Late collection fees.

[3ddisfun]

Dd1 and Dd2 attend the local secondary school and Dd3 is in afternoon nursery in a local primary. It is an unusual situation where the principal of the secondary is an executive head of the primary too.
On Tuesday it was the secondary parents evening. I booked slots to end some 35 minutes before Dd3 after-school club pick up time.
She probably attends on average once a month so is not a regular attendee but we always arrive some 10 minutes before pick up.
So Dd3 was in after-school club to enable me to concentrate on the older girls parents evening as dh was working away.
So despite having the first appointments possible we were delayed and ended up being 3 minutes late for pick up.
We have been charged £5.00 for this.
Aibu to have hoped that given my explanation and apology that this fee should have been waived.
I could understand if this was a common problem but it is the only time I have been late.
So AIBU to be disappointed and should I just pay the invoice or complain.

The staff's loss?
How rude and disrespectful
It makes no difference that you sometimes pick up early
You can't bank those minutes
The staff shouldnt be expected to look after your child for free in their own time

If they let you off then what about the next parent who was only 3 minutes late?

They should let them off too, if it is 3 minutes and it's the first time.

Perspective people. It's 180 seconds.

YANBU for it only being 3 minutes and as others have said, it could easily be watches/clocks not matching up.

You would be unreasonable if you think the reason you were late should waiver it.

Yabu. Staff member might have been caused extra expense, late fee, missed train etc.

The only time I ever turned up late was due to a major rta on a meat that caused huge tail backs for anyone crossing the surrounding towns, let alone those on the mway. So basically the majority of parents using asc. I was one of the first at 30 minutes late, and immediately offered to pay the late fee, and when they refused it I spent more than the late fee on chocolates to say thank you.

Yabu. Staff member might have been caused extra expense, late fee, missed train etc

In 3 mins? I call bull. And the staff member wouldn't have got the fiver.

The staff all walk home so no extra expense to them. Plus it was 3 minutes.
But will pay it.
If the school weren't attached than I guess it wouldn't feel as bad to be charged.
I don't expect to bank those 10/15 minutes but on those occasions staff are bring paid till the end of session so they get to go home early.

They should let them off too, if it is 3 minutes and it's the first time
So what about the parent that's 4 minutes late?
Or 5?
It's only their first time.

The staff all walk home so no extra expense to them. Plus it was 3 minutes.
Yes, because the staff obviously have no life outside work do they

In 3 minutes, no, they don't have much of a life to get into 3 minutes.

None of us do. Do you all walk out of work the second your time is up? No, can't stay for 3 minutes, I have a life!

Come on!

When I worked before dc I never got to leave on time. Plus they appear to leave at least 15 minutes early every day. Not many jobs allow that.

I think I just felt that the charge should be waived
As it was a 1St offence.
The fact it was only three minutes.
The reason why I was late and my explanation and apology.
Each reason individually perhaps not enough reason to waive but combined.
Anyway I have taken opinions on board and I will pay and put it behind me.
In terms of it it not being their fault that they have to charge it. True but who would police it if they didn't? No manager on site to reprimand them if they didn't.

I didn't ring as it would have delayed me further.

I can see your logic, but if you haven't rung then they don't know if you're going to be on time, five minutes late, half an hour late, or completely absent.

You ring before you're late to say "sorry, I'm held up, but I should be there by ten past" or whatever and they know they don't need to send a search party or ring alternative contacts etc etc but can tidy up around the child and so on.

Can I say from a nursery workers point of view, do not blame the staff for the fee, it's down to the management, so saying you usually collect 10/15 minutes earlier so the staff can go early but now you won't...it's a spiteful thing to say when the late fee was not their decision.
Also, they probably don't go early when you collect early, they will still have to tidy up and set equipment out for the following day and they are probably made to stay until their shift finishes, so don't act like you're doing them a favour by collecting early!

What laurel said on page 1. The schools are under the same head so a bit of flexibility ought to be possible.

You were late and should just suck it up. We get charged £1 a minute for being late at nursery pick up.

No i've never left any job on my actual finish time because other people think 'it's only a few minutes'.
They have other things to do after the kids have gone, and mAy have families of their own.
As win has agreed, this isn't down to them, they don't make the rules.
If it gets back to management that they're breaking the rules they will be the ones in trouble.
If you want to complain then take it up with the people who actually make the rule up in the first place, not the staff who have to follow it.
For all you know they may hate it too.

The schools being linked might be utterly irrelevant from the perspective of the after school club; it may be different at the OPs school but every ASC I know of is either owned and run by a private company, or is run as a not for profit by a management committee of parents. Some of them use the school premises but the staff are not employed by the school and the head has no real authority or influence over them.

That you sometimes pick up 10-15 minutes early is irrelevant. So will lots of parents - they don't get a fee rebate, or to bank the extra time.

The thing is you're looking at it from the point of view as you don't use the childcare much and you were slightly late once. But if every parent is slightly late some of the time, that means the staff are late every single night. I bet having had the late fee, you won't be late again, and you'll probably tell other parents about it, who will also not be late ...

Well ultimately it is the staffs loss. When I do use it I normally collect 10 to 15 minutes early so they get to go home early. In future I might leave it later.

You sound like a child. You were late. Suck it up.

And I'm sure those staff members will cry on their walk home at the time they are paid to leave the once a month you use there services...

*their

What's the nursery's policy? Charging for a first offence seems harsh to me, but if that's what their policy is, that's what it is

To answer some questions. The asc is run entirely by the school. If the management team were made aware I am sure they would waive as the executive head was at the parents evening so knew that I was delayed.
Aldo I know they leave as soon as the last child leaves as I see them go at pick up.
My older DC have also used the club more frequently as I worked more when they were little so we have a long term relationship and Dd3 will be there for another 7 years.

It might only be 3 mins but then that makes staff 3 mins late, which means they might be late to pick up their own children and be charged.

Plus, when I managed a nursery the staff directly got the late fee. Why should they stay late for free?

All afterschools, daycare etc iv used have a £5 late charge if u go a minute past the time. If it's in contract or u were verbally told then pay up

Tbh the policy does say that there a late collection charge and I can't imagine that it says that the first offence in waived.
Re the phoning when I started driving and it became clear I would be late I was pondering ringing and indeed had said to Dd1 to look for my phone. This was at 6pm but in the end the asc rang me before I got a chance. Dd1 acted as my hands-free!