Parent questions her bill EVERY month

[Saltire]

I do a detailed bill listing every single day and the charges ( most of the time it is the samedaily charge) however this month i've had a lot of extra hours. All are listed in my attendance records that she's signed, in ym diary and on my calendar.
Getting a bit sick it now, all the looks as she pores over it

Maybe you should post it to her so you don't have to witness the drama? Then she will need to respond in writing, if she needs to respond.

Your billing procedure sounds very thorough. My childminder and I do nothing of the kind. I maintian my own calendar of days, transfer the money, send her an e-mail making sure she has received it and the childcare vouchers, I never hear back from her but I assume that means my numbers tally with hers.

Agree... email or post it to her. If she wants to query anything she can ask but she surely knows what childcare she has requested.

Can you enclose a copy of the signing in and out sheet as well. That way, she can check it in her own time!

Why shouldn't she check her bill?

Sounds reasonable to me.

I'd check it too, no different to checking my gas or electricity bill.

Is she checking the bill or questioning it?

theres nothing wrong with her checking it surely?

does she try to get out of paying the full amount? Or accuse you of over charging her?

I think I would be tempted to ask "is there a problem?" when she does the look.

I email my bills. I occasionally get them wrong, but I am always happy to correct them. I actively encourage the parents to check them. Not sure I would like doing it face to face though .

I email all of mine too in fact emailed my last lot yesterday and got a phone call saying I'd got the school hols wrong (I'd put 1 day charge rather than 3!). I always tell them to check them and make sure they're happy but I'd be very annoyed at funny faces and being questioned every month, I do think some people think we should do this job for fun! I got a 'oh, ok for some having a week off' the other day when I reminded a parent I'm off next week. I politely reminded them they'd been informed of all my dates when they started, have done newsletters since plus it was put as a note on the invoice emailed a month ago! I then politely said that it is important for the children as well as myself to have a break as I didn't have holiday in my 1st year of minding and having a burnt out childminder is not good! I felt like saying 'poor you, do you never get any holiday from work' (knowing full well that of course they do!!)

There's a difference between checking the invoice, as all parents do, and going through it item by item in front of the childminder every month. The latter is humiliating and controlling. I'd liken it to your boss going through your overtime and expenses claims in front of you every month, insisting that you justify every claim.

Saltire, one of my parents was like this - he was an accountant and just couldn't help himself :) I agree with the suggestions to email or post your invoice.

I didn't say she checked it, of course I expect her to do that, I said she questions it, there's a difference
the constant faces and the " are you sure it was 7.30 start that day" or " I'm sure I picked up an hour early that day, can we just check" or "Hmm, it's rather a lot, that means I'll have to use all my child tax credits this month" I give herit in an envelope and she takes it home, then brings it back teh enxt day after her and her DH have pored over it, and often it'll be ehr saying "oh my DH thinks this day here isn't right, can we jsut check".
Every single month its the same, I think she's hoping that I'll agree with her and reduce it

Did you read my suggestion about giving her a copy of your signing in and out sheet with her bill so she can cross check it herself? Would that work?

Why does she pay you variable amounts anyway? Don't you just agree that her child is there 3 days a week between X and Y hours and if she picks them up early, then that's nice but the contract is between X and Y hours?

Sounds like you're way too accommodating to me - if you never know how long the child is going to be there, how can you know how much you're going to earn every month?

I'm a parent by the way, not another CM! Just think the situation sounds utterly crap (quite apart from her giving you the gestapo treatment)

Me too.

So what if it's an hour early she picked up if she booked you until 6 and you were available until 6 then that's what she pays.

Yep, send her a copy of the signed register with the invoice.

Do you have set contracted hours (eg you're contracted 7am - 6pm three days a week) as if so, it doesn't matter if she drops off at 7.30am or picks up at 3pm - she should still be paying 7am - 6pm.

My ex would have done this (not that he was ever involved in childcare but that's a different thread)

Anything we ever bought he did the whole Passive Agressive eyebrow raised, sigh etc etc.

It drove me insane. He is also of a mathematical bent so I often wondered if it was to do with that?

Her set hours, for 3 days a week are 8.30 till5.00pm. I share care with the dad, he's a SAHD.
Some days though she starts earlier or picks up alter and Ic harge her accordingly for this, at the hourly rate, on top of what she pays for her set 8.30-5.oopm.
I rarely have the child on other days, unless she gives me notice in advance, not that it really matters to any of you, I was merely moaning (due to thealck of anyone else to moan to) about it

I knew fine well I shouldn't have posted onh ere.

Oh don't be like that Saltire!

We are all on your side, she sounds like a right pain. The idea of giving her a print out of the attendance record along with the invoice sounds like a good idea.

Why shouldn't you have posted?

The general consensus seems to be she's being a bit of a PITA, so send her home with the register page and her and her DP can waste their own evening checking your correct workings out! :)

I agree with Cat. I commit to being available for my contracted hours. I make it clear that parents take their chances that I may or may not be able to do extra hours - if they want to guarantee my availability then they need to have a contract for those hours and pay for my availability. If I had someone asking for extra hours and then constantly questioning having to pay for them, they would soon find me unwilling to do those extras. I think if I had someone like your parent I would have to say that I noticed they often had difficulty remembering the extra hours they had booked and as this was causing issues when it came to payment I was introducing a new regime of pay on booking for any extra hours/sessions required (while we both still have what has been asked for clear in our minds). I'd also be unavailable at least once to make the point that contracted hours are there for a reason - so that I know when I'm not "at work" and can get on with my own stuff or doing things with my own kids.

Anyway Saltire, good luck with getting it sorted out.

Saltire are they the nightmare parents?

They sound just horrendous!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Why don't you give her a weekly summary of just the hours she has used. It might be a bit more work for you, but it might help to stop these sigh fests!!!!