have suggested https://www.idfpr.com/dpr/licenselookup/default.asp d) miscalculated he transcript; e) did not provide tutoring or continuing education to me; and f) lied stating I refused an offer when none was made “within the week” per their email.

6) The Health Investigations Unit for IDPR can be contacted at 312 814 4599 to confirm no complaint was filed against me and I am not being investigated.

7) The loan or contract was supposed to pay for books which Connie Vrenios and Rick Vrenios now have. They were returned to the reception area in exactly the same condition they were given to me – like new, unused and in excellent condition. There were no receipts, therefore no proof.

8) Connie Vrenios and Rick Vrenios are unable to prove defamation or collusion specific to me. No one asked me not to post related emails and it may help me, but I have not asked permission and some contain what is generally considered confidential personal information. Instead they will be forwarded to my credit card company with a specific request not to share them publicly or with individuals including Rick Vrenios and Connie Vrenios who claim to already have them and having shown me they cannot be trusted with other people’s confidences.

9) Neither Connie Vrenios or Rick Vrenios or anyone affiliated with them or their schools has healed any part of me in any way. It’s unlikely either would claim to have healed that chronic injury if they remembered what it was.

10) The quoted post below on indeed.com was made over two months ago while still pursuing massage therapy. I posted a second time just to be sure no one missed it.

Thank you for the opportunity to present this information.

Respectfully,
Catherine S. Colvin
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