to be really upset at being treated like this by a company??

[reallyquiteshocked]

I've just been 'sacked' as a customer by a company. And I really genuinely don't believe I deserve it.

I have 2 dcs and I recently went back to work after dd1, this time partially using a nanny, simply because my husband is now a student and it works out a bit easier with no difference in cost for 2. I've never had a nanny before so am starting to get my head around the whole payroll, tax thing.
A friend recommended Nannywage plc who were lovely on the phone, very patiently explaining the different options we had to pay the nanny who will only be working part time in term time.

However my first payslip came with an amount less than I expected on it. I paid the nanny the (higher) amount I thought it should have been and emailed Nannywage to query it. I am genuinely upset by the sort of language they've used. I was really just trying to work out why it was that amount, and was happy to be told my calculations were wrong. This was only yesterday and today I received this mail saying they were dumping me and that I disrespected their staff! I have been polite and courteous throughout and really did not think my emails came across like that. I could paste them here.
The thing is I actually think their calculations are still wrong but I don't even have an opportunity to correct them now!

What language?

If you thought the payslip was wrong, you should have queried it, and then paid surely?

Btw, I use them if it is nanny wage ltd and I gave found them amazing so am genuinely interested ...

not language, I should say 'tone' of their emails and I did pay the nanny I was just questioning the payslip company - the nanny is employed by us.

hang on, so you paid them more than they asked for?

....why are they complaining?!

Cut and paste the email from them.

Every time I've called the lady who I spoke to was lovely - that's why I am so shocked!

Sounds very odd
They are super helpful whenever I have rung or emailed

Lessonsinl - it;s the payslip company who are complaining - they sort out the nanny's tax and NI. Will paste hang on...

Lessons - she paid her nanny more, not the payroll company she is referring to

Here it is, the only foot I've put wrong I think is to miss off saying divided by 12 in one of my calculations!
I still think theirs are wrong because the 460 amount is the total salary for working 31 weeks divided equally by 12 so it doesn't matter when she started in Oct.
Anyway it's more their tone I object to and the fact they've just dumped me than work it out.

---

Dear Mrs ....

Thank you for your e-mail

We can assure you that at no time have we intended to cause you any offence

We have only attempted to explain our calculations based on the fact that monthly payroll is processed to the last Friday of each month

Your employee has not worked a complete month having started on 7th October and thus is not due a full month salary for working less than a full month

Twice we have responded very promptly to your e-mail correspondence of incorrect payroll

Now we have received your third e-mail correspondence with added accusations of being impolite and a tone in the e-mails with which you disapprove

We believe we are correct, you disagree, having spent much time in deliberation we have concluded that you have no confidence or respect for our service or staff and regrettably we cannot continue to act as your payroll provider and are sending a full subscription refund

Yours sincerely

Nannywage Ltd
- Original Message -
From: ...
To: Nannywage
Sent: Saturday, October 30, 2010 11:08 AM
Subject: Re: Payslip Query

Dear Nannywage,

I was quite distressed by the tone of your last email as I was merely seeking to understand the calculation, not trying to tell you that your calculations were 'wrong'.
I am surprised as my contact with you by phone has previously been very helpful and friendly. I only wanted to provide you with my calculations so you could see how I had worked this out and point out any mistake, not to put you to more 'time and trouble'.

......

From: Nannywage
To: .....
Sent: Fri, 29 October, 2010 17:18:04
Subject: Re: Payslip Query

Dear Mrs .....

Thank you for your e-mail

We do not understand why you are asking us to check again as we have already taken the time and trouble to give you a prompt explanation of the salary

You have already stated that you have averaged the salary out over a month

12 months of salary is 52 weeks of salary in a year

This means that the nanny works for you and is paid an average of 52 weeks divided by 12 months = 4.33 weeks per average month

In the first month of October being the average 4.33 weeks of salary your nanny only worked or was wageslip processed for payroll having started on 7th October for 4 weeks salary

Ie she worked for the 4 weeks date ending

Week ending 8th Oct
Week ending 15th Oct
Week ending 22nd Oct
Week ending 29th Oct

Thus if you take 460 = 4.33 weeks of salary recurring divided by 4.33 recurring weeks of salary and multiply by the actual number of weeks worked in Oct of 4 weeks =

460 divided by 4.33 recurring x 4 weeks actually worked ( Remembering monthly payroll is only processed to the LAST FRIDAY of each month ie Friday 29th )= 424.61 net

Please remember your nanny has not worked a full month as started on 7th Oct thus reduced salary.

