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?

For people who are too dim to work out why it would need to be paid in advance;

As it stands, she has no idea if you'll take the spot or just vanish. If you just don't turn up on the first day, she bloody obviously can't just magic up another child on the same day to pay for the space. She'll have ratios. If it's 3 dc she now only gets 2/3 which is probably her profit margin. She'll then have to advertise the spot and will lost even more days pay whilst it is filled.

It is frankly absolutely obvious why payment needs to be done in advance, and I'm staggered that there are people out there who can both type and not grasp that.

Oh you get worse, so your child's childcare place is not a priority, christmas is expensive so you didn't pay. I bet the childminder had expenses as well, but she's shit out of luck with you paying on the date stated!
Oh and the date on the invoice was just a random date???

Yes I should have paid it but the Christmas period is expensive

For this reason alone, I hope the CM doesn’t reconsider. Whenever finances get tight for you again, she’ll be last on the priority list for a payment. So even if she had reminded you, you didn’t have the money!

I think that if the last time you had contact was in November and you didn’t pay the first bill then she may have assumed that you no longer wanted her services. She did do you the courtesy of notifying you that she had dropped you before you turned up.

I think the CM has dodged a bullet here!

"I don't get why it needed to be paid earlier that."

Bloody hell. Are you serious?

Christ almighty I think the CM dodged a bullet tbh.

Well apparently you are stupid as you failed to comprehend that an invoice due date is when it needs to be paid by.

But how insulting can you be to those of us who are FTM's.

Jesus. If inwas the childminder I wouldn't be giving you a second chance with an attitude like that!

It's the childminders income! Imagine if your employer said paying your wage isn't a priority? How utterly utterly selfish of you.

But it’s the FTMs who are stupid, right…

You actually spoke to her like that? And blamed her?

Wow.

You are so arrogant.

Good childminders are like gold dust.

Never make assumptions with things like this. You have sadly learned a very harsh lesson. Your childminder is 100% correct to drop you.

You need to prioritise the person caring for your child. Try contacting the childminder and be humble and maybe offer to pay a couple of months in advance if you can afford to. Otherwise whatever childcare you arrange make sure you are crystal clear on what date payment is due and make sure you pay a day in advance if there is a bank delay etc.

Your childminder is not responsible for expensive times coming up for you.

Um, I really don’t understand the question. None of those percentages make sense to me as a self employed person (they certainly aren’t on my self assessment?) and it sounds as though the childminder is too. Yeah, self-employment is tough. VERY tough. I’ve never booted a client after a 5 day late invoice though. The NHS are the worst for paying. Imaging chasing an invoice for THREE MONTHS???

I’d actually argue the opposite for the childminder in a way. If you can afford to boot customers for invoices that are a few days late, you are doing really well and in a position where the demand for childminders exceeds supply. She can select the perfect clients, ones who pay the best, offer the best pay, and pay early.

I mean as long as it was paid before he started. I don't get why it needed to be paid earlier that. Yes invoice said 1st but I thought that was just the generic date on it. My child is starting on 13th of month so starting later if you understand me. Yes I should have paid it but the Christmas period is expensive and we've had lots on and it just hasn't been priority. Lesson learnt!

What rubbish! You agreed to the childminder's terms and conditions and that included meeting her deadlines for payment. When I put 'payment to be made within 14 days from date of invoice please' on the invoices I send out, that isn't a 'generic date' - it's the date by which I expect payment, and will withdraw my services if it's not received by then. If you're self employed at a relatively low wage and reliant on a small number of clients, then there isn't the flexibility to wait around for people to pay you - it might come as a surprise, but Christmas was probably expensive for the childminder too.

CM probably has a keen waiting list of people prepared to pay to have their child looked after, people who understand contacts and pay bills on time.

She has neither time nor inclination to mind the child's mother as well.

Grow up, stop being so fucking entitled (....she should have reminded me...) and behave like an adult with 3 children (poor little sods).

I'd love to hear from the child minder.

Yes I should have paid it but the Christmas period is expensive and we've had lots on and it just hasn't been priority.

Do you not bother paying your rent/mortgage/electricity/credit card bills at Christmas because it's expensive as well?!

Things may have changed but years ago we always had to pay holding deposits for nurseries. Therefore they wouldn't have been so bothered about further payment before the start date.

No one is this clueless surely? Honestly you sound worse with every update...

You have to remind your boss he has to pay you every month, do you?

what the childminder SHOULD say is "thanks but no thanks, all the best"

You are currently an absolute nightmare client.

Credit where credit is due - you came back op, many wouldn't have. That is appreciated (by me at least).

Having said that, you haven't exactly covered yourself in glory here, and I'm honestly wondering if this is a wind up. Surely nobody comes on to a forum that is largely for parents, and calls full time mums, stupid? It's not the FTMs that failed to realised that an invoice due date is, you know, the date it's due to be paid. I'm pretty sure a lot of full time mums would manage to figure that out...

Thank you.

The workload is actually more. Much more. On submission weeks I can easily spend 30 hours a week unpaid in an evening, battling with the LA’s ridiculous systems in order to claim the funding, and going back and forth with parents and HMRC when codes aren’t correct.

I think what you are missing here is that a childminder can only have a handful of clients at a time. Maybe 3 families?

So non payment, consistently late payments from 1/3 of the client base is a huge deal. Cashflow won't be huge.

They will probably have plenty on their waiting lists, but not able to take them without the space. Even if they could, they can't just chop and change at will - that's disastrous for the children.

Every client who is an unreliable payer is an opportunity cost that could be replaced with a reliable payer.

It makes total sense that they operate the terms they do.

Your childminder sounds a bit of a nightmare OP. I’m not sure I’d want someone that officious and uncommunicative looking after my child. I guess you have no options given it’s so last minute, but I’d be looking for someone else asap x

Oh, and the reason it needs to be paid before, is probably that the childminder sets aside time at the start of the month to make sure that all the invoices are paid. I have a similar set up in my business, where my regulars pay on the 1st, even if I'm not seeing them until the end of the month. It keeps the admin straightforward.

but also said she should have reminded me and I would have paid.
Communication would help!

If you spoke to her in such an aggressive way I wouldn't hold out much hope that she will take him back on her books.

Also way to offend FTMs who aren't stupid by virtue of being a FTM.

Exactly. Imagine your employers saying that for one reason or another they hadn't got around to paying you.