Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Child-safe in minutes.

Meet the Other Phone.
Child-safe in minutes.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Government childcare scheme

36 replies

Neverender · 27/02/2019 19:54

So I'm part of the scheme where I pay 80% of the childcare costs into an account and the government top it up by the extra 20%.

There is a £500 limit every quarter.

Apparently I had used up the £500 max top up but the website said (under the part where I make my payment) that I had £500 worth of entitlement in the period remaining.

I paid in my part but it was not topped up. At all.

When I questioned why I was told that the system is wrong for thousands of people and that I shouldn't believe what the website says. They went further in saying I would have been aware of this because I'd have know how much they have paid?

Am I being massively unreasonable to think it's their responsibility to manage their own system and they shouldn't give misleading inaccurate information to their users?!

P.s. happy for the daily mail to pick this up - it seems incredibly misleading.

OP posts:
Original poster
Neverender · 27/02/2019 20:00

Has anyone else been impacted by this inaccurate information?

OP posts:
cantbeb0thered · 27/02/2019 20:03

I have had this. The info in the website is wrong. I am not great st tracking mine but I have ran out before and had to wait a week for it to top up. childminder is usually pretty good about it.

wizzywig · 27/02/2019 20:03

Who told you that the website shouldnt be believed? Were you under the impression that the £500 limit didnt exist? Im new to tax free childcare too

Original poster
Neverender · 27/02/2019 20:08

I've called them and complained and they told me, "Oh, no that's always wrong, you should ignore it and keep your own records."

Erm....what?!

OP posts:
Original poster
Neverender · 27/02/2019 20:09

And the limit definitely does exist!

OP posts:
wizzywig · 27/02/2019 20:10

Oh thats a shitty way to find out!!

Original poster
Neverender · 27/02/2019 20:20

I think it's happened to thousands of people. They have offered me £50 as a gesture of goodwill, but I'm considering reporting them wherever I can. Martin Lewis, You and Yours, my Mp. It's awful.

OP posts:
Original poster
Neverender · 27/02/2019 20:22

They've said a complaint hasn't EVER been escalated to a manager, meaning most people take the £50 offered and do nothing else. I'm so angry for all of us.

OP posts:
lilyboleyn · 27/02/2019 20:31

Yeah they did this to me too and said the exact same thing!
I have two kids so two accounts. I took the money back out of the one account, paid it into the other (that did still have eligibility) and the top up was there immediately.

lilyboleyn · 27/02/2019 20:31

And no one offered me £50! I’m clearly too nice.

Original poster
Neverender · 27/02/2019 20:34

I feel like I need to stick up for all the people who have been fobbed off or told to go away for £50. Have emailed my MP.

OP posts:
cantbeb0thered · 27/02/2019 20:36

I never got offered £50!!!

Original poster
Neverender · 27/02/2019 20:39

I've been working in complaints (and associated disciplines) for over 18yrs and I feel like they are massively taking the piss.

I'm going to take a stand and not have it. Hopefully this will benefit to 1000's of people who are impacted by their rubbish system.....hopefully?

OP posts:
Thishatisnotmine · 27/02/2019 20:48

This is why I stuck with the childcare vouchers. There have been so many problems with this scheme. I have no idea why it all has to be so complicated either.

SharkSave · 27/02/2019 20:54

I haven't had this problem but paying money in droves me nuts. I pay in by debit card each month, their website says something like 48 hours for it to be credited. It took fucking ages so phoned them and they said 'oh no it's 5 working days!' Queried why the website said that and got told they don't control the content.
It's a totally frustrating system but I stuck with it because I was much better off than using childcare vouchers

Original poster
Neverender · 27/02/2019 20:55

Why aren't Mumsnet helping us to make this an important issue?

OP posts:
SharkSave · 27/02/2019 21:04

Thing is, it does clearly say you get £500 a quarter and you've had that money. Are you taking a stand against incorrect wording?

Original poster
Neverender · 27/02/2019 21:06

It says how much you have left available in the quarter. It's wrong. It says £500 left and there's actually nothing.

They know it's misleading and they've done zilch.

OP posts:
SharkSave · 27/02/2019 21:09

Tbh I can't really get worked up about it. It's not misleading you because you are getting the money. I think if you weren't getting your top up then you'd have a case for 'going to the top'

Original poster
Neverender · 27/02/2019 21:13

I'm not - that's my point! They have said I will and I haven't

OP posts:
SharkSave · 27/02/2019 21:20

I'm totally lost now.

MissB83 · 27/02/2019 21:24

So you have already had your £500 for the quarter. But the website incorrectly said you were entitled to more? That doesn't mean you should get it? Have I misunderstood.

MamaFlintstone · 27/02/2019 21:33

@SharkSave I haven’t found that, it’s been credited pretty much straight away for me when topping up by debit card.

I do hate the website though, and it’s crap that it displays inaccurate information. They should just remove that feature if they can’t get it to work!

Original poster
Neverender · 27/02/2019 21:47

Under where you make the payment it states how much you have to claim for the quarter. Mine said I had £500 left of my "entitlement period". Pretty clear, right? But I didn't and I don't.

Their system is totally inaccurate and they know it is. There's no argument here as far as I'm concerned. They are telling thousands of people that they have money left to claim when they don't.

OP posts:
Original poster
Neverender · 27/02/2019 21:48

I've asked them to just remove it MamaFlintstoneit's not difficult

OP posts:
Swipe left for the next trending thread