Day Nursery Rip Off

deb_b_2

Hi all,
I'm looking for some advice please....
I am returning to work in January after having my little boy and had paid £145.00 cash for a placement for him at a local nursery. I paid it a few weeks ago as they made me feel as the place wouldn't be available for long.....
I have since heard bad reports about this certain nursery and have decided to take him eslewhere. I rang them today to advise this and they have told me my deposit is non-refundable, even though I have given them 3 months notice before my son was due to start. The contract states the deposit is refundable if you give 1 months notice, but they are trying to tell me I have to take him there for a whole month whilst the notice is served. I feel like I've been well and truley rolled...Is there anything I can do to get my money back? Surely my contrct shouldn't start until I have actually taken him there in January....
Please help.

Sensemaya

I am returning to work in January after having my little boy and had paid £145.00 cash for a placement for him at a local nursery. I paid it a few weeks ago as they made me feel as the place wouldn't be available for long.....

and

The contract states the deposit is refundable if you give 1 months notice, but they are trying to tell me I have to take him there for a whole month whilst the notice is served.

Mmmmm...silly you for paying all that dosh up front and for falling for that sales talk.

Never pay cash. You give them one months notice from now.Well in time. Did you get a receipt? Did you sign the Contract?

Write a very nice letter stating you require your money back in full within the next seven days, otherwise you will be commencing proceedings via the Small Claims Court. In the mean time you will be reporting them to their local Trading Standards Office and Social Services.

They are trying to intimidate you again.They can easily fill the place up for Jan,can't they,as places are so limited? Especially when the TSO phone them to confirm this!

deb_b_2

Thank you.
I know I was silly, but being a first time mum and worrying about getting my son in a nursery before going back to work was a bit of a panic on my part. I have got a receipt paid on 15/08/07, but I had rang up since then (within 14 days) to reduce the hours he would go to nursery from 1 week to 1 day as I had found alternative care for the rest of the week. The contract states that I have to give one weeks deposit. Surely one week had been reduced to the oneday a week I was taking him. This should be £32. The contract doesn't give a 'cooling off' period either. Don't all contracts have to have this...?
Thank you for your advice, I shall write a letter today.