Clients Messaging One Tutor Being Sent to Other Tutors

Tutors
#1

I’ve just received an email from a prospective client, and I was disturbed to be informed of her claim that a message she intended for one tutor has been passed on to several others (including myself). This person didn’t respond to my original reply, so (on the recommendation of Tutorful), I followed up the message to see if this person was still interested in tuition. Here is an excerpt from the reply I received:

…Hi Peter thank you for your reply. No I understand lessons are online I just apologise as I didn’t realise tutorful had sent my private message to one tutor to a number of other tutors…

I’ve always naturally assumed that if a client messages a single tutor, then only that tutor will receive it. Of course, I don’t know for a fact that the claim of messages being diverted by Tutorful is true, but I would like to hear someone from Tutorful explain what is happening here.

If messages intended for a single tutor are being passed to other tutors, then this could obviously have serious consequences for all tutors who receive messages being shared in this way, and also without their knowledge that it was originally intended for someone else. This is a very serious accusation, and I would like clarification from Tutorful. I have had several messages in recent times that I’ve responded to, and yet have heard nothing more from these clients. Clients not responding to my reply used to be a rare occurrence, but it is now the norm - and my booking score continues to plummet because of it.

Can Tutorful either confirm or deny this claim, please?

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#2

If I recall correctly, there is an option to ask Tutorful to send a message to other tutors that they think would be suitable in addition to the specific tutor that the client is messaging. I think this is probably an incident of that option being ticked by mistake, but I don’t particularly like the existence of the option in the first place for the reasons you’ve mentioned.

#3

Thanks Lewis. If that is the case, any message being shared in this way should ONLY have an impact on the booking score of the tutor originally messaged. Tutors who are being sent a message second-hand are already at a disadvantage because the client would most likely select the tutor who was originally messaged.

My booking score has been directly impacted by not securing this client, and that really isn’t cricket.

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#4

Hello, I have also had this happen on a number of occasions and when I have followed up, the parent/student has replied that it was sent to me in error and that they have gone with another tutor, more than likely the one they originally were interested in. I also did not know that this was happening, it appears, without it being intended by the person seeking lessons.

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