[trubandloki]

I actually get the OP's frustration with the texting thing.

Mr. Trub does not get texting. Yes he texts rarely but most certainly not as a form of communication. He had a snit fit just the other day about 'people do not seem to remember that it is a phone and that they can call each other on it'. He gets miffed when I am trying to get info from a friend and I text them instead of calling them.

I am thinking the OP is in the same boat as Mr. Trub. Just thinks texting is something teens do and it is silly and real communication is not done that way. I am also guessing the OP has learned from the comments in this thread that the vast majority of people consider texting an OK way to communicate.

[Dispatcher]

And I agree with Bacardi that you need to find another business; you're not cut out for boarding. Or teaching, it seems. Since you seem to think that this kid coming back to take her lesson credit is nothing more than "just one more body in the ring", instead of money out of your pocket, I respectfully suggest that you find another way to make a living.

LOL--that's too funny! What, are you the Suze Ormon of lesson & boarding barns?

In some areas of the country, people are actually generous to others. Not everyone is ruthless in their pursuit of money.

[colorfan]

Well, I would prolly give the lesson credit being the small world of horses out there.

When you posted she is new to horses, that may be part of the problem. Something shiny on the other side of the fence.

Maybe there was a 'reason' that seemed to make the move at that time appear critical; such as availability of a trailer or someone to help or perhaps the other barn told her she had to decide right away.

I would give a pro-rated refund of the board if she asks, maybe less a week for time and trouble and no notice.

[Eleanor]

OP, You are doing the right thing, I would in writing state that you will credit ?? number of group lessons. This way it is clear to them how the credit is to be used.

I also want to say that you have got to get away from calling them friends they are clients. I did the same thing with a client called her a friend and what she did at the end was not something that a friend does to a friend but is something a client will do.

Every time I read one of your post and you call them a friend I cringe inside. They are no longer a friend when they pay you for a service. Now they are a client.

[ESG]

Can only guess that ESG is giving herself a wedgie over something that happened to her in the past that bears a slight resemblance to your situation?

Nah - I just hate hearing people whine about the way they're treated, when they invite being walked on.

Carry on.

[Alagirl]

I actually get the OP's frustration with the texting thing.

Mr. Trub does not get texting. Yes he texts rarely but most certainly not as a form of communication. He had a snit fit just the other day about 'people do not seem to remember that it is a phone and that they can call each other on it'. He gets miffed when I am trying to get info from a friend and I text them instead of calling them.

I am thinking the OP is in the same boat as Mr. Trub. Just thinks texting is something teens do and it is silly and real communication is not done that way. I am also guessing the OP has learned from the comments in this thread that the vast majority of people consider texting an OK way to communicate.

It might be the modern way to communicate, but it's still not the proper way to conduct business.

heck, emails hardly are.

I 'get' it, that you text when you are not sure if the other side can answer the phone.

On the other hand, what ever did we do when we had the phone tethered to the wall and no gimmics to it, right after the era when you had to call 'Sarah' to reach anybody in town, when she could serve as message service...

Oh, right: we called at a decent hour, put thought in, when we thought the person would be home, and not likely eating dinner! If it was important enough, we called repeatedly!

Gosh, feeling old now...

[Bacardi1]

It might be the modern way to communicate, but it's still not the proper way to conduct business.

heck, emails hardly are.

I 'get' it, that you text when you are not sure if the other side can answer the phone.

On the other hand, what ever did we do when we had the phone tethered to the wall and no gimmics to it, right after the era when you had to call 'Sarah' to reach anybody in town, when she could serve as message service...

Oh, right: we called at a decent hour, put thought in, when we thought the person would be home, and not likely eating dinner! If it was important enough, we called repeatedly!

Gosh, feeling old now...

If you feel old, then I'm right there in the boat with you. And you know what? I don't care. Completely agree with you. I've only had a cell phone - a basic no-frills candy-bar-style cell phone - for just a few years now. And for ONE reason only - in case I get stuck on the road & need to call for help. Outside of that, I only use it for long-distance calls since that's included free in my plan, but those calls are made just as if I were making them on my landline phone (which I still have). As in at appropriate times - not every single second when I have a free minute. Texting? Forget about it. Unnecessary & STUPID.

I'll NEVER understand the need for having to have the internet in your pocket & at your beck & call 24/7. Or having to have everyone you know at your beck & call 24/7. Frankly, outside of the handiness of having a phone at hand in an actual emergency, I wish cell phones & their bastardized children had never been invented.

[RHdobes563]

I've only had a cell phone - a basic no-frills candy-bar-style cell phone - for just a few years now. And for ONE reason only - in case I get stuck on the road & need to call for help. Outside of that, I only use it for long-distance calls since that's included free in my plan, but those calls are made just as if I were making them on my landline phone (which I still have). As in at appropriate times - not every single second when I have a free minute. Texting? Forget about it. Unnecessary & STUPID.

I'll NEVER understand the need for having to have the internet in your pocket & at your beck & call 24/7. Or having to have everyone you know at your beck & call 24/7. Frankly, outside of the handiness of having a phone at hand in an actual emergency, I wish cell phones & their bastardized children had never been invented.

Whoa! Are you my long-lost sister or something?

[BravAddict]

The "notice" part of "30 days notice" does NOT refer to your right to take your horse off the property. It refers to being financially responsible for the 30 days after you notify the other contract signer that you are leaving.

[Camstock]

One thing to remember, since this person is new to the horse world, is that your are "training" them for future business encounters in the world. I.e. if you do her favors by waiving fees, she may come to expect it. Personally, I would firmly but fairly hold her to the contract, while letting her know how much you appreciate her business.

Baylady7 said it better than I did. Match.

