How to Handle Cancellations

I'm curious what you think are fair policies for handling cancelled lessons. For example, if a student just doesn't show up and doesn't call, should they be charged? Or should you give the student a couple of warnings first? Also, how much notice is reasonable? 24 hours?

I just had a student cancel. She is sick. She emailed me to let me know, and I appreciated that, but it made me think of other situations in the past.

I think that habitual cancellers should be charged. The first time it happens, well, okay. Things DO happen. But, if it happens a couple times or a bunch of times, charge her. Your time is valuable. And if she hadn't made the appointment, you could have scheduled someone else in that slot. There's no reason why you should bear the burden yourself.


On the other hand, things do happen. So the first time, let her slide. But if cancelling becomes a habit, charge her. I bet you'll find that she stops cancelling.

I agree with Jenn... well, wait a minute... ok, actually I do and I don't! :?

I say it comes down to why... even a first cancellation because "I forgot," or "I overslept" could be charged in my estimation. While, on the flip side, a last minute cancellation for a very serious reason should, to my way of thinking at least, be understood.

Any pattern of cancellations, however, needs to be charged in full!

Ditto!! I overslept is not an acceptable excuse. Appropriate notification occasionally well before the class/ lesson, with the right circumstances, should be excused.

Dance coaches have to make a living just like anyone else, and wasted time comes *directly* out of their pocket unlike someone goofing off at the office while on the clock. My coach simply has a sign up stating that cancellations less than a day in advance will be charged. It's really about respect for another's time. With the proliferation of cell phones today, there really is no excuse.

JohnK said:

Dance coaches have to make a living just like anyone else, and wasted time comes *directly* out of their pocket unlike someone goofing off at the office while on the clock. My coach simply has a sign up stating that cancellations less than a day in advance will be charged. It's really about respect for another's time. With the proliferation of cell phones today, there really is no excuse.

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I actually don't have a cell phone!! Don't like those things!

And welcome to the forums JohnK. We are happy to have you join us. While I disagree about cell phones, it's definitely important to have a coach/dance instructor to clearly set up expectations right from the outset, as yours does.

Hi Sagitta, thanks for the welcome.

I'm no real fan of cell phones myself. I guess I was reacting to DanceMentor's note about cancelling via email. I'd like to believe courtesy demands you attempt to speak to your coach (or any "cancellee" for that matter) in person, an email is pretty lame.

BTW, is it normal to have to log in EVERY time I try to post a reply or new thread? My computer seems to be refusing to "remember this password for every log-in"...

I understand where you're coming from JohnK, and, as a general policy, see nothing wrong with it. I just wanted to leave a little bit of leeway for catastrophic type events, i.e. avoid the "Oh, I'm sorry your mother just passed away... but you know my cancellation policy. I'm really sorry, but you didn't give me 24 hour notice so I have to charge you. Oh yeah, my condolence." YUCK

P.S. Welcome to the Forums!

I agree that a phone call is important and that emails are impersonal. I do first the phone call, and if no-one picks I alsos end an email to do my best to make sure that my instructor finds out as soon as possible.

As for logging in...Once you log-in you shouldn't have to repeatedly log-in each time, unless you log out of your posts. I have had a problem with logging in last year where I logged out, and I couldn't log back in as the list of members at the bottom of the screen was showing my username. What worked was shutting down all my browser windows and reopening an internet browser, then going to df once again.

Try this out and see if it helps.

JohnK said:

Hi Sagitta, thanks for the welcome.

I'm no real fan of cell phones myself. I guess I was reacting to DanceMentor's note about cancelling via email. I'd like to believe courtesy demands you attempt to speak to your coach (or any "cancellee" for that matter) in person, an email is pretty lame.

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I guess it's a matter of personal preference. My former coach and I exchanged ZERO phone messages. I mean none, in over a year of lessons. He and I just both happen to be better at email communication -- I hate phones, period, and he was religious about keeping up with his emails a couple times a day.

If I had any communicating to do with him, email was always the better way. So I guess it depends on the people involved.

My official policy is that I need 24 hours notice, or the lesson is charged. I'm flexible, though, I've never actually used that clause.

Kevin

Larinda McRaven said:

I always say that I owe them a lesson for free when I screw up, and I hope that they understand that the same is expected from them, they should pay me when they cancel last minute. I have never stated this out loud, it just seems to be understood.

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I personally believe that the above should be law - with no exceptions. I also abide by this . . . and there have been times when I've taken a scheduled a class, and at the last minute had to cancel for a "real" reason. And I did pay - gladly!

Even for those of us that teach and recieve a fee for thier services, this applies!

This past Saturday, I had a Lindy class with d nice (Damon Stone), and I had a computer malfunction in my new truck while enroute and had to turn around, and go home to reset it - my computer in the truck is adjustable!

I called Damon and said I was needed to cancel . . . telling him about what happened, and if I started now, I'd be an hour late. Fortunately for me, he had another student at 2 who was already there, and he switched me from 1 to 2:00. A "real" emergency, but not within the 24 hour time line.

However, I would have paid him for the missed lesson if I had missed it altogether.

Larinda McRaven said:

I always say that I owe them a lesson for free when I screw up, and I hope that they understand that the same is expected from them, they should pay me when they cancel last minute. I have never stated this out loud, it just seems to be understood.

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I do this as well. I once gave out coupons for a free replacement class (so basically $10 off the next time they signed up) to a group when I was late, and that was due to traffic.

Kevin

Standarddancer said:

he invited his coaches from England and quoted a price higher than his competitors, he pushed us and other few couples to take lessons from that master on Sunday, we know another teacher books the same English master with a much reasonable price, plus Sunday morning isn't really a great time for us because we had to go to a comp Sat night and return to NY Sunday morning, so not good suffering tiredness on road while taking expensive lessons from coaches.

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The student's view of the situation makes sense.

We decided to cancel Sunday lessons and focus on the comp

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Oops, that's going to be difficult for the hosting teacher. The guest still needs to be paid.

While I notified him Wednesday for Sunday lessons cancellation, he freaked out

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Not surprising - who wouldn't when suddenly having to cover a few hundred dollars shortfall?

he texted me nasty words such as "forgot about bloody stupid college comp, come to take lessons..." and he even used "F" words in text (won't repeat here)

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Unfortunate and counterproductive behavior.

finally he sent me ultimatum that we have to find couples to replace our lessons slots Sunday morning or we have to pay cash for the lessons that we won't be able to take.

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If you had originally booked the lessons (as you seem to imply you had) that actually doesn't sound entirely unreasonable. It was the emotional outburst that was unreasonable.

I found a couple who's willing to switch their coach lessons from Saturday to Sunday our slots. I thought I'm done, the teacher should be happy, but he said that's not good enough, I just "moved" his couple, now I have to find another couples to fill Saturday that couples' empty slots

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True, all you did was move the empty slots to Saturday. That might make them easier to fill, but it doesn't actually fill them.

It sounds like you may have had other issues with this coach, and that may complicate your feelings about this incident. But the story, as you've described it, really does have two legitimate viewpoints and it's somewhat unfortunate that there's been no recognition in the responses posted to your complaint that the teacher also had reason to feel wronged.

If the cancellation policy for a coaching is different than it is for regular lessons (most I know have 24 hour policy) then that needed to be communicated when the coachings were booked. I don't think it's unreasonable to cancel on Wednesday for Sunday's coachings if there is a valid reason. If a teacher is going to insist on a student paying for the coachings with a few days' cancellation notice, then I'd be hardpressed to schedule the coachings until the last minute...and if he's unavailable, so be it.