Charged £90 for being 3 minutes late to collect children from nursery

[Justastorminabcup]

3 minutes late! I thought I was on time. nobody said anything when I arrived, they just sent me an invoice in the post.

I can understand that they need a system to prevent parents regularly being late. They have a business to run and staff to pay etc, but £90!?! For three minutes! How can they think this is reasonable???

I've used this nursery for 4 years and have never been late before.

AIBU to be utterly shocked that a childcare establishment who must know that many parents struggle to be able to afford daycare for their children could feel it is acceptable to charge such a fine? Is this normal? Would other care providers do this?

WOW!!
I can provide two full days of care for £90!!(I'm a childminder)

No nursery my dc ever went to changed a late fee.

Maybe because you could wait outside for 20+ minutes sometimes before they'd answer the door. On time we paid for, of course...

We were once over an hour late, due to several (7+ if I remember correctly) serious accidents surrounding the village on all the leading in. The road we were on (before 5pm, well over an hour before the nursery shut), closed with all cars on it. We were stuck, basically, til it cleared. And we're very glad we weren't involved in the accidents, was an awful night, never know anything like it since either. The nursery didn't charge us, of course. I didn't expect them to.

Even on a normal evening, even when most parents collected before 6pm, we were still never let in/out on time. My dc have been to other nurseries

Was this for one child?

I would tell them to take me to court

I'd understand £30 after 15 minutes. I'd even understand £100 after half an hour - the Freakonomics principle makes a lot of sense. But to fine for three minutes? To a longstanding, supportive family who have gone above and beyond? When you presumably pick up a few minutes early all the time, thus saving the staff the expended effort hundreds of times over?

I think that's appalling.

So £15 per child.

I am a stickler for time and get so cross at lateness but I do give a 5 mins leaway to account for different watch settings.

I would pay it but not put any effort into fund raising etc in future. I'd also be watching their time keeping with interest.

Justastorm Have only skimRTFT but you said you did not realise you had been late, therefore it is totally possible that you have been late in the past, without realising and the penalty charge applied in this instance could have been after several occasions of you being late for pick up, but not being charged.

Yes that would be the end of any fundraising or charitable support I gave the nursery.

There should have been one warning letter to outline what will happen with future lateness.

I just wouldn't pay it and see what happens. They would be pretty stupid to try and take you to court for it as the charge is totally unreasonable. They could serve you notice but I would have thought that it is not worth the bad publicity you could give them.

I can't believe anyone would suggest paying it. Just say no.

so you got charged for 3 things

being late
not informing them you would be late
going into late evening time ie past 4.30

£15per item twice as 2 kids

did you sign a new contract 2yrs ago and does new contract state the fees

i know they have reduces to £30now

late feesare for a reason, to stop parents being late, tho most nurseries/cm will allow one small lateness then charge

yours seems a tad ott

Im still curious how they measured it was 3 minutes late, sometimes it used to take my DSs nursery workers that time to answer the door!

The nursery have agreed to knock the charge down to £30. Apparently as we have done a lot to support the nursery over the years such as charity sponsorship, donating toys, old gardening equipment for the allotment and craft items etc. They feel this would be fair.

Surely this support from you will now come to an end?

Hmm, I know it seems really harsh but having run holiday activity camps and after school clubs for years, I can tell you that the only way to deter late collection is to charge such massive penalty fees. As per the Freakanomics principle. Otherwise so many parents really take the piss and constantly turn up late. I do understand that you don't fall into this category, and it does seem unfair that you are being penalised for other people's lack of consideration but please believe me when I say that the staff are probably fed up with the other parents!

Otherwise so many parents really take the piss and constantly turn up late. I do understand that you don't fall into this category, and it does seem unfair that you are being penalised for other people's lack of consideration but please believe me when I say that the staff are probably fed up with the other parents!

I have a job where I have to deal with the public, but sometimes you just have to take it on the chin. it's possible that there is no space where the punishment is reasonable, and staff are happy, in which case you perhaps need a reasonable fine and pay people overtime. 15/min/child is just outrageous, no matter how much staff doesn't want to stay behind.

At my son's nursery, they would turn a blind eye to a first offence of 3 mins late.
Late fees are given to persistent offenders only, and after a warning letter.