Notes From Norman- Everything About Waitlists

Hi Everyone and welcome to the next installment of Notes From Norman.  This is where I address some issues that I see multiple people dealing with.

Everything About Waitlists

Please read all the way through, until it all becomes clear.

     The wait list, also written as waitlist, is to allow folks the chance to be first in line in case someone in a fully-booked class cancels.  You can be on as many waitlists as you want – it costs nothing to be on a waitlist.  There are 6 spots in each class, and 6 spots on each wait list.  If someone in a full class cancels, the person who went on the waitlist first is notified and given the option to take the class.  If they refuse the class, or if they do not respond within the 3-hour timeframe, the system contacts the next oldest entry on the waitlist, and so on until the spot is filled or the list is exhausted. 

NOTE:  While this is happening, the system will prevent someone else who is not on the waitlist from signing up for the class, until the entire list has been gone through.  It will appear that only 5 folks are in the class, but when you try to sign up, it will put you on the waitlist.

     Every class must be paid for.  The most common way this happens is for folks to use the classes that they get with the membership Plan that they have selected.  When someone signs up for a class, the class comes off of their class allotment for that Billing Cycle.  When someone clears a waitlist, the class is deducted from their class allotment, just as if they had scheduled the class outright.  If someone clears a waitlist and has scheduled and/or taken all of their classes, they can still get into the class by paying the drop-in class price of $32.00 (used to be $29.00).  Alternately, if this person still has upcoming classes booked, they could cancel one of those classes and use that class for the one they waitlisted for.  The wait list does not count against your class allotment – only actually being enrolled into a class counts.

     Please tidy up the schedule after a change in plans.  You can be on as many wait lists as makes you happy.  If you find out that you cannot be in a class you waitlisted for, please go back and take yourself off the list.  Failing that, send me a note and I will do it for you.  Ensuring that only folks who want to be in a class are on that wait list helps make sure things go smoothly and efficiently.  Every week I send a note to someone saying that they cleared a wait list, only for them to tell me that they are out on vacation, or otherwise have plans that have changed.  I have gone through a list of 5 folks who waitlisted for a class, who then had either forgotten they were on the list or that their plans had changed. If this happens, please take yourself off that waitlist.

     I recently worked with someone whose Aether membership (8 classes per billing cycle) had just renewed the day before.  She cleared the wait list for a class, and when the system showed that she needed to pay the $32.00 drop-in price, she was confused and concerned.  What happened was that when her billing cycle renewed, she immediately booked her 8 classes – leaving her no classes unaccounted for.  So even though it had just renewed, and she had 8 classes in Upcoming Bookings, she had to pay the drop-in price for the class she cleared the waitlist for.

            So let’s wrap this up with an example, to make sure we’re all on the same page.  Let’s say, as above, someone has the Aether membership.  When it renews, they sign up for 7 upcoming classes, and get on the wait list for 2 other classes they want to go to.  They make it into the first class they wait listed for, and the class comes off of their Plan, making a total of 8 classes accounted for.  They then clear the second wait list.  As the 8 classes from the Aether membership have all been accounted for already, they need to pay the drop-in price, or cancel a future class to get back that class allotment for the waitlisted class.   

I know this was a bit of a read, but this is, near as I can figure, everything there is to know about wait lists.

As always, if you have questions about this or any other topic, or if there is something you would like me to cover in another Notes From Norman, send me a message and we’ll make it happen.  See you in class!  NW