fed up of having to ask for my money!!

[Monkey1]

I was having thistoo from loads of parents before christmas, leaving me short over the xmas holidays i finally got hard wrote to these parents telling them as stated in their contracts were to be in advance and i will be introducing a late payment policy (£5 per day)from now on, they ignored it untill i charged some parents more in fines than they owed in fees! Now they seem to pay on time! I'm sure they would cause a riot if they were told they wouldn't be getting paid when they were expecting too!

[casey's mum]

wendywu, you are so right there! You'd be put in a cell if you did it in a shop!!!
I have just been to my best friends to get our family holidays booked for the summer and because of this late payment I don't have enough cash in my savings to pay the 130.00 per person deposit..........guess what I have suddenly become very assertive for tomoz morning.......look out late payers!!!

When it happened last time my husband tried to cheer me up as I was really down over it. This is what he said and I did take some comfort from it....not that I should have to but anyway he said.....

......they must trust you and respect you as if I owed someone money there is no way I would leave one of the kids in their care!!

There are some very wicked people in this world and my hubby prob knows a lot more than he tells me as he works for the police so I think these parents who don't appear to be bothered about us and ours are very privelidged to be working along side us proffesionals!!!!!!

I havn't stopped today and the late payer turned up tonight and very happily gave me in great detail told me about the meal he had today on his long lunch, 3 hours to be exact...... nice ay, I had a salad sarnie in between wiping snotty noses....lol. Nothing like rubbing your nose in it ay!

End of rant sorry, been going on so long now, I just want to thank you all for the advice and the new found confidence to put this straight and be paid and most importantly be able to book my hols

[deeb66]

You are more than welcome Angela

I am just glad that we could help.....

that is why I love this site so much as many of us would be lost without it!!!

[manjay]

You are more than welcome Angela

I am just glad that we could help.....

that is why I love this site so much as many of us would be lost without it!!!

I think I would have been a right woos (sp?) if I hadn't found this site before minding. My dh says you have turned me into a confident business woman who will not be messed with!! Haha!! Someone put a saying on here the other day that said "It's my way or the highway" and I have adopted it as my new motto.

amanda xx

[casey's mum]

Well thanks to all your support I actually had the confidence to tell Father of the LO that I need my payment!
Even though I didn't say I need it tomoz or anything I feel that I made a positive step and I think I also caught him off gaurd as I never usually mention it!! After doing this I now have the confidence to keep on about it and implement a late payment fee and inform them this will be inforced next month!!!
I feel I managed to do this because of all the support you have all given me and in only 24 hours!!!

Angela xx

[crazybones]

Good for you Angela. Bet you feel better now.

Annie x

[casey's mum]

yes Annie, thanks, I do, confidence boost I needed or kick up the bottom.....lol not sure which!!

Angela xx

[wendywu]

One of my friends was owed money by a parent and she sent her husband round to their house to get it. They soon paid up.

Perhaps you should send your husband round in his police uniform Casys mum, get him to bang on the door and shout OPEN UP ITS THE POLICE, that would get everyone talking in the neighbourhood.

Or if i have had to remind any parents that are late i pick the cowards way out and text them during the day.

[deeb66]

Well done Angela

I am glad that we managed to help you and hope that you get your money soon.

[deeb66]

One of my friends was owed money by a parent and she sent her husband round to their house to get it. They soon paid up.

I am glad that it all worked out for your friend but I am not sure this is something I would do!

Could end up with no end of problems!!

[Julia]

Hi all, I have just come accross this site purely on accident! Can't believe I have been missing out for so long!! It is a pleasure to meet you all!

On to my problem! My problem is me, lol! I find the subject of payment absolutely agonising! I send invoices out the week before payment is due and I seem to be paid a couple of days late by most people and weeks in some cases! So much so I typed out individual payment rora's for all parents for the next 6 months so they have a reminder as to when payment is approaching.

Before Christmas one of my parents was 2 weeks late with Novembers payment and then decided to tell me that they had changed their bank account and their payrole department had sent to their old account which as it had been closed was not detected and payment was left undetected! I was then told that they were struggling to pay their mortgage that month because of this and could I invoice them for Novembers and Decembers in December. I did this cause I am a sucker for a sob story. In the back of my mind I was thinking "should this really be my problem"? They did pay me the full amount owed in December but it made my run up to Christmas extremely tight and stressful! January's payment was then 2 weeks late again!
Another parent was due on New Years eve and I was paid 3 weeks ago! They are due again today and on dropping off their LO this morning, as expected they did not even mention payment!
When I actually pluck up the courage to tell them their payment is late I end up feeling sick, nervous and generally awful! Just seems so unfair! Is it just me that has these problems? How can I assert myself where payment is concerned without coming accross in the wrong way! Hate this part of the job!
Thanks in advance

Did you read my post about getting a door slammed in my face for asking fo my payment to be on timer this month (FOR THE FIRST TIME ever, September to today, never been on time) Im with you I hate it, but eventually I get so miffed I just tell them to pay me.

