Re: Deadbeat Students

"Chris Milillo" <drums@xxxxxxxxxxx> writes:

Recently, the parent of 3 students of mine went AWOL on me, while owing me
for lessons. The week after she 'forgot her check book' and said "I'll pay
you next week", they pulled a no-show, and since then she hasn't returned my
multiple calls or emails. I even sent emails with return receipt requested,
and either by mistake, or to stick it to me, she actually returned the
"read" request, but never replied.

I am so pissed off that someone would, in effect, "steal" my services, and
on principle (more than for the money itself), I'm not going to let this
slide. This family is fairly well off and owns several homes, so they can
more than afford to pay for the services I provided. Since it's not a
significant amount, small claims court would probably cost more than it's
worth, in filing fees and time, but I may consider it, or at least the
threat of small claims court. What would you do?

The realist/businessman view:
Send invoices. If not paid, take it as a writeoff on your taxes.

A music shop here locally does payments in advance monthly, and if
you're not paid for your lesson, you don't get it. It's kinda a pain,
but apparently they had similar issues.


Now, if you time to be vindictive and wanna have some fun:
If feeling inventive, post their name on a web page of deadbeats, off
your site (if you have one) and make enough links to it for google
pick up on the page when they google for their own name.

Or, call them at work. linkedin.com can be helpful in identifying the
employer. Leave a message with an assistant. Bosses don't like being
known as deadbeats by their assistants. You can have fun with this if
you don't want them as a client ever again.

So a little mining on social networks like facebook. Maybe befriend
friends of their or relatives of the parents.

Or..if you want to dabble in something that's really evil, if they're
not on facebook, some have signed up for facebook using the deadbeats
name, then collected emails from long lost friends of theirs that
suddenly find them. I would never condone violating Facebook's terms
of use, of course.

Good luck!
--
Todd H toddh.net myspace.com/bmiawmb
.

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