I know i missed my exercise class but so what?

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I pay in advance for my Pilates class. It is £30 a session
You can cancel the class as long as you give 24hrs notice, if not you lose out.
Quite reasonablely you can't be more than 5 mins late.
On Thursday I had an appointment before my class which over ran significantly, on top of that I encountered three lots of temporary lights and traffic has backed up.
By the time I got to the car park I was 10 mins late. There was no point rushing, I'm late, I've missed out. There isn't a reception where I could have explained this to, just the instructor doing her thing with the group.
I went home.
I got an email which was,imo , quite snotty, telling me i should have let them know if i wasn't going to turn up so they could have given that place to someone on the waiting list.

My feeling is I've paid for that space, whether I was there or not.

If they gave it to someone else they would have had £30 from them as ' as a place has become available '
I wouldn't have got my money back as it clearly says no refunds if you are late or a no show.
Therefore, I feel like the sharp tone of the email is a bit ridiculous. The company hasn't lost out and as far as I can imagine, most people want to turn up and don't deliberately miss classes once they've paid for them.

What do others think?

Yes this. Fair enough if you cancel within 12 hours or whatever you don't get your money back...but I don't get how they get to keep all your money but also fill that space again. Surely this disincentives people from cancelling as they feel that they have already paid so why should they have to say if they aren't coming.. the money has been paid anyway ? It seems grabby. Also she doesnt know what you didnt come, could have been any sort of emergency....adding the rude email to this I would definitely be looking for a new instructor!

I’m in the SE and reformer is around £24.

I’m also a Pilates instructor and I would never be snotty and rude to clients. They are getting the money anyway and yes if you’re driving you can’t message.

I run my own business so I’m more chilled. But I do believe client relationships aré important. You’re spending a lot of money with them. I hope they’re good!

Really? I would never email an exercise class to tell them I wasn't attending.

It's really not a thing.

They had their money from the OP and didn't lose anything, it's a ridiculous way to treat paying customers.

I wouldn't go back OP.

But in this instance the instructor wouldn’t have got an email. The OP was held-up, she was intending to come but circumstances made her late. Even if she had text / emailed / WhatsApp the instructor at ten past the hour and said ‘sorry, traffic has held me up, I can’t make it and I knew you didn’t want me coming in late’ the instructor wouldn’t have been able to fill the space and she hasn’t lost out on any money so there is no need for a snotty email. OP is the client, she is paying, the instructor should remember that.

It was probably just a standard email when people miss a class

I run a group exercise class. No one gets in late. Not even 5 minutes. If you aren’t warmed up with me, adequately, it’s an insurance risk to me too.

Latecomers can be a disturbance to the class and in some cases if you haven’t been present at the start of the warm up , then you are properly warmed up for the class ahead, leading to injury risks. I find participants don’t understand the reasons for each part of the warm up, and reckon they can “catch up” , or they “ran” to the venue and therefore they are warm.

In terms of cancellation policies, it’s not about money. It’s about getting those who want to join your class off the waiting list. it can also mean the possibility of changing the class plans to suit whoever is in the class.

However the snotty email is not ok, and shit happens, you wouldn’t email while driving either and she wouldn’t have seen it because she was teaching. Perhaps you are one of a few who cancelled last minute and she’s a bit pissed off, but none of that is your problem either. Unless there’s previous history with you cancelling last minute, she’s being unreasonable.

If anything I would just apologise for the non attendance and explain you were in traffic. No need for a blow out.

'just to let you know I was there but didn't want to disturb the class as I was running late so left. Also I don't agree with giving away a spot I already purchased but if you would like to discuss a refund in the future if I do need to opt out & somebody is available to attend let me know'

OP was hoping to get there up until 5 minutes before the class started. Surely you would not be checking emails at that point.

I would email and apologise and explain what happened and ask them to confirm that if you know you are going to be late and thus not make the 5 min cut off that if they can sell on the space you can get your money back.

YANBU--By the time you got there, it was too late. If you can't go to class more than 5 minutes late, they shouldn't be letting someone else into the class past that time just so they can make double the amount.

The class and your spot was paid for and there wasn't anything you could do. If you became ill or knew you weren't going to make the class, but there was time to replace you, that would be different.
I guess you need to start being psychic so you can know about traffic patterns. 😉

OP is the client, she is paying, the instructor should remember that.

It's this attitude I'm talking about. Treating people as if you own them. As if they are hired staff. You are their client, not their boss. You are replaceable. You should remember that.

Gosh, these replies! It's not greed from the studio to want to offer a space to a waitlist client.

I appreciate in this case it wasn't the OPs fault necessarily that there was traffic so maybe an email wasn't possible however yes, a good client/ teacher relationship is important and it's polite to apologise to someone who was expecting you. Clearly some of you have a very different idea...

YANBU

I’d be finding a different class.

No I don't think they get to charge you AND tell you off, it's one or the other.

I don't think they meant letting someone else in 10 minutes after the beginning. It is just a generic rant at all no-shows, when there is a chance some of them know a few hours before the lesson, when there is a chance that someone could take the spot.

This

I’d have replied that I had tried to get there, but was stuck in traffic and ended up 10 minutes late- as their rules state you couldn’t be more than 5 mins late you left, knowing that the class would still be paid anyway. I’d add that you will never pay £30 on a class that you don’t intend going to.

Have you been late before?

My reformer studio has the same policy. On the rare occasion that I can’t get to a booked class, I will message if I can, but if I’m driving/in a meeting/whatever, I can’t. There’s no phone number, just a messaging service on the booking app, which the instructor wouldn’t see anyway. I’m afraid I’m of the opinion that I’ve paid for the space, and if I can’t get there at short notice, I’m the one who misses out; no one else.

I think you’re unreasonable paying £30 tbh! Is it a three hour session?!

And did you contact the instructor to apologise not been there?

Seeing that I’m pretty sure you knew the class is fully booked and that the teacher prefers if you let them know ahead of time, it would have been the polite thing to do.

Regardless of what you have paid, it would clearly be better to give someone else who wants it the chance of taking your place if possible. I don't think there's anything wrong with them pointing that out and asking you to let them know in future. It doesn't have to be "snotty".

I also have to give 24 hours notice to get a refund on my yoga class, but I would cancel my place even if it less than 24 hours if I know the class is full.

How was OP supposed to tell them she was late when she was stuck in an appointment and then traffic?

What is reformer?

I think OP is right- she paid for her spot in the class. Whether she is there or not is neither here nor there.