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AIBU?

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Original poster

AIBU -fine for picking child up late

112 replies

Arnoldthecat · 09/02/2019 11:29

This is not me,its just a true story that was related to me and i wondered if anyone had similar experiences.

A friend has a child at the local montessori and picks him up at 1300 so only on a morning stay. She states quite adamantly that she was 2 minutes late picking him up recently and was charged an extra £10. A note on the door states that if your child is booked in for the afternoon only, you cannot bring the child in until exactly 1300. If someone arrived at 1310 could they get a £10 refund ?

OP posts:
Bigonesmallone3 · 09/02/2019 11:33

Seems very pricey!

But obviously it wouldn't work the other way round as you have paid for the time you are missing out on if you bring your child in late, if you are late for collection that is time that has not been paid for.

Even so I would expect a little bit of lee way for a couple mins late!

Parkrunner25 · 09/02/2019 11:33

This is fairly standard. It's due to staff ratios.

No, you don't get a discount for arriving late, staff have been employed to cover the entire session that your child gas been booked for.

daisypond · 09/02/2019 11:35

No, you wouldn't get a refund for bringing a child late. They were available and open to start the session. It's not their fault you were late. A £10 for being two minutes late does seem a little heavy-handed to me, but if that is what it says in the contract, it's fine. If a child is still there at 1300 when they're not meant to be, the nursery could be understaffed - ie, there's one extra child to care for, which could break all sorts of rules.

hidinginthenightgarden · 09/02/2019 11:35

Wonder if it is the same montessori I used!
They did the same. Charged for lateness, bank holidays and sickness (although the latter 2 are normal in most places)

FredFlinstoneMadeOfBones · 09/02/2019 11:36

Of course you don't get a discount for arriving late because the staff still had to be there waiting for you. I think it's bit cheeky not to have a window of at least 10 minutes to arrive but I think it's standard to have a late fee. They probably have to have extra staff at the cross over of sessions because people are late and the ratios would otherwise be messed up. It makes sense this expense should be funded via late fees.

OnTheHop · 09/02/2019 11:36

Don’t be silly.

They clearly cannot have morning and afternoon children at the same time because of staff ratios.

A parent needing to drop and run to work at 2pm does not want to wait for a late morning parent to arrive.

OnTheHop · 09/02/2019 11:37

1pm

Birdsgottafly · 09/02/2019 11:38

"She states quite adamantly that she was 2 minutes late"

So she may have possibly been closer to five?

They do have to set the rules unfortunately and stick to them.

OnTheHop · 09/02/2019 11:38

Charging for lateness is normal too.
Usually in 5 min increments.

Original poster
Arnoldthecat · 09/02/2019 11:39

Yes i guess they have to draw the line somewhere otherwise parents can take the piss . The policy has probably come into force exactly because of abuse my some parents who have poor timekeeping or do just take the piss.

OP posts:
Littlefrog99 · 09/02/2019 11:41

I think it's quite normal. At my son's nursery if I were to be late collecting him I would have to pay for an extra full hour. I'm not sure how strict they are about it but it was explained when I went for his induction.

Debruary · 09/02/2019 11:42

She states quite adamantly that she was 2 minutes late picking him up

So no argument then, she was late.

Sunnysidegold · 09/02/2019 11:42

If it's clearly stated that there is a late fee then they are within their rights to charge it whether your friend was two minutes or twenty minutes late.

As stated, staff ratios could be affected. Not to mention some people totally would rip the piss out of turning up late.

Jeezoh · 09/02/2019 11:43

It may not be the first time she’s been a few minutes late and they’ve decided to enforce the rules.

TaimaandRanyasBestFriend · 09/02/2019 11:44

She agreed to those T&C. Pay up.

LovingLola · 09/02/2019 11:46

Late is late. End of.
And you can be absolutely sure that unless the rule re late charging is strictly implemented there will be parents collecting as late as possible

Bryjam · 09/02/2019 11:46

Not they can't get a refund for being late ffs. How ridiculous.

Seniorschoolmum · 09/02/2019 11:46

Our after school club charges £ 15 for 1-15 mins late and £30 for 16-30 mins late.

Expensive, yes but The staff have commitments too.

MotherForkinShirtBalls · 09/02/2019 11:53

My sil runs a montessori school. They have a break of 30 mins between sessions and some parents were taking the absolute piss with lateness. They initially charged €5 for late pick up, but had to change it to €1 per minute as some parents thought €5 for half an hour babysitting was great value Hmm

TonTonMacoute · 09/02/2019 11:56

Schools who are this strict are probably fed up with large numbers of CF parents constantly taking the piss. You have to draw the line somewhere, if you give five minutes leeway, why not ten?

I had a colleague whose child was at a Montessori school twenty years ago, and he used to grumble about it. It's very annoying if you get held up through no fault of your own. But rules are rules and he accepted it.

diddl · 09/02/2019 12:00

" If someone arrived at 1310 could they get a £10 refund ?"

What has that got to do with anyone being late collecting?

TaMereAPoilDevantPrisu · 09/02/2019 12:01

There was a thread on here a while back about a mum with twins who got stiffed ninety quid for being three minutes late.

CallMeSirShotsFired · 09/02/2019 12:03

A activity centre near me charges £1/minute for late pickups.

I think they got sick of parents taking the piss.

Lindy2 · 09/02/2019 12:11

Fairly standard to charge a late fee. It has to be quite a steep amount because if it wasn't there would be people collecting late all the time. It's designed to make sure you collect your child at the pre agreed time. Lateness mucks up ratios, staff breaks, smooth handovers etc.

DointItForTheKids · 09/02/2019 12:13

Was she late? Yes
Did she sign a contract stipulating what fees would be applied if she was late by 1 or more minutes? Yes
Was the late fee applied appropriately as stated in the contract? Yes

I was a childminder for about a year and a half (a good one mind Smile - standards do vary as with nurseries etc) and didn't suffer much with this late collection thing and was able to be a bit flexible but that was just my circumstances. Sadly, CFery exists in every single life setting. You try to be super fair but you just get shat on. I found one customer's child keep not being sent for booked sessions over and over. She finally gave notice by text I said that's absolutely fine, as per contract you need to pay for the final month (it was about £350 and she was heavily subsidised as well as a college student). Never saw that money. I don't blame the Montessori for charging like this, essentially they and everyone who charges like this, has been forced to do so by entitled CFs and then sadly everyone has to be treated the same. Thank you CFs all over the world - this is what you do for the rest of us!

But of course, this person should not have been late and she knows she would have to pay so not quite sure what her issue is other than being held to account for her own lateness.