Paying Upfront

[cimore000]

Hello everybody,
I have heard countless times that students should not pay the school upfront.
Can someone please tell me why I should deposit money into their bank account instead of paying up front?
Thanks for your replies.

[helimutt]

Isn't that the same thing?

At this moment in time, i'm sure if you agree to pay in full for any flying you do at the end of each day and agree to keep, say, £50-100 in credit, then I know for a fact you'll still get a good deal. Schools are suffering at the minute. Any money is better than no money.

NEVER PAY UP FRONT!!!! DO SO AT YOUR OWN RISK!!

[BoeingMEL]

when it comes to flight-training you only have to ask yourself one question..

..Can I afford to lose the money I hand over to the FTO...

If your name happens to be Bond or Packer..go right ahead!

If you've had to work hard for your $Aus.... pay as you go and keep your account a few $$$Aus in credit!

If the FTO declines to do business on those terms, find another FTO.

Hardly rocket-science!

Good Luck anyway. bm

[cimore000]

I still have no idea what you guys are trying to say. :(
So after i finish my flying lesson, the bill would usually say 200 dollars or something.
What is the difference between me handing over 200 dollars to the receptionist and depositing 200 dollars when I get home or drive past a bank or something.
Sorry if i sound really stupid but I really don't get this :(
thanks for all the help

[cimore000]

Just a note, I pay right after I finish the flying lesson and not BEFORE the actual lesson if that helps.

[EIPCW]

It's more to do with not paying for an entire course upfront, there's no problem with having a few lessons paid up front but it is not advisable to hand over thousands of euro/dollar/pound in one go.

Some FTO's will require you to hand over the entire course fee before you even start the course which is pretty risky especially in this current climate

[cream cake]

Never pay course fees up front.

[LH2]

cimore, I think there is a bit of terminology confusion here. In this context, "paying upfront" means paying the full amount of the estimated cost of the course at the time you enroll.

What you are doing is usually referred as "paying as you go" and keeps both you and the training provider relatively safe and honest.

Whether you hand over cash or make a bank deposit or use a credit card is more or less irrelevant, except for traceability purposes.

[helimutt]

I think you're confusing the term 'paying up front' with paying at the reception desk.

Ok, you can pay at the school itself and just get a receipt with annotation each day of the flying you've done for your records. Should you need to go anywhere else you'll have your flying training records.


What we're saying is don't pay for a whole bunch of flying before you fly.

Hope that helps.

[clear prop!!!]

Simple...Just DO NOT pay anything more then a couple of hundred in advance.

Just refuse, it's that simple.

Right now FTO's want/need your money. It is not unreasonable in anyone’s language, that as long as you are up to date to the point of having paid for the hour or so you are about to take, you should not be asked for a penny more.

As for integrated schools, at the very least an escrow account should be set up.

If they can't see the logic of that,... then walk away from the deal.

We are in difficult times (at least I agree with WWW on something!), no company is particularly safe, given the way that banks are now treating and charging their corporate clients.

I lost £250 many (many) years ago because I was 'conned' by a US FTO dear to PPRuNes heart!

You have no way of cost effectively arguing your case if you have paid up front and wish to dispute a bill....SO, DONT PAY UP FRONT!!!....repeat after me....DO NOT, PAY UP FRONT!!!

[ReverseFlight]

Most of the Melbourne flight schools have a system whereby you can pay say 10 hours upfront and just when your credit runs out, you top it up at the bank with another payment, and so on. Not too risky I reckon, and at least you don't have to bother about whipping out your debit/credit card at the end of each session (some schools charge a credit card surcharge to cover their costs).

[dartagnan]

hello,

pay after fly, or give a small deposit like a few thousand pounds, but never pay big cash.Pay with a credit card if you can.

case1: student came and sign a contract for a commercial, he saved 10% if he pay upfront. He paid something like 13000 pounds, 2 weeks later, school bust!They had to file bankrupt.
he lost his money.

case2: a student had 10'000$, one day the manager closed his business and took the money of all students. Student lost 10'000$.

case3: I paid to the school 500$, same school as #2, flew during 2 weeks, manager quit and took my 50$ remaining. At the end I lost 50$.

my question do you prefer to lose 13000 pounds, 10'000$ or 50$, or 0$???


what people don't get, when you pay upfront, your money goes in salaries, planes, maintenance, Air cond., fees, fuel, ....
What is left on your account, is just an account with a number, but it doesn't mean the money is here....the money is gone!it 's like if you buy tokens to play videogames...in all cases your money is GONE! GONE! GONE!

[cimore000]

OH right, Thanks heaps NOW I get it....
ok it is very clear now!
thanks for all the help