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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Nursery Fees

2 replies

LegallyBlue · 19/06/2020 13:51

My child attends nursery on a fully funded place. It's employer funded through my husband's job and was supposed to continue during Covid-19. It's not the same as the normal government funding - in our case, the nursery charge the full amount that they usually charge but the government pay it instead of us. My husband is a key worker but, as he was told to be at home, our nursery said our son should stay at home too - that's fine with us and government guidance did say nurseries should only accept key workers children when there isn't another option.
We pay our fees up front and then the funding reimburses the nursery and they take that amount off our next bill. So, we started in January and paid January and February's bills in full. Then in March, they took off the money they had received for January, in April, they took off the money that they received for February, in May, they charged nothing because they were closed. In June, they took off the money they received for March. In July, they should have taken off the money that they received for April - but they haven't. They're saying that because they were closed, they don't want to put through a request to my husband's employer.
We paid in full for March and April even though we didn't receive any childcare at the end of March or for the whole of April. May wasn't paid at the request of the nursery. Because we didn't actually receive the childcare in April, the nursery don't want to recover the money from the employer funding - even though they're entitled to do so. Their argument is that they were closed so the employer shouldn't have to pay - but then why do they think that I should have to pay?! The employer is completely willing to pay so there is no issue there.
AIBU to think that I shouldn't have to pay this? They can get the money through the same system that they've always received it through - why should it have to come out of my pocket because they don't want to claim it?

OP posts:
sleepyhead · 19/06/2020 13:55

I'm having a bit of trouble working it all out, but I can't think of a circumstance where the nursery would not be being unreasonable to expect you to be out of pocket because they wouldn't take money from your employer.

Either:
a) They expect to be paid, so claim from your employer as normal
b) They don't expect to be paid so no-one pays

They seem to be expecting c) You didn't receive a service so your employer shouldn't pay, but they want you to pay anyway

YinuCeatleAyru · 20/06/2020 07:43

if they won't reclaim from the employer they should refund you. it's fine for them to decide they don't need paying but it is not up to them to decide who pays if fees are due.

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