Nursery deposit and no response in 17 months!

[cathwilson]

Hi mums,
I'd like to know has this happened to anyone else.
I paid 'registration' deposits for my 2 little girls in a local nursery (they are 2 years apart in age). I asked for up to 5 days per week, later asking them to let me know if any days came up for either of them please let me know. They said it is a first-come-first-served placement procedure.

It is now 17 months later, and despite many phone calls and promises of returning my calls and enquiries, I have not been offered any days in the nursery.

I don't believe that no space has come up. It is an expensive nursery, and quite popular but I am beginning to think that they just take the deposits and then offer the places willy-nilly.

What is my recourse? Although the deposit is not huge (£80), it is the principle that this nursery can just take my money and not get back to me with anything.

I live in SW London. Has this happened to anyone else?

Did you ask for a particular start date? The deal with the ones I registered with was that if they had no places by the date I wanted the place, then I got the deposit back

Thanks 'allnew'. That makes a lot of sense!

Can you imagine how much money an over-subscribed nursery can get in registration fees! It could be a very profitable source of income for them.

A lot of nurseries are also run by cowboys, some care only for profits,not the actual kids,so you have to be careful.

Nurseries run by cowboys? Have you any idea of the laws, rules and regulations that nurseries have to abide by? You can't just suddenly decide one day to open up a nursery. I agree, some are better run than others.
Nurseries are run for profits. They are businesses after all.

The nurseries I applied for only had non-refundable 'deposits', which they called 'registration fees', around £50.

I paid a separate (bigger) deposit, to cover unpaid fees etc, only after my dd got a confirmed place.

Do you have a receipt and the terms of your deposit?

Yes I know nursery rules and regulations. Unfortunetly I've worked in a few who follow the rules only when ofsted are watching and feed the children basically crap, whilst hiking fees up for mums and dads.

I have also worked in some who genuinely Care for the children but (as you say ) they are run for profit and the majority don't care as long as they make money.

Come to think of it. purepurple you and I have spoken about our employment on the nursery world website in the past.