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  1. #1
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    Default Just made a Boo Boo Today

    Hello All,

    Just had a parent visit and just realised that the calculation for the full time place is wrong For some reason in my calculation before mum arrived I calculated 4 months deposit instead of 4 weeks deposit. (i've been praying for a full time placement to come along)

    Going through the paperwork I informed her that 4 weeks deposit is due before start date and was about to work out the four weeks on the calculator when mum said "oh i've worked it out already" and quoted the 4 months total as well. She then said "that's a lot of money, I'm not prepared to part with that much money". Still not catchng on myself that she has also quoted the wrong amount, I then went on to explain the reasons for deposits and that it is refundable at the end of the contract.

    Mum then said "all we've discussed is fine and all that i've seen is fine but I don't want to waste any more of your time so we might as well end the meeting". We ended the meeting on me saying I know childcare fees can be a bit of a struggle but it is a necessity to take a deposit.

    When she left I went back to my calculation and realised the mistake . (I could have strangled myself)Oh No!!!!

    I quickly sent a text to her apologising and pointing out the error (bad start ) hoping she will understand the miscalculation error.

    Well I can only wait and see what she decides. I may have just let myself down today or it could be a blessing in disguise. Don't know how that happened

    Well I'll let you know what happens next If I get a reply.

  2. #2
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    Oh no! Hopefully she will see the funny side....maybe?! I mis calculated my invoice yesterday in parents favour but luckily she was honest enough to correct me. Easily done, lets hope she gets back to you. Presumably she was happy with everything else you showed her?


  3. #3
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    Quote Originally Posted by Rick_Knight View Post
    Oh no! Hopefully she will see the funny side....maybe?! I mis calculated my invoice yesterday in parents favour but luckily she was honest enough to correct me. Easily done, lets hope she gets back to you. Presumably she was happy with everything else you showed her?

    I hope so Rick. Haven't heard anything back yet. i was wondering if I should give her a call but don't want to seem desperate. iyswim.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Tweetybird View Post
    I hope so Rick. Haven't heard anything back yet. i was wondering if I should give her a call but don't want to seem desperate. iyswim.
    I'm sure now you've told her it was a genuine mistake she should be willing to get back to you, especially as she must be happy with what she's seen as she was about to sign!
    Good luck

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    Maybe she'll get back to you. But at least you know you'll never make that mistake again!

    Don't worry, we all make mistakes x

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    Quote Originally Posted by RuthJ View Post
    Maybe she'll get back to you. But at least you know you'll never make that mistake again!

    Don't worry, we all make mistakes x
    Thanks Ruth. I guess if she's really serious about sorting out her childcare then I'm sure she could look at it as an error. As you say mistakes are sometimes made. She did say she was happy with everything else (literaly) although she was abit cagey about the non-refundable retainer fee (which was calculated correctly)

  7. #7
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    Oh dear, we all make mistakes so i hope she gets back to you. Maybe she is busy and hasn't checked her phone for messages yet so I would say there is still hope.

  8. #8
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    Default Oooooo

    Don't be too hard on yourself ! Your human after all

    Quote Originally Posted by Tweetybird View Post
    Hello All,

    Just had a parent visit and just realised that the calculation for the full time place is wrong For some reason in my calculation before mum arrived I calculated 4 months deposit instead of 4 weeks deposit. (i've been praying for a full time placement to come along)

    Going through the paperwork I informed her that 4 weeks deposit is due before start date and was about to work out the four weeks on the calculator when mum said "oh i've worked it out already" and quoted the 4 months total as well. She then said "that's a lot of money, I'm not prepared to part with that much money". Still not catchng on myself that she has also quoted the wrong amount, I then went on to explain the reasons for deposits and that it is refundable at the end of the contract.

    Mum then said "all we've discussed is fine and all that i've seen is fine but I don't want to waste any more of your time so we might as well end the meeting". We ended the meeting on me saying I know childcare fees can be a bit of a struggle but it is a necessity to take a deposit.

    When she left I went back to my calculation and realised the mistake . (I could have strangled myself)Oh No!!!!

    I quickly sent a text to her apologising and pointing out the error (bad start ) hoping she will understand the miscalculation error.

    Well I can only wait and see what she decides. I may have just let myself down today or it could be a blessing in disguise. Don't know how that happened

    Well I'll let you know what happens next If I get a reply.

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    Oh, I really hope it works out for you . Either way though, try not to dwell on it.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Marshmallow View Post
    Don't be too hard on yourself ! Your human after all
    We'll see Hoope she's human too!!!!

