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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To be irritated with response from swimming pool

66 replies

Ozziegirly · 16/07/2012 06:16

We have swimming classes for 2yo DS. Yesterday morning he woke with a temperature and a chesty cough.

He still has it today. I emailed the pool to inform them that he couldn't attend swimming and asked if he could attend a make up class at some point next week.

They said that they can't offer a make up as I didn't give them 48 hours notice, and could only have one if I get a Drs certificate.

To get a Drs cert I have to take up the Drs valuable time with a totally mild illness that in no way requires medical attention, and also pay $20 for the privilege.

I didn't give them 48 hours' notice as he wasn't ill 48 hours ago.

Can anyone see a way around this?

OP posts:
HecateHarshPants · 16/07/2012 07:30

yes you are Grin

they clearly have to have this policy to stop people pissing them about.

fair enough, you wouldn't. But there are plenty who would and it would just be chaos. They cannot say oh well, ozziegirl is ok, so we'll do it for her, but so and so can't. They have to have one policy, applied to all. And that policy is to not let people ring in and cancel or swap sessions, in order to avoid people ringing in oh little jonny's a bit poorly we've overslept we're not coming, give me my money back. oh, little mary's hurt her leg she's going to a party give me my money back...

fivegomadindorset · 16/07/2012 07:30

DD regulalry misses lessons due to a condition she has, I would never ever demand that she has a make up lesson in the week.

AChickenCalledKorma · 16/07/2012 07:31

OK, I'll add a YANBU. My children's swimming classes are very happy to fit children in to another lesson during the week if you have to miss one for some reason.

And the Dr's certificate thing is daft. If they aren't able to offer a slot at another class, they should just say so.

HecateHarshPants · 16/07/2012 07:31

as an aside, I had a fumble with a bloke called ozzie in the student's union building. We got caught by the janitor.

Your username always brings me out in a hot flush of shame Grin

Tee2072 · 16/07/2012 07:31

See? Hecate said what I said, but she said it so much better.

I think I'll stop posting, save my fingertips, and just wait for Hecate to say things...

Pozzled · 16/07/2012 07:35

The costs may be the same, but it must be a hassle to rearrange classes. The swimming teacher knows their small group, the kids know each other. If a different child is dropped into that group for a one-off session, it could slow down and disrupt the whole group. Especially if it's a different teacher.

If this happens frequently I imagine it would have more impact on the children's swimming than the occasional missed lesson. Not to mention the extra burden on admin staff trying to rearrange all the time.

BeatriceBean · 16/07/2012 07:35

Completely unreasonable and I can't believe you're going to these lengths for one lesson! Let your child recover properly and go next week without cramming more in.

If you've only lost one session in 8 months that's not really bad going is itw/

bbface · 16/07/2012 07:36

Ozzie, this is annoying and I understand where you are coming from.

What you need to do is get the email of the manager, and say something song the lines of...

My son caught a cold less than 48 hours before the lesson. Obviously last thing I want to do is cause him discomfort and potentially spread the cold to other swimmers, so I decided not to take him. The response from your staff was that I need to get a doc certificate in order to qualify for a make up lesson. I find this a little ott, as I need to pay $20 in order to get a certificate, and I feel uncomfortable at the thought of taking up a doc appointment for such a mild reason.

We love the swimming lessons; my son hugely benefits from them and I have recommended them to many friends with children, so I am most disappointed. I hope we can find a way forward. Perhaps I could take a slot I a class which you know is always undersubscribed?

Many thanks,

Sirzy · 16/07/2012 07:37

Why not just give him a week off swimming to recover?

RichManPoorManBeggarmanThief · 16/07/2012 07:39

I guess they need 48 hrs notice so that they can use absent slots in otherwise full classes to use for "make up lesson" purposes- i.e. it's the only practical way for them to offer this flexibility (which isnt common in the UK by my understanding, but is in some other countries).

However, in your case they probably should have just said no, sorry, rather than make you an offer which is unlikely to be taken up.

Alibabaandthe40nappies · 16/07/2012 07:39

YABU - he is 2!

exoticfruits · 16/07/2012 07:39

Of course you are unreasonable! Your child is ill and can't make it. If he is off school ill you don't get to the end of term and say 'he needs an extra day'!

