WAG Changing Gyms Giving Notice

[2G1B]

I'm sorry; but if the gym requires a 30 day notice, my kid will be going to the gym for those 30 days unless we have some other reason that we won't be there (like being out of town). It is an expensive sport and I am not going to pay 2 gyms for the same time period. I will always be sure to be courteous, not bad mouth the gym or coaches and do my best to not have my kids lie (though I might suggest they not volunteer information); but if I'm paying, then I expect my kid to be allowed to be at practice and to receive quality coaching.

And as bad timing as it might be emotionally, after state meet is a very logical time for a child to move on. So I imagine that many kids who quit DO quit (or change gyms) at that time. If the gym requires more than a week notice, then they should be willing to deal with knowing that kids are going to give notice before state.

ETA: If I were to give notice and my kid were told not to come back as of that day, I would NOT pay the 30 days. I understand that it can be a financial strain on the gym to not have the kids they had budgeted that they would have. It can also be a financial strain on the parents to pay for 2 gyms. The parent is the customer though and if they are being denied the service, then there should be no expectation of being paid.

 

[Aussie_coach]

Refusing to pay the 30 days could be a problem. I don't know about in the USA but in Australia if you owe a gym money you can't enrol on no my other gym in the country.

You have to to be a registered member with Gymnastics Australia, if you change gyms the new gym applies for a transfer of the membership. This applies even if it has been a decade since you have been enrolled in the old gym. If the family owes the old gym money, the old gym will deny the transfer. So the child can't be enrolled in the new gym, can't be covered by insurance and can't enter competitions.

 

[skschlag]

but if they are refusing to provide the service I am paying for, then I should not have to pay...it is a conundrum. Gyms require 30 days. Parents give 30 days. Coach kicks kid out. it seems that there is a dysfunction there....

 

[profmom]

In most US states, if a gym contract required 30 days' notice for leaving and the family provided the notice, the gym would have to refund fees if the coaches refused to provide the contracted service for the remaining month.

 

[happychaos]

When we left DD's old gym, we were refunded for the time we had paid for, but not used. We didn't even ask about a refund, so I was pleasantly surprised.

 

[Deleted member 14190]

, I agree, but when you are new to the sport or coming from a different background, it really just doesn't seem like that big of a deal. From their (my DD's teammate) perspective, they were just trying to follow the expectations laid out in the handbook. They had not told anyone on the team about the move. They also didn't say anything that night when they gave their notice or were kicked out. It really just looked like an overboard tantrum from the owners when people found out.

Now, had they had the benefit of CB to figure out the proper etiquette or see the reasons why they would be asked to leave right away, things might have been different. But, the vast majority of families in this sport don't understand these issues at this level. They don't have the benefit of learning from other parents or coaches. They are just doing the best they can.

Btw- we left after state with only email notification. After meeting with the owner, who wasn't very receptive to our concerns.[/QUOTE]
==

Sounds like you tried to work it out with the owners, and you did what you thought was best after that. And yes, removing someone 2 weeks before state would not be right to the child, if I were a parent on that team I would of been unhappy with both sides. Because either way, it still creates drama with a bunch of kids who love each other......
As far as the 30 days, I suspect that if argued they would refund. What did your gym do? Did they charge you for an extra month?

 

[kandkfunk]

We just paid what was owed even though we knew we wouldn't be there. But, we were in a position to do that. I know a lot of people that couldn't and it has been an issue. Honestly though, what is a business going to do if someone doesn't pay? Take people to small claims court?

I've seen a lot of people walk out without paying and the gym really doesn't have a lot of recourse. It's just not feasible to go after that balance in most cases. And, I've seen other gyms take these kids in even knowing they owe a balance at another gym.

 

[cbifoja]

Our owner says she can get a feel if someone is getting ready to quit if they get behind on their payments around state meet without talking to her. She doesn't charge us late fees and will always work with parents to make sure kids are able to stay on team despite ability to pay. She has reduced tuition, offered cleaning jobs, etc. But if someone doesn't talk to her and stops paying without explanation, she believes they are getting ready to walk.

We don't do contracts and aren't required to give notice so in the end, owner just ends up eating the missed tuition.

 

[Muddlethru]

Perhaps you are just compelled to argue with coachP on everything he posts.....

On the contrary coachp. I am sincerely interested in understanding your side of the equation. My intention to posts directed to you are really more inquisitive rather than argumentative, though it may appear to be the latter. I was ready to try to see things your way since I agree your suggestion, if we lived in a perfect world is probably the proper way to approach a gym switch. Unfortunately, I did not get a response that would sway me your way. Coaches come in all shapes and forms. Gyms are all managed differently. Gymnasts, their parents, families are all different too and experiences dictate how we react to things. There are just far too many variables that make one approach the only proper or "right" way.

 

[Quadqueen]

I'm still trying to work out CoachP's belief that parents should be "upfront and honest" but should not tell their gym they're leaving before their state meet....

 

[3rd_time_around]

Refusing to pay the 30 days could be a problem. I don't know about in the USA but in Australia if you owe a gym money you can't enrol on no my other gym in the country.

You have to to be a registered member with Gymnastics Australia, if you change gyms the new gym applies for a transfer of the membership. This applies even if it has been a decade since you have been enrolled in the old gym. If the family owes the old gym money, the old gym will deny the transfer. So the child can't be enrolled in the new gym, can't be covered by insurance and can't enter competitions.

I actually like this after seeing people leave owing money, sometimes a lot of money, and just go to another gym and start competing for them. And talking ugly about the gym they just left! The departed gym can call and tell the new gym that they owe money and they can't compete for them until it's paid, but I don't know if it can really be enforced.

