nursery fees

[CHARLIESUN100]

hi all, a quick query regarding nurseries!- I am a first time mum so all new to me! ....

I recently visited a nursery- and only really wanted to sign up to a few hours for my then 8 month old boy. This nursery would only allow me to sign up to 2 sessions minimum per week - I didn't have much choice so I signed up and paid the 50.00 'admin fee' - I had visited at that point, a quick look round and nothing else. then i filled in 2 forms and emailed them off. THAT IS ALL.

the 50.00 admin fee was paid. But then the next day, my Mum decided she could watch my child for me as it was only for a few hours (she didnt realise that initially) anyway, i thought 'great that saves me 65.00 a week' and also felt relieved as I didnt feel my baby was ready quite yet . So I rang up the nursery, apologised profusely and told them I need to cancel for the time being until baby is older. (perhaps). The girl on the phone then said thats fine and that she will get my fee refunded.

I then had an email an hour later from the manager stating that I will lose the 50.00 admin fee that I paid as this was in the small print which I had consented and emailled back.

I then just thought oh well, maybe I will use them one day in the future, and wont have to pay that 50.00 again.

I have no found another nursery that I am happy with which allows me to go for 3 hours a week- ideal and is much cheaper ! and now my baby is 1 I feel its time. I have signed up and havent been asked to pay anything! 'This has got me thinking about the 50.00!

is there anything I can do now to get it back?? - should I email the 1st nursery to ask for it again, and mention that others do not ask for a fee....or just leave it and be done with? I just feel it was a bit unfair!!

I would love someones opinion please. many thanks!

All nursery's and childminders around here have an admin fee or a 'holding fee'.

Deposits/admin fees are non-refundable. Holding fee comes off the 1st months bill. Just from experience.

i see... even though I hadn't even used the nursery at all - I had only emailed a form... then changed my mind,,, and they took and kept my fee?? is that fair? x

Just think of it as a deposit - you signed up to a service and then didn't lose it, so lose your deposit. I don't know any nursery that doesn't do this, DD's deposit was £100

Yes. You messed them about. They are a business. For the time that you 'held' that place they could have turned down other requests (I know in your case it was short but imagine if everyone did this... They'd never fill their places). I know it's a big sum for nothing to you, but it's a big loss to them if people change their minds all the time. The holding fee is a disincentive to people holding lots of places and then deciding to drop a bunch of them.

i see... even though I hadn't even used the nursery at all - I had only emailed a form... then changed my mind,,, and they took and kept my fee?? is that fair?

Yes, it’s fair. You think that all that happened was that you just emailed a form, but it means that the nursery reserved the space and didn’t make it available to anyone else. They may have lost out on custom, so are entitled to keep the deposit.