Awful coach

[Xstatic]

I paid for 8 sessions (Which I haven't started yet) with this new coach that I'm backing out of now because I don't like her attitude, she's really horrible.
Do you think it is my right to transfer the payment to another coach?

 

[silver.blades]

It depends on what agreements were made with the coach when you agreed to take lessons from her. It's unusual to pay for lessons upfront, but not unheard of. If you haven't actually had any of the lessons, you are probably entitled to at least some of the money back, but again it depends on what you agreed to at the time you employed her initially. Most coaches have a policy on how long in advance you need to inform them of an absence to not be charged for the lesson, so some of it will depend on when these lessons were supposed to happen. There is also a matter of how you paid her. A cheque can be cancelled, but if you paid in cash you will have to approach her for a refund. I'd say ethically, she is entitled to the pay for at least the first lesson as you did initially agree to work with her, after that if you have given sufficient notice that you are terminating the agreement (usually understood to be at least 24 hours, but could be as much as a week depending on the initial agreement) you are entitled to the money for the remaining session as you never received the lessons. If you're paying through the club, that's a whole other matter, but might actually make things easier. If that's the case then inform them of your decision and they will let you know what the policy is. If it's through the club, you will probably have an easier time of it as the club tends to keep the money and then pay the coaches when they bill for the hours they have worked after the fact.

 

[Xstatic]

Hey, Thank you for the response Silver.blades, yes I paid it through the club which offers 8 sessions of figure skating lessons. I've already complained to the manager about her and I told her I would like to change the coach, she said it's ok. I'll make sure if the payment has been transferred to the other coach (who isn't here yet but will arrive from his vacation next week.) This new coach is temporary, I thought I'd hire her until my regular coach comes and possibly have both coach me. But this new coach seems to have an attitude that really gets on my nerves. She's abruptive, has weak communication skills, and for gods sake can't even talk english.
I myself don't think I'll be comfortable with a person like her, she's not my kind of coach.

 

[treesprite]

Sorry to hear about this experience.

 

[silver.blades]

I'm sure you've already gone through this, but if you are working with another coach in your coaches absence first, make sure that they are aware of the coach you are working with and that they approve them. Most coaches have no issue with their students working with other coaches and many encourage it, but there are some coaching philosophies that don't mix. This is especially important if you're planning on continuing to work with both of them. If you have multiple coaches they have to work together on some level, so it's important to make sure they're aware of each other and the others methods so they're not contradicting each other and making it more difficult for you. Plus it's just polite.

 

[mskater93]

I think the OP never had a lesson with the "awful coach" and is getting lessons bankrolled through the rink. I may have misunderstood...

 

[loopy]

I'd hesitate speaking so harshly about a coach you have not had a lesson from. Instead of focusing on what you disliked about him/her from a conversation, I'd just let the skating director know it isn't a good match and have the director be the liaison between the coaches in arranging your first lesson.