A client hasn't paid for their lessons — what now?

1 · Start with the record

Most disagreements come from the question “how many lessons were there?”. With a date-based record the conversation resolves quickly: the parties discuss the payment date, not the number.

Without a record the conversation falls back on memory, and memory works in each party's own favour. So the first step is not arguing — it is opening the list.

2 · When to send the first reminder

Waiting does not help; the longer the delay, the harder the conversation. The right window is the third to seventh day after the due date. A reminder sent in that window still reads as information.

Past a month it is not the tone that changes but the other side's expectation: the answer is no longer “I forgot” but “I can't pay”. At that point you discuss instalments or pausing lessons.

3 · How to word it

The message should be short, single-topic and specific about the amount. Add a sentence about feelings and the subject moves from payment to the relationship.

“Hello Ms. Kaya — we had 8 lessons in September, totalling ₺3,600. Would some time this week work?”

Three parts: record, amount, proposed date. A message without a proposed date goes unanswered.

4 · If it still isn't paid

If a written rule exists, apply it: no new lessons are scheduled, the package is paused. If there is no rule, do not introduce one here — a retroactive rule enlarges the argument.

At some point an uncollectable amount is closed off in the records. A balance left open distorts your figures and produces the same conversation every month.

5 · So it doesn't happen again

Three things are enough: keeping the lesson record day by day, agreeing the payment date up front, and making reminders routine rather than personal.

Bireby takes on all three: the record is kept when the lesson ends, the balance is computed from the records, and the reminder message arrives with the amount already in it. Sending it stays your decision.