i tutored someone but after tutoring, person refuses to pay. what to do?

Question

i tutored a failing calculus student for 35 hours in 2 weeks. The student's mother said that she will send me a check in mail, but i never got anything at all.

I left answering machine messages and emails too, but none of them were replied back.

Coincidentally i got hold of student's mother at grocery store, and she said ---

"we are not paying you. you have no proof you ever tutored son. do whatever you want. if you talk more, i will scream in this crowded store that you are trying to sexually harass me here and store will arrest you."

i'm math majoring senior and i get B.S. in mathematics in May of 2008.

But my 35 hours of tutoring got wasted if i'm never paid. The student was badly failing in calculus and now he's recovered a lot only because of my help.

what to do now? is it my mistake that i trusted them?

i have email exchanges where the student's mother agrees that i can tutor his son and she looks forward to it. Those emails she sent came from [e-mail] . But the woman says that anyone can make a yahoo address and so thats not credible.

Answer 1

Forget about it. lesson learned...next time get payment up front before or get a simple contract and make them sign. And you cant sue them cause you have no proof.

Answer 2

Wow! I'm so sorry that happened! I am a tutor and I have tried various options for when to get paid. The best way seems to be to have them pay up-front - like for at least 2 weeks at a time. Give them a receipt itemizing how much it is per hour, and how many hours you will be tutoring. You could refuse to take a student if they are not willing to do this. If people teaching art classes and people giving music lessons get their payments that way, why shouldn't we?

You could also have a kind-of agreement or contract that they sign, where you outline whether or not they can get a refund for any missed lessons, and if there are any conditions to that. For example, you could say that they need to give 48 hours notice of cancellation of a lesson in order to be refunded for it or have the opportunity to make it up, otherwise they can't get a refund.

Personally, I didn't have a contract set up like that, about missed lessons, but I think it is a good idea. I did have them pay up-front though, in recent times of tutoring.

If you are giving them good value, which I'm sure you would be if you have a degree in Math, so it's only right that you would be paid!

Answer 3

The mother should be ashamed of herself. You should have told her to go ahead and scream and you'll call the cops for her.

I would contact the school to advise them of this woman and this situation so that she can't pull this on anyone else.

I would also send her a bill by certified mail and politely list the dates and the total amount that she owes.

In most states, it's legal for you to record a telephone conversation, if you're one of the parties. That's called a one party state.

Radio shack can set up up for about 40 bucks with a box that you plug into a phone jack and then a tape recorder. Call her and talk to her. Be polite and let the mother spill the beans.

It's very different when she says you can't prove you tutored little Johnny than saying you never tutored him. She's obviously a roten person and shouldn't be allowed to get away with it.

As someone else mentioned, I'd pursue a small claims court for her. You might be able to contact a legal aid society in your area that can be of more help.

Answer 4

It is partially your mistake by trusting them, but that just comes to show that you need to know people before you do work for them. Or at least ask for the payment first and then do the job.

What do you do now, if you have a witness or family possibly that new you were tutoring, you can sue.

Tell your parents or ask a cop- my dad's a cop and he's good at answering those type of questions.

Answer 5

You can sue in small claims.

It's better if you have a written agreement and a proof of the hours that you tutored them.

Next time you should just get the money every end of session. Either charge them per hour or a flat rate fee.

Answer 6

Take them to court if you can....and your proof is that the student is now recovering...Do you have any notes that you and the tutoree did that maybe able to go in your favor; next time get your money up front for each session take it as a lesson learned...or pretend like you will go forth with a suit and see what the mother does....

Answer 7

tell her son to at least try to back you up and tell her that you did at least help him improve. Convince her that you at least deserve something because you prevented her son from failing. If the student doesn't admit it and his mom's gonna "scream" and say ur harassing her, than forget it and ignore that person. If anything, be a little selfish and stop tutoring the student and let him fail. You have your own goals and dreams.

Answer 8

wow sux for u man. remember never agree to a job with out a written document or contract to prove u worked. its amzing wat people will do to avoid paying though. if its not that much money i would just say drop it. if its a lot of money than use the evidence that he was failing but after ur tutering the guy got better so someone must have helped him. since his parents werent teaching him and it was only u teaching him it proves u tutured. but its a hard case to prove over all so i woul suggest remmeber it as a lesson learned and look for a more trustworthy employer

Answer 9

It is your mistake to not have anything in writing, from the original agreement, to the final bill. Tough lesson to learn, but then you could have at least taken them to small claims court.
Verbal contracts are a bear to defend, even with witnesses.

Answer 10

Treat it as a lesson. Next time , ask them to pay upfront before the tutoring starts.