Ask Micki: How to handle problem billing

© Rob Owen-Wahl

Question: Hiya, Micki, I was hoping that you could help me with a problem I've been having on the billing end of things.  

Here's some background: I've been tutoring for about 5 years now, and have been loving every minute of it.  The problem is, when I got started, I took on a few unpaid tutoring jobs to get my feet wet, and gain some experience.

I talked things over with the 3 families, and we all agreed that I would provide 6 months of free tutoring.  No problem, I was happy to do it, excited about gaining the experience, and glad that I could help out some friends.

I think you see where this is going.  Now it is years later, and while 2 of the families began paying me for tutoring (and have kept me on as their tutor), the other family is still not paying me a cent.

At first I thought maybe they forgot about the agreement, so I brought it up, and they just kind of laughed it off, and moved on to scheduling our next appointment.  I brought up the topic a dozen more times since then, and they completely ignore the conversation every single time.

I love helping out friends, but I can't help but feel that I am being taken advantage of by tutoring every week, free of charge.  Also, it's not like they aren't able to afford tutoring.  I know this because they pay for 2 different sports tutors every week.

Is there a nice way to approach this subject without damaging a friendship or making things awkward? 

Thanks, Micki!
Ali, CA

Answer: Hey, Ali.  First of all, I'm happy to hear that after half a decade of tutoring, you still love the work - that's great!

Second of all, and please take no offense at this - you are definitely being taken advantage of right now, and real friends don't take advantage of one another.  It is definitely time to sit down and have a talk with the parents about billing, etc.

The most important thing for keeping the mood pleasant, and keeping the awkwardness out of the room is to remain friendly and upbeat as you talk with them.

I know you may understandably be a bit frustrated, but try not to get defensive or angry - talk to them with a smile on your face, and present the whole situation as nicely as you can.

Let them know that as much as you love helping them out, and as much as you enjoy the work, you have expenses/bills, and paid work is important for keeping up with those expenses/bills.

Also, you may want to mention that, as your tutoring appointments increased, you don't have quite as much free time in your day, so every tutoring appointment really needs to count financially so that you can continue to make ends meet.

Let them know up front that it is nothing personal, and that you truly enjoy working with them, it's just that you need to be able to make a living with your tutoring.  

If they are reluctant, and you really enjoy working with the family, perhaps you could offer them a deal on your tutoring services.  Offer a package deal of a set number of sessions for a set dollar amount, or offer to give them a discount on tutoring.

Whatever you decide, please stop back by and let us know how things went!

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Ask Micki: Bounced Check

Question: Hi, Micki, I have a question about an awkward situation that just happened to me.  I have been tutoring someone in junior high for about 2 years now.  I have always gotten along well with my student, and my student's parents.  My student's test results and homework improvement have been excellent, too.  Overall a great experience, and never any problems.  Until now, that is.

Tonight, I went to cash the check from my student's parents and it bounced.  I feel really awkward bringing it up to them, but I need to get paid in order to pay my own bills, etc.  I am not sure if they did this on purpose because money is tight, or if they honestly didn't know what would happen. Thoughts or suggestions on how to handle this?

Thanks!
Anonymous in CA

Answer: Hi there, Anonymous.  Sorry to hear about the awkward situation.  Billing issues can definitely be the not-so-enjoyable part of the tutoring business.

The good news is that chances are it was an honest mistake on the part of your student's/tutee's parents.  I am almost 100% certain that they did not mean to give you a bad check, nor did they intend for this awkward billing issue to happen. 

I remember way back in my early college years I had switched bank accounts, and accidentally wrote out a check from the wrong account - the one that had been closed.  Of course the check didn't go through, I was embarrassed, and I made sure to keep better records in the future.  The point is that mistakes happen, and they are usually easier to fix than you may think.

What I would do is discreetly bring up the issue to your tutee's parents while your tutee is out of the room.  Mention that there was a problem with the check, and politely ask if there is any way that you could get your tutoring payment again.  Make sure to bring tutoring billing records, tutoring log sheets, etc. with you.

They will probably be a bit embarrassed by what happened, and will do what they can to make it right ASAP.  Give them the benefit of the doubt.  It could have been a simple bank account mixup.

Whatever you do, stay polite, patient, and professional - besides this one billing issue, they sound like dream clients that you want to keep. 

Good luck and, as always, happy tutoring!