To think that when I pay £20 per month for swimming lessons

[farendofafart]

... I shouldn't have to fork out £3.50 every time DD passes a stage just for a certificate and badge?

I know it seems trivial but I'm a lone parent on benefits at the moment, and I struggle just to find the £20 monthly fee, let alone extras.

Besides - £3.50 for a sheet of paper and a fabric patch? Really??

Yanbu.

I have the same with dd. There's no way you can't buy them. either

We don't pay extra for badges/certificates/etc. It's all included in the lesson prices. YANBU

I pay £28 per month plus £3.50 for badges. Badges and cert are optional. Badges are once a term. How often are yours? I don't mind paying for badges termly but I wouldn't every month/ 6 weeks. I find swimming a good value activity tbh

£20?! Round here it's £56 per month.

Yanbu. I paid £45 for dd to have gymnastics lessons. She was off three weeks in a row due to holiday and illness. Then she was removed from lessons because if you are off for three weeks you lose your place. This would be fine if they had mentioned it when I booked, because then I would have found her something else.

I think they should mention all additional charges and t&c's when they take your money, it's very unfair otherwise.

You don't have to have the badges and certificates. I've no idea what happened to the badges and certificates my children got. Probably binned them.

I used to "forget my purse " when it was badges night. It never really bothered DC if praised the effort of going up a level. I never sewed the badges on , so perhaps that helped!

gosh thats expensives. ours were £2.00.

Bloody hell I pay £20 per lesson, with no badges.

I know I don't have to have them, but it made DD so proud and happy - her first ever!

The poster paying £56 per month, surely that's for one to one lessons? DD is in a group of up to 10.

We used to pay £54 for a terms lessons. Groups ranged from 3 up to ten children. We were always lucky and dd was in small groups. Badge and certificate was £2.

If instructor is selling them for what they brought them and they gave them for free it would wipe any money made on the lesson

I pay £9 a lesson, 2 in the class. Badges are free.

I pay £60 a term, for a group lesson & £4.00 per certificate/badge. DS has had 3 badges this term.

I agree with the OP though. Our school charges us £2.50 for a badge and I do resent it oh so much. I might have not exactly tried to hide it the last time

Depends if the £20 is costed to cover the price of the badges or not, and if/what profit they make on them.

If the cost of lessons only covers costs and doesn't really make any profit, and badges are sold at cost price as an optional extra, YABU.

If they're makihg a healthy profit off both, then YANBU.

YANBU... We pay £20 pm for each child, badges and certificates are free and we got free swim bags.

Our package also entitles us to an additional 3 weekly activities at the sports centre.

Well, this way, you have the option of getting the certificates and badges or not. The alternative would be to add the cost onto the lesson prices, and then you have to pay for them whether you want them or not.

I have to say £3.50 sounds a lot, but the principle is right.