Page 40 | Childminder terminating contract

hoolahoolay · 2025-01-06T07:22:54+00:00

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?

Ewock · 06/01/2025 21:52

hoolahoolay · 06/01/2025 21:47

@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.

So you knew everything and still mucked around about paying.
Yet you think she should have warned you. I don't think anything anyone says will get through to you.

Golaz · 06/01/2025 21:53

dreamer24 · 06/01/2025 21:46

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? 🤦🏼‍♀️😂

Yeh I’m dead serious. I know this is mumsnet and you are all perfect and nothing ever slips your minds; but I Think it’s an absolutely shitty way for CM to behave. Like a pp said she didn’t even check if op had received invoice! and who just cancels like that without even sending one reminder. Kid hadn’t even started and first payment as well. Awful way to treat someone. I bet she already had someone lined up and decided it was a better offer and didn’t care who she screwed over: If I was looking around and heard someone had been treated like that no way would I be leaving my kid with that minder,

LittleRedRidingHoody · 06/01/2025 21:53

hoolahoolay · 06/01/2025 21:47

@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.

So not only did she send you the invoice, but you actively confirmed with her you'd received it? Of course she didn't remind you!

Also, you definitely still pay for illness/holiday on your end. Surely you had this with nursery for your older children - why should a childminder lose out when it's your choice to keep your child off?

Cerealkiller4U · 06/01/2025 21:53

I mean. Sorry to be harsh

but you’re an adult?

Trickabrick · 06/01/2025 21:53

Oh dear OP, I can understand even more now why she cancelled your place! You told her you’d received the invoice, didn’t pay it on time or communicate why you hadn’t done so, then STILL blamed her for not reminding you? 🤷🏻‍♀️

murasaki · 06/01/2025 21:53

Golaz · 06/01/2025 21:53

Yeh I’m dead serious. I know this is mumsnet and you are all perfect and nothing ever slips your minds; but I Think it’s an absolutely shitty way for CM to behave. Like a pp said she didn’t even check if op had received invoice! and who just cancels like that without even sending one reminder. Kid hadn’t even started and first payment as well. Awful way to treat someone. I bet she already had someone lined up and decided it was a better offer and didn’t care who she screwed over: If I was looking around and heard someone had been treated like that no way would I be leaving my kid with that minder,

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The OP replied saying the invoice was fine.

sandrapinchedmysandwich · 06/01/2025 21:53

Golaz · 06/01/2025 21:53

Yeh I’m dead serious. I know this is mumsnet and you are all perfect and nothing ever slips your minds; but I Think it’s an absolutely shitty way for CM to behave. Like a pp said she didn’t even check if op had received invoice! and who just cancels like that without even sending one reminder. Kid hadn’t even started and first payment as well. Awful way to treat someone. I bet she already had someone lined up and decided it was a better offer and didn’t care who she screwed over: If I was looking around and heard someone had been treated like that no way would I be leaving my kid with that minder,

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Dont be so utterly ridiculous

BeMellowOchreZebra · 06/01/2025 21:54

@hoolahoolay Ouch! Harsh!

You're human. You forgot. A good business person would send a reminder... and then if you didn't pay promptly end the contract.

Anyone who works in childminding knows that parents are busy and tired so do forget stuff sometimes.

Personally I'm not sure I'd want my child to be looked after someone who seems to view your child purely as a business transaction.

If I'm being cynical I'd say she had someone wanting more hours than you hence made no effort to prompt you!

This isn't going to help you though... any relatives that could come and stay? I paid my cousin to look after my DS1 for a couple of weeks as I couldn't get a nursery place to tie in with my return to work.

crockofshite · 06/01/2025 21:55

hoolahoolay · 06/01/2025 21:10

So she phoned and said she's already filled the space. I know we were in the wrong but I really wish she'd warned me this would happen. I'm so stuck. I'm due back at work next Wednesday and I've already delayed it due to lack of childcare.
It was £187 and now we are screwed.

She's not your lawyer, secretary, dogsbody, gofer.

You're unbelievable.

Big wake up call for you.

Boo fucking hoo.

Hdjdb42 · 06/01/2025 21:55

That's an awful update 😕 I really hope you find another childminder soon.

BellesAndGraces · 06/01/2025 21:55

WiddlinDiddlin · 06/01/2025 21:50

@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.

Dog walking isn’t childminding. This would be more akin to a baker cancelling a bespoke wedding cake order a month before the wedding because the invoice wasn’t paid without first following up on the invoice. You can’t just rustle up a new childminder or wedding baker that easily. I say this as someone who used to run a small business making bespoke wedding cakes! The only reason someone would do that is if they had double booked or had a better offer.

Cerealkiller4U · 06/01/2025 21:56

hoolahoolay · 06/01/2025 18:08

Yes I did apologise and say I didn't realise it needed to be paid the 1st but also said she should have reminded me and I would have paid.
Communication would help!

I'm not a stupid FTM btw I have 2 others who went to nursery not a childminder.

I just assumed payment was needed before my baby started, why would it need to be paid before?

Anyway we'll see what she says.

Excuses excuses. I wouldn’t take you back in after saying it was my fault you didn’t pay

murasaki · 06/01/2025 21:56

I don't get the bit where you'd be feeling nervous about your child having their first day, checking the settling in days, and still not remembering that you hadn't paid. Chancer.

