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?

Op I think you need to be clear in your own policies. Why you are offering discounts and who you are offering discounts too.
Why you are offering discounts - are you using discounts to build up your clientele, with people you trust, or just to be nice? Are you trying to undercut other coaches?

Who Rate your friends and family would you invite them to a wedding or birthday party, would they invite you to their party?

How would you react if you met them in the street, hello and walk on, stop for a chat, go for coffee, let's get a proper night out sorted?

Draw your boundaries.

Re the person who asked I think I'd reply.
My rates are £40 and £35, some of my first clients get a preferencal rate which was used to encourage customers and establish the business

I think this is exactly what I need to do.
I replied explaining some friends and family get discounts and reiterated my rate. She replied saying she wouldn’t be using me after summer and that’s fine!
Interestingly the same parent who I think probably told this parent also won’t be a client next year as I can’t do the day she wants.
Im going to continue giving a discount to the two little girls and the pre-schoolers as their mums are genuine friends and have helped me build my confidence in getting back to it! Everyone else can be full price!