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New Members - Welcome to the Daycare.com Forum!>Unpaid Childcare Bill!!!!
Megan687 11:20 AM 12-20-2012
A family was term due to non payment... they were friends of mine for about 4 years and I agreed to watch their children for 800.00 a month plus 2.50 an hour for any time that went over 8 hours a day... cheap prices for my area. Well... after hearing excuse after excuse for a MONTH! I had to term them. Needless to say, they have not paid their bill of 1,320.00. This includes their 2 week notice fee as stated in their contract they would need to pay even if they were term for non payment.

They are not responding to my emails, calls, texts, etc... it's putting a lot of financial strain on myself and my husband. Well, the mom is in the military... she has a GREAT paying job. She is getting deployed in April as well and I was wondering a way to go about getting my money through the military. My husband is a veteran and states that I should call her chain of command... anybody else have a problem like this?! I really don't know what to do... I gave them one month to pay up or I will call her chain of command... it's really all I could do...but now after they aren't responding to me, I feel like I should just make the call now.

I have a hard time with this. I have only been open for 4 months and really didn't think I would be burned by my 'friends'.

Any advice?!
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Blackcat31 03:26 PM 12-20-2012
Welcome to the forum! Your status has been upgraded so you can post without moderation.
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Willow 03:57 PM 12-20-2012
Originally Posted by Megan687:
A family was term due to non payment... they were friends of mine for about 4 years and I agreed to watch their children for 800.00 a month plus 2.50 an hour for any time that went over 8 hours a day... cheap prices for my area. Well... after hearing excuse after excuse for a MONTH! I had to term them. Needless to say, they have not paid their bill of 1,320.00. This includes their 2 week notice fee as stated in their contract they would need to pay even if they were term for non payment.

They are not responding to my emails, calls, texts, etc... it's putting a lot of financial strain on myself and my husband. Well, the mom is in the military... she has a GREAT paying job. She is getting deployed in April as well and I was wondering a way to go about getting my money through the military. My husband is a veteran and states that I should call her chain of command... anybody else have a problem like this?! I really don't know what to do... I gave them one month to pay up or I will call her chain of command... it's really all I could do...but now after they aren't responding to me, I feel like I should just make the call now.

I have a hard time with this. I have only been open for 4 months and really didn't think I would be burned by my 'friends'.

Any advice?!
I wouldn't wait a month. If she were keeping in good contact with you and talking about setting up a payment plan or something that would be one thing but if she's flat out ignoring you she obviously has no intention of paying.

If I were you I'd go down to your local courthouse and file a claim against her in small claims court. It's inexpensive and she'll be forced to respond. Make sure you tack on the filing fee and anytime you're going to spend going to court.

It's the crummiest part of the business for sure but it happens sometimes.

To prevent it from happening again in the future maybe don't let a parent get that far behind. If they don't pay don't allow them to continue dropping off their child. Add in something about delinquencies having x amount of time to be paid up for late fees will accrue and you will take them to court to recover. Every once in awhile you may hit a parent who will push the line but hopefully it'll deter the really wishy washy ones.

Good luck!
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Megan687 05:55 PM 12-20-2012
yeah... I did put in there the late fees, but nice me decided that I would not charge anymore than 10 days... but if they failed to pay the entire bill by 1/15/13, the full 30 day late fees, court cost, filing fees, etc would be charged... it's my understanding that in the military, I should contact her chain of command... this would be a way to get her commanding officer to know she has a breach of contract with someone which is a no no in the military and big consequences with that... seems harsh, but at this point, they are just not good ppl as far as I'm concerned... they have burned a lot of ppl that I know of out of 'borrowed' money.

this really is the WORST part of this business! I did make the mistake of letting them come back... those poor children just aren't taken care of.
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nanglgrl 06:25 PM 12-20-2012
I think your hubby is right about the chain of command thing. When I was in boot camp a guy was in hot water because his wife wrote bad checks. He had to get it fixed.
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cheerfuldom 08:54 PM 12-20-2012
I would write one final letter outlining what they owe and that further actions will be taken immediately if amount is not paid in full by X date. Send it with delivery confirmation. Then pursue both the military option as well as small claims court as soon as they miss the final deadline.

In the future, please do not take friends or family. Also, have parents pay in advance. Kids cannot come at all until bill is paid. I have parents pay every monday and their child cannot stay if payment is not provided at drop off on monday.
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ashleyh 07:58 AM 12-21-2012
I used to work as a collection agent. I would avoid directly calling her chain of command to out her on an unpaid balance..or if you decide to be careful in wording it as there are privacy laws in protecting the consumer.

