help
Frequently Asked Questions
General
Q. What software does BookaChat use for lessons?
A. BookaChat uses Skype for all lessons between students and tutors.
For students
Q. How much does BookaChat cost?
A. Tutors enter how much they are prepared to chat for and students enter how much they are prepared to pay when they are making a Booking. BookaChat is free for tutors.
Q. How do I pay for lessons?
A. Once a tutor has accepted a booking request from a student then the student Pay Now link appears in the student area and the student pays using credit card or Pay Pal. Pay Pal is the most popular secure payment provider on the Internet and BookaChat does not store any payment details from the student.
Q. What do I do if I get a bad tutor?
A. Once the chat timer starts you have 5min in which you can quit the chat and get a full refund of your money. Whether you quit the chat after 5min or complete the chat lesson at the end of the chat session you post feedback on the tutor that other students can view when they make their booking. BookaChat works to the benefit of you the student because tutors with good feedback are ranked higher then bad tutors.
Q. What do I do if the tutor doesn't show up for the lesson?
A. If the tutor does not turn up for the lesson for whatever reason email support@bookachat.com as soon as possible include your full name and lesson date. BookaChat will organise a full refund or an alternate lesson at no extra cost.
For tutors
Q. How do I maximise my chances of getting new students?
A. Make sure you modify your Skype setting to show your online status (see the question below), log into the BookaChat website every few days to see if you have any new bookings (this will also put you near the top of the tutors list on the public search for a tutor page) and make sure you provide a quality service to students to choose to chat with you.
Q. My Skype status says "I'm not telling" even though I am online and available?
A. You need to update your Skype privacy settings to allow BookaChat to show your current status. To change your Skype settings:
- Start Skype
- Go to Tools > Options > Privacy to update your settings.
- Tick the “Allow my status to be shown on the web” checkbox as illustrated below and select “Save”.
Q. How do I know if a student has paid?
A. Once a student has paid the chat icon will appear under Confirmed Lessons in the tutor area.
Q. How do I get paid?
A. Once the chat has been completed and feedback has been posted then you will be eligible to get paid. Payment is made into your Pay Pal account once you have been earned $50 or more in commissions.
Q. How much should I charge?
A. The minimum charge is US$10 per lesson. You can charge as much as you like but you will be competing with other tutors. If you are a successful tutor with good feedback and in high demand you may be able to charge more for your services. You can change you charge rate at any time in the tutors area.
Q. What do I do if I get a bad student?
A. Ensure that you post your feedback on the student at the end of the chat session so that other tutors can be made aware of the student.
