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

September 14, 2007 no response to first demand letter

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(The first demand letter. Since there had been no effort by Rick or Connie Vrenios to resolve this matter, I began calling and finding out what people in these circumstances must do in order to follow up without giving up. The first call was made in August to my credit card company who first asked if I had sent Connie Vrenios and Rick Vrenios a formal demand to refund my $2000 down payment.)
From: cs colvin
To: reikicouncil@earthlink.net; connie@sanctuaryschoolofmassage.com
Sent: Friday, September 14, 2007 2:55:36 PM
Subject: Demand Letter

Friday, September 14, 2007


Rick and Connie Vrenios
The Sanctuary School and Reiki Council
799 Roosevelt Road , Building 4, Suite 001
Glen Ellyn , IL 60137


Attn: Rick Vrenios and Connie Vrenios of the Sanctuary School and Reiki Council

This is a formal demand for the full and immediate refund of my $2000 down payment, being sent to you directly because:

1) your attorney information was not provided in the email below

2) there is no enrollment agreement signed by me in your possession

3) on September 13th 2007 it was confirmed your school was issued a Cease and Desist letter from the Illinois State Board of Education in May 2007, yet in June 2007 my $2000 down payment was accepted and a loan application was prepared by Rick then signed by me to be submitted by Rick with TFC for a $4600 loan to pay the remainder of a $6600 massage program. There was no other agreement and ISBE approved schools are listed here: http://www.isbe.state.il.us/pbvs

4) aside from my $2000 down payment, no receipt for anything was provided

5) certification by you is as worthless as part of a program not completed because you failed to submit a loan that would have allowed me to complete the 660-hour massage program

6) considering this incident, I already paid more than I should to be a platinum member of the Reiki Council's Inspired Living Community only to have my trust and commitment to you obliterated by you through misrepresentation of yourselves and your schools

7) your email below makes and cites false accusations, agreements and circumstances.

Those points clarified, allow me to present the issue as I understand it: Without an enrollment agreement or being an ISBE approved school, you - Rick Vrenios and Connie Vrenios - accepted my $2000 down payment for the purpose of submitting a $4600 loan referenced in emails by both of you, then used my $2000 down payment without submitting the loan. The $2000 down payment needs to be returned immediately.

Respectfully,
Catherine S. Colvin
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