I was babysitting a sweet little boy. I like him and his mom well enough, but her schedule started to change and get all crazy. He would be there till 10 at night sometimes, and every Saturday, even though our original agreement was only 2 days afternoons week. There have even been a few days, she dropped him off like 3 hours early, which interfered with things I had going on that day.
I told her I could do maybe one or two Saturdays a month, but she kept scheduling me for every single Saturday.... she tried to schedule me for Sundays too, but I had to tell her I couldn't do that.
Then, she would go weeks without paying, even though we agreed she would pay the last day of every week. She's a single mom, so i understand and was very kind about it, but I had enough and gave her a two weeks notice that I wouldn't be able to watch him anymore.
So, my last week, two weeks go by and she still hasn't paid. I told her she needed to pay for the previous week otherwise I would not watch him the final week (which was only two days anyways. (b/c really, I don't trust her.)
She said she could bring me cash on a specific day (she volunteered the date) and I said okay to that. I waited at home that day, all day long and she never showed up, never called, texted, emailed... anything. Now, I'm thinking, I"ll never hear from her again and she owes over $100.
So, the day she agreed to pay has past, and me being an online seller, I send her a polite yet business sounding Paypal invoice for services rendered. I added on a $5 invoice/late fee, because Paypal will take money out what is paid on my side for fees, so I would be shorted the total.
She emails me all upset that I included a $5 fee and what did she do to upset me? And that she would pay in a week. Well, if she couldn't pay on the day SHE suggested, then why did she lie about it and then get mad at me for not believing her?
Do you think I am being unreasonable for asking for an invoice/late fee? How should I respond to this? She was formerly in the military so pretty much expects people to watch her child any time she needs (from being deployed), no matter the day/time, and her real 'bills' come first.
I know, my mistake, I never did a contract with her, but every provider I have ever used always includes a late fee.
I agree, I was too lax. I was lax about her not paying for 3 weeks because she had just started a new job and it took 2 weeks for her to get on the payroll, so I said 'okay' to her being two weeks late, then she snuck out the door on the third week and acted all insulted when I confronted her about payment like I was some kind of hassle.
She was very sneaky, instead of handing me a schedule, she would sneak and post it on my bulletin board in my hallway as I was putting shoes on her little boy.
I didn't do a contract b/c our printer wasn't working, I know I should have gone to a library or something! I know for in the future now. I am going to stand by my late fee, but tell her I will refund it is she pays by the new date. As for using Paypal, it's the only method of online invoicing I know how to use with my account.
I'm not going to fight for the money, to me it's not about that right now. I'll let you all know how it turns out!
You are not out of line, she should have paid on time. Most child care places charge a late fee if you do not pay. I know my sons school gives you a 3 day grace period, and than if you have not paid they charge a daily late fee and you child is denied care.
Your not unreasonable at all, call her and tell her she may post date a check for the day she planned to pay you. Then you cash it on that day, if it's not any good.......hello court. If she did this to you she will do it to someone else. People need to pay the people who care for their children. Also in the future make everyone pay at the start of the week.
Do I think you are being unreasonable for asking for a late fee? I don't think its entirely unreasonable, however, I can see why she is balking. From what you write, she has a lot of control in your life. You have allowed her to take advantage of you repeatedly (from what you have described) and to call the shots. Lack of a contract is just part of it; not saying "no" to her when she crossed the line on several occasions only empowers her. That said, I wouldn't make this a sticking point to the degree that you don't get any money at all. Get the money and cut your losses with this one.
When I worked as a nanny, and even regular once-a-week jobs, I always had a contract. Even more importantly, you are the only person who can represent your business. This means keeping things professional with people. Child care can feel more emotional than professional at times, but in order for clients to NOT treat us as this one did, we have to be clear about our boundaries. Kids don't get dropped off unless scheduled, period. Payment must be made on time. For some families, this is every month, others, every two weeks. For some, a weekly basis is your safest bet, especially if you aren't 100% sure paying you will be a priority. And then, don't provide care if you aren't paid in full. (IF it's the next work day, it must be paid before you start care.) Bounced checks should have fees attached.