I would follow the suggestion of going to the court house and filing, or even just sending it to a local collection agency in town so they can handle it for you.
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WoodOx 12:55 PM 12-21-2012
Originally Posted by Megan687:
yeah... I did put in there the late fees, but nice me decided that I would not charge anymore than 10 days... but if they failed to pay the entire bill by 1/15/13, the full 30 day late fees, court cost, filing fees, etc would be charged... it's my understanding that in the military, I should contact her chain of command... this would be a way to get her commanding officer to know she has a breach of contract with someone which is a no no in the military and big consequences with that... seems harsh, but at this point, they are just not good ppl as far as I'm concerned... they have burned a lot of ppl that I know of out of 'borrowed' money.

this really is the WORST part of this business! I did make the mistake of letting them come back... those poor children just aren't taken care of.
Wow,Big red flag there, they have burned people over money before. You need to take action and file in court. they are purposely ignoring your calls and such. they don't seem to care to need to pay.
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MarinaVanessa 02:25 PM 12-21-2012
Contacting his superiors in his chain of command is a good way to go. Call his base and give a brief description of what is going on so that they can transfer you to the appropriate person. "Hi. I provided childcare for one of your officers and they now owe payment and are now avoiding me. I would like to speak to his superiors. How would I go about doing that?". They'll ask for his name and transfer you.

It is definitely a big no no with the military but I'm not sure if the process is the same for all branches so asking about how to do it is the best way to go.

An acquaintance of mine was married to someone in the Navy and while on deployment he cheated on her with another woman in his squad or platoon or unit or whatever they call it. It ly went on for a while and a few weeks after he came home he was in the shower and his phone buzzed. She got hd's phone to give to him and it was a text that said "I miss you. I can't wait to see you again tomorrow." She found more texts and some photos too (not classy ones). She called the woman on her own phone, got her first name, kept her husband's phone and kicked him out. In the morning she called his superior and they had a meeting with her husband and the woman. Both were required to live on base from then on and were on house arrest. They were also docked in their pay ... The woman was simply docked, what they took from the husband was sent to his wife. The woman apparently was shipped out to another state a month or so after the whole thing. The military really feels like if you are serving you are a role model and they will get involved and help when they can.

Once you contact his superior ask for his address (the superior) and then write up another notice with the final amount, an itemized list of charges, a due by date and what you will do if its not all paid in full (take them to small claims court, report to credit agency, report to provider watch etc). Don't forget to include quotes of the policies they broke. Then at the very end write "a copy of this notice has also been sent to "superior name".

Send them the letter certified US mail and send a copy to his superior also certified. Include a copy of their contract.

If they don't pay by their final due date file a small claims court and include any filing, court costs, attorney and other fees you are out including for time that you have to pay someone else to sub for you or money you lose from having to close down for the day. Once you go to court if you win your settlement you can call a collection agency and report the debt which can show on his credit report. I would also report it to providerwatch.com which is like a debt reporting agency but its catered to childcare providers. Report them is free. If you report it to a collection agency they can help you try to recover your money for you but they charge you a fee.

Good luck.
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MyAngels 07:15 PM 12-21-2012
Originally Posted by ashleyh:
I used to work as a collection agent. I would avoid directly calling her chain of command to out her on an unpaid balance..or if you decide to be careful in wording it as there are privacy laws in protecting the consumer.

I would follow the suggestion of going to the court house and filing, or even just sending it to a local collection agency in town so they can handle it for you.
The privacy laws that apply to collection agencies - people that are collecting for someone else - don't apply if you are the original creditor - in this case the OP, so she wouldn't have to worry about divulging anything to the commanding officer.

I do agree, though, that she should definitely file a case in small claims, as well as contacting their commanding officer.
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pandamom 04:37 AM 12-22-2012
Not sure about how to go about contacting the chain of command. Does her contract have her work number or her supervisor's info? If it does, I would call and ask to speak with DCM's 1st Sergeant- that's who can get things moving.

But if you are going to file a claim, do it ASAP. I'd start with a certified letter with the final bill just so you have proof that she was notified she was past due. When a service member is deployed, they are "hands off" until they are out of a war zone.

Good luck- I hope you get your money soon.
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gag 11:43 AM 12-22-2012
Originally Posted by Megan687:
A family was term due to non payment...

I have a hard time with this. I have only been open for 4 months and really didn't think I would be burned by my 'friends'.

Any advice?!
It sucks. Just eat it and get better friends.

Consider that amount paying for your education. You graduated from the class entitled "No family or friends enrolled, no matter what." JM2C
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Megan687 07:33 AM 01-19-2013
So... the 15th has come and gone... I did give them until the 15th, sent them a certified letter and all that jazz before hand. I contacted her chain of command... talked to a sgnt and he passed along my complaint to her direct supervisor (everyone is out of the office training in a different city for deployment so I was unable to contact anybody directly). I just wanted to get it over with, get it recorded and make them aware. I have considered it my learning experience, have changed policies and now have WONDERFUL parents who I NEVER have to ask for payment, they just hand it to me on their day to pay!

So... I wake up this morning... I get a facebook message of all things from this dkp that states that 'my little stint did not work, they are on her side, i didn't even contact the right ppl, etc...'.

I am sooo outraged now! I was proud of myself for even letting them know! And I know I should just let it go... but all I want to do is call up that same sgt I talked to and leave a serious message about how poor this servicewoman acts or even write a letter! she is so vulgar it is a disgrace! I come from a military family, my husband is a vet... it's just not right! ugh!

