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AIBU?

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Original poster

To not pay subs?

88 replies

PunkApple · 08/07/2025 15:35

Less of a AIBU and more of a WIBU..
My daughter attends a local club, volunteers run the sessions but we pay termly to cover costs (hall hire, craft materials etc). She's been attending since September last year and really enjoys it.
Now since Easter the people running the club have been very inconsistent, cancelling due to their holidays (2 weeks before Easter hols, and another 2 weeks of holiday last month) there's also been one week (last week) cancelled due to illness and another week previously cancelled due to 'appointments'. To put it bluntly this term she's missed 3 sessions and the term before 4 sessions. Next week will also be the last session as the end of term party which was planned has mysteriously disappeared from the planning too. To total it, thats 8 weeks in two terms that haven't gone ahead. Which is effectively a whole term's worth of cancelled sessions!
A message in the groupchat appeared this morning asking those parents who haven't paid subs to pay them this week, I asked wether it will be a discounted rate due to the amount of missed sessions lately but was told no as its the same cost every term and averaged accross the whole year. This covers materials, rent etc which I do understand to an extent.
AIBU to be a bit annoyed? WIBU to make more of a point about it? Or shall I just pay and shut up as my daughter enjoys the club and the volunteers are giving up their time..?

OP posts:
Original poster
PunkApple · 08/07/2025 16:59

TheNightingalesStarling · 08/07/2025 16:10

Obviously no idea what your club is but to put it into perspective for our Scout group...

Subs... £120
Capitation... (payment to HQs covering insurance, training etc)... £65
Then we have stuff like the Hut insurance, the electricity bill, the water bill...the council tax... another big chunk gone.
The badges add up...

The actual money we get to run a session for equipment etc? Just a few pounds a term. That's for craft stuff, for ingredients, and replacement sports equipment....

Most if put money is from fundraising, not the Subs.

i understand they have costs, my complaint isn't about what the sessions cost necessarily. I've always paid them and agreed when I signed her up just that at the moment I'm paying for very little actual session time.

OP posts:
gsiftpoffu · 08/07/2025 16:58

You should pay them and actually you should have paid them promptly rather than waiting until nearly the end of term and the leaders having to send out a reminder in the group chat which means several people haven't paid and that isn't fair to the group leaders.

If you're not happy about them cancelling you should bring that up with them politely and not in the group chat in the way you did and ask what will be happening going forward, again offering to volunteer if you feel you can because that might help them.

Or if you're still not happy remove your DD from the group.

Summertime62 · 08/07/2025 16:14

If it’s volunteer led / not-for-profit I’d pay it. I pay DC subs monthly even the month they have off over the summer.

YourGreenZebra · 08/07/2025 16:14

Our subs are £17 a month, 12 months a year and as a leader I het £0 pay and £0.30 a child per session budget to buy all resources. The rest goes to fixed costs like capitulation and rent. I suggest you step up and help in any way you can (there is thousands of hours of work done behind the scenes) before you start kicking off about the excellent value activity your daughter enjoys and people give up their free time to deliver.

TheNightingalesStarling · 08/07/2025 16:10

Obviously no idea what your club is but to put it into perspective for our Scout group...

Subs... £120
Capitation... (payment to HQs covering insurance, training etc)... £65
Then we have stuff like the Hut insurance, the electricity bill, the water bill...the council tax... another big chunk gone.
The badges add up...

The actual money we get to run a session for equipment etc? Just a few pounds a term. That's for craft stuff, for ingredients, and replacement sports equipment....

Most if put money is from fundraising, not the Subs.

Original poster
PunkApple · 08/07/2025 16:03

2024TN · 08/07/2025 15:59

Or volunteer going forward? And extra volunteer might mean they don’t need to cancel so often.

Show quote history

I did fill out a form when she started the club saying I didn't mind helping out to run sessions (although with a 2 and 3 year old at home, dinner to cook, bathtime to sort etc, it couldn't be every week) but I've never been asked or invited to help with events so I assumed they didn't need anybody extra? Maybe I'll remind them the next time I drop her off.

OP posts:
BettyCrockerClinic · 08/07/2025 16:00

Tell them you’ll pay at the end of term based on the number of sessions that actually went ahead.

2024TN · 08/07/2025 15:59

PunkApple · 08/07/2025 15:57

It's £25 a term, so not massively expensive but I can't say daughter has done much to show for that recently. I do understand I jeopardise ruining everybody's fun by making a point and I know people are giving up their time. Daughter would be upset if it was stopped altogether so think I'll just have to grumble quietly but pay it.

Or volunteer going forward? And extra volunteer might mean they don’t need to cancel so often.

Original poster
PunkApple · 08/07/2025 15:57

It's £25 a term, so not massively expensive but I can't say daughter has done much to show for that recently. I do understand I jeopardise ruining everybody's fun by making a point and I know people are giving up their time. Daughter would be upset if it was stopped altogether so think I'll just have to grumble quietly but pay it.

OP posts:
Icanttakethisanymore · 08/07/2025 15:48

I think you take it as it is (a non-professional organisation run by volunteers) and make a judgement if it's worth it, based on an expectation that weeks will be missed etc. If yes, keep paying, if no, go elsewhere. Don't complain or expect it to change (unless you want to start volunteering!)

Hankunamatata · 08/07/2025 15:46

How much are the subs?

SandrenaIsMyBloodType · 08/07/2025 15:42

You’re not unreasonable to feel frustrated but unless you want to volunteer or risk the activity being wound up altogether because the volunteers decide that people are ungrateful, then I think you’d be wise to keep your feelings to yourself and pay up.

Jabberwok · 08/07/2025 15:41

I think while it's annoying that it's been cancelled so much, as it's run by volunteers, there's not a lot really you can say.

Personally I'd be trying to steer dd away if they are so flaky.