Rationale for our cancellation, rescheduling, wrong class, late-show and no-show fee policies

On occasion, we have to cancel a class (due to too few registrations). On other occasions, we have to turn away new registrations (due to too many registrations). In a concerted effort to reduce the number of times that these things occur, we have established a policy that involves a two-way commitment between ourselves and our students.

That commitment begins with payment in advance from our registrants. But a commitment with an easy opportunity to get out of that commitment is no commitment at all. So, to ensure that this commitment is honored, there are financial penalties for canceling, rescheduling, showing up late and not showing up at all, as well penalties for signing up for a class without first inquiring about which class is appropriate for one’s work or education.

Although our penalty structure might appear to be a money-making scheme, we actually lose revenue when a person is allowed to reschedule into a later class at a reduced rate. You will find a list of these penalties on this policy page.

For those people who are interested, here are the reasons why these policies are necessary:

When enrollment is low and one or more students choose to cancel or transfer:

  • The loss of even one registrant could result in an entire class canceling.
  • Class cancellations inconvenience other registrants who have set aside their own precious time to take the class.
  • Cancellations also mean refunding money to the remaining registrants (as well as paying the training center for time not used and paying the instructor for time not worked).

When enrollment is high and one or more students cancel, transfer, sign up for the wrong class, late-show or no-show:

  • Once a class fills up, no more registrations are taken.
  • People who wanted or needed to take this class, but were unable to even sign up because the class was already full, are inconvenienced.
  • Unnecessarily empty seats create a significant loss of revenue that could result in higher prices for all students.

So the bottom line is this: When students make a commitment to sign up and pay for a class, we make a commitment to show up and teach that class. It’s a two-way commitment, and having a penalty in place helps to keep that commitment for everyone involved.

There are other reasons for the penalties we have established. The behind-the-scenes administrative responsibilities are very time-consuming. Charging fees is intended to reduce such time-consuming administrative duties.

Other than taking the class as scheduled, the one way to avoid financial losses and get all of your money back is something call a “Student Transfer.” You’ll find information about this option on this policy page.