"Tom S." wrote in message
My experience 7 years ago wasn't good. They only thing they do well is
bill
you. They overbill if possible. Don't ever require a refund because that
will take time.

That sounds like most every American company I've dealt with in the last
ten
years -- Customer Service is open from 9:00 AM until 4:00PM, but the
Collections Dept. is open from 5:00 AM until midnight. Typical operation
when an MBA is running the show :~)

Thanks for commiserating but perhaps too broad a brush. Everything about
American Flyers smelled like "produce revenue while providing the absolute
mininum in service and value". Started with a manual with out of date FARs
and 10th generation unreadable copies. Three different CFIs on 3 trips
despite assurances of a single instructor. Ended when I finished with an
overpayment for unused flight time. Whatever the process was for getting a
refund, no one there could do it and surely it would require me to return
home and do it over the phone. 10 days minimum! When I made it clear that
I wasn't walking out the door without it and started to enlist other
students to help me figure out what was going on, a refund was made. There
was nothing in dispute.... just BS.

Anyway, making money is a fine thing -- I admire it. Making money by giving
people a high quality product/service, the way the want it, is most
admirable. ATP Inc. clearly knows how to close a sale and collect a bill.
But they offer a quality package of instructional services in quality planes
with well trained instructors working well designed sylabi (whatever). What
they sell is not for everyone and every situation but it is clearly
described, delivered as promised, and done with flexibility within a tightly
controlled program. I gladly pay for that.

I went into American Flyers (Florida) with a positive expectation but caught
the stench within 10 mins. Should have trusted my instincts. I have no
problem dissing them and hope the FAA takes them down. Sometimes 'market
forces' aren't enough.