I'm a plaintiff!

Yes, I sued a former student today for neglecting to pay past tuition. He paid for three lessons, then came for two more after those three and kept saying he'd get paid that week and he'd bring it next week. (I'm way too trusting!) Then he stopped coming. That was mid-May. At the end of May, after two weeks of trying daily to reach him by phone, I sent him a letter advising him that I still expected him to pay for the two additional lessons, and that I would take legal action if I didn't receive the funds by the end of June. A couple weeks before the deadline, I finally got a hold of him on the phone. He said he had received my letter and he would send me the money by my deadline. Well, it's the end of July, and I still haven't seen a dime. (I didn't really expect to, but I had hoped my threat would encourage him to pay.)

I might not have taken him to court over it, but a trusted friend & colleague reminded me that anyone who'll do that once will do it again, and I owe it to his next music teacher to make sure he takes his financial obligations seriously, even when they're with private businesses.

I was further encouraged to sue when I remembered that he had just turned 18. And I mean just turned 18. The first lesson he missed a payment on was two days after his 18th birthday. Someday he's going to realize that not paying your bills is more serious than not turning in your homework. I'm probably doing him a favor by making that clear to him now when it won't hurt his credit, rather than letting a credit card company teach him the lesson later. And yes, I tried to contact his parents first (even though I never met them), but they don't speak English very well and didn't seem to care (i.e. didn't return my calls, or said they'd call me right back, but never did). He's going to wish he'd just paid on time since he owes me nearly twice as much now with court costs figured into the settlement. And just in case he doesn't take the court summons any more seriously than he did my letter, it's nice to know the judgement automatically goes in my favor if he fails to appear.

This sort of thing would be a major pain in the butt if it happened often, but this is the first time I've encountered any trouble collecting tuition from a student, and I think it will be interesting to go through the process. Kind of like a hands-on civics lesson.

I really do hope this experience encourages him to straighten up and fly right in the future. Otherwise, it's just a shame.