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?

This sounds like a much better system. I’m surprised the op didn’t get a reminder and will hopefully manage to get alternate childcare.

I have missed payment of invoices for various reasons hundreds of times in my lifetime and never have I not received a payment reminder

You've failed to pay invoices hundreds of times...how? How on earth do people got through life like that without any care for those who have provided them with a service.

The opposite. The best childminders behave like this, because they can. Good childminders don't let children settle if they anticipate disruption ahead. Good childminders set firm boundaries so they can provide the best care for the children in their care. Good childminders keep records so they know who has an invoice.

Charging in advance is exactly the same! If you didn't pay your invoice at the end of a certain month then the deposit in hand in going to cover that. The childminder wouldn't then start having a child for the next month as she is now working for nothing, the deposit has gone. You'd be given immediate notice, same as OP.

The opposite. The best childminders behave like this, because they can. Good childminders don't let children settle if they anticipate disruption ahead. Good childminders set firm boundaries so they can provide the best care for the children in their care. Good childminders keep records so they know who has an invoice.

Absolutely this!

But she did warn you? The contract!
Tbh she may not have filled the space, but the way you approached it - what you said you told her in a previous post - I wouldn’t want to deal with you either.

You also don’t sound a level headed person either and come across quite entitled from the tone of your posts… you may want to review that for future reference.. maybe even run it by ChatGPT.

In addition you don't sound fully honest. Was the December period busy and stressful or expensive? (Granted, for many it’s both) - but why REALLY didn’t you pay this invoice which is less than £200?

HOW was it NOT a priority?? You just said you delayed return to work due to lack of childcare.. sound to me like the priority of all priorities?!

The way you should have approached it is:
Be extremely apologetic and say you haven’t realised this is what would have happened and if there’s any chance that she hasn’t filled the space yet… you would absolutely love to have it!

Did you lack childcare due to not wanting to pay them either?

Seriously I am not sure why you didn't check the invoice and pay as soon as you were given it knowing that you had previously had childcare issues and wanting to ensure everything went smoothly for your return to work. I don't understand why you would sit on it and not expect to pay.

It boggles my mind you still don't get it. Childminder made a lucky escape.

No, she didn’t confirm. By my reading, she sent the invoice and at the time of sending it asked OP to check through it. She didn’t then follow up and ask if OP had received the invoice.

Omg I’m so sorry!!!
Honestly, the only silver lining is you really don’t want a person like that looking after your kids . Are there any other local options? Can you try Bubble or something in the interim?
x

Sounds rather careless and inconsiderate to others who may need your payment to pay their bills. As long as your ok though..

the only silver lining is you really don’t want a person like that looking after your kids .

Sorry, what? 😂
This has to be a wind up comment, surely?
You don't want someone "like that" looking after your kids - what, someone who wants paying for it? 🤦🏼‍♀️😂

Sorry but I've got no sympathy and it serves you right. Perhaps you will learn to treat self employed people with a bit more respect in future.

The mind boggles!!

@BellesAndGraces my son was due to do three days a week. I replied and said everything was ok with invoice and I asked about payment if he was ill/ on holiday. She said I'd still have to pay when he was off.

That's not unfair. She can't fill that space and if you want it held, you pay for it. She has a living to make too. I'd not expect her to charge if she was sick though.

What are you sorry for? 🤔
is this sarcastic?

So you had checked the invoice and still decided not to pay. I hope your children grow up to be less entitled than you are, I wish them luck with that.

Couldn't you have paid it and put Christmas on a credit card?
Anyway, it's academic now.
You should've paid the invoice.

@BellesAndGraces I would, I take money in advance for a course of dog training lessons or behaviour modification sessions.

If someone doesn't cough up on time, I might well give their slot to someone else, I am in demand, I do not need to piss about chasing people.

The reminder to pay up is the invoice. As we will have communicated via email and probably telephone, and I'll have told them I am sending an invoice, it is up to them if they want my services, to follow up if they then do not receive it. Not my job to double check they got it.

When I did home visits I also took money in advance for new clients, and on the day for existing ones (these were one off 'as and when' rather than part of a regularly scheduled package deal). If I had a cancellation less than 24 hours prior I would require half the visit cost. If I turned up and they were not there, they'd have to pay the full cost for the consultation and pay for the rescheduled consultation at the time of booking... and on the rare occasion it happened, they did.

It may seem harsh or unusual to you but being self employed it is necessary, paying others is never anyone elses first priority. Their priority, as evidenced in this thread, is themselves.

It's all information clients have presented to them before they sign up, if they don't like it they absolutely can go elsewhere.

Hopefully OP has learned some lessons here, particularly about priorities and what terms and conditions on invoices actually mean.

That's pretty standard policy. Our CM charged half the daily fee for our holidays assuming she had at least 6 weeks notice of them, and no fee for her holidays. Full fee chargeable for DC's sickness absence though.

Surely having had kids in nursery previously you know fees are due regardless of off sick or on holiday. You are literally reserving your spot.

Well done to the childminder for valuing her own services & not putting up with bad payers, especially as she must be popular with already having filled the space.

Harsh lesson Op but hopefully you'll pay on invoice due date in future & hope you manage to sort childcare for your DC.

If you agreed that everything was all right with the invoice, I'm struggling to understand why you didn't pay it.

Not really the same because I paid a month upfront as a deposit. This money is not to be used to pay the first month childcare - unless a client refuses to pay the first monthly invoice. If you pay in advance month by month then the money is used by the childminder for their services. The childminder had the deposit money and my first months payment at the end of the first month which is double the cash of the monthly advance only system. I paid for childcare hours, set in the contract, at the end of the month. The only month that was paid in advance was the last month as the deposit was used for this. The notice would happen to any non payer. I always paid on time.