FrannyScraps · 06/01/2025 21:56

ButterCrackers · 06/01/2025 21:52

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.

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The only difference is the wording used! The actual timeline of payments would be the same- one months payment each month!

In effect, the OP has failed to pay her depost, so she has no childcare space now!

Swizzel · 06/01/2025 21:57

I wouldn't want to be providing a service for someone who couldn't be bothered to pay their invoice on time. The childminder sent the invoice out early December according to the OP, with a payment due date of 1st January. Not paying 'for one reason or another' is a piss-poor excuse, as is stating that she should have reminded them, or that they thought the 1st was just a generic date and therefore not important. The childminder isn't the unreliable person in this scenario. The OP evidently had the time to ring the childminder to let them know that the invoice was fine, and to ask about payment should her child be ill, therefore that phone call should have acted as her reminder to pay.

dreamer24 · 06/01/2025 21:57

@Golaz
Haha, good one. I can assure you, I'm far from "perfect" and many things slip my mind daily, but not paying for my fucking childcare so I can work, ffs!! That's a very high priority to me, like paying my household bills. Having a lax attitude as the OP does towards paying for childcare is asking for problems, and now, lo and behold, she has problems. The CM did absolutely nothing wrong - she was right to choose a client who will pay her on time. She's not running a charity, she's making a living. Hopefully OP has learned her lesson - to prioritise paying her childcare provider on time!

dreamer24 · 06/01/2025 21:57

Hdjdb42 · 06/01/2025 21:55

That's an awful update 😕 I really hope you find another childminder soon.

Yes let's hope and also pays them on time.

BellesAndGraces · 06/01/2025 21:57

Golaz · 06/01/2025 21:53

Yeh I’m dead serious. I know this is mumsnet and you are all perfect and nothing ever slips your minds; but I Think it’s an absolutely shitty way for CM to behave. Like a pp said she didn’t even check if op had received invoice! and who just cancels like that without even sending one reminder. Kid hadn’t even started and first payment as well. Awful way to treat someone. I bet she already had someone lined up and decided it was a better offer and didn’t care who she screwed over: If I was looking around and heard someone had been treated like that no way would I be leaving my kid with that minder,

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Exactly this.

Golaz · 06/01/2025 21:57

BellesAndGraces · 06/01/2025 21:35

Tough crowd @hoolahoolay. Smells like
bullshit to me though. I have missed payment of invoices for various reasons hundreds of times in my lifetime and never have I not received a payment reminder, regardless of
how “in demand” the service I was paying for was. My child attends a shedload of clubs, all with long waiting lists that mean her spot would be filled in a heartbeat and even those providers send payment reminders. How many days were you signed up for? My guess is she had another child she preferred for whatever reason - longer hours or maybe even a relative - and used late payment of the invoice as an excuse to cancel your contract. Atrocious behaviour given the impact on you and your child. In fact, no childminder who genuinely cares about children would cancel a contract a week ahead of the start date for non-payment of an invoice over the very busy Christmas period without at least sending a reminder first.

If that is genuinely her policy and she cancels contracts like that, she must have an incredibly high turnover because you will not be the first person to have missed a payment date nor will you be the last. IMO, you and your child have had a lucky escape. Who knows, she might have ended up cancelling because your child didn’t settle in quickly enough or, God forbid, not nap enough. Lucky escape.

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*My guess is she had another child she preferred for whatever reason - longer hours or maybe even a relative - and used late payment of the invoice as an excuse to cancel your contract. Atrocious behaviour given the impact on you and your child

exactly this.

Golaz · 06/01/2025 21:58

Hahah @BellesAndGraces snap 😆😆

dreamer24 · 06/01/2025 21:58

Swizzel · 06/01/2025 21:57

I wouldn't want to be providing a service for someone who couldn't be bothered to pay their invoice on time. The childminder sent the invoice out early December according to the OP, with a payment due date of 1st January. Not paying 'for one reason or another' is a piss-poor excuse, as is stating that she should have reminded them, or that they thought the 1st was just a generic date and therefore not important. The childminder isn't the unreliable person in this scenario. The OP evidently had the time to ring the childminder to let them know that the invoice was fine, and to ask about payment should her child be ill, therefore that phone call should have acted as her reminder to pay.

Exactly this!

Hankunamatata · 06/01/2025 21:58

Good childminders are like gold dust and have waiting lists.
You confirmed you received invoice and from your other posts basically chose not to pay it as xmas is expensive.

dreamer24 · 06/01/2025 21:58

Pay for your childcare, folks! Lesson learned 👍🏻

Cosyblankets · 06/01/2025 21:59

hoolahoolay · 06/01/2025 21:10

So she phoned and said she's already filled the space. I know we were in the wrong but I really wish she'd warned me this would happen. I'm so stuck. I'm due back at work next Wednesday and I've already delayed it due to lack of childcare.
It was £187 and now we are screwed.

She did warn you
It's in the contract
It's precisely the point of having a contract.

Cerealkiller4U · 06/01/2025 21:59

hoolahoolay · 06/01/2025 21:10

So she phoned and said she's already filled the space. I know we were in the wrong but I really wish she'd warned me this would happen. I'm so stuck. I'm due back at work next Wednesday and I've already delayed it due to lack of childcare.
It was £187 and now we are screwed.

Yes you are indeed.