Being overcharged by nursery???

[Diaryofalways87]

I am absolutely fuming with my daughter's nursery at the moment. I am convinced that they are overcharging me and despite several emails showing the calculations they are not having any of it! Am I being stupid or are they right?

Basically my 3 year old daughter attends nursery for all day Mondays and half day Fridays, 51 weeks of the year (they are closed for a week over Christmas, which they do not charge for). Except she doesn't actually attend for 51 full and 51 half days a year due to bank holidays. They close bank holidays and claim they do not charge for them in their terms and conditions.

I sent them these calculations to show they are charging me for bank holidays:

Before the price increase (1st September 2016 to 31st March 2017)

(45.00+26.00) x 51 = £3,621.00 per year (before discount)
3,621.00 / 12 = £301.75 per month (before discount)
301.75 - 187.62 = £114.13 per month (with discount)

After the price increase (1st April 2017 to 31st August 2017)

(46.35+26.78) x 51 = £3,729.63 per year (before discount)
3,729.63 / 12 = £310.80 per month (before discount)
310.80 - 187.62 = £123.18 per month (with discount)

Sorry if it's all a bit confusing! I think this demonstrates they are charging me for 51 full days and 51 half days a year when she only attends 46 full days and 50 half days.

I know it's not actually a lot of money we pay each month due to the 3-4 year olds discount, but it's the principle!

Their response is just basically "nope, we're charging you right", with pretty much no explanation. So frustrating!

I need a sanity check here...

Personally I would enquire about changing her days to tues/wed/thurs if you can rearrange your working days. It's a well known tactic of nurseries to "encourage" Mondays and Fridays for part time children for this very reason.

That fee sheet clearly says no charge on a Bh. So you shouldn't be charged unless they have changed their terms.

Our nursery manager does the invoices and she's hopeless at it! So many mistakes.

Might it be taken into account in the daily rate you pay? I.e. Someone who attends on a Tuesday and Thursday might pay (say) £48 per day where you pay £45, because they have worked out that over the year you will miss x number of sessions compared to the other person?

You only get the free hours during term time. Have you taken that into account in your calculations?

Can you ask for a days care in lieu of the bank holiday that you're paying for and not receiving a service for? I would argue that if your paying a full days care - then I would want the same as what other parents, paying the same would be getting! As you say it's hardly your fault BHs are always a Monday!!!

My DC have never paid for bank holidays but we seem to be in a vast majority here, maybe we're just lucky!

Does your discount include bank holidays?

ChessieFL that's what I was getting at when I said upthread that we didn't know the standard day rate. We only know the OP is being charged £45/£46.35×51 but if the Monday rate is a little lower than the Tuesday rate then that is fine.

The nursery person is completely accurate. They don't charge for bank holidays. The only problem is you only go on bank holidays. So the full timers are quids in and you're not.

My nursery manager doesn't let me have the money back but I can change days as I'm a similar situation to you.

I would try and recover the situation Calmly and see if they can be flexible with you. So maybe use your days on the other days of the week. Maybe you could change your work day for another day or have a lovey day of rest. Maybe you could take yourself off to a spa day (I could only dream of that 😂😂😂). Best of luck x

Are they actually closed bank holidays? Maybe they are saying if your child does not attend on bank holidays they don't charge?

So the manager has finally admitted that they charge for bank holidays, despite being closed. 😒

Wish they'd just come out and told me that when I first brought it up instead of trying to fudge around the issue (is that even a saying?!).

Their justification seems to be that every other nursery does it so that makes it ok 👌🏻

Seems very unfair to me but feel like there's not much I can do so might have to put it down to one of life's injustices and move on.

Thank you for all your advice and help guys. Really wasn't expecting such a big response!

Well then they need to change their fee information sheet!

We charge for bank holidays
But our daily rate is a lot lower than those nurseries that don't charge
Plus full timers get a discount on their fees
Part timers are able to have a swap day within the same month of the bank holiday

I agree they do need to charnge their info sheet

If you haven't signed up to those terms & conditions then I'd be explaining that they have overcharged and need to refund you...

At the end of the day you accepted the place on the premise they don't charge for BH, they can't just change their minds without informing you and asking you to sign a new contract.

Fancy going on Judge Rinder?

Op says she was given new terms and conditions
The txt that she has continued to use the nursery means she has accepted those terms and conditions

I have the original t&c's and fee information but apparently every parent was given an updated one recently but I'm scratching my head as to where mine is so will ask for a new copy.

To be this implied that the nursery say she has been given one but Op isn't entirely sure that she received one hence querying being charged for Bank Holidays!

That's why many part time parents have Monday as their day off, along with the issue of having to use up lots of holiday on the bank holidays as you don't get enough prorated bank holidays to cover them.

Could you switch your working days?

Not all nurseries charge for bank holidays - the one we use doesn't.

Its all very confusing OP. I dread my bill every month.

I get a bill for the month - ie £236.85 for period 1st - 31st May.

I then have to calculate every session that DD has attended & check its right.

A monthly bill is fine, but I would like to see it broken down into weekly amounts.

I was overcharged (by direct debit) £110 last month.

My invoices are actually a joke. Absolutely no breakdown of how the fees are worked out, just "£123 please".

Sadly I can't not work Mondays.

DD is starting primary school in September so I think I'll just grin and bear the next few months.

What's the discount for?

The discount is for the 15 hours per week 3/4 year old funding. We stretch this over 51 weeks of the year so we get 11 per week discount. I know for a fact that the £187 discount per month does not include the bank holidays.

Need to find out what terms and conditions I actually signed when she started. I don't have a copy so have requested one.

No I thought you were going to say that. That's technically not allowed either.... they are supposed to give the 15 free, not discount the amount they are paid and invoices should reflect this.

Diary my discount is £45 a week, how can yours possibly on be £11?

*only

It's 10.9 hours a week over 38 weeks, unless you pay approx 97 pence an hour then your discount is wrong!

They can discount the amount but it should be correct. For example our nursery full day is 10 hours half day 5. So you get a pro rata discount of a full day and and a half nursery fee per week over 52 weeks.