  11. #11
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    you poor thing, i hope she does get in touch again and that you get this child. hopefully she will see this. when you are seeing a new parent it can be daunting, and is easy to get in a tiswas. good luck.x

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    Quote Originally Posted by singingcactus View Post
    Oh, I really hope it works out for you . Either way though, try not to dwell on it.
    i'm trying, I'm trying

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    Oh hun, try not to be too hard on yourself. I invoiced parent wrong amount once, in their favour, and she emailed me saying you havent charged me enough! I really hope she gets in touch, good luck xx
    If all else fails......add glitter!

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    Quote Originally Posted by lizzie23 View Post
    Oh dear, we all make mistakes so i hope she gets back to you. Maybe she is busy and hasn't checked her phone for messages yet so I would say there is still hope.
    Hi Lizzie, I don't thinks she'll get back to me if she hasn't already. I'll count my losses

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    Thank you all for your encouragement and comments. It really has helped me to calm down about it. Im still a bit baffled by how it all happened that way.

    Thanks again. I think I'm gonna get myself a lovely box of choccies and eat them slowly

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    Is it worth taking a deposit if it puts people off? I don't take one to be held until the end because it doesnt happen locally, and if people dont have the money to 'lose' it doesnt matter how much they like me, they wont use me. Lets face it, someone looking for a long term placement for three years or so will basically have to write off the deposit money as it's so long til they get it back. For a full time placement, thats a lot of cash.

    I know some people have been burned by non-payers and therefore insist on the deposit, which I beleive is fine in a climate where you are able to do so and be full. If you have a space and dont have a waiting list for the space, though, it seems daft to scare away business. If it is your policy to refuse care without payment, with payment in advance and robust contracts, then the maximum possible loss for you should be four weeks payment (for the notice period). If you lose a customer because they cannot afford the deposit or because they chose to go to another establishment where they dont have to write off a huge chunk of money for a long period of time, you are potentially losing money week in, week out until that space is filled. Even if it only takes five weeks to fill the empty space, you are now actually worse off than if the first depositless parent had done a bunk. You have taken a definate five week loss of earnings to prevent a potential four week loss if you see what I mean.

    Am I making any sense
    Apologies for the random full stops. Phone buttons too small, thumbs too big.

  17. #17
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    Quote Originally Posted by LauraS View Post
    Is it worth taking a deposit if it puts people off? I don't take one to be held until the end because it doesnt happen locally, and if people dont have the money to 'lose' it doesnt matter how much they like me, they wont use me. Lets face it, someone looking for a long term placement for three years or so will basically have to write off the deposit money as it's so long til they get it back. For a full time placement, thats a lot of cash.

    I know some people have been burned by non-payers and therefore insist on the deposit, which I beleive is fine in a climate where you are able to do so and be full. If you have a space and dont have a waiting list for the space, though, it seems daft to scare away business. If it is your policy to refuse care without payment, with payment in advance and robust contracts, then the maximum possible loss for you should be four weeks payment (for the notice period). If you lose a customer because they cannot afford the deposit or because they chose to go to another establishment where they dont have to write off a huge chunk of money for a long period of time, you are potentially losing money week in, week out until that space is filled. Even if it only takes five weeks to fill the empty space, you are now actually worse off than if the first depositless parent had done a bunk. You have taken a definate five week loss of earnings to prevent a potential four week loss if you see what I mean.

    Am I making any sense
    Yeah I totally get you Laura! On paper I say I wil l take a 1 weeks deposit but in practice I haven't yet taken it. They have all paid in advance wether it be weekly of monthly so as long as I know I will have already been paid for work done then I am happy with that. All mine have started within a few days of signing paperwork though so guess I would take my deposit if someone's start date was further away xx

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    I will take a deposit to hold a space too, usually the first week or fortnight for a fairly immediate start. Recently took a month to hold a space for four months, though.

    However, my deposits are used against the first invoice, not held til the end. To hold them til the end of the contract would have killed my business.
    Apologies for the random full stops. Phone buttons too small, thumbs too big.

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    Quote Originally Posted by LauraS View Post
    I will take a deposit to hold a space too, usually the first week or fortnight for a fairly immediate start. Recently took a month to hold a space for four months, though.

    However, my deposits are used against the first invoice, not held til the end. To hold them til the end of the contract would have killed my business.
    Yeah think if I was to take the deposit mine would have to be from first invoice too.

  20. #20
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    I've done similar before: a mathmatical error over a fee offer. I beat myself up about it and called the mum rather sheepishly, but she was fine about it. Sometimes we expect so much of ourselves and don't allow ourselves the odd mistake. And this isn't a terrible mistake: nobody died, nobody got hurt, nothing burned down.

    Tweetybird, I think the mum will come back if she's right for you, and she won't if she isn't. If she's such a demanding perfectionist that she can't accept a simple mathmatical error, then do you really need her? If she can't respect the need for a retainer, then maybe she can't respect the fact that you need to run a sustainable business. It might actually be a warning sign that she's a bad debt looking for somewhere to land.

 

 
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