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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

to want to take nanny to court for £40.25

215 replies

VentiPeppermintMochaWithWhip · 12/05/2011 17:14

Long story short:
Nanny of 9 months announces she is 6 weeks up the duff to the guy she broke up with late last year... (it's one of those "If I get pregnant, he'll stay with me" babies that I think she is now regretting)

Got a text yesterday in the middle of a uni lecture from said nanny:
Cnt get kids 2day I quit

I immediately leave uni to collect kids from school, ask her what is going on, she says it's confidential.

Then last night, I tot everything up for her last wages and discover that she's taken too much holiday by three weeks this year. After deducting this month's wages, etc, it turns out she owes us £40.25

I inform her of this yesterday. She then has the gonads to text me this morning asking if she can work her four weeks notice?!?!

I very politely but sternly tell her no, that she quit, that she is no longer welcome here, and requested that she return her key today whilst I'm at uni.

I spoke to a friend who is also a solicitor last night, who has agreed to send a letter requesting the money.

I KNOW it's only £40 and it's not the money I'm pissed off about... it's the fact that she flipping TEXT an hour before the kids were due to be collected, that she gave no notice, never came to speak to me about any of her issues, nothing!!

AIBU?

OP posts:

stillfrazzled · 12/05/2011 21:07

UA, I think the OP did say she was advertising for maternity cover, which surely implies some kind of mat leave?

abbierhodes · 12/05/2011 21:08

Unlikelyamazonian, I've never heard such a lot of bitter ranting! Can you not afford a nanny? Is that it?

elphabadefiesgravity · 12/05/2011 21:09

OP YANBU.

Others have said that it isn't worth pursuing for £40. I think it is, if you won you would be awarded costs.

In every job I have ever been in if you leave having taken more than pro rata holiday you have to pay it back.

However there are no guarantees in small claims and it probably isn't worth the stress but I would send a formal letter requesting repayment of the £40.

Presumably the nanny knew you were iun a lecture, don;t phones normally have ot be off in lectures, it is very lucky you saw the text.

You really are well rid of her. You can be sympathetic to people and I am sure the nanny is having a difficult time but there is no exuse other than serious sudden illness to abandon your job leaving children uncollected.

Honestly you really are well shut of her.

FabbyChic · 12/05/2011 21:12

YOu can use moneyclaimonline to file a claim, it costs £25.00 which is added to the £40.00 however it could be said that you should not have allowed her to take more than her accrued holiday.

AppleyEverAfter · 12/05/2011 21:13

OP I think you've done enough, she knows she owes you and you won't have her back, just leave it at that.

For all you know, she could have lost the baby, have a terminal illness, anything!

Original poster

VentiPeppermintMochaWithWhip · 12/05/2011 21:28

Hi everyone, I'm back...

I do apologize for my tardiness, I was just getting the kids showered, into their PJs, doing their school work, cleaning the kitchen, loading the dishwasher, and getting school bags ready for tomorrow.

Letter will be sent, but nothing more will come of it. I do see the silliness of £40, but a feel our professional and personal relationship was stable enough that if she was having any personal issues, she'd be able to discuss it with me... many a times she's cried on my shoulder about her baby's father and we've had lovely chats over tea and biscuits.

Kids aren't bothered one way or the other, they appear to be excited with the upcoming variation in childcare arrangements.

So that's it for now, I'm off to write more assignments for my course.

Ta ra

OP posts:

A1980 · 12/05/2011 22:18

"Nanny of 9 months announces she is 6 weeks up the duff to the guy she broke up with late last year... (it's one of those "If I get pregnant, he'll stay with me" babies that I think she is now regretting)"

The irony of you saying such things about this woman is well...... ironic.

jugglingjo · 12/05/2011 22:21

Children can be remarkably resilient !
That's one of the great things about them

Hope you might keep in touch with her, but if not, hope you part as friends.

Serenitysutton · 12/05/2011 23:15

UA you are making yourself sound like a total looper, with a chip the size of a small country on your shoulder. You should re read your posts and see how ridiculous and immature they sound. I'm amazed people are backing them. You've been a presumptuous drama queen.

LDNmummy · 12/05/2011 23:57

OP that is absolutely a disgraceful way to title a baby, no matter who's it is.

" it's one of those "If I get pregnant, he'll stay with me" babies"

Absolutely disgusting to apply this title to someone's child, the child is not responsible for whatever motivation or action that led to its being here so it is completely undeserving of this.