 

[skschlag]

See, and I am not talking about owing a ton of money. That is wrong!

But, I keep seeing things along the lines of just paying the 30 days and moving on. To me, that is not right. Pay and stay, or leave and don't pay. I don't think they can make you pay for a service you are not receiving.

 

[2G1B]

See, and I am not talking about owing a ton of money. That is wrong!

But, I keep seeing things along the lines of just paying the 30 days and moving on. To me, that is not right. Pay and stay, or leave and don't pay. I don't think they can make you pay for a service you are not receiving.

I agree. We are currently in somewhat this situation. Our gym required a 30 day notice. My DS is changing gyms for a few reasons; but the 2 main ones are schedule/distance don't work for us and that there was a kid on his team who was a major issue all season. DS tried to deal with it, then went to the coaches, then I went to the coaches. It was never resolved. He wants to be a part of a team that supports each other and that is not what he got this past season. It certainly didn't seem worth the long drive and late nights to have to put up with one constant problem kid every practice and another who is a problem 75% of the time. I have finally realized that my kids do not HAVE to be at the same gym. So I gave notice for DS leaving the gym and said that I hope it won't change DD's ability to stay on the team. Obviously I don't hate the gym since I'm keeping DD there. It is just that I have realized that it isn't always one size fits all. Anyway, that gym has a 30 days notice policy. After I gave notice they told me that I'd need to pay for him through X date. I said, "Ok. But, he'll be coming to practice through then." I think they were a little surprised at first; but they didn't push me on it. There just is no way that I was paying 2 gyms for that time. Did he get the most solid coaching ever during that time? Probably not. Did he get the total shaft or treated awful? No. If the coaches had treated him badly I would have complained and I would have pushed to not pay the 30 days. Maybe because I'm continuing to be a customer with his sister they might be handling it differently; but I hope it is just that they realize that they can't insist a family pay for a service that they are not going to receive. If a gym wants to insist on 30 days notice then IMO they need to be prepared to continue coaching that child for those 30 days.

FWIW, I would not take my kids out of practice at one gym to try another gym and have my kid lie about it. DS went and did his evaluation on a day he didn't have practice. I had gone and talked to the new gym the week before and had told DS that he would be going for an eval and not to talk about it at practices. But I never asked him to lie. He was back and forth on if he wanted to change gyms. He wanted to have a better team as far as team attitude went; but he loved his coaches and didn't want to leave them. But, he walked out of the practice/evaluation so excited. He loved the coaches, he loved the boys he would be on team with and even knew a few of them from meets and one from the team he was on years ago that dropped their boys' team. This gym has a reputation for not putting up with the behavior that he has had to deal with for the last year and I had talked to 4 different team parents to get their feel for things before making our decision. We gave notice that day to the old gym.

 

[happychaos]

I actually like this after seeing people leave owing money, sometimes a lot of money, and just go to another gym and start competing for them. And talking ugly about the gym they just left! The departed gym can call and tell the new gym that they owe money and they can't compete for them until it's paid, but I don't know if it can really be enforced.

I don't understand why someone would have a large balance owing. Wouldn't the gym call them if their payment was a week or two overdue? I can't imagine DD would be allowed to practice if we didn't pay the bill. Anyhow, I would think an unpaid balance at the old gym would be a huge red flag to the new gym. On the other hand, what's to prevent a crazy coach from lying to the new gym? It certainly wouldn't be the worst thing I've heard lately.

 

[Deleted member 14190]

I'm still trying to work out CoachP's belief that parents should be "upfront and honest" but should not tell their gym they're leaving before their state meet....

=
Pretty sure I already spelled that out but.....
if you must,,,,, It is our opinion that you as a parent should not be including your child on a decision like this until after state. I mean what kind of a mixed message are you giving a child who is trying to get ready for the big meet and at the same time mom/dad is taking them to other gyms for tryouts or discussing leaving. It's a distraction for the child in a sport that demands focus, and really,,, you can't wait a few weeks?.....
FYI, we absolutely will not even look at a child until meet season is over, with the exception of the rare instance that someone has just relocated. This is our policy, and it is in place out of respect for the other gyms and the gymnast who should be 100 percent focused and dedicated until the end of the season.

 

[Jenny]

That makes sense

 

[profmom]

2G1B, it sounds like you, your son, and your son's prior gym all handled this very well.

Not to keep bragging about my son's program, but one of his teammates did go and work out a few times at another local gym early last fall. The family ended up deciding to stay rather than move. There were no repercussions, even though everyone knew. As a few other coaches have described, we've even had someone leave and come back . . . But I think in both cases, the parents handled themselves well and were above board about everything. And no one contemplated a move during the meet season. That does look to me to be a very important distinction -- it would take a pretty big blowup, IMHO, to justify a move during the season, especially for a gymnast who's an optional.

 

[3rd_time_around]

I don't understand why someone would have a large balance owing. Wouldn't the gym call them if their payment was a week or two overdue? I can't imagine DD would be allowed to practice if we didn't pay the bill. Anyhow, I would think an unpaid balance at the old gym would be a huge red flag to the new gym. On the other hand, what's to prevent a crazy coach from lying to the new gym? It certainly wouldn't be the worst thing I've heard lately.

I've seen it happen over and over. They think the grass is greener someplace else, get disgruntled and leave owing a balance and don't pay it. Their new gym should be wary, but if the gym they go to wants to take away from another gym's business, they will do it any way they can, even taking people who don't pay.