Last year Big Sis started swimming lessons.
She’s only 3.5, so I didn’t expect her to be churning out laps after a few weeks – I simply wanted to build up her confidence so if she ever fell into water she’d know how keep herself afloat until help arrived.
She absolutely loved it; every week she couldn’t wait to up on her swimming costume, and her cap. She even insisted on wearing her goggles in the car.
So last week we pulled up at the school where her lessons were held. There was some kind of event on, so the carpark was full with parents picking their kids up. The school is on a road with no parking, so my only option was to wait for someone to leave. By the time I’d found a park and rushed the girls inside, the lesson had started and the other four children were already in the pool.
‘So sorry, there was nowhere to park!’ I called out to the instructor – the same man who’d been teaching Big Sis for the past three months. ‘We’ve already started,’ he replied, stone faced.
‘There was nowhere to park,’ I repeated. ‘We’ve been circling round all this time.’
I gestured over at Big Sis, who already had her cap and swimming costume on – she simply had to take off her cardi, tights and shoes, which would have taken 30 seconds. ‘Is she alright to jump in now?’ It was a rhetorical question – one that you ask simply to be polite, as you already know the answer will be yes.
He just stared at me for a while, screwing up his face. I stopped taking off her shoes. ‘Can she jump in?’ I repeated. ‘Well… ahh… err… umm… I suppose so…’ he finally shrugged – making it quite clear by his tone of voice that it wasn’t OK, really.
Well, that just pushed my ‘F**k You’ button. It was a swimming class for three-year-olds, not an Olympic training session. Would it really have been that big an issue if she’d quietly joined the group that we’d already paid to attend? Which was actually quite impossible now anyway, since all the other parents were now staring, goggle-eyed, by the shocking drama of us being a whole FIVE MINUTES LATE!
So I went back to Big Sis to explain that we couldn’t go to swimming today after all – at which point she starting crying with disappointment at our swimming pool disaster.
I was absolutely fuming when I got back home. I immediately rang the bank to cancel the cheque I’d written them for the term ahead, but it had just gone through that day. Grrrr.
Within 10 minutes I’d found another swimming school and enrolled Big Sis there instead. If I have to pay twice I will, because I’m not having Big Sis miss out and I’m DEFINITELY not going back to the original company.
So what do you think of my swimming pool disaster – was I being unreasonable or was he?
• image by Yaroslav Melnychuk, via Unsplash
That is ridiculous to make you feel that way! If they had an event on it would have been busy and surely he should have noticed that himself! If you are a paying customer you are entitled to polite service. I’m pretty sure that Big Sis is better off away from such a horrible man anyway 🙂
No, you’re not. He is an ass! Good for you! I’m a strong believer in not tolerating poor customer service and better to take action than just to moan and put up with it. What is he doing working with kids, I wonder?
OMG what an absoulte dick!!! I’m late quite often (mainly because they have different times on their clocks to mine) and have never had an issue of my kids just getting in and joining the lesson. If it’s anything like here the lessons aren’t cheap either!! Glad you found somewhere else- hopefully with a better attitude.
That’s insane…put your money elsewhere! And yes, I agree would you want him teaching your children?
knob! this is my thoughts on the man! they are 3, hardly a disruption if she joins in! never seems to be an issue where my kids have lessons.
Ha ha! Thank you, you’ve all made me feel very justified in my annoyance. It’s reassuring to know it wasn’t just me – he WAS being a dick after all!! 😉
It would upset me too, my friend’s son wouldn’t go in yesterday when we went, after 15 minutes of coaxing he eventually went in and had 15 mins left to swim but the instructor didn’t seem judgemental, just lowered him in when he was ready. Good luck with the new place 🙂 x
No, I don’t think you were unreasonable. That would have pushed my, ahem, buttons too. Though I wouldn’t have bothered asking ‘permission’ and if he made any issue I would have reminded him that I pay him, not the other way around.
Some people are just so uptight arent they.! Over form the Britmums carnival. I think if you show your kids you want take attitude they will grow up and not put up with it either! Good for you
You’re not wrong at all. There was absolutely no need for that reaction. Will you be making an official complaint? I hope so. He shouldn’t be able to treat people like that and upset a little girl.
Over here from the mid30slife carnival and Oh My Gosh I can’t believe that! Making a three year old miss her much looked forward to swimming lesson because you were five minutes late?! That’s outrageous – what a horrible man.
I would have been absolutely furious too.
That is crazy – can’t believe he made such a big deal out off it.