All-Star What Are You Responsible For When You Leave?

[armycheermom]

I have a question to gym owners & coaches. What if it the child quitting is due to a move or to money issuses? Are parents stil made to pay or is there some sort if wavier?

 

[lolsmileyface_backAGAIN]

At tryouts, each athlete pays a $50 family registration fee. It's an annual fee so even returners pay it. It's non-refundable unless you don't make a team (and then we push them into rec classes so it's still not really refunded). It weeds out the riff-raff straight away--you know, the kid that absolutely cannot afford it but spent the night with their cousin and her cousin's friend said "I have tryouts you should try out too", so they came along just to see what it's about and her mom has no idea she's even there.....
After tryouts, we hold a parent meeting during the first practice and outline all of the expenses and what they'll be responsible for during the year. We do have penalties for quitting. In a nutshell, all payments are still due AND you'll owe a $200 quit fee to cover the work needed for finding a replacement or re-working the routine. This is done for several reasons. One, we budget our season and calculate our payments based on the amount of athletes in the program. Two, we usually get 2 or 3 people that don't realize the costs until the meeting and they know then that there is no way they can comfortably assume that responsibility and bow out before signing up. This is a blessing people! If they know that they can't afford to pay for it at all if their fundraisers can't, they should NOT say they can/will and sign up--that's just idiotic. If you can't meet the terms of any contract you sign, you risk being sued.
There is very little cushion in our budget, in order to keep everyone's expenses down, but if you accept a spot on our team and sign the contract (which details the costs and states you are aware of your financial commitment) then you have to pay what you agreed to pay. Now, if the athlete has to quit at any time due to a season ending injury or relocation, all fees are waived and any money we've collected but haven't paid out is refunded. ALSO, I will make exceptions for early quitters with hardship cases (like a sibling/family member being ill or a house burning down) that occur unexpectedly and I will waive fees, and even give refunds, up until choreography camp. After that you're locked in to paying because at that point all of the money is being spent quickly and you may owe us beyond what you've paid in already--ex: we've paid for 3 comps and you quit 2 days before the first...you won't be refunded any of that money b/c we won't be refunded by the EP's. We DO give back comp fees that we haven't paid out and you don't attend, but everything else has already been allotted to pay for something. And anything you pay for, you keep. Apparel, a copy of the music, etc.
The fact is, this is a business and we have bills to pay and the way we do that is with the money you promised to pay when you signed our contract. We are strict on collection at my gym--"No Pay, No Play"--and we are a solid business that is thriving because of it. We're 12 years old so we have come to this contract by many years of trial and error, countless workshops and yearly tweaks and adjustments.

On a side note, we have sued and won a couple of cases but we don't like having to do it. It only makes people mad if they are the ones being sued so I don't see how that would drive away business--it would be bad business to sue our paying customers so I agree to an extent. I don't mind driving away freeloaders though, so if that's the risk I have to take to make sure everyone get's paid, then I guess I'll just have to chance it. At least we will go out of business debt free....

this just proves how gym owners can give two sh*ts about the sport!

MONEY MONEY MONEY!

ignorant.

 

[TheVipersMom]

I'm driving right now so I don't really want to look up the info.. So I'm trying to remember..
If you quit our gym I believe you are only still responsible for the monthly tuition fees. If we have competitions or stuff you paid for and if it's been paid out then your out of luck. If you haven't paid the competition fee yet and it wasn't due till after you left.. Then I believe your not responsible for that part.

So pretty much yes you owe the monthly tuition money till the season is over.

Now there is a major military base here so we get people who move mid season a lot. So if your moving that let's you out but that's all I'm aware of.

 

[libertycoach]

this just proves how gym owners can give two sh*ts about the sport!

MONEY MONEY MONEY!

ignorant.

I disagree that gym owners don't care about the sport. What you need to understand is that, even though it is a passion for most people, it is also a business. If you make a commitment to something you should follow through on that commitment. A gym owner should not have to suffer a financial loss and have money come out of their pocket because someone ups and leaves without reason or because they think the grass is greener somewhere else. It's a contract and should be honored. I'm sure most gyms make exceptions for extenuating circumstances like job loss, relocation, injury, etc.

As for the uniform having to be returned, maybe it's to protect the gym name so random people aren't walking around in their uniform. I think in that case the gym should buy the uniform back for a pro-rated price, depending on how old it is.

 

[MissCongeniality]

I disagree that gym owners don't care about the sport. What you need to understand is that, even though it is a passion for most people, it is also a business. If you make a commitment to something you should follow through on that commitment. A gym owner should not have to suffer a financial loss and have money come out of their pocket because someone ups and leaves without reason or because they think the grass is greener somewhere else. It's a contract and should be honored. I'm sure most gyms make exceptions for extenuating circumstances like job loss, relocation, injury, etc.

