To think nursery should owe me a day for Boxing Day when they're closed!

[purplebaubles]

DD attends nursery just two days a week - Thursday and a Friday.

Just been informed that they are closed on the Thursday (Boxing Day) - no problem. So I said, I'd send her Monday and Friday that week instead.

I've been told it's tough and we'll just lose the day but still have to pay for it?!

I work term time only, so don't get paid in the holidays.

AIBU to think that they should owe me a day, given I'm paying for it?

I might add, normally (i.e not Christmas week!) they're dead flexible if I need to change days.

[ivykaty44]

I also take it you will be happy if you phone company shuts down all your calls on boxing day, the tv goes off along with the internet connection and you still have to pay for all these services as these companies have staff to pay and say you have no justification for complaint. The op isn't complaining about not wanting to use the nursery and it being open and then wanting a refund

[RoseRedder]

If the nursery was open on boxing day, how many children would actually be there?

[worryingunnecessarily]

Rose - reckon we would have 60% for part of the day

[Lucylouby]

It depends on what your contract says. Most private day nurseries I know, are owned by people living in big houses with shiny, big, new cars. i imagine this is one of the ways they get to that point. So their out goings to shut the nursery will be lower as the nursery is closed but they are still taking in all the fees and making a profit. It's easier for them if the nursery is shut as all staff have the same holiday dates meaning no cover is required (which would mean paying out twice, once for holiday pay and once for cover for absent staff). (This assumes bank holidays come out of their holiday entitlement, which in each nursery I worked in this was the case).
Insanityandbeyond I would be livid if that happened to me and would have withdrawn my child immediately. That is a dreadful way to conduct business. They get away with it as people don't want to disrupt their children, but that is a very unfair way to operate. Everyone goes on about childminders not being as reliable as they may need to take time of if they are Ill, but at least they are upfront about it, not like this nursery.
I don't know why money making and profit has to come into raising our children. But I do know that parents should read and understand their contracts before signing them.

[Revengeofkarma]

No, I don't work for TS. Never have, never will. I have, however worked with them. And before that I knew what TS does.

You keep insisting you're paying for a service you're not getting.

You're not. Follow the money. Enough people have explained it to you.

You also stated that You can challenge the contract through TS.

You can't. If for no other reason than every TS would then be swamped with people in perfectly valid contracts trying to "challenge" them to no end except a lot of wasted time and resources.

And each of the services you cite do shut down from time to time for maintainence, or problems. Sometimes scheduled, often not. You won't get a refund for it. So your point is what precisely?

[GColdtimer]

yABu they will still have to pay their staff for that day. This is standard practice.

[RoseRedder]

really!

can I ask why that is?

I find that surprising

[RoseRedder]

sorry thread moved on my comment was to worryingunnecessarily

[brettgirl2]

I'd send mine on boxing day

[foreverondiet]

When my daughter was at a nursery on Mon, Tues and Wed, I complained about the bank holiday Mondays and said it wasn't fair as I had paid based on a per day charge, and now the nursery was closed for 3 Mondays within 2 months (easter and may bank holidays) - they agreed and said i could have extra days provided they had space.

The way it works at my place of employment (I work part time) is that I get my bank holidays pro-rota-ed) so essentially if I work on Mondays, I have to use up annual leave (or take unpaid) to cover all the bank holidays - they should charge more for the other days to compensate, so no difference if using full time.

I have a nanny now and pay her bank holidays, even through mine are pro-rata'ed just didn't seem fair to her any other way.

In reality if you don't use on a Monday it probably works out the same. So whilst in principle YANBU, I think its not worth making a fuss.

[worryingunnecessarily]

I think the majority would use it for a few hours to get stuff done, have some time etc. Who knows. The way my 2 are behaving at the moment I might insist we open so I can send them in

[Lucylouby]

I childmind and I reckon if i opened on Boxing Day at least one of my families would send their children to me. (And I only have two families). They do not wish to spend more time with their children than they have to. I have never known them to drop of late or pick up early. Even when they have the day off work they would rather rush in the morning, than spend an extra 10 mins with their children. I have been told they have sat on the supermarket car park down the road doing nothing for 15 minutes rather than pick up slightly early. It may be sad but it's how some families operate.

[IneedAsockamnesty]

Use a childminder then !!

Mine still gets paid for bank holidays

[brettgirl2]

hahaha the most ridiculous judgy post I've ever read. It's not exactly going to happen is it?

[Minnieisthedevilmouse]

If you weren't happy with the contract you shouldn't have

Signed
Paid
Placed dd there

And actually done
More fecking research....

[Lucylouby]

This childminder doesn't get paid for bank holidays. As a parent I wouldn't want to pay for a place I couldn't use, so I don't charge other parents to do this either.

[ThePinkOcelot]

When my dds went to nursery, I chose Tues and Wed so I didn't cop for every BH Mon and Good Friday. However, if Xmas day or Boxing day fell on either of those days, then I lost out. It's just how it is unfortunately.

[RoseRedder]

Lucylouby that is horrible.

I really hope parents not wanting to spend time with their children especially at Christmas is uncommon .

When I had a childminder there was never any question over the Christmas peroid, I wanted my kids with me, it's Christmas

I never would have dreamt about asking if she was 'open' for business that day or not.

This thread is making me sad

[Pearlsaplenty]

It's just the way they organise fees and bank holidays.

Just be happy that she doesn't go on Mondays as then there would be more bank holidays to pay for :)

[RoseRedder]

OP is this the first christmas at the nursery?

If you work term time could you change your contract with the nursery to term time too?

[AndHarry]

TBH Rose I had terrible PND with my older child and used the last 15 minutes before I had to collect him to compose myself after crying the whole way home from work. I also kept him in nursery while I was on maternity leave with my second child for the same reason.

[catgirl1976]

I always have to pay for Bank Holidays etc

It's in the contract. That I read and signed before DS started. I know it can grate a little but they are a business, they will have told you this before you signed up and the staff need paying.

[TheDoctrineOfWho]

Ivykaty isn't the OP.

If the nursery were required to change it, all they would do is charge a higher day rate.

[DrinkFeckArseGirls]

Erm, RoseRedder after getting iff your high horse playing the tiniest violin, you might want to accept that a) some of us are self-employed so yes, actually I'd like not to miss out in almost 2 weeks b) big everyone has the money or the family and friends to sufficiently entertain their kids over those 2 weeks. Just because you feel like that it doesn't mean it's the ultimate truth

[DrinkFeckArseGirls]

Not everyone instead of big everyone.