New mindee starts tomorrow but I haven't been paid!!

[Amylouise]

I had a phone call late last night from a lady wanting childminding for her 4 year old, starting in 2 days time!!
She was pretty desperate as nobody else seemed to have a vacancy.
She came round tonight, we signed contracts and he starts tomorrow.
The only thing is she didn't bring any money or checkbook with her, surely this is strange when you are knowingly going to arrange childcare.
I explained that I take payment in advance and said she would need to pay me tomorrow when she brings him but I am honestly expecting an excuse in the morning.
Should I refuse to take him if she hasn't got the money?

go with your gut
i may give her one days grace, but why is she so desparate? has she left one place without paying?
its a hard one and we learn by our mistakes
i had one parent 4yrs ago with 2 children she went to college and college paid her childcare per term (not to me but to her) so she was unable to pay me till college had paid her so being a softey i was i said ok (she was a single mom) anyway college paid her sept-dec childcare but she then said that if she paid me her children wouldnt have any christmas presents as she had no money, i was cross but didnt say anything, anyway that night i taped a letter to say i needed the money for my christmas and as i had earned it i was expecting it (childcare bill was £1090) anyway she was not happy and took the children away moved house so there was no trace, i then recived a letter from OFSTED about a complaint and they had to investgate my care and interveiw my other parents.
saying that some of my parents have not paid deposits but they know they have to pay me by tuesaday or come up with a deposit for me
dont mean to scare you but we live and learn.

Did she actually know that you charge in advance before she came to see you though? If she wasn't aware that this is your policy, there would be no reason for her to think about paying you when all she thought she was doing was signing contracts etc.

Agree with TP - but explain that if you haven't been paid by Thurs am, you cannot have the child

did she pay you?

What happened?

you let her off didn't you?

To be honest, when I met the lady I felt very uneasy about her.
She would have quite happily signed up her son without even meeting me, I practically had to pin her down to do the contracts and then she would only give me her mobile number and wouldn't give me the father's address (they are seperated)
The boy wet himself while they were here (which I didn't mind...it happens) but she wasn't even bothered about changing him!! Little things, but I just didn't trust her.
She still didn't have the money when she dropped him off. She knew that I took payment in advance and when I asked her to pay (and tried to get her to sign some permission forms that hadn't got done before) she just got flustered and said that she felt very uneasy about it all and would rather leave it!!

I was quite relieved to be honest. She may have been genuine (in which case, I must seem very hard faced!) but I just had a really bad feeling about her.

Thanks for your replies by the way

i think you are right to go with your gut instinct...

probably much less hassel in the long run!