To refuse to pay this nursery charge

Quite!

Then you should either get a credit at the end of the activity period or a refund.
What is the activity and why hasn’t it taken place yet?

I think when you have this many people asking for clarification you really have to accept it is you that hasn't explained it very well! Your posts aren't written with clarity.

Which isn't helped in the slightest by the crazy drip feeding of what the activity is. OP is making the explanation way more complicated that necessary due to the bizarre attempt to hide what the activity. is. Does she really think she's Kim Kardashian famous that someone will track her down to the nursery if she reveals that it's actually about a bunch of toddlers doing yoga or whatnot. She's posted enough identifiable details anyway that anyone going to the same nursery will immediately know what is it. Just say what it is FFS.

What date did you pay the bill for November? Not what date in November did you pay the bill. What date did you pay the bill that covered Novembers fees?

What date did/will you be paying the bill for December?

I think the only way to get to the bottom of this is to wait until spring, then you count how often you’ve paid £40 and how often the activity was done.

But as others said (and you’ll come back now to say that I don’t get it), I’d assume they invoiced you on 1st November for the December activity (yes I get it that you pay your nursery fees in November for November, but that might not be the same as for activities that need prebooking).

I have every sympathy with the nursery here, goodness only knows what way the conversation went. Accusing your child’s carers of lying isn’t a sensible option when the fact pattern is so demonstrably unclear.

You know those occasions when you wonder to yourself if you are the problem, OP my advice is to assume you are in fact the problem.

You paid for an activity that is taking place a bit later than you thought. But it is in fact taking place, therefore there has been no “money grab”. It’s happening, therefore you can’t take back the money, it’s happening.

The reason it makes no sense to people is because you have utterly over reacted and blithering on about lies and grabs. Absolute nonsense.

We pay our fees at the start of the month for the same month too eg Nov fees are due by 2nd Nov. But the activity payments are different to this as sometimes they’ll bring in an external person to run them who obviously has their own payment schedule. Eg for weekly forest school we pay a month in advance as it’s run by an external person.

I think you’ll find it’s your communication and explanation that is awful. You are the common denominator here. I read only your posts and I was confused from the outset as to when the activity is happening…if at all.

This is a you issue OP. Honestly read the room!

I hear you!

I think you need to look at his £40 as separate to your nursery fees. You paid your November nursery fees on November 1st, also on the same day you paid the first instalment of the winter activity due to start in December. Surely it doesn’t matter when they start charging this as long as they only do it for 4 months? Just complain if they try and take a 5th £40 from you.

Really curious what the activity is.

They likely have a waiting list and will just withdraw the child’s place because of ‘a break down in relationship between the parents and provider’.The OP should only do this if she doesn’t care she will lose the nursery place.

Will the activity start this week do you know for sure?

So how many £40 payments are you expecting to make? Dec - April so 5? I think I’d probably try again if they try to charge you on the April 1st bill and remind them the first payment was taken in November so you have covered all five months

Perhaps you won’t get charged on Dec 1st, it will be carried over?

Just another person joining the chorus of people misunderstanding.

To be really clear - have you paid 2x £40 extra for the month of November for services not received? So are you £80 out of pocket? If that's correct, you're right and the nursery are wrong.

If you've paid £80 for services you are going to receive, so they've just charged you a bit early, no problem.

I think when you have this many people asking for clarification you really have to accept it is you that hasn't explained it very well! Your posts aren't written with clarity.

That is what you do with your nursery fees.

As people keep saying to you, with the activity maybe the payment is paid in advance. So Nov = Dec.
We only have your side of the event and so far you aren't coming off great in your communication which makes me think you have misunderstood how the activity payment works this year.

That's really bad and fraudulent of them. I'd send in an email explaining that you think this is fraud and want it removing from December's bill. Otherwise you'll be contacting a solicitor. See if they change their mind as its in writing then.