i signed one contract for karate lessons later i was asked to do a another one the terms wer diff is it legal?

Question

i didn't know that the 2nd contract had sneaky terms formatted in 1'st contract (a,b,c form).originally there was a health reason release term(b).it was taken out on 2nd contract.term b was rewritten with term c from 1'st contract & set in a,b form.i didn't catch it until later,when i have developed gallstones.my doctor said i need surgery.i gave the school my doctor statement.then they informed that the health reason that was in contract one isn,t apart of the new contract.can anyone help with my situation please include referance material i can research.thank you all

Answer 1

Basic contract law - offer, acceptance and consideration. You are bound to the contract that you sign, but you are not required to sign a contract. You can decide not to sign, and they can decide to withhold services.

Answer 2

James is spot on. The first contract that you signed is only for the time that it states. When you and the other people involved in the contract signed it, you all agreed to abide by its terms until it expired. If they are offering you a new contract, this contract can be completely different from the first one. For instance, the first one may state that you spend a minimum of 1 hour practicing whereas the second one states that you have to practice for 16 hours a day. It is your right to decline the second contract and not sign it.

You can also approach whomever the contract is with and ask if they would be interested in changing the terms of the contract to better suit you. If the changes are minor to them, they will more than likely do that for you.

This is VERY common in contract negotiation. As peoples needs change, they need to make changes in the contracts they sign. I suggest you talk to them and explain the areas of the new contract that you don't like and see if they can accomodate you. If not, you have the right to decline and they can find someone else.

Answer 3

As a karate instructor, I cannot say if what they did was illegal but it certainly is not ethical. It burns me that so many people treat karate like a business rather than a school. Funakoshi must be turning over in his grave. They are not living the "do" part of "Karate-do."

Do yourself a favor and get out of that school even if you lose money. Find one that will let you go month to month, interview the Sensei or Master, talk with other students. Read "Karate-do: My Way of Life" and be sure any school you commit to practices what Funakoshi is talking about in this book.

Answer 4

Sure it's legal. However, you don't have to sign the new contract and the person/company would still be bound by the terms of the old contract until it expires.

Answer 5

I agree with Rob B. as a martial artist, i would seek a teacher who is more concerned with martial arts and less concerned with contracts and business. On bullshido.com they talk about the "McDojo". A crappy, business oriented, cookie cutter school.
Don't forget to ask the teacher what his qualifications are.

Answer 6

Yes...the first few months or year...( and they try to tie a person down for as long as possible ) are just to feed 'you' an continueing interest....after that they try to do the 5 year 'thing' since that is what they pre-suppose it will take you to 'earn' THIER' version of a black belt first dan...but in our SYSTEM it thaks 7 years generally....