You very obviously mean well, and this is a rookie mistake. Women often believe others will think they are ' a b*tch' if they whip out a contract. If someone does seem wary of a contract, I'd be wary of them. Everyone else will just think you're a smart businesswoman and appreciate the clarity!
Good luck,
H.
Some clients simply are not worth the hassle . . . good lesson for the future (and I would get my money up front).
When my kids were little my childcare provider was always the FIRST person I paid. Good grief - what kind of screw ball jerks around the person who takes care of her kids? Not a good plan imho.
Your late fee was reasonable. But I would write this $100+ off and the client as well. You are going to be "richer" without her in your life.
sounds like she is trying to maniuplate you and make you feel sorry for her to get her way! Ive been in this situation before. The mom would tell me to come to her house and get the money, I would drive 30mins to her house and she wouldn't be there. Once I waited for 2 hours and she never came home. I say get your money however you can and then cut the ties. The habit will continue to happen if you don't. I think adding a $5 fee is completely acceptable
If you know where she works, I would call the company just bill collectors do. Or I would get ahold of a collection agency to get my money. Either way she has to abide by what she says.
Good luck to you in getting your money.
The other S.
PS She is lucky you only charged her $5 late fee.
You aren't being unreasonable at all...This is a business...no matter how she wants to operate. Good for you for being compassionate, and firm. $5 late fee is nothing. Rest easy, you did exactly what should have been done! I wish you the best in actually getting the $$$.
My providers always required payment before the services were rendered. I don't think the small late fee is unreasonable; however, I would have just created an invoice without using paypal. Not saying I wouldn't have added a late fee (I may have but only if she was aware that one may apply) but I wouldn't have used paypal to do so. You charging that because of PayPal's fees was not nessary.
$5 is not too much to ask for a late fee. She is late. She provided the date and did not follow through. I do not think it is unreasonable. Childcare is a "real" bill and it should be treated accordingly. She would have larger fees & costs if she had a "childcare" company looking after her child. Stick to your guns. Be firm but respectful. Good luck. cb
$5 is more than fair. In response to what she did to upset you, TELL HER. She has taken advantage of you and you do not appreciate it. Give her a small list (doesn't pay when she says she would, doesn't show up, etc.). Then tell her that you expect her to do the right thing and pay you for services rendered. I'm sure she wouldn't appreciate it if she didn't get her paycheck.
You could have charged her more! Most day cares will start charging $5 per minute you are late. I would, in the future, have a contract that spells everything out. Picking up kids late, wanting extra days that were not agreed to and late payments. I have two kids and I worked. However, I always made sure that I paid promptly. I used day cares and private. Its a business you are running not free babysitting. I would not refund the late fee and I would not write this off. If you had worked for an employer, would write off wages earned? I don't think so. You earned this money and I would insist she pay. She is banking on you just going away. I would surprise her!
I think you were right to send her that email. You could respond politely and explain why you needed to tack on the fee. Regardless of whether you had a written contract, you had a verbal one and payment was expected for services rendered period! You could even state that in an email response.
It's hard when you are in that position because you are providing a service and you don't want the mom to get mad and make your life hell, but at the same time you want to be firm and not get take advantage of. So live and learn right?
Good luck!
No, you have every right to ask for a late fee. Just remind her in a non defensive way that she is over due in paying you the fees that you had agreed upon, that she stated the date when she would pay you and failed to do so. If she gets more defensive, If you feel necessary, also include the fact that she has shown up 3 hrs early and inconvenienced you in that way as well as expecting you to drop everything to watch her child at her convenience when the original agreement was for just a couple of days per week. If necessary you can take her to small claims court to settle the matter & you can let her know of that if you still do not get paid. I would definitly stand your ground in the late fee though. It's only $5 & you can let her know, if you feel necessary, that you could've charged her $25 late fee but realizing her situation, decided to just help her out by only charging her an extra $5. Hope this helps, good luck!
In the future I would definitely have a contract that spells it out. I have been using daycare for sometime and my parents always told me that the most important bills are House, food, daycare, car. As long as those were paid none of the cc mattered and if that's all you could afford then you didn't get anything else. I would think this might be more of a hassle to try to collect than to just write it off. $5 late fee is not that bad. My daycare charges a $25 late fee and then $5 every day after.
