AIBU to be furious?

[havasack]

On Thursdays I meet my childminder at the school gates to hand over my 1 year old while I’m picking up my 6 year old.
We had a brief chat and then she said (in front of a few other people) she’d seen we’d been away at the weekend and that ‘maybe I should pay my childcare bill before I book holidays’. Three people turned around and I was bright red in the face. How unprofessional!
For context - payment was due Monday and she’s sent me no reminders which she usually does after 2/3 days then I always pay! I’ve never not paid.

I’m thinking of transferring to a nursery as there may be more professional boundaries in place. She should not have mentioned that in front of others. AIBU?

So it's not a one off, sounds like you make a habit of paying her late?
What she did wasn't ideal but it does sound like you're taking the piss and she's got fed up.
You're lucky she hasn't said sorry she can't look after your child anymore and so far has just threatened pulling care.

You should definitely transfer to a nursery. Let us know how you get on with not paying them on time.

Can you imagine your boss paying you late a few days some months, not knowing whether you are going to get paid or not?

The child minder has bills to pay, xmas to fund and is watching you swan off for the weekend and yet again you are late paying your bill.

If you don't want to pay the £10 fine, pay on time, set up a standing order to pay out 3/4 days before the money is due.

If my employers were late paying me by even one day then a load of my direct debits would have bounced. She shouldn't have raised it in public, but the onus is absolutely on you to pay her on time. Shoddy.

As a freelancer who has had to chase late payers I understand your CM's frustration. Luckily I am not a Cm but if I were I would put a three strikes and you're immediately out clause in my contract. I think she should state that there will be a refusal of care on the third late payment, along with legal proceedings to claim all monies owed and legal fees back. And enact it when you turn up to hand your child over. That would fuck you around in the same way you have deliberately fucked her. You'd have to take your baby home or with you and deal with the inconvenience of that along with having to.source a new mug to take your child on. A word of warning childcare professionals talk to each other. You may find nobody willing to care for your child in that area. Too bad, so sad.

This can’t be real. No one is this unaware

Yes, they are and ive dealt with people like this in my own line of work....

its always someone else's fault and they can't take responsibility for their errors. Low and behold anyone was to do this to them though - they'd be out all guns blazing

Paying late at all is unacceptable.
Your children are presumably the most important thing in your life, and having them taken care of is the priority so you can work and provide the life you share with them.

Why piss off the person who helps you to ensure they're cared for? If she decides she's going to start work a few minutes late a few times a week, you'd get pissed off because you have time commitments, exactly as she has financial commitments.

And if you move to a nursery, you'll get late payment fees... if you're lucky enough to find a nursery with availability.

If the late payment charge is £10 and you’ve paid £100 that suggests you’ve paid late TEN times.

That is shocking. I bet you’re not that lax about your mortgage payments!

That's a shame. You'd best start paying on time then.

Fwiw I said yanbu based on her raising the issue in public. But you are extremely unreasonable to be a repeat late payer and to cause extra work for her by having to remind you repeatedly. Have some respect.

Maybe you'll pay on time next time?

Would you be happy if work paid you late? I'm guessing not.

Showing this much contempt for someone who looks after, what should be, the most precious thing in the world to you is crazy work. You should find another childminder because I guarantee there will be other parents willing to snatch up a place and will pay her on time. Try that shit with Nursery and you'll be out on your arse.

You pay the day it's due. Or maybe the day before?

Sounds like she is fed up of reminding you to pay.

You have sourced a childminder as you need one to provide care for your child, you are aware of her prices and the balance due date. She shouldnt have to send you reminders. This is her job. It's what pays her bills. She shouldn't have to chase you for it. I work in a similar setting, and I hate having to send reminders to people who haven't paid. It's awkward, and I feel like I'm the one being cheeky reminding them to pay for a service they've asked for and used.

Whilst your CM hasn't been entirely professional, she isn't wrong is she? You clearly have form for not paying on time and yet manage to book trips away.
That's taking the piss OP and you know it. Being one day late paying may be causing that CM some serious bill paying issues as many of us who have had employers pay late well know.
Come back and let us know how you get on at the nursery when you keep paying late there...
I never understand why anyone would piss off the very person that is caring for what should be the most precious person to the parent, it makes no sense.

Would you accept this from your employer then? So if she's had £100 in late fees that's a total of 10 days over time late payment..Regardless of the fact she should have said it in private I think you should be making sure its set up to pay on time!

She may not have earned it, but not receiving your payment may have sent her in to her overdraft or maybe she got a charge from someone for not paying because YOU didn’t pay her.

My employers pay me on 15th of the month. I don’t chase. Sounds like she has to chase you all the time. Why should she have to do that?

When I read your first post I thought she was being rude, but having read your latest post, I think it’s you.

YOU HAVE TO PAY ON TIME EVERY SINGLE MONTH. Your mortgage company wouldn’t let you off for a few days, why should your childminder?

She will have bills going out too and how can she pay them if her clients (YOU) don’t pay on time?

This. The woman is self employed and you’re withholding her salary. The late fees are a way of introducing consequences. Whilst it was unprofessional to talk to you like that, it certainly worked. It takes 5 mins to transfer payment. I hope she ends her services once she’s finds someone to take your place. The local nursery will be “more professional” but also have late fees and you will lose your place there too if you don’t pay on time.

Only by a few days. She’s acting like it’s weeks

Shame on you. It might have escaped your notice, but she’s not a big, multi national company where a payment made a few days late doesn’t really make a difference. She’s one woman who pays her mortgage and her bills and stocks up her food cupboards based on the money she’s due to receive from the parents of the children she spends each day caring for. What kind of self absorbed arsehole do you have to be to not understand that you paying her a few days late might mean that direct debits are bouncing and £25 charges are being handed out by the bank for each one? What the fuck is wrong with you?

I’d say you’re about an inch away from her giving you notice. Do you think anyone else is going to take on a child whose parent has a reputation for paying whenever she feels like it, rather than when it’s due? I do a bit of childcare for a family member during the week and we frequent a few places that are popular with child minders. They discuss everything.

Ok I wish I hadn't voted YANBU because the childminder sounds like she's at the end of her tether now! I originally thought she shouldn't have said that out loud but you have form. It's not fair if you don't repeatedly pay someone on time.

You can change your vote. Just click on the other option.

Please do transfer to a nursery, free up a space for someone at the childminder who will actually pay her on time, she has rightly had enough of you.

So you are clearly messing her about , she was a little unprofessional but she's not unreasonable to expect prompt payment for her work.
I think shes totally reasonable to be the furious one.