This is why people ask for cash

[antelopevalley]

I did some babysitting on Saturday night. When the couple got back they said sorry they didn't have any cash and they would transfer me the money. It is Tuesday and in spite of giving them my bank details, and a reminder text, still no payment.
If I ever babysit for them again (not sure I will now), I will say I will only do so if they pay cash that evening. Sadly this kind of way of operating seems common amongst middle-class people. It may not be a big deal for you to wait days for a relatively small sum of money, but it is for many others.

I have found it is always wealthy people that do this (not all wealthy people - but more often than not it is the wealthy that don't pay promptly for this type of service).

Why? My guess is money has never really held much significance, it has always been there they have never had to worry about it. They would wonder why you are scrabbling around chasing thirty quid (or whatever it is). I hate this attitude - I always have the money ready in an envelope. I would be mortified to be chased for it.

I used to know someone who would ask me to book something for them using a membership I had. I would be charged via standing order/direct debit. The amount of times I had to chase and chase and chase. This is a person who has a personal chauffeur. It's not just waiting for the cash, it is the hassle of having to keep checking bank accounts and following up.

Unless you have now been paid it is time to phone them.

Texting only gives the CFers who walk among us excuses:

• I didn't see your texts
• They didn't make sense, the words were jumbled
• That was you? My phone didn't recognise the number

Of course a CFer, if spoken to, will say something along the lines of 'you should have said it was urgent' as though you have 30 day payment terms for babysitting.

Have your bank details to hand (they will claim they have mislaid them) and phone them.

I'm a cleaner, the one client I have that insisted on bank transfer has to be chased, every single week 🙄

I would text them saying hi am
just checking to see if your getting my messages. Please let me know when I can be paid as I need the cash for my food shopping. Then if you get no reply I would call round saying I just had to call up as I am not sure if your getting my messages. If that fails I would ring text and go round on a daily basis till they pay you. If they ask again for you to baby sit and they have paid you say I will need cash upfront so I can give that to my partner mum etc so they can go get my shopping whilst I babysit. If they never pay then never baby sit for them ever again. Let us know how you get on

Why are you sending your DP round there? Do it yourself! Things like this set the equality movement back!

They're not going to pay, that much is obvious. They will soon run out of willing fools to do their baby sitting gratis and forget they've ripped you off and ask you again, in all probability.

I don't think it's a cash thing at all - I think they wouldn't have paid, period, cash or no.

Have they paid you now?

Go and kidnap their kid

They'll soon pay

Just out of interest why don’t you pay on the day?

When you eat in a restaurant, buy petrol, do a shop, buy clothes, shop, go to the hairdressers or accept any other service you pay straight away.

Do you not think it is disrespecting your cleaner by thinking it is ok to deny payment for a service she has already given ?

“Oh, only the cleaner, she can wait 24 hours for her money, but multibillion pound Tesco needs paying on the nose. “

Absolutely not wrong of you. I once worked for a company for 1x 9 hour day, which they insisted was a split shift (they didn't pay me for the time I was on the coach supervising kids despite being out for about 12 hours with them. At the time it was about £27. I ended up I writing to them explaining that although it was a relatively small sum, as a student I needed every penny of it. I asked them if they would prefer to pay immediately or they'd like the small claims court to deal with it. The cheque was with me very quickly after that.

it's unprofessional

Since when has babysitting been a profession?

If no money by the weekend, email them to say if money not in bank account by 5.00pm on Saturday evening, you will bane and shame on FB, and raise the debt in the small claims court. Bet the money is in your bank account before then!

I’d be stopping the service in that case. Hood cleaners are hard to find - I’m sure you’ll find a better new client quickly.

This is so rude OP. Message until you receive your money and if they ask again, say, sorry I am busy.

How old are you? Might be good idea to as your parents to come with you if you are under 18. If not, I'd text them again, then go round and ask.

I am amazed by how many people are lax about payment; I always pay my cleaner via BACS on the day and she tells me I’m the only person who does this. She constantly has to chase people for payment; have they no shame? Btw, do not babysit for these people again. What a lack of respect for others.

Ring them!

Yes we've had this too. My DH is a self employed handyman and it's happened a few times - most recently, he built a fence between two front gardens, and the neighbours were to split the cost. One lady paid her half in cash, but the guy next door was conveniently out when it was time to pay. The lady rang him and he said to leave bank details - this was Thursday evening so I'd reasonably expect him to have paid by Friday morning. DH had to text four times, before the guy finally paid on the Monday. It's so rude. You wouldn't walk out of a shop or hairdresser's for example without paying, so why do this?!

That’s so poor

Ds did some work at a restaurant and the owner just wouldn’t pay, it’s so bad

Op this is nothing about class and everything to do with being a tight arse cunt. No one forgets to pay, when they don’t, they are choosing not to,

keep chasing and don’t baby sit for these horrible people again.

As I’m SE I know easy payment is a priority - I leave cash out for stuff like this

My 15 yr old son worked three hrs at a restaurant/cafe 6 weeks ago, the lady said he would get paid however when he left that day she said she would be in touch with him that week she never did so I emailed and basically said we didn’t hear anything back from you, she replied saying that he is welcome to go back for 4 hrs on a sat in term time but never mentioned his pay for the 3 hrs, I feel bad for him as I should of stated in email but I presumed she would of mentioned it, what would you do ?

Btw, who TF are the 2% who think you are unreasonable?? 😂

Text them or rung twice a day. It's more than half a week...how dare they. I hope you don't do any more for them. You turned up on time so they could have a nice night, now they're not bothered about your needs or their committment to you.
I'd send a text saying that if it isn't paid tonight that either you or you DH (that'll do the trick 😂) will come around to collect the cash. Tell them it's bad form. You kept your part of the bargain but they're 'too busy' (usual excuse) to bother paying. It takes seconds.
I'd be on the doorstep right now. 🤬

It's not just individuals who do this. I've got a relative who is a freelance writer - you've almost certainly read her work in major newspapers and magazines even if you wouldn't recognise her name - and she says she spends nearly as much time chasing up payments every month as she does writing. But she says if she only did work for "good" payers she would be effectively unemployed as it's so rare for invoices to be paid on time, first time of asking.
Strange isn't it. As PP's have said nobody would expect to go to a supermarket for their weekly shop, or fill their car with fuel and not pay for it at the time, so why do so many people seem to think the same doesn't apply to paying for services?