Do you think i should still pay her ?

Question

my sons got a private teacher,and today i had to cancel the lesson,i txt her at 5 oclock and said that im going to to have to cancel lesson,then at 5.30 she txt back and says yeah thats fine but im still going to have to charge you because i was in your road??

1st of all,how do i know she was in my road ?

2nd,she is never on time!

3rd,she txt me 30mins after i tx her!

4th,when i hired her she told me that if she turns up at my door and im not in then i still have to pay,which is fair enough cause i have not giving her any notice.

i know its only 15mins...but she didnt even get out her car.she could of just gone home.when the txt came though at 5.

it cost £20 an hour...and its not the money..its weather or not shes lieing ? what i dont get is,if she was in my road at 5,why not just knock on my door and say well im here now, so i might as well do the lesson.why txt me 30mins after and say that ive still got to pay ? dont no why i pay her anyway,all she does is eat !

Answer 1

I would pay her. Since you didn't have things written out clearly as a contract between the 2 of you, you may have understood one thing and she may have understood the other. Whether she was on your street or not is beside the point--it sounds like you cancelled right before the lesson. It is not at all unusual for people to still charge if you cancel last minute. Heck, our doctors and dentists here charge us if we don't cancel well enough ahead of time.

Being in your road doesn't mean that she was near your door at 5. Just because you sent her a text message at 5 doesn't mean she got it right away and she may very well have been in your road when she checked and saw that you were cancelling.

Pay her. Still consider hiring a different tutor if you want to, but pay her.

Answer 2

1st of all how does Shelley know that she was in her road ?

2ND she said that the teacher is always late! and then all of a sudden coz she gets a text to say I'm going to have to cancel,she turns up early ?

3rd she wants to get home coz shes going out ? my mum wouldn't put up with that!

that teacher should not book that lesson at that time if she wants to go out!

oh and i agree if she was up the road anyway then why not just knock the door ? she didn't know if you was in or out.

and how many home teachers eat when there teaching ?

even at school they don't eat through the lesson!

she should give herself more time,instead of cramming so many students in her schedule! then maybe she would not eat on her lesson,and have to rush off to go out with her mates!

Answer 3

If the teacher leaves early b/c she's going out, that is unacceptable. That is brining her privite life into her work life. The rest I can't help you with, you;ll have to decide on your own. Hope that helps!

Answer 4

I think you should pay her and find someone to replace her.

Answer 5

Private music teachers get paid whether you are there or not.  I would think it would be the same for a tutor.  You are paying for the time-slot.  If you are on vacation, sick, or have family emergency, the tutor still gets paid.

Have you considered homeschooling?

Answer 6

let her go and find a better one let your son help pick after all its his teacher

Answer 7

The professional courtesy --with any scheduled appointment is to allow 24 hour minimum notice---

Since you have not discussed the best way to handle a cancellation of her services --you both might consider working out these details on how to best work together so that in the future you both understand what is your role with one another and there is no mis-understanding.  Remind her that she has cancelled on you last minute as well and that you wish for her to extend the courtesy of a no charge.

BUT---before you take the time to talk with her about her policy on tutoring your child, her last minute cancellation policy, payment policy and 'how to measure her results' policy (you know, ask for some sort of measureable tool that allows you in writing what you and your son get if she is not able to help him improve his learning w/her tutoring)---decide if she is right for you and your family---

In regards to if she was not telling you the truth---I can only say that giving her the benefit of the doubt is usually the best thing to do---just because she did not txt you back immediatley does not mean that she was NOT on your road on her way to teach your son--she may have been on the phone talking to someone else ---

Either way--you should consider paying her and letting her go; paying her and continuing with her ONLY after the 2 of you put in writing what it is you expect from one another.

She  can extend to you a no-charge policy for canceling on her---once--but in order for her to schedule herself proplery and make herself avail. for you and your son--she really  needs to know which days she is with her students and which days she is free--just simple business courtesy.

You can also decide NOT to pay her and explain to her why you feel uncomfortable with not paying her---

If you are not comfortable with her my suggestion is to not cont. her services.  It sounded like your son was not getting the results you are looking for.

Think it over--after you have cooled down---consider all of the pros and cons before moving onto your final decision.

Good Luck.

Answer 8

Looks like the arrangement is not working to myour advantage ansd you don't seem to be getting your money's worth.

It's time to go to splitville.  Let her go. FIns your son another teacher.

Answer 9

Sorry, I have to go with her getting paid. Was the appointment at 5pm and you cancelled right at 5pm? That wasn't quite clear. It sounds like she texted you back with reasonable promptness (30 min.).

I'd say that she was quite likely heading to your home when she got the message of the cancellation of the appointment. If she got the message of the cancellation while driving down your street, why would she go to your door? As far as she knew, no one would be home if you cancelled.

If this event is going to make you feel continued anger toward her, then locate another tutor. But from the sound of it, I don't see that she has done anything to deserve it specific to today's incident - the other events perhaps. How about you wait 24 hours before taking any action though? Things may seem brighter in the morning than they do right now. :)

Answer 10

I don't think 15 minutes notice is enough.  However, I think it is a little steep to charge you the full price.  A small fee to cover gas would be enough.

Answer 11

Pay her to avoid a dispute and then fire her and find you someone who shows up on time stays the full time and is worth having.

Answer 12

Anytime you cancel a scheduled appointment without giving at least a 24 hour notice, you are responsible for the fee.

This is the teachers income, and she/he has an agreement with you that should be honored by both.

If she/he could not make it for some reason you'd expect her/him to make up the lessons as well.

If the lessons are not for the full hour, all you have to do is adjust the payment to reflect the actual time of instruction; half an hour, or round it to the nearest quarter of an hour.

Fair is fair, and the only exception to this should be if either of you had an emergency.

Additional:

A verbal agreement would be just as binding, and if you are not satisfied with the services she is providing, or the times that she is available, simply give her notice, and advertise, or look for another tutor.

Answer 13

I would begin by looking for another teacher.  this one does not sound reliable.

If you want to retain her, then write up some expectations, ask her what her expectations are, and put it all in writing with all adults signing the agreement.

For example:

1. if she is 15 minutes late, you don't have to pay her for the entire session, but a pro-rated amount of time.  

2.  If you give her 30 minutes prior notice about a cancelled lesson, you don't have to pay her.

3.  If you notify her outside of the 30 minute notice, she must immediately reply back, or risk not being paid for the day.

4.  if you cancel a lesson, you must re-schedule so she is not out the fee.

5.  If she is late more than 3 times, you have the right to terminate your contract with her.  And define what late is.

6.  She must show you results as to your son's progress, and you must be given 15 minutes every 2 months to discuss with her the plan for your son, where he is at scholastically, and what her short-term goals are, and the next meeting, she must show she's fulfilled those goals, or she will be terminated.

Good luck... it is hard to terminate someone.

If she wants to be in business for herself, she must carry the consequences of her actions as well.

kate