You can be sure that if everyone says YABU then YABU - just accept it gracefully. If you have only missed the one then you are doing pretty well.

aliportico · 16/07/2012 07:48

I've never even thought of asking for a catch up lesson in all our years of swimming lessons! This, as everyone says, is standard - for all sorts of kids' activities, football, dance, whatever - so you'll probably save yourself years of irritation if you accept that now. If you miss a lesson, bad luck. If they have to cancel it, they will refund you or provide an alternative.

Ephiny · 16/07/2012 07:50

YABU. These things happen, and imagine what a hassle it would be for them to have to rearrange lessons every time some kid has a cough or cold or can't make it for some reason at short notice.

One missed lesson for a 2 year old is really not worth getting so wound up about!

Leftwingharpie · 16/07/2012 07:50

Sorry this has happened OP but you must see that a system where everyone can chop and change on the parents' say so would be chaos?

exoticfruits · 16/07/2012 07:51

He is only 2 yrs anyway! Take him to the pool yourself as an extra.

Scholes34 · 16/07/2012 08:57

Be sensible, OP, and get over the one missed session. If the pool allowed everyone to rearrange lessons for a minor illness, chaos will ensue, and I'm sure the clash of a birthday party with a swimming session would soon become a "minor illness".

AKE2012 · 16/07/2012 08:59

YABU if my child missed a lesson they missed a lesson. It never occurred to me to rearrange that lesson. Its not like your child needs it. Your child is 2 so has many years to learn to swim.

cory · 16/07/2012 09:04

I think they are being very obliging to offer a make-up slot in the case of genuine illness but of course they have to know it is a case of genuine illness.

Imagine if they just accepted a parent's word- how many make-up sessions do you think they would be asked for:

because a parent was tired/hungover/had a busy day and didn't feel like taking dc out

because it was a nasty wet day and parent didn't feel like taking dc out

because the football was on and parent didn't feel...

because the dc threw a strop and parent...

SkinnyVanillaLatte · 16/07/2012 09:08

If he's just been poorly I would think a double whammy of swimming lessons in one week (assuming he will also have his scheduled lesson as well) won't really help him get better.

If they have that policy (which I would say is unusual),could you perhaps have a one lesson deduction in the cost of the next course?

Would the lesson he slots into necessarily do what he's been working on anyway?

I think YABU. Let it go!

NorbertDentressangle · 16/07/2012 09:09

I think you are lucky that your pool will even consider a one-off make-up slot for a genuine illness with a Drs letter as, IME, pools tend to be a production line of class after class with the pool raking in as much money as possible by every class being full to capacity.

When DS broke his arm our local pool begrudgingly agreed to refund some of the terms pre-booked and paid for lessons if I produced a Drs letter to say he was unable to swim for that period....DS was standing there next to me with his arm in a full cast FGS, pretty obvious I wasn't faking it!

Imisssleepingin · 16/07/2012 09:10

I have taken my ds to two different swimming franchises for lessons.
Both offered another class if you couldn't make the one you usually had. It didn't matter if it was illness or holidays.
The one I am currently going to I will miss twice due to holidays, I have booked the two alternative lessons already.
So I don't think YABU at all and I get what your saying. The classes are going ahead, the teacher is teaching them, what difference does it make, especially as you have never missed a lesson before.

SkinnyVanillaLatte · 16/07/2012 09:10

Norbert,to be fair,the classes are often full not just for money making purposes,but because of the waiting lists......

boredandrestless · 16/07/2012 09:10

YABU

They can't offer an alternative lesson for everyone can they! If he has a weekly lesson then by the time he's better from his cold it will be time for his next lesson anyway. All extra curricular lessons like this have the same policy.

Plus he's 2 years old. He's hardly missing out on the chance for his first badge is he.

Get over it.

Scholes34 · 16/07/2012 09:11

Norbert - similar with judo lessons and a broken arm, but although their rules stated a doctor's letter was needed our sports centre was sensible and said the cast was sufficient evidence.

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