Well, that's it for now.. at least they are aware. If I get my money, great. If not, chalk it up to my education as previously stated!
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Blackcat31 07:41 AM 01-19-2013
Sheesh, I 'd have half a mind to copy and print that Facebook message out and turn it in to the "right" people.

Some people can be really rude. I feel sorry for her.

Glad you are taking this as a positive experience though and choosing to learn from it! Sometimes those are the best lessons and are exactly what helps us become the best business owners we can be!
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MarinaVanessa 09:56 PM 01-21-2013
I'm glad that you are taking it pretty well also but don't forget that reporting her to her superior isn't your only outlet. You can still report it to a credit agency and/or take her to small claims court.

I would do as BC says and save the message that was sent to you. Print it out and send it to her immediate supervisor and ask them if they are going to do anything about it or not, that you just want to know as to not waste their time. Maybe if you let them know that you were doing it this way as to not ruin her credit history by trying to motivate her to pay on her own will they will decide to talk to her and suggest that she pay it. If not well then just let them know that you have all of the proper documentation to report her to the credit bureau and to small claims court which you will be doing immediately after you hang up the phone. Do not respond to the DCP's message however.

Don't forget that you can also report them to ProviderWatch.com for free. It's a reporting agency catered to child care that allows you to report when a parent owes you money. Other providers can search the site when they get potential clients and these people's next provider does use it they'll see that her name is on there and that DCP owes you money.
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Unregistered 10:49 AM 01-19-2020
Originally Posted by gag:
It sucks. Just eat it and get better friends.

Consider that amount paying for your education. You graduated from the class entitled "No family or friends enrolled, no matter what." JM2C
Seriously! Are you people insane? Do you have any idea how hard it is for the average family to afford daycare- stuff happens, get over it- you shouldnt have termed her if you wanted her to keep paying, I am sure she considered that a stab in the back. I understand you are providing a service, but I have had it with daycares costing a fortune to let our children run around all day like nutballs, come home all scrathed up, bruised, starving and with a dirty diaper and then put a collections case on you if life happens and you cant give them their proper notice.

I truly dont know when it became ok to charge people for services they didnt or cant use. Again, I understand its different in your case as she did use the services.. but as you said you were "friends" and I wouldnt take being termed by a friend so lightly.. She is probably ignoring you- not for the money- but out for feeling betrayed.
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Unregistered 10:56 AM 01-19-2020
Originally Posted by Megan687:
So... the 15th has come and gone... I did give them until the 15th, sent them a certified letter and all that jazz before hand. I contacted her chain of command... talked to a sgnt and he passed along my complaint to her direct supervisor (everyone is out of the office training in a different city for deployment so I was unable to contact anybody directly). I just wanted to get it over with, get it recorded and make them aware. I have considered it my learning experience, have changed policies and now have WONDERFUL parents who I NEVER have to ask for payment, they just hand it to me on their day to pay!

So... I wake up this morning... I get a facebook message of all things from this dkp that states that 'my little stint did not work, they are on her side, i didn't even contact the right ppl, etc...'.

I am sooo outraged now! I was proud of myself for even letting them know! And I know I should just let it go... but all I want to do is call up that same sgt I talked to and leave a serious message about how poor this servicewoman acts or even write a letter! she is so vulgar it is a disgrace! I come from a military family, my husband is a vet... it's just not right! ugh!

Well, that's it for now.. at least they are aware. If I get my money, great. If not, chalk it up to my education as previously stated!
Ok,This is NOT ok. You don't threaten someone's livelihood, ESPECIALLY with the MILITARY to try to get what you want. Are you out of your mind? SO your out 800 dollars and you want to ruin this womens ability to feed her children for the rest of her life? Seriously, just nuts you people think.

Pay a teenager 15 bux an hour to market you on Facebook and refill her slot and move on. You don't ruin somebody just because you can. Sounds like you don't even know the circumstances as to why she did this.. just because people put on a brave face doesn't mean everything is ok. You need to release that vengence from your heart before it eats you alive.
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Blackcat31 05:03 PM 01-19-2020
Originally Posted by Unregistered:
Ok,This is NOT ok. You don't threaten someone's livelihood,

Not paying your child care provider when you agreed to is threatening their livelihood so please save the argument...




This thread is over 7 years old
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Unregistered 02:02 PM 03-25-2020
I have a parent that will not pay me and has excuse after excuse I am gonna take her to small claims court can I add late charges or non payment fee on we had only a verbal like I have with all my parents and never charged late fees when I could have but didn't can I do it now since this has gotten ridiculous and if so what fees can I charge?
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Cat Herder 02:09 PM 03-25-2020
Originally Posted by Unregistered:
I have a parent that will not pay me and has excuse after excuse I am gonna take her to small claims court can I add late charges or non payment fee on we had only a verbal like I have with all my parents and never charged late fees when I could have but didn't can I do it now since this has gotten ridiculous and if so what fees can I charge?
It would depend on what your contract says and whether or not the parent signed it.
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Equart 10:05 AM 01-13-2021
Tell the police, it's their own fault
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Tags:money owed, non-payment
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