Charging friends lower rates

[SillyGoosie]

Last year I cut my work hours to part time as my DD left uni and no longer needed the same amount of support, I’m a primary school teacher so easing the pressure really has made a difference. I now do Monday and Friday and half day on a Wednesday.
I used to also be a tennis coach but stopped as work and that was all too much, I decided to do some training again and pick it back up, helps bring in a little extra money.

currently I do semi-privates and privates.
My normally hourly rate is £35 for privates or £40 for semi privates (so if 2 kids £20 each). The exception is for 3 of the privates I do. One of these is two little 5 year olds, their mums are members of the club, I do social tennis with them and they are reliable and easy to teach. I do them for £30. I also do a little mini-hitters session with 3 pre-school kids, and charge them £30, it’s only 45 minutes, the parents just sit in the club house, I know them from social Tennis and at their age I’m not actually doing all that much.
The last is 2 boys who aren’t part of the club but I’m friendly with their grandma and I do theirs for £30 as well. They also have to pay the £5 court booking fee as they aren’t club members and that is club policy.
I do 3 other semi private type sessions and today I’ve gotten a message from one of them basically saying I’ve found out you charge us £10 more than your other students, this isn’t fair and either we want that deducted or find elsewhere. The parents don’t come to social tennis, I don’t know them very well so I don’t do friends and family for them.
Now I’m sure it wasn’t the parents of the little girl who mentioned it to them but the boys all go to school together so I imagine it was them.

AIBU to think it’s fine to do friends/family discount? How would you handle this situation? If you were the parent in this situation would you be annoyed too?
I think I’m just annoyed with the parent who mentioned it as I would think it’s good manners to stay quiet if you are getting a discount?

Hard one really, but most people understand f&f will get a reduced rate but you may have to be explicit in who gets that e g club members only and actual family otherwise it can get a bit tricky and everyone will expect discounts. I would be a bit annoyed though with the person whose said!!
Just explain and if they no longer want to pay them that's their choice really.

I wouldn't be bullied into a discount I offered exclusively for family/friends. Either explain why you offer the discount professionally or wish them all the best with their future tennis endeavours.

I'd just repeat my rate and say I only give a couple of personal friends discount.

Clarify that they are not paying more, they are in fact paying the standard amount. Be upfront in letting them know that you also offer a friends and family discount, but it really is only for (close) friends and family. TBH, offering such as discount is probably opening the door to issues, especially if it's broadcast around (as it seems to have been). Maybe in the longer term a standard price would make more sense, with perhaps a block booking and/or 2nd sibling cheaper discount/offers?

I would say that you give a friends and family discount, and they are welcome to go elsewhere if they wish.

I would also send a generic message to those who get the discount to say just as a reminder that you charge them a lower rate as friends and family, but can they please keep this to themselves as you have recently been contacted by someone who is upset that they don’t receive a preferential rate as well and they are now threatening to go elsewhere. If this continues you won’t be able to keep offering mates rates so can they please keep their payment terms to themselves

I'd reply and say my usual charge is £40, you are already receiving a £10 discount. Family and friends discounts cannot be discussed with other clients, therefore I understand if you are submitting your notice period, please confirm if you want me to accept this notice as of today.

Oh and 🖕

A very brief reply “there my friends “

I would go as @Haydenn suggested.
I would also keep it as brief and polite as possible to reduce any space for negotiations/ questions.
It seems to me that your rates depends on various circumstances e.g group size, educational goals, etc

If you’re going to do something like this, use the correct words.
It would be, “They’re my friends.”

Speaking as someone who offers private academic tuition - shrug Let them go elsewhere. Your price is whatever you decide it is, and if you charge different groups a different price point, that's your prerogative.

You can charge what you like. Don’t justify yourself. If they don’t like they can find someone else.

I offer tuition on a sliding scale. If I was challenged on this I would just say they are welcome to make alternative arrangements.

The way I would look at it is this. Would you just give them £10 a week to spend? Why do you undervalue yourself so much? Why do you think you have to be kind all the time and that kindness is always financial?

I'm having this issue with someone close to me at the moment and have to remind them constantly of the skills they have, how hard they worked to get them and how nobody else would give someone a discount. For example if one of these people works for the civil service they wouldn't say "oh just round my pay down, I don't mind ! And do it every week as well. I really don't mind"

I’m not sure that the person who told this client you were charging them less is a mate or deserving of a special rate TBH. I don’t know how you start comparing what you pay- it wouldn’t cross most peoples minds to do this surely-but if you realised you’d put your foot in it surely you’d back pedal and say you might have got it wrong or something?

@determinedtomakethiswork "The way I would look at it is this. Would you just give them £10 a week to spend? Why do you undervalue yourself so much?"

Personally, I don't undervalue myself at all. I very much value having the ability to decide what to charge for my services.

I would reply and say "thank you for pointing out this discrepancy on my part, this will be rectified going forward, but to reiterate my charge is £40"

I would then charge the blabbermouth the higher rate and just say costs have gone up so you can't offer a discount any more.

All my life I’ve struggled with literacy and grammar when I was at school you had the slow table and that was about as far as extra support went
I’ve never understood why people feel the need and point out other peoples shortcomings unless it just to make them feel superior

but as they say for ever up there’s a down
tend to find what people gain in literacy skills they lack in manners

apologies if I’ve spelt any of that wrong

I also coach a sport and have private clients. While I might give a F&F discount, or any other reduction depending on the person and circumstances, I only have one fixed rule - I never discuss what I charge beyond quoting my usual rate.

If I choose to give someone a discount, that's between us.

Very well said, good for you!
Please can be so judgemental, and very rude.

@rwalker well said.

I have on occasion asked and thanked people on here for correct spellings of words, usually when it's bugging me and my spelling it too wild for autocorrect to fix!

"No problem. I give my friends a discount. I will take that as your notice, wishing you luck finding someone else"

That's the answer. No need to get into detail or a discussion about it. You're not doing anything wrong.

It's your business, run it as you want.

(I would expect a primary school teacher to have decent spelling and grammar when teaching btw, on the internet not so much).

OK, off you go then.

"I understand completely and wish you well in your new school"