My PT is annoyed I haven't given notice...

[filionj]

But, I pay in blocks. I've come to the end of a block and I'm just not renewing until Sept. (Or ever now).

I can't see how I have to give notice? I don't have a contract?

Thinking he's not for me, he pulls me up on cancelling short notice when my children are ill despite the fact I've already paid for the session. I think he expects to be able to fill the slot and get double bubble.

What a shame, we get on fine etc but this all leaves a very bad taste.

how is that my issue?

He should redirect his ire at himself for managing his business improperly then, instead of being sour with someone who as far as she’s concerned, as paid for the service provided.

YABU. He's a human being not a machine, and someone you've worked with for a year. It's at least worth a conversation.

How long have you been seeing him/how many blocks have you brought?

If it's been an arrangement for quite awhile and you've brought multiple blocks I can see why he'd think you'd be continuing, but equally if you don't have a contract you don't have to give notice

Perhaps he had feelings for you, did you notice anything like that at all? Also, dissmissing training your husband seems weird.

You’ve been a bit of a dick to be honest. Do you legally have to give notice- no. But when you’ve been booking blocks for a year it was reasonable for him to assume you’d be continuing, so if you’re a normal decent human being then you really should have just let him know in advance that this would be your last block so that he was able to advertise the space for someone else- especially as you knew he was full as he couldn’t train your husband.

It’s just about what you legally have to do, it’s just literally being a decent person.

I was wondering that too.

I've spent £1560 with him.

My PT is also in blocks, she always reminds me towards end of a block and asks what I want to do (I’ve stopped and started a few times due to various reasons) and she’s always been completely fine about it. I’ve had to cancel a couple of times at short notice and she’s not intended to charge me and I’ve always said she should. Other extreme. Your guy sounds like he’s forgotten that he’s in service industry

but he's been paid for the session and the OP didn't get refunds. He can sit there and do his accounts, read a book and drink coffee and he will still be paid for the session.

Not sure I've been a 'dick' as you so eloquently put it!

free time while being paid anyway? who doesn't want that?

And maybe he doesn’t have anything to do because you know…. It wasn’t planned! Do you always have a book or your accounts with you at all times?

And it’s just common decency. The fact she has paid doesn’t mean she is entitled to act as if his time didn’t matter.

I don’t understand this “I’ve paid so I can’t possibly also be inconsiderate/rude” argument.

Yes OP has paid, but that doesn’t mean it’s suddenly NOT rude to cancel things with very little notice when someone else has potentially already gone out of their way. If I’d done prep work a work meeting & it got cancelled last minute I wouldn’t be happy, I’d have already done the prep/got ready and sorted for the meeting, the fact it’s not going to reduce my income doesn’t mean it’s not an inconvenience when I have already put time & effort in.

You have, hope that helps xx

If he is turning down custom, filled up freed slots should be easy no?

YABU. If you give him short notice of cancelling, that’s at your expense, not his. He can’t necessarily rebook someone who will pay for his time instead of you. If he did, I’d expect him to tell you that and let you off the hook but I wouldn’t expect that automatically.

I have a weekly appointment with someone. We’ve previously agreed that if I can tell him the day before, we’ll rearrange. But if I have to cancel at very short notice (ie on the day) I always say “at my expense not yours”. Sometimes, he’ll say no problem and if he can fit me in on another day, he will. I’ve only “lost” the session a couple of times in three years.

Edited to add: the notice of not paying for another block is a bit greyer - perhaps no formal obligation, but I’d probably have told him out of courtesy. Do as you’d be done by, and all that.

He did get paid if he’s paid in blocks.

I bet he has a big sulk when he doesn’t manage to get paid double by filling OP’s slot at the last minute.

Horrible comment.

Except that a customer he turned down last week may well have gone elsewhere, and so no longer needs it.

Again, someone being busy, being paid, or having a successful business doesn’t mean it’s not rude or poor manners. I don’t LEGALLY have to say please or thank you, to anyone, but it’s not great behaviour not to.

It’s nice to see that you are clearly refusing to see that your actions have an impact too.

I’ve had clients like this, who thought they had somehow bought ‘me’ because they had paid a block. I usually end up firing them (simply because they’re not REALLY interested. I’d rather work with people who actually want to do the work). Decency goes both ways. Having children doesn't entitle you to repeatidly cancel etc etc….

I think your PT will find a better match.

I didn't act like his time didn't matter. I gave as much notice as small ill children allow, apologised for missing the session and never expect to rearrange or refund. Not sure what else I could do? What would you have done?

Also, there loads he can do with a spare hour - online client feedback on his phone, train himself, go and do his weekly shop so he does have to use his free time. The list is endless.

There is zero prep required for my sessions by the way.

I'm a veteran lifter and former gym owner- I know what I'm talking about!

Thinking he's not for me, he pulls me up on cancelling short notice when my children are ill despite the fact I've already paid for the session. I think he expects to be able to fill the slot and get double bubble.

I tutor and people have to pay if they cancel as you have done. However, short notice cancellations are annoying, especially if they happen a lot. Sometimes I'm already on the way to the lesson when people cancel which means hanging around in a car park somewhere until it's time to go to the next lesson. Yes, I'm getting paid to sit in my car in the car park but it's annoying. Sometimes I've even arrived at the student's house to find they aren't there and then checked my WhatsApp because the message has come in while I was driving.
I have spoken to a couple of people about this because it was getting ridiculous, nicely though.
I've never expected to have someone cancel, keep their money and fill the slot with someone else to get more money and I doubt that's what his problem is. It's more likely to be logistics.

I also operate on a block system but written into my terms and conditions is that people should give a month's notice. That's so I can find someone to take the slot and be ready to start soon as the first person has left because otherwise you end up with unfilled slots and time is money.
However, if he's never mentioned notice periods he can't complain about you saying "The block has come to an end and I don't wish to have any more sessions over the summer".
BUT it would have been courteous of you to give him a heads up a bit earlier. He's not a mind-reader and he's not to know that it's difficult for you over the summer because you have children. It really would have been better if you'd mentioned it 2 or 3 weeks before the block ended.