For me I never thought I would be ever learining on how to dance in the 1st place. Now when I 1st called A/M I was going to go but I had cold feet lol imagine that! Well I had my 1st lesson for $20.00 and I liked it, so the instructor at the time take me the office to talk to the manager of the studio I was in I have just finised paying my 1st series of lesson and doing it again. Yes I will admit it is a little expensive but, for me I love it! Ok so what you are going to get bad service just about everywhere you go I am sure that there are instructors that suck no doubt about that, but if you really want it bad enough just ask for another instructor! For a marketing aspect (this what I went to school for) A/M does provide a good service and they have many satisfied students like myself. Now granted not everyone is going to be satisfied that is the nature of the business where ever you go. I am blessed to have one great instructor and she is very pretty and works hard to see that me and her students get the best teaching that is out there. For me as a 1st timer in the Bronze Program, it is a lot of fun!I do not look at the political aspects or the socalled negative remarks becasue there is good and bad and I think that A/M have made improvements towards that. This is not to defend or make negative remarks about you as a person I am just saying for my point of view!

Any studio that remains in business must be providing a service; that's not in doubt.

The common criticism is more in the fairly limited range of services offered. Paying to participate in dancing facilitated by a teacher is a very different thing from paying for an education in how to dance with your peers.

Neither answer is right for everyone, but a situation where the more costly of the two choices is so more heavily marketed that many may be unaware of the existence of other option, does tend to come in for a lot of criticism.

If you analyze AM or FADS or one of their derivative non-franchised studios you will find they are a social club that teaches some dancing. Don't worry...that's ok...so long as you understand you are paying mainly for the club even when you take a lesson. Most studios--in spite of what they tell you--follow this formula because being around fun people sells. I one time had a bouncer in an upscale bar tell me "Those dance studio's just rip people off." I told him, "Well if they do, at least the people learn something and have exercise rather than a bar contributing only to cirrhosis of the liver." ADVICE 1: Manage your expenses and stretch out your lessons. The studio formula is "private lessons" are what they sell...and once you are under contract, they burn those out first and fast. [Excuse given..."you want to get the most for your money and learn the fastest don't you?] . Whatever they tell you about group lessons it is private lessons they sell and what they gauge upon. ADVICE 2: Whatever program you buy, be aware DURING that program they are working a procedure on you to get you to buy more. Their goal is to find out what objections you have to not buying more.