As An Instructor, I Hate Instructors.

[crossrhodes]

I feel your pain

Yep those dirt bags are everywhere. I run a small firearms repair business. I don't advertise and it's by word of mouth, I'm retired and not into climbing and fighting my way up the business latter.
Well a custom rifle builder is getting ready to open a shop in this area and has started the slander campaign about my business and doing pretty much the same thing to me, as those gents are doing to you. Well it's not hurting my business and actually has driven more customers my way. I think I can contribute this to two factors. My work is good and priced to match the economy here and I guarantee my work. The other factor is he's bad mouthing the business but has no examples or proof so people look at him as being shady.
Your doing good work and fairly priced everyone want to take a chunk of change out of your butt. Good luck and hope they get what they deserve.

 

[PTT]

This ain't about instructors, it's about people.

There are people of good charactor and there are folks that have weak, little or no charactor, in every field of endevor. Then there are the ignorant and stupid.

In the end it's life.

You state that you have a LEO back ground, and can't handle this? If this is the worst you run into, be satisfied.

Good luck.

Fred

I never said I can't handle it, just came here to vent, which is part of how I handle it without going and doing stuff I regret later

 

[PTT]

Well let's help get you through your problem, eh? You have failed to understand your problem and as such have completely miscategorized it and in the process have done a disservice to other instructors.

From your own works, instructors are not the problem. Jerk competition is your problem. If you are going to advertise in a cheap format such as Craig's List, except that there are shortcomings. Pay for proper advertising elsewhere and the problem will be eliminated.

CL is only a small part of my promo strategy. I figure it's free, and it does bring a few sales, so I'd be a fool to quit using it.

 

[gym]

Hire an attorney, and sue him, if you can prove he is slandering your good name and taking money out of your pocket, otherwise it's free speech.

 

[Black Butte]

Maliciously interfering with the business practices of others is an actionable tort. Gather your evidence and take your adversaries to court seeking damages.

 

[sonick808]

I had no idea how competitive the instruction arena was until AZ presented a constitutional carry bill to the Governer's desk. A large amount of instructors out here flipped and went directly to the "blood in the streets!" mentality, etc etc. Calling the governor urging her not to pass, and just behaving badly in general. I was shocked. Fortunately, she signed the bill, and there are still plenty of people attending classes, and blood isn't flowing in the streets. Good Grief.

 

[Double Naught Spy]

CL is only a small part of my promo strategy. I figure it's free, and it does bring a few sales, so I'd be a fool to quit using it.

I don't know which is more foolish, using a medium that gives poeple an inside track to stressing you out or losing a few sales. Your beef here seemed to be with a misunderstanding of your problem and how that problem was able to get to you to cause you stress that is apparently getting to be substantial.

Maybe you are handling it and can handle it as you say, but not so well that you actually even understood what the cause was. It is hard to deal with a problem properly if you don't understand the problem properly.

Of course not if your detractors find this thread here, they are going to have a field day with you because they have great confirmation about how they are getting under your skin.

 

[PTT]

I don't know which is more foolish, using a medium that gives poeple an inside track to stressing you out or losing a few sales. Your beef here seemed to be with a misunderstanding of your problem and how that problem was able to get to you to cause you stress that is apparently getting to be substantial.

Maybe you are handling it and can handle it as you say, but not so well that you actually even understood what the cause was. It is hard to deal with a problem properly if you don't understand the problem properly.

Of course not if your detractors find this thread here, they are going to have a field day with you because they have great confirmation about how they are getting under your skin.

Quit being such a drama queen.

I never said they were under my skin, and there are many different levels of stress one can be in.
I said I'm starting to get stressed, or, IOW, annoyed.

I've told my detractors directly that they're bugging the hell out of me and to quit, so there's nothing new here should they find this.

 

[chris in va]

I had a CC instructor try to tell the class you can't open carry in a car in KY. We had a 'friendly' conversation for about five minutes, he was not amused. It was not my first rodeo.

On a side note I talked a few times with a gun store owner in Virginia about his plans to open an indoor firing range. Unfortunately the other local range owners got with the county permit authority and made it darn near impossible to get approval. Too bad, it would have been really nice.

 

[SwampWolf]

Could be the main issue is that you're charging less for classes. For some people it's ONLY about the money.

Sounds like a good theory. There are people who resent competition just because it threatens to cut into their revenue.

 

[mustang_steve]

Document everything...that way if they slander your company for their profit, you can destroy them in court. Sleazeballs like that shouldn't be shown any leniency, as they won't appreciate it.

The first one to get slammed for a large defamation/slander/libel settlement, with court ordered payment schedule...they'll all knock it off real fast. Being an instructor is not profitable enough to handle something like that...so they'll wise up to avoid that mess.

 

[NMGonzo]

OP: Your fellow instructors remind me of some mean girls in elementary school

Great that you are the grown up in the room.

 

[El Tejon]

There is no greater proof that the inane "training" requirement of the CCW licenses of some states is nothing more than economic rent seeking that these threads.

Far past time to abolish "training" requirements.