La Bene Vita

Saturday

Student count = 278. Although, we have one withdrawal. Music is a universal language, but unfortunately, we can't speak music to our non-native English-speaking customers about our billing practices. I have no idea what her concern was, except she didn't like the late fee, and she said if she pays every month at her daughter's lesson, which is on Saturday, if it's not on the 1st exactly, she'll always be late. I suggested she could pay the Saturday before the first (for instance, last Saturday, the 25th) or go on autopay. She didn't like either of those options, and I couldn't figure out why. I suggested she could call in on the 1st (thinking, maybe she gets paid on the 1st or something), but she can't keep up and remember. We offered to send her an invoice in the mail since she mentioned several times that she didn't check email often. But in the end, she just paid the late fee and withdrew her child from lessons, obviously unhappy. If I could have just understood half of what she said, I might have been able to work out some kind of arrangement, but her English was so poor, I couldn't see the root cause of the problem.

So make that student count = 277.

It's sad, because we've worked out arrangements for people before. If she told me, look, I get paid on the first, can we make mine due by the 6th (by the end of the first week of the month), I could have arranged it. But I truly think she just forgot, and when we stopped her to get her payment today, it was too late. I think what she needed was a reminder on the 25th. Maybe. She was getting so frustrated, trying to explain the problem to us, because we didn't understand her.

You might not be surprised to hear that a large percentage of our customers are non-native English speakers. I feel like this is a problem we may need to address. But what am I supposed to do, hire an arsenal of translators? Many of them read and write better than they speak, so email correspondence works well. But this one doesn't check her email.

Sigh.

LETHARGIC AGAIN. And I felt that way before work today, so the withdrawal had nothing to do with it. Half a box of lemon Girl Scout cookies temporarily elevated my mood, but now I've crashed again (shock). I was productive, at least, putting together a new page for the website.   But this morning, before work, before the fam wakes up, should have been the most productive couple hours of my day. No dice. I sort of stared off into nothingness. It might be the book I just finished  , which came highly recommended, and which I hated. You know how a downer book stays with you?

Off to praise band. Yippee. Here's hoping we avoid any drama today.