A couple of weeks ago a new pupil started having lessons with me. The first lesson went fine – she was a good driver, she was happy with me and my teaching, and she booked lessons for the next 2-3 weeks (paid in advance).
Last Monday was her second lesson. I got a text message less than 6 hours before the lesson saying that she had a boiler problem and was waiting for the man to come and fix it, so she couldn’t do a lesson that day. “No problem “, I said. She said she’d be OK for the next booking, on the Wednesday.
On Wednesday I get a text asking me to call her (less than 4 hours before the lesson). She’s still got boiler problems and the man is still due to call to fix it. “No problem “, I said. She said she’d be OK for the next lesson (which was today).
Yesterday I texted her to confirm she was still OK for the lesson. She texted back this morning that she was. So I turn up and there’s no sign of her. I send a text, leave a message on her voicemail, and wait for half an hour (doing some paperwork and making some calls). Still no show. So I send her a text saying I’d waited, and drove off.
An hour later I get a text: “I fell asleep “.
I can smell trouble, so I’m charging for today (I didn’t for the two last week) and she can get another instructor to teach her.
And also yesterday, another pupil had a 2 hour lesson booked. Last week, he’d phoned me in the middle of a lesson with the pupil who had the slot before him that he couldn’t do it because he had a hangover . This was at 5pm, you understand. He booked this 2 hour lesson instead. In previous weeks he had had to stop lessons because of financial problems.
I get to his house yesterday and he doesn’t show. I wait for 15 minutes and then text him to say that we had a lesson. A little later I get a reply saying he “thought it was tomorrow”. He adds “I can do an hour now if you’re still around”.
I wasn’t. And I won’t be again. He, too, can find another instructor.
These two, between them, have cost me well over £200 lost income in under two weeks – and that isn’t taking into account the fact I could have used the slots they had if I’d have known, since other pupils were crying out for lessons.
You get to know after a while, but hanging on to these people for too long is financially very bad. I get rid early on these days.