You need to write a letter to all parents that you need their payments on time and correct otherwise you'll charge £10 a day until payment is paid.

That'll shift them.

[wendywu]

No i would not send my husband round to collect money for me either, but if i was getting paid late on a regular basis i would give them notice. Because i feel that one day they will just leave owing you money. You should always get paid in advance

[sandy]

HI,
What do you think of this situation then :

I am paid in arrears at the beginning of each new month for previous months fees. This is no problem for all parents except one ;

Fees are normally between £300 and £350. She pays me first £300 in one lot saying its all she can withdraw in one day from cashpoint ( true, but withdraw over 2 days and give to me in one lot !! )

She then makes me wait normally a week for the remainder. I just think its so rude, she earns enough as an anaesthetist assistant.

For Jan's fees I got £300 on wed 6th ( her daughter is with me wed,thur,fri )
and had to text her on fri eve for remaining £36 which she delivered with apologies on sat am. If I hadn't text her I would have had to wait until the following wed (13th). Then its only 2 weeks until the next fees are due !!!

Worst case she didn't pay the odd at all ( only £12 but still 4hrs work ) and I put it on the next bill without saying anything, ( Coward I know !!)

Late fee charges are a great idea but what if you are paid most but not all of the fee ?????

Would really appreciate some advice

Many thanks and sorry if I rambled !!

Sandy

[wendywu]

You need to get paid in advance, if they cannot cope with a month get paid weekly. If you use the NCMA contracts can you not make up a little white lie. Say the NCMA have advised you must be paid in advance to qualify for all the benefits of membership, eg legal advice.

[jaz]

You need to get paid in advance, if they cannot cope with a month get paid weekly. If you use the NCMA contracts can you not make up a little white lie. Say the NCMA have advised you must be paid in advance to qualify for all the benefits of membership, eg legal advice.

This is a good idea! I have had problems, and had to text the parent today to ask her to bring a cheque when collecting, I still had to ask for it when she arrived - she didn't volunteer it straight away Stupidly I felt really guilty asking for it

But on the up side I do have this months fees so I can bank the cheque tomorrow.

BTW she had said she was going to complete a BACs transfer last week - that never happened eh

I have also been advised that I should implement a late payment policy and also have a deposit from them before they start - nursery's do it, so why shouldn't we??

What do you all think?

[casey's mum]

I have given up on the text way now cause I either get told that mobiles been lost and then it reappears the next day or if I have phoned the house they have sworn they were there.......so why did no one answer the blinking phone then!!!!!!
Well I asked the parent for my money this morning and will do so again tomoz ....if necessary, but if nothing on Thursday I will tell them to not bring her Friday, do you think that ok?
am also in the process of doing my newsletter which I have told them all that when we revise all contracts this month I will be putting in a clause for late payment fee of 5.00 per day and if full payment after 2 days is not received then no placement untill account brought up to date!!
Think that ok then???

Angela xx

[angeldelight]

Sounds like you have everything under control now Angela

Good luck stick to your guns

Let us know what happens

Angel xx

[louise]

hi, Just been reading though. I would try and change to weekly pay in advance. I gave my mindees mum the choice and she choose weekly as all her tax credits ect are weekly. We have now swapped to direct debit which has made it easier as i dont have to get hubbie to cash a cheque for me weekly. If i have a sick day ill pay her back. If i do overtime i get the cash.

[deeb66]

I have given up on the text way now cause I either get told that mobiles been lost and then it reappears the next day or if I have phoned the house they have sworn they were there.......so why did no one answer the blinking phone then!!!!!!
Well I asked the parent for my money this morning and will do so again tomoz ....if necessary, but if nothing on Thursday I will tell them to not bring her Friday, do you think that ok?
am also in the process of doing my newsletter which I have told them all that when we revise all contracts this month I will be putting in a clause for late payment fee of 5.00 per day and if full payment after 2 days is not received then no placement untill account brought up to date!!
Think that ok then???

Angela xx

All sounds good to me Angela

[wendywu]

But it just leaves you with a nasty taste in your mouth doesnt it.