ANEWSLETTER FOR EMPLOYEESOF COMPANIESSUPPORTINGTHE BETTER BUSINESS BUREAU - Vol.3 - No.11 - November

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Newsletter edition covering complaints and guidance related to consumer issues, featuring martial arts school concerns, student perspectives on learning about consumer advocacy, and a Q&A section answering reader questions about a commemorative coin, gold price increases, television repair service and color quality, and debate over Vitamin E in face creams. Includes an ownership, management, and circulation statement, documenting publication details and responsible parties for the issue.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages5

Reading Time13 min

AccessFree to download

Vol. 3, No. 11 November, 1973

New Complaint on Karate Schools: "I Can Throw My Instructor Around."

How Students Saw the Consumer World

Readers Ask Us

Statement of Ownership, Management and Circulation

# ANEWSLETTER FOR EMPLOYEESOF COMPANIESSUPPORTINGTHE BETTER BUSINESS BUREAU Vol.3,No.11 November,19731973,by The Better Business Bureau NEW COMPLAINT ON KARATE SCHOOLS:"ICAN THROW MY INSTRUCTOR AROUND." The new wave of movies and TV series on the martial arts-karate,judo,etc.-are causingmany inquiries at the Better Business Bureau.Callers mostly ask about the reputability of schoolsadvertising in local media.But of the new interest in the chop-and-quick-kick art,the BetterBusiness Bureau's Tony Flecha has this to say:"I think it's important that would-be studentsrealize they can't enroll in a self-defense school and be able to fly through the air in a matter ofweeks.Let's face it,the discipline required in being able to fly through the air is a lifetime'swork.”Mr.Flecha's advice to would-be karate aficionados:"Don't go to a school and say:I wantto learn those techniques I saw in Enter the Dragon,or whatever movie it was that tickled yourfancy.Generally,you can't do what you saw dore in the movies.”Mr.Flecha noted thatcomplaints were being received at the Bureau on the inadequacy of instruction.“There are schoolsthat are cashing in on the fad--and they really can't deliver.One complainant told me last week:Tcan throw my instructor around-and I only just enrolled.What kind of instructors do they haveanyway?” # HOW STUDENTS SAW THE CONSUMER WORLD Last Spring,some 20 students from Brooklyn College worked at the Better Business Bureauas consumer advisers.After the first few weeks of their apprenticeship,their teacher summed upthe situation as follows:"Students are activistsThey believe that if things are to be done theymust be done immediately.As consumer advisers,they are learning the value of compromise.Theyare learning relationships between people.And they're also realizing that the customer isn't alwaysright.”The observations by the girls,as reflected in term papers they wrote at the end of thesemester,seem to bear this out.One girl said:“I learned to be more objective."Another:“Thepublic has a most definite right to realize satisfaction in its business dealings-but only whencombined with a mature understanding of its duties in being alert,responsible and informed of therole it plays in the marketplace.”Someone was the epitome of candor."I figured that the wholeidea of the Better Business Bureau was one big goof.Boy,was I ever wrong!"Their teacher notedthat the semester's work was a personal learning experience for the girls as well.In the womb-likesecurity of the campus,the business world seemed big and impersonal and impenetrable.As aresult of their work at the Bureau however,mediating consumer and business complaints,thebusiness world did not seem as formidable,and more girls indicated that they would rather jointhe business world upon graduating than teach. READERS ASK US Dear Better Business Bureau, In the Sunday News,I saw an ad for the"world's first Lincoln-Kennedy penny,"selling at 10for S4 or 100 for S29.I'm an avid coin collector,but this is the first I've heard of thiscommemorative coin.Is it an approved coin? Collector Dear Collector, This coin was not US.minted-the Kennedy impression was affixed by private parties at alater time.We've learned from the Handbook of U.S.Coins that commemoratives are decidedupon by the committee on Banking and Currency of the Senate,and the Committee on Coinage,Weights and Measures of the House for a specific issue-which was not the case with this coin.Theadvertiser says the ad is being adjusted. Better Business Bureau Dear Better Business Bureau, The jeweler I go to every year at Christmas has raised his prices sky-high on gold.What can bedone about this? Likes Gold Dear Gold, Heaven alone knows.The wild increase of the cost of gold to the manufacturer has beenpassed on to the retailer,who's passing it on to you. Better Business Bureau Dear Better Business Bureau, This is the second time my television set has gone back to the repair service,and th

FAQs

Why did the Better Business Bureau receive many inquiries about karate schools in this issue?

Callers mainly asked about the reputability of schools advertising in local media, especially concerns related to the promises made about martial arts training.

What advice does Tony Flecha give to people who want to learn karate?

He advises students not to expect to “fly through the air” quickly, and not to assume they can do in real life what they saw in movies.

How does the Bureau respond to questions about a “Lincoln-Kennedy penny”?

The Bureau explains the coin was not US-minted, the Kennedy impression was added later by private parties, and the committee decisions for commemoratives did not apply to this specific coin.

Sep 21, 2026

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