Pausing one Recurring membership within a Small Group of three..
I train a group of 3 people, charging them each $100/month with an automated recurring payment. One member of the group wants to PAUSE/hold for July. The other two still want to train. I have no problem pausing the 1 membership, however I’m trying to decide if I should charge the other 2 extra for that month because normally 2 people training is #35/sesssion ($25/session is my small group rate…)My reasoning for wanting to charge is that, if I don’t they might start to do this more frequently (taking a month off) then I am making way below a rate I am comfortable with for 2 people… Any thoughts?
Hello Louise Schollaert,
You must do what makes you comfortable while accommodating clients and still be able to operate your service. Go with your gut feeling.
Does your group of three know about your policy ahead of time and sign an agreement to that fact? If so, I would charge the rate to all three with the phrase: no refunds or returns.
Put your options out there to let the clients decide for themselves.
A pause may end up never coming back. Do you feel the pause request client may not know how to terminate? Maybe your clients could find a substitute client for that spot.
Take care,
Natalie aka NAPS 2 B Fit.
I don’t think it’s reasonable to tell the other two clients their price will be raised by 50%. They are buying a product, “small group training,” and it’s not their job to fill your class.
When my small group classes are the right size, they’re the most profitable classes I teach. BUT, it’s not my attendees’ job to recruit other members. Some days, I have 2 people and I make a lot less than I make for a private sessions. But then there are the days I have 5 people and that’s great money.
Maybe you tell your “pause” member that yes they can pause, but you will try to fill their spot while they’re gone. Or charge a “pause” fee. We have a hold fee at one club where you can hold your membership for a few months without having to pay the rejoin fee. It’s about 1/3 of the monthly dues.
THANKS Nancy, that’s a Very good point. I don’t think I will charge the other two for that reason.
I forgot to mention to them that technically, each year they get a FULL MONTH OF FREE training because some months have 5 weeks (there are 52 weeks in a year, but I only charge for 48). This accounts for vacations and things that may arise.
I think I will chalk this up as a learning experience, (as this is my first group), let her pause the month and mention that next time I would only let people “pause” memberships if they are taking more than a month off. Does that sound reasonable?