As for the uniform having to be returned, maybe it's to protect the gym name so random people aren't walking around in their uniform. I think in that case the gym should buy the uniform back for a pro-rated price, depending on how old it is.

One we used to be at... did not make an exception for injury. We had to pay for "breaking the contract". Even worse... it was done before they had even had choreography.

 

[SheCheers]

I have a question to gym owners & coaches. What if it the child quitting is due to a move or to money issuses? Are parents stil made to pay or is there some sort if wavier?

we live in a large military area and so a move is definitely an issue that can arise. there is obviously a military clause to most contracts. i would say that most of the time legitimate reasons arise. the money issue is less of one because at our gym, ALL the costs and due dates are detailed in the tryout packet. if you can't pay, you shouldn't try out. if after tryouts you don't want to pay, you're still free to leave. That being said, if there is a job loss or whatever, i would imagine they'd work out something with the athlete's parents.

 

[INeverStopCheering]

Once you leave a program, if you have paid for the uniform and warm ups, why would you have to return it to them? Wouldn't these items be considered your own property? I know of a gym that, even though you have paid for your uniform, according to their contract that they sign the uniform must be returned when you quit or leave the gym, but I don't get that. If you have paid $300 for a uniform and have received the uniform, it should be your own items, free and clear? Right?

I agree with you. If you pay for it, they can't MAKE you give it back. OUr gym asks if you leave to return uniforms so we can resell them but if you payed the 300$ its yours. If they want them to be returned, then they would have to rent them out

 

[NJ Coach]

this just proves how gym owners can give two sh*ts about the sport!

MONEY MONEY MONEY!

ignorant.

I don't see how anything she posted is ignorant or just being about money. For the owners, this is a business. You need to be able to keep the gym in business in order for the kids to cheer there.

 

[lolsmileyface_backAGAIN]

I don't see how anything she posted is ignorant or just being about money. For the owners, this is a business. You need to be able to keep the gym in business in order for the kids to cheer there.

then you obviously can't read into a post

 

[NJ Coach]

then you obviously can't read into a post

I am fully capable of reading a post. A business owner has the responsibility to stay in business. The best thing for the sport is for all these gyms to stay in business. So, if a business model works for her gym, than what the hell do you care what it is. No one is asking you to cheer there.

I'm so over you trying to flame everyone and making moronic comments with the sole purpose of trying to get a rise out of everyone. Your immature antics are old. You have nothing of substance to add to any argument you start, with the exception of calling everyone ignorant. If you have any intelligence to add to a discussion, I have yet to see it.

 

[JulieP]

then you obviously can't read into a post

If you think gym owners are in it for the money, then you are definitely wrong. Owning a cheer gym isn't a terribly profitable business for most gyms. People do this because they love it. If you don't understand that, then maybe it's YOU that can't read.

 

[cupieqt]

I agree with you. If you pay for it, they can't MAKE you give it back. OUr gym asks if you leave to return uniforms so we can resell them but if you payed the 300$ its yours. If they want them to be returned, then they would have to rent them out

Absolutely. I see no reason for requiring them to return items they paid for without a refund for those items. You should always get what you pay for from any business. And that statement brings me to a whole other side topic...

I tell our customers that they will always get what they pay for and they can expect top quality. From our coaching styles to our facilities to our customer service--all of those "intangibles" that you can't necessarily take home as a purchase--you will get the best we have to offer. And anything they pay for that they can take home--uniforms, music, skills--is considered their purchased property. We do offer to help them sell anything they bought but can't use, like uniforms, so they aren't stuck with a uniform they can't use. Our customers may leave our gym from time to time, but no one leaves feeling slighted and those that do are the ones that expected something for nothing in the first place. To me, they're the people that will dine and dash at a restaurant and that is a crime.

 

[cupieqt]

@NJ Coach and @JulieP I am not even going to reply to that post. It's an obvious ploy to bait us all into an argument, just like all of their other posts on here.

 

[HaterAide]

You should pay for everything that you were there for. For example if you were there for chor. but then quit you should still have to pay for it. If you quit before it then you don't. Also if a fee was due before you quit even if whatever it was didn't happen yet (i.e. Competition) then you should still have to pay because that money was due while you were still a part of the team. If you make a commitment to something you should have to take care of whatever that commitment entails.

 

[lolsmileyface_backAGAIN]

I am fully capable of reading a post. A business owner has the responsibility to stay in business. The best thing for the sport is for all these gyms to stay in business. So, if a business model works for her gym, than what the hell do you care what it is. No one is asking you to cheer there.

I'm so over you trying to flame everyone and making moronic comments with the sole purpose of trying to get a rise out of everyone. Your immature antics are old. You have nothing of substance to add to any argument you start, with the exception of calling everyone ignorant. If you have any intelligence to add to a discussion, I have yet to see it.

well aren't you the HBIC?