[FineAlready]

I think people are making a little too much out of the text message component of things here. Honestly, some very high level professional industries utilize text messaging as one method of communication for various tasks. One that comes to mind is for agents of bidders at large auctions...bidders sometimes text bidding instructions to their attorneys or other agents who are at the actual auction.

[nikelodeon79]

It might be the modern way to communicate, but it's still not the proper way to conduct business.

The OPer has stated a couple of times that this person was "a friend." So, though it may not be an acceptable form of business communication, it obviously is an acceptable form of communication with a friend.

I think a big issue in this entire situation is that the lines between business and friendship got blurred.

The BO saw this as a business arrangement.

The HO saw this as a favor done to him by a friend while he was getting his barn built.

As far as text communication not being acceptable, My BO is very rarely in the house to answer her phone, and her cell doesn't get good service for calls. She conducts much of her business via cell phone. I have set up lessons, been informed of the fact that my horse has a runny nose, and set up vet visits, all via text message.

Personally, I LOVE it. I really, really don't like talking on the phone and much prefer a text. Both me and the BO have very busy schedules, and sometimes phone calls turn into longer conversations than originally intended. With a text, you can look at it and respond when you can. It's easy to get and respond to a text at work whereas it might be as simple to receive a phone call. For me, it works.

I understand that not all people like to operate this way but it isn't something that would null and void a contract, unless language was specifically put into the contract about the exact method notice needed to be given.

[danceronice]

If you feel old, then I'm right there in the boat with you. And you know what? I don't care. Completely agree with you. I've only had a cell phone - a basic no-frills candy-bar-style cell phone - for just a few years now. And for ONE reason only - in case I get stuck on the road & need to call for help. Outside of that, I only use it for long-distance calls since that's included free in my plan, but those calls are made just as if I were making them on my landline phone (which I still have). As in at appropriate times - not every single second when I have a free minute. Texting? Forget about it. Unnecessary & STUPID.

I'll NEVER understand the need for having to have the internet in your pocket & at your beck & call 24/7. Or having to have everyone you know at your beck & call 24/7. Frankly, outside of the handiness of having a phone at hand in an actual emergency, I wish cell phones & their bastardized children had never been invented.

...I think I love you.

I don't mind having a mobile phone--it's come in handy CALLING AAA when I've wound up in a snow-filled ditch and for trying to hunt down someone in a hotel or airport. But the only reason I've ever even indulged in the thought of a tablet or smart phone is because of Intuit GoPayment and things like that (and I've discovered having a merchant account is still cheaper per month anyway, and I can suspend that if I'm going to not be using it, plus it comes with carbon readers that work if, GASP, there is no wifi/signal.)

I will ignore almost anyone who texts me or reply very tersely at best, with ONE exception, who has earned the right to a little extra consideration. (A former boss and teacher who once dropped everything, rearranged his schedule, and got lost in one of the worst neighborhoods in Boston picking me up from the hospital after my car was almost totaled. Him, I'll make an exception.) And ironically, yes, I had to call him from a hospital land line. And even replying to him, I will take all day because I will sit there making sure it's full sentences and punctuated.

If I'm bidding for someone at an auction, I want either their live voice on the phone so I can speak directly, or I want preset instructions IN WRITING (not textspeak) before I spend their money. (Not to mention in the time it takes to sit there punching buttons and squinting, they can move on.)

[FineAlready]

If I'm bidding for someone at an auction, I want either their live voice on the phone so I can speak directly, or I want preset instructions IN WRITING (not textspeak) before I spend their money. (Not to mention in the time it takes to sit there punching buttons and squinting, they can move on.)

The auction environment is not always conducive to speaking on the phone, and pre-set instructions are not always feasible, either. It all depends on the format of the auction. I personally prefer e-mail to texting in this situation, but not everyone has a phone with e-mail capabilities.

[mvp]

One that comes to mind is for agents of bidders at large auctions...bidders sometimes text bidding instructions to their attorneys or other agents who are at the actual auction.

That's the most legitimate use for effing txting that I've ever heard.

Otherwise, when I have asked pro-text people why they like it, they invariably say "Because then I don't have to talk to the person."

Seriously? By the time you say that to my face, I'll be damned if I'm going to talk to you via text. They need to get smarter or more dishonest or sumpin.

So anyone getting a text from someone with whom you don't already have a nice, on-going relationship, the text should actually read:

"Honey, he's just not that into you."

[FineAlready]

I'll also admit that I really *like* texting, even in a non-auction setting, lol. It allows me to communicate with friends even when I don't have a long string of time to devote to the communication, but may have lots of smaller amounts of time to carry on a conversation over a longer period.

In some cases, it's the texting...or no communication at all. Sometimes schedules don't match up well enough to schedule a chat session, ya know?

[nikelodeon79]

Otherwise, when I have asked pro-text people why they like it, they invariably say "Because then I don't have to talk to the person."

Sometimes people have anxiety about talking on the phone. Sometimes people don't have time to have an extended conversation (I think everyone's known "that person" who can be counted on to turn a 5 minute conversation into a 40 minute conversation).

Sometimes "so I don't have to talk to the person" is legitimate.

[GingerJumper]

I'll also admit that I really *like* texting, even in a non-auction setting, lol. It allows me to communicate with friends even when I don't have a long string of time to devote to the communication, but may have lots of smaller amounts of time to carry on a conversation over a longer period.

In some cases, it's the texting...or no communication at all. Sometimes schedules don't match up well enough to schedule a chat session, ya know?

That's how I feel about it. Sure, for more business related things I'll call or use email (if the other party has already emailed me so I know they're OK with using email to communicate business-y things), but for more casual things like shooting off a quick note to a friend, I'm fine with texting. My trainer texts me unless it's something of dire importance, and he's quite professional.

I think there are more issues with what OP described than that texting was the method of communication.