Take these to the first conversation, or read them against the agreement before you sign. They are questions to ask a coach about their service. None of them needs you to explain your reasons for wanting coaching.
AThe service
- What exactly is included?How many sessions, how long each one is, and over what period. Write it down, or ask for it in writing.
- What result, if any, is being promised?Under the ACCC’s guidance, what a business claims its service will do has to be true, with reasonable grounds behind it, and the business must be able to back up anything it advertises.
- Are the testimonials real customers?The rule on accurate claims reaches testimonials, social media and websites as well as ads, according to the ACCC.
BThe person
- What training and experience do they have?Coaching isn’t one of the professions on Ahpra’s register, so this is a question to ask directly, along with what any qualification involved.
- Do they use a health title?If someone calls themselves a psychologist, look them up on Ahpra’s register: being listed there means they may practise. Turn 2 shows how.
- Did they mention anything you’d need to know?Leaving things out can mislead too. The ACCC gives the case of a business that tells you part of the story but not the details that matter to your decision.
CThe money
- What is the total price?Including any packages, deposits, payment plans and what happens to sessions you don’t use.
- Is there a change-of-mind policy?A change of heart alone doesn’t give you a remedy under the consumer guarantees. A business that has its own change-of-mind policy, though, is bound to honour it.
- Does anything say “no refunds”?A “no refunds” policy can’t take away your consumer guarantee rights, and the ACCC says relying on one to deny them is against the law.
DThe agreement
- Can either side end it, or only one?Among the law’s examples of possibly unfair terms are ones that give only one side the power to end the contract or to change it.
- Is there a penalty for stopping early?So are terms that penalise only one side for breaking or ending the contract.
- Are you being hurried?Pushing or pressuring someone into signing a contract is against the law, the ACCC says.
- Was the approach uninvited?If a salesperson phoned you or came to your door without being invited, extra rules and a cooling-off period may apply. Turn 6 explains them.
One thing the agreement can’t do
Some consumer rights exist by law whatever the agreement says, and the ACCC is clear that no term or condition can remove them. Turn 4 sets out what those rights are for a service.