We agree your calculation averages 460 per month over a year but the year is divided into months and this first month ends on 29th Oct and is a short month

Next month November full salary applies

Please be assured we have calculated the payroll correctly

Regards

Nannywage Ltd
- Original Message -
From: .....
To: Nannywage
Sent: Friday, October 29, 2010 4:30 PM
Subject: Re: Payslip Query

Many thanks for your prompt reply. I'm still not sure this is quite correct as the £460 amount is already an averaged figure across 12 months. This is how I've worked out her pay. Could you take a look and check it?

Miss P works 2 days per week at £80 per day but for only 31 weeks of the year. Holiday entitlement is 31/52 x 11.2 days = 7 days.
Thus:
31 wks x £160 = £4960
Holiday pay - 7x 80 = £560

4960 + 560 = £460

Regards
.....

From: Nannywage
To: ......
Sent: Fri, 29 October, 2010 12:55:01
Subject: Re: Payslip Query

Dear Mrs .....

Your payroll instructions to us were Miss P is to earn £460 net per month

According to your instructions Miss P started work for you on Thursday 7th Oct

Thus 460 per month x 12 months divided by 52 weeks = Miss P earns £106.15 per week

As started on 7th October and October is a 5 week month Miss P earns £106.15 for weeks ending

Friday 8th,15th, 22nd & 29th October

Monthly wageslips are processed to the last Friday of each month

4 weeks x 106.15 = 424.61

This is because Miss P did not work a full month for you in October

It must be remembered that monthly wageslips are actually an average of 4.33 weeks of salary per month to achieve the yearly total of 52 week

November onwards as a full working month will be 460 net per month

Please confirm or send us your revised instructions

Regards

Nannywage Ltd
- Original Message -
From: ....
To: [email protected]
Sent: Friday, October 29, 2010 12:38 PM
Subject: Payslip Query

Client Ref Number -

Hello
I have received this month's payslip however the Net pay amount appears to be incorrect. I worked this out to be £460 per month whereas the payslip states £424.61. Could you please look into this?
Many thanks
.....

Hmm - not sure what to say

Their tone is factual if a touch perpelexed

They have stated in great detail how they have calculated it, but you dont agree?

It does seem odd to have "sacked" you for it though

That's terrible customer relations! You were only asking for clarification! Find someone else. Is there a higher manager who you could send this to? I'm sure they'd love to hear about this snippiness and loss of custom

What time was their last email sent? They spent "much time" in deliberation before they concluded they need to get rid of you as a customer? Presumably approx 5 hours is "much time"?

FWIW I don't think you were at all rude in your emails.

How odd!

I wouldn't mind if I was the stroppy sort! I was honestly just trying to get across that I wasn't trying to be stroppy, just wanting to get to the bottom of the figures. But look where it got me!

I am sorry, but they probably realized they could not afford you as their customer, as you were taking up a lot of resources, both on the phone, and for seeking clarifications and explanation through email 3 times. They probably found you a "trouble customer" and decided they would not have more of this and ended it before letting it fester.

Personally, I think "Customer is King", and would have put up with you, through gritted teeth, hoping it would be better when you were more familiar with the service.

To be entirely honest, they have laid out the figures very simply for you and you do not agree.

If I had to respond to the third time to a customer, I would assume they were not happy with the service and request they look elsewhere for someone that they were happier with.

Now you can do that too! :o

That's what I was thinking too Quint. It must be all automated so any sort of labour and it becomes less profitable. However repeat business and recommendations must count for something?!

They are wrong, not to have explained to you clearly that they do not run middle of month to middle of month. That's all it needed: and for you to be told at the end of the contract that the adjustment would be made. That's all it would have taken.

You weren't rude, and I'm glad they're getting bad publicity for it.

I guess that depends on how they calculate their own fees?

I reckon they are quite automated, as running payroll is "no biggie", there is software that does that, and most of the reporting would be automated and online too, I reckon.

Their figures look correct. They are paying her for the part of the month of October that she worked.

Are you assuming that she is getting paid from 7th Oct to 6th Nov?

I have to day I have worked self-employed providing payroll services and in a case of a part-month I have always taken the time to discuss with the employer how they want the part-calculation made (there are different ways of doing this, all technically correct and justifiable, that can give very different answers).

It sounds like they maybe needed to take the time to do this with you over the phone, if you are finding it difficult to understand - it is much easier to figure out what aspects of the calculation you are struggling with that way.

Thank you - I am really upset about this last night, and actually cried last night! ( I was a bit tired...).

You should not worry, they were polite (up to the point where they sacked you), you were polite, but they were not able to communicate properly how they calculate their months. You will know for the next time, and now you have a chance to take your custom elsewhere.

And just for clarity and in case anyone clever can make me understand it - the reason I disagree with it is because in October, the nanny actually 'earned' £640, not £460 or part thereof. It's just that I've averaged out her whole year's pay over 12 months. Meaning she should get 12 lots of 460 whether she worked part of the month or not. I am not understanding how in their calc she would make up the missing 30 something quid.