You strike me as a vile person simply for writing something like that.

Unbelievable.

I would have sympathised with the fact that she left you such short notice to collect your children from school and had been unprofessional, but I don't think you deserve any sympathy.

If you showed an inkling of this kind of attitude while this nanny was with you then good on her for dumping your arse as an employer. She was probably sick to death of you to do such a thing.

bobbysmum07 · 13/05/2011 01:11

There are far too many nannies on these message boards. Jesus.

southofthethames · 13/05/2011 01:22

NBU to want to do so but hopefully you won't actually do so as it is really not worth your time, hassle and any costs it might incur - and they might say, she offered (later) to work her remaining days, so you lose. She was a no-show one day, but lots of employees have done that. Not as if she actually took 40 quid out of your dresser drawer.

aurynne · 13/05/2011 02:12

I would love to see MN's reaction to any poster that labelled any other member's pregnancy as the OP did her nanny's.

ESPECIALLY when the Op follows it on with "many a times she's cried on my shoulder about her baby's father and we've had lovely chats over tea and biscuits."

Obviously your nanny thought they were lovely chats and that she was having a sympathetic ear in you... for you, they were just a chance to spurt hideously judgmental statements about that poor girl on MN.

She is well rid of you.

mathanxiety · 13/05/2011 05:26

'I do apologize for my tardiness, I was just getting the kids showered, into their PJs, doing their school work, cleaning the kitchen, loading the dishwasher, and getting school bags ready for tomorrow.'

The rest of us were probably doing the same. Why did you have to mention all of that?

Vindictiveness towards a nanny and competitive parenting bragging all by the same poster.

RumourOfAHurricane · 13/05/2011 07:30

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

Fluffycloudland77 · 13/05/2011 07:38

Has anyone else said you can't go to small claims for losses under £500, you have to use an online system called money claim or something like that.

And if they plead poverty they can get away with paying you a pittance each week and you have the stress of waiting for the cheque to arrive.

It's a long drawn out process I speak from experience. It takes months and months to go from filing to settlement.

Oh and the court decides if you have a case. They can refuse to accept a case.

jugglingjo · 13/05/2011 07:46

Too many nannies on MN ?
Most nannies are young women who love children.
Surprise, surprise they grow up and go on to have children of their own !
Loads of people have been nannies at some point.
This isn't the Victorian age !

AlpinePony · 13/05/2011 07:49

I think the "too many nannies on MN" was implying that those of us who are worried about the young jobless, partnerless, pregnant girl are simply on her side because we're in "domestic service".

valiumredhead · 13/05/2011 08:34

OP what do you mean 'she took too much money?' - does she sort out her own wages then?

trixymalixy · 13/05/2011 08:46

OP these nanny threads always turn into bitter jealous rants from those who can't afford nannies and assume they are all treated like slaves.

I would be livid if someone I trusted let me down in that way, but your description of her was a bit nasty.

She effectively terminated her contract, she is nuts to expect to work for another month.

Good luck with finding another nanny.

Needanewname · 13/05/2011 10:10

Well I used to be a nanny and the way OPs nanny behaved was appaling.

You do not give niotice an hour before you are due to pick up the children. Yes there are many bad employers out there (my last ones were awful) but there are also many great ones, nothing OP has said indicates she is a bad employer, you might not like the words she used but the nanny was totally and completely in the wrong here and I really don;t see why the OP has come in for such stick.

StayingDavidTennantsGirl · 13/05/2011 10:34

That point seems to have been totally missed by a number of posters, Needanewname. I assume they don't think it is acceptable to abandon the children like that - she had no way of knowing whether the OP would get the message, and the children could have ended up standing alone outside school, wondering what was going on. She was well enough, and able, to send a text, so she should have rung the OP, and rung the school to let them know what was going on.

jugglingjo · 13/05/2011 12:20

Perhaps the OP texted her back. I think I would have done.
So, perhaps the nanny did know that the children were going to be collected OK from school by the OP ?

Nancy66 · 13/05/2011 12:26

Isn't the best thing to just refuse to provide a reference. that way you aren't providing a bad one but it's pretty clear you didn't rate the person.

valiumredhead · 13/05/2011 12:31

You can't refuse to provide a reference nancy but you can just confirm when someone worked for you.

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