Childminder terminating contract

[hoolahoolay]

Surely I'm not being unreasonable. So my son is due to start with a childminder next week when I go back to work after maternity leave. We have settling in sessions this week

So she sent the invoice for January out early December and she said to let her know if there were any errors, the due date on the invoice was 1st January. For one reason or another we haven't paid it and instead of reminding us she has messaged this morning to say she's terminated contract as invoice is 5 days late.
Surely she could have sent a payment reminder.

WTF can I do now?

But we do know.

So she sent the invoice for January

Her child is due to start next week. The I voice was for this months childcare.

I know 2 childminders who have given up because they are fed up of late fees and ignorant parents. These are very good childminders. Congratulations op you are one the the reasons childminders are quitting in droves

I think she might have already looked into a reason to drop op. Either she already has a better contract in mind or she has enough clients.

@ButterCrackers how other people are paid is totally irrelevant.

OP was issued with an invoice an entire month before payment was due and she still didn't bother paying - the childminder is well within her rights to say "too late, your place is going to someone else"

This

She {wisely} is probably looking to drop tardy, flaky payers.

If she's anything like the childminders around here, she'll have a massive waiting list, so dropping the OP will be no big deal whatsoever.

No. It depends on the terms of the contract for its termination. I’d be interested to see it written that five days late payment in advance of service offered is grounds for immediate termination. I bet that the cm is in breach of their contract.

Do you send your employer a reminder every month to pay you? Or do you expect after signing a contract that they should just do their job?

OP YABU and the faux rage at the childminder for not reminding you making it somehow her daily when you have failed is very misplaced.

I agree. This woman would make herself very vulnerable by not taking in payment in advance from people she doesn't even know yet. Suppose 'for various reasons' they weren't able to pay at the end of the month either? Having a job with a salary and a payroll is quite different.

The contract needs checking here.

I'd ring her and apologise and ask, if you can pay it now.

@ButterCrackers well, until OP comes back and shows us the contract, it's all just speculation.

But lots of self employed people have a policy of no payment = no service. It's incredibly normal.

This is your own doing I'm afraid. She sent an invoice and by not paying you highlighted yourself as an issue. I used a childminder for 2 years and never once paid late - why should she have to pay her bills late because you chose not to pay on time!

Sounds like OP fucked around and found out.

"For one reason or another", you forgot to pay your very first invoice but I bet you didn't forget that your child was due to start settling in sessions with the childminder THIS WEEK! presumably you are due there with her maybe even today or tomorrow? At which point during the getting ready process were you going to remember that you hadn't in fact paid for the service?

Lock that shit down comes to mind.lol

I can kind of see it from both sides.

I think if I was the CM I probably would have sent a reminder before terminating. But then I am not a CM so I don’t know if it’s common to get people who don’t pay, and if it’s reasonable for the CM to be completely over it.

But totally agree that OP has had a whole month to pay, that she doesn’t even seem apologetic, that surely she couldn’t have forgotten this while getting ready to back to work, etc.

Ultimately this CM must have enough clients that she can afford to set the rules.

Yep YABU OP.

just pay on time?

I hate chasing clients who don't pay. You've had time. Don't blame her. YABU.

Completely normal to pay for some things, including child minders in advance. I've recently paid for afterschool club, karate and piano lessons for the next school term. There are always children waiting to take the place of yours if you don't like the terms.

I used a nursery, which I reserved a slot at, with a £50 booking fee before I even had my baby. After that, they invoiced at the end of the month.
OP did arrange childcare. What she failed to do was know she was going to lose her place so easily. I would have had no clue that a childminder would be so Draconian because as a first time mother, I would never have used their services before.

@Basketballhoop what's "draconian" about expecting your invoice to be paid on time?

Exactly! Get out of here with that nonsense.

@hoolahoolay what does your contract say about payment terms and cancellation?