Hello,

On Monday of last week, one of my (adult) students rang to cancel his hours' lesson. As this Monday was Bank Holiday, he asked to have his lesson tonight instead. I said I would try and fit him in and would let him know what time I could be with him. I rang him this morning and left a voice mail message to confirm that I would be at his house for 7.30 this evening, or I could fit him in tomorrow if he preferred..

He texted back:

"OK..I'll have a lesson tonight but only half hour."

I replied:

"OK..but I'll still need to charge for the hour."

He responded:

"Lesson cancelled. I'm not in the mood anyway".

So, was I right to still charge for the hour? He's an avid football fan, so I'm assuming there is football on TV tonight at 8.00pm. If he'd had the full hour, he would have missed kick-off. Should I have still gone and just charged for the half hour?

I'm a bit miffed as I was changing arrangements to suit him in the first place! I'm tempted to text back "OK..see you on Monday if I'm in the mood to teach you!" (I wouldn't though of course!)

Thanks.

You were absolutely right to charge for the hour.

The trouble with YOU going to HIM is that he can dictate when suits and the trouble with paying as you go is that HE can cancel and not pay, if you let him. And it's so much harder to charge in this situation.

Please, for your own sanity, consider changing so that you have a clear contract and understanding about lesson terms AND get paid in advance! We pay our singing teacher 4 lessons in advance and all the others 10 in advance. It's only fair. We arrange each singing lesson at the end of the one before, when I cancelled once 24 hours before due to illness we were not charged, the other lessons are on a fixed day and time.

I think I actually would have sent the "if I'm in the mood" text - with appropriate smilie. This is somebody that you know, and can get away with joking with - I hope! Although it's a joke, it might get the idea across that you're putting yourself out and that it's not worth your while to change your arrangememts and travel to him for the sake of half an hour. Texting rather than talking can create 'bad feeling' situations that wouldn't arise if people just talked - so be careful! He might have been being humorous himself rather than plain snottery.

Terms and conditions are another issue. If you don't have them, then it doesn't help in this situation to say that you should. I make text arrangements with my adult pupils too, and they are often unpredictable, so I have them at the ends of the day, so that I'm not twiddling my thumbs waiting for the next pupil when they don't make it. I think if I suggested contracts with them I would simply lose them!

I absolutely agree about changing your terms and conditions. When you say "was I right to still charge for the hour?" have you actually seen the money yet? Because I wouldn't be at all surprised if he refuses to pay.

This is what I would have done (I'm not saying it's necessarily the right thing, and there may be reasons why your situation is different, but I can only give my opinion):

1) Not have been expected to be teaching on a Bank Holiday in the first place. They are public holidays and the ISM for one does not regard it as standard practice for music lessons to take place.

2) Had firm terms and conditions in place so that there was absolutely no argument as to whether a late cancellation such as this should be charged for.

3) When he expressed doubt about whether he wanted his lesson (or the full hour) today, reminded him that there was also the option of having it tomorow. I think you were being more than accommodating.

4) And I would send your slightly sarcastic text. I think that's a brilliant risposte and if he thinks it's rude, he'll realise that his message was rude too. I'd probably put an exclamation mark or two at the end so it sounds like a 'joke'. Obviously it depends on your relationship with this particular pupil, but I think it makes your feelings on the matter fairly clear...

Great minds and all that...

What's even funnier is that I was just about to write a 'Great minds...' post, but you beat me to it!!!

Thank you.



He is one of my first students from when I started teaching three years ago. We can have a joke in the lesson, but I have needed to speak to him before about messing me around with his lessons, and he got a bit "sulky" (for want of a better word). I had a "feeling" I would get the "Lesson cancelled" message. I will speak to him again about it on Monday.

I have spoken to all my students about having T's and C's drawn up. This particular student has cancelled before at short notice. He's also the only one who would expect to only pay for half a lesson. On rare occassions, I've had other students who couldn't complete a full lesson but have still paid for the full time without me having to say anything.

[quote name='Czerny' post='815475' date='Apr 15 2009, 11:20 AM']

4) And I would send your slightly sarcastic text. I think that's a brilliant risposte and if he thinks it's rude, he'll realise that his message was rude too. I'd probably put an exclamation mark or two at the end so it sounds like a 'joke'. Obviously it depends on your relationship with this particular pupil, but I think it makes your feelings on the matter fairly clear...
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I'm *very* tempted to now!!

Go on, be a devil! (Searches for appropriate smilie...)

Sort of the opposite of this one...

I'll tell him you told me to!

Ok..here goes...

I'll know who to blame if he cancels lessons altogether...!

That was my first reaction - but I think I'd resist it because it sounds like he was in a very bad mood to have mentioned it in his text.

Hopefully he'll be in a better mood next week, and you'll get a better response when you raise the matter.

I fear you may be too late, Skylark...!

It probably would have been better to say something like 'ok half an hour tonight but lets do an hour and a half next time to replace the lost half hour.' If you hadn't made it clear that half hours aren't on, he probably felt a bit miffed that you demanded an hour's pay for what to him seemed like half an hour's work, hence the sudden change of mood.

I have had an apology and "I'll see you on Monday" response.



He's aware that I need to charge a full hours' rate. We've spoken before about it.

A case of "who dares, wins" then, whereas I usually take the view "if in doubt, don't"


Glad he's apologised anyway, result!

All's well that ends well, then!

(Czerny and I will be expecting our commission in the post. )

If only I knew where to send it... .

Thanks anyway, folks. I will *definitely* be getting T's and C's drawn up now....

Indeed!