Retainer vs deposit vs fee

[JennaRachel]

Hi. I have just booked a childminder to start looking after my child in August. I have paid a "retainer" of 5 weeks fees which I will not get back. However, this does not actually seem to be a retainer as there is no empty space to be held for him. It seems to be more of a booking fee than an actual retainer. Is this common practice?

How does the childminder explain it?

Her fees and charges are for her to set and there isn't really a common practice or standard.

That sounds fine to me. Really if a placed is not empty, she should have charged a deposit rather than a retainer but it is entirely up to her being self employed and you could have questioned it however if you did do that, she could just charge you a deposit of the exact same amount as even if she doesn't have a space open at the moment, she is not choosing to fill the space available that your child will be taking up.