Can nursery do this?

Fliss_M

My husband lost his job Oct 09. My daughter was at nursery full time so I dropped her to 2 days a week so DH could job search and I didnt want her out of nursery.

Well in Sept 10 he started a new job so her nursery fees increased to full time. But at her nursery your allowed a week holiday per year (ie you dont have to pay while their not there) so I took that week the 2nd week of Sept as we already had holiday plans that week anyway and it as dh wasnt getting paid for 6 weeks (paid monthly on the 15th of the following month) we needed the ease on the finances.

So I got given a sheet detailing the working days in each month she would be attending nursery with a one off payment for Sept and the same larger amount Oct Nov & Dec. Sept being £97 lower.

Well I got a call today saying my payment for sept was £97 out! So I asked for a statement but then I checked my work draw suspecting that the sheet with payments was there and it was. I checked what I paid plus the childcare voucher I gave them which was paid and it came to the right amount. Thats when I realised the Sept payment was £97 lower then Oct.

So I called them back explaining and was told oh Ok, we thought there must be somthing odd as you (myself) are a good payer.

But then I got an answering maching message at 6pm from them saying they still needed to talk to me! So now am all stressed. I am expecting them to say we shouldnt have taken/werent allowed that free week. But the sheet is clear and its signed by one of the depty managers. I pay twice my mortgage as it is on nursery fees, I cant afford an extra £97! And I dont think I should ether when they told me what to pay and its been 6 months!

But I also dont want them telling me they no longer want my custom and I have to take boo out. I dont think they would as I dont think they have too many full time children and its is only £97 but you never know

what are your oppinions?

Counting_Pennies_2

I haven't had a chance to read and digest much, but my first thought is that if your DD was at nursery part time for a whole year, then the week would have been pro-rata'd to what a part time week would have been.

So if she had just gone back up to a full week, and you took your week then, then I would say your accrued benefit for taking a 'week' off nursery fees, would be the pro-rata'd amount.

i.e. you wouldn't expect to have worked part time then on the month you go up to full time hours take a full weeks paid holiday based on your accruals through the year you have just worked.

Sorry if I have the wrong end of the stick

hth

BitterAndTwisted

Stop tying yourself up in knots and wait to hear what they have to say about it. Easy to say and hard to do, I know.

For all you know, they could have treble-checked their records and have discovered that you've over-paid them. Even if you do end up owing them money you could always ask to repay it in an additional amount each month. As you've already said, they consider you to be a good customer so I doubt they'd want to swap you for some other, unknown quantity.

DON'T PANIC!

Spendless

When mine were at private nurseries. 1 allowed a weeks holiday without paying fees but their holiday year ran the academic way, not in a calendar year, so is it possible that you already took your free week, due to the way the nursery works their calendar?

The other, only allowed a weeks holiday without paying fees if your child attended 4 days or more, if a child moved from less than 4 days to 4+ there was a waiting period (I don't recall how long) before you could get your free week.

Fliss_M

I concur that it may not have been allowed. I understand I take 1 week full hours after several months part, but I paid twice as much that month as I would have done. As a % of what they didnt get over the month its the same part or full. But my major gripe is if it wasnt right be it part time going full or that the year was worked differently so it meant I wasnt quite entitled yet (I believe the last time I took that week was the 1st week of Oct 09, 1 week b4 dh was made redundant, the perposfully waited till we got back) the depty manager shouldnt have signed it off.

You are right though I need to a) not stress and b) think about arranging partial payments to cover the money. I certainly dont want to fall out with them, they are so good to boo and have been so good to us when we had to change our hours. They let me change to 2 days straight away from full and use the full time money I had just paid to cover 2 days a week till xmas

mum2twinsx2

My nursery also private run one, works on a school year. So their new year starts in september. I work this out last year after five years of using it, in october 2009 i took my free week as we were off abroad. Then in june last year i took them out and requested it as my free week, i was informed then i had already had my free week for that `year.` I looked through the prospectus and it was stated in there i must have missed it..... :rotfl: