OMG... This Is Freaky!

[MamaBear]

Okay... about 6 years ago when I first started doing daycare, I toured for this family at the old house I used to live in. The little boy was a TERROR! He was referred to me by a family I was working with & that mom even warned me about how this boy was a little "bad" but that the parents were nice.

He was absolutely the worst child I ever met in a daycare tour. I had just started doing daycare and at that time, I took just about anyone. The boy was 3 yrs old and was throwing blocks at my tv, throwing toys everywhere, jumping on my couch... just doing EVERYTHING bad he could possibly do & the parents would correct him AT all. I recall the parents never leaving and just making themselves at home until I just had to say tour is over - like an hour later. I would never be like that now... Now my tours are 15 minutes max, but back then I was way too nice.

Anyway - I had given them a space and couldn't sleep for several nights just stressing out about how bad that boy was and how I could get out of it. Then THANK GOD - she called me just a day before his start date and said that they decided to put the boy in a preschool that was close to her work. I was beyond happy! My husband said I was crazy for even thinking of taking him in. I was just so relieved he was not coming to my daycare.

Okay so fast forward 6 years later! She called me @ 10 months ago & left a voicemail that she was interested in daycare for her NEW baby. She was 2 months old. I deleted the message and never called her back. First because I remember how bad the boy was and how annoying the parents were and secondly I didn't want an infant that young. Well she called about 4 times that day repeatedly and didn't leave messages. I just simply didn't feel like calling her back.

Then about 5 months later she did the same thing again. I know i should have called her back to make her leave me alone, but I just didn't want to deal with it. She called repeatedly again for a few days... probably about 6 times - no messages.

Then yesterday she calls AGAIN! She leaves a message that she doesn't know why I don't call her back but she wants a space at my daycare... as if its her choice! I was going to call her back and just completely forgot. Then this morning she just called again. Now saying "I wish you'd call me back. Why won't you call me. Why don't you want to help me!"

I was on the other line with my husband who is on deployment right now and saw her # and thought oh gosh... her again. After I got off the phone like 20 minutes later, I was just about to call her back finally to say GO AWAY when all of a sudden...

MY DOORBELL RINGS!!! What the frig??? I look out the peep hole and its HER! She is so scary looking! A big scary looking lady - hair all crazy, no makeup, wearing pajamas and her ear is literally on my door! I have just 2 kids here right now, so I run to them and tell them "shhhhh"... My house is very quiet so she can't hear anything. She rang the bell about 4 times!

Of course I did not open it. I am freaked out at this point. I NEVER gave her my address!!!! What makes her think she can just come knock on my door???? Is she going to be stalking me now???? Does Licensing give the address to people when they call? Arghhhh!

I don't list my address on anything for reasons like this. Now its really awkward if I call her. Now she's gone from annoying to angry and creepy. I think I'll wait till tonight & call her back to tell her I can't help her so she'll leave me alone.

I'm really shook up right now. That was sooo frickin freaky!!!!

[permanentvacation]

If the lady knows your name and your house phone is listed, she can EASILY get your address from 411 or the internet. If your house phone is not listed, she can easily enough get your address from the internet.

I think you should have returned her call a while ago and either have said that you are full and do not have a spot for her - but if you advertise, she can find out otherwise and will call you when she sees your ad. Or you should have told her that you do not take babies - again, if she sees an ad from you for babies, she will call you then. I think you would have been best off to have returned her call and told her that you do not want to do business with her and you do not want her to contact you again. Once you have told her that, if she continues to contact you, then you can file a police report on her for harrassment and gotten a peace order against her.

I personally believe that she will continue to bother you - because she just doesn't understand why you aren't returning her calls - until you do tell her to not contact you.

[MamaBear]

I agree. I should have called her back. But my life has been insane crazy lately with my husband deployed, I've got 3 kids of my own and a billion other things on my to-do list that calling back someone like her was on the bottom of my list of to-do's.

I just now called her and left a voice mail that I can't help her with her daycare needs and good luck with her daycare search. I used to call everyone back that calls about my daycare, but sometimes I just forget. Usually "normal" people don't pursue to her degree. If they don't get a call back then they move on to the next daycare.

Im not even advertising right now. My website doesn't have openings listed either. And my # and address is not listed on the internet because I've searched for it. I had found it on a couple search sites (Spokeo & Whitepages) a few months ago and had it removed. We are unlisted. I called Licensing and they said anyone can call to review my file and get the address so that is probably how she got it.

She went to far to come ringing my doorbell. And not a normal doorbell ring either... it was like dingdong (5 second pause)...dingdong (2 second pause)... then dingdong, dingdong, dingdonnnnnng. Creepy. HOPEFULLY my voicemail will make her stop. I HOPE.

[karen]

WOW! How creepy to just show up at your house like that..UGH how awful for you to have to go through something like that with little kids there.

[MamaBear]

WOW! How creepy to just show up at your house like that..UGH how awful for you to have to go through something like that with little kids there.

Thanks Karen - It was creepy! You know what was frustrating --- When I called Licensing this morning to ask if she could've got my address from them, the Licensing rep on duty tells me that I should have opened the door for her and asked what she wanted!!! Really?? No way! I told her "Really? I would never open the door for a stranger - especially when I have daycare children here to protect." She said she didn't seem any harm in it. Wow... great Licensing lady! Sheesh. Yeah let me let crazy woman in so she could cuss me out in front of my daycare kids and maybe do something else! Obviously the Licensing lady has never done daycare.

[wdmmom]

I would just return her call and do this:

"Hi Betty, this is Karen. I've received several calls and I've been meaning to get back to you but at this time, I don't have an infant slot available. Thanks for thinking of me again but I can't help you. If you've got a pen and paper, call (555-111-2233). That's Childcare Resource and Referral. They should be able to give you the name and number of some other providers that can help you. Good luck! Bye now!"

[Childminder]

Call her back and tell her you haven't been returning calls because you were away for an extended time and just got around to your messages. Tell her that you don't have an opening for a child of that age but will contact her if something opens. Have some phone numbers for her as referral.

[daycare]

I would just return her call and do this:

"Hi Betty, this is Karen. I've received several calls and I've been meaning to get back to you but at this time, I don't have an infant slot available. Thanks for thinking of me again but I can't help you. If you've got a pen and paper, call (555-111-2233). That's Childcare Resource and Referral. They should be able to give you the name and number of some other providers that can help you. Good luck! Bye now!"

ditto this....and you should always make time to handle your business. If you run your own company, you make time for it and deal with all of the issues as they arise.

When you have an issue at target or walmart they don't tell you sorry, I am too busy to deal with you right now, I have too much going on. Sorry to sound blunt or rude, but it's your fault that it has escalated to this point.

THis lady does sound nuts, but she is asking for an answer from you and you are not giving her one.....

[MarinaVanessa]

Don't let it get any worse. You had no reason or obligation to call her back before. I hope you don't feel like you could have prevented any of this just by answering her call or by calling her back. Chances are that she would have still repeatedly called you again in the future anyway. Something tells me that she's not one to get the hint. You only control your own actions, you do not control the actions of other people. I am a smart enough person to understand that if I called someone and they dodged my phone calls they do not want to talk to me.

I do however agree with those that suggest just telling her you don't want to do business with her is the best possibility of getting her to stop. Telling her anything else will pretty much just give her an opening and reason to call you back or worse ... stop by again. I would be blunt and honest with her.

If I were in your shoes I would call her and before she could say anything at all I would tell her what I expected and would not give her the opportunity to talk.

"Hi, listen I was calling you because of the excessive calls you've been making to my home over the last several [days/weeks/months]. The first few times I simply forgot to call you back because I'm a busy person. I was unable to answer your calls because I was with the kids. Once you continued to call repeatedly it threw up warning flags and I made a choice not to call you back. Your excessive calling and then upset messages have made me completely uninterested in working with you. I had no reason then to call you back. Then when you showed up to my home annanounced and without an appointment I knew that I should not answer my door and that you wanted a confrontation. There was no other reason for you to come to my home. Just so that you are clear, do not come to my home again and do not call me again. I will immediately be reporting the situation to my licensing respresentative. If you bother me again I will also call the authorities for harrassment." Then hang up.

[MrsB]

I would have done the same thing as you! Dont open the door. Good learning lesson for the daycare kids. Eventhough I know what her name is I dont know her well enough and she didnt make an appointment so we aren't going to answer the door. I would call her and say. I was here at the house but dont answer the doors for those who dont have an appointment. Sometimes I dont have any tact and would say. "Hello, who does that! If I had space for your child, I would have returned one of your several phone calls to set something up, but I dont take interview appointments or random drop bys during daycare hours." So strange!

[nannyde]

Don't tell her you don't have an opening now. That means there could be an opening later.

Call her back and tell her that you have an opening and the rate is 300 a week. You require two months upfront deposit. Tell her you charge $250 per half hour for an interview and it must be paid one week prior to the interview. If she would like an interview please forward the money order and you will call her back to set it up. If she would be crazy enough to pay to interview you then set it up in a public place and then require she pay the 2750 upfront for the slot.

If she knows it's going to take 3 grand to get in the door she will gladly not come knocking. Just set the price high enough that she wouldn't dream of doing it. If she complains about the cost tell her that you have become wildly in demand and can charge the big bucks. You can only interview and take clients that can pay your high fee.

Learn the art of saying no while you are saying yes.

[Heidi]

Don't tell her you don't have an opening now. That means there could be an opening later.

Call her back and tell her that you have an opening and the rate is 300 a week. You require two months upfront deposit. Tell her you charge $250 per half hour for an interview and it must be paid one week prior to the interview. If she would like an interview please forward the money order and you will call her back to set it up. If she would be crazy enough to pay to interview you then set it up in a public place and then require she pay the 2750 upfront for the slot.

If she knows it's going to take 3 grand to get in the door she will gladly not come knocking. Just set the price high enough that she wouldn't dream of doing it. If she complains about the cost tell her that you have become wildly in demand and can charge the big bucks. You can only interview and take clients that can pay your high fee.

Learn the art of saying no while you are saying yes.

Plus, it would be so FUN to do this!::

[MamaBear]

ditto this....and you should always make time to handle your business. If you run your own company, you make time for it and deal with all of the issues as they arise.

When you have an issue at target or walmart they don't tell you sorry, I am too busy to deal with you right now, I have too much going on. Sorry to sound blunt or rude, but it's your fault that it has escalated to this point.

THis lady does sound nuts, but she is asking for an answer from you and you are not giving her one.....

FIRST: Please read above. I DID call her back today. Her voicemail answered and I informed her that I couldn't help her. I do usually try to make time for my business --- I might not have been so good at it lately since my life is a little crazy right now.

Walk a day in my shoes and you would know. When your worried about your husband every second of the day whiles he's Afghanistan and trying to take care of your own 5 year old, 10 year old and teenager AND trying to maintain the daycare kids and their needy parents and all else that life entails... then see how much time you have left to return phone calls or sometimes even care to return phone calls.

Also when its someone is calling me about daycare, who I've met with in the past and they flaked on me just a day before they were contracted to start - I don't feel like I owe her a thing!!!! She literally was signed up to start with me 5 years ago and flaked via a message. So I should run to answer her now? Um no. I'm not a Walmart or a Target... I'm a daycare and if I'm not advertising spaces and trying to get more kids right now, then I don't feel I need to call anyone back if I don't want to. Sorry to "blunt or rude" but theres my response.

[MamaBear]

Don't let it get any worse. You had no reason or obligation to call her back before. I hope you don't feel like you could have prevented any of this just by answering her call or by calling her back. Chances are that she would have still repeatedly called you again in the future anyway. Something tells me that she's not one to get the hint. You only control your own actions, you do not control the actions of other people. I am a smart enough person to understand that if I called someone and they dodged my phone calls they do not want to talk to me.

I do however agree with those that suggest just telling her you don't want to do business with her is the best possibility of getting her to stop. Telling her anything else will pretty much just give her an opening and reason to call you back or worse ... stop by again. I would be blunt and honest with her.

If I were in your shoes I would call her and before she could say anything at all I would tell her what I expected and would not give her the opportunity to talk.

"Hi, listen I was calling you because of the excessive calls you've been making to my home over the last several [days/weeks/months]. The first few times I simply forgot to call you back because I'm a busy person. I was unable to answer your calls because I was with the kids. Once you continued to call repeatedly it threw up warning flags and I made a choice not to call you back. Your excessive calling and then upset messages have made me completely uninterested in working with you. I had no reason then to call you back. Then when you showed up to my home annanounced and without an appointment I knew that I should not answer my door and that you wanted a confrontation. There was no other reason for you to come to my home. Just so that you are clear, do not come to my home again and do not call me again. I will immediately be reporting the situation to my licensing respresentative. If you bother me again I will also call the authorities for harrassment." Then hang up.

Thank you MarinaVanessa Great advice about what to say.

[MamaBear]

Don't tell her you don't have an opening now. That means there could be an opening later.

Call her back and tell her that you have an opening and the rate is 300 a week. You require two months upfront deposit. Tell her you charge $250 per half hour for an interview and it must be paid one week prior to the interview. If she would like an interview please forward the money order and you will call her back to set it up. If she would be crazy enough to pay to interview you then set it up in a public place and then require she pay the 2750 upfront for the slot.

If she knows it's going to take 3 grand to get in the door she will gladly not come knocking. Just set the price high enough that she wouldn't dream of doing it. If she complains about the cost tell her that you have become wildly in demand and can charge the big bucks. You can only interview and take clients that can pay your high fee.

Learn the art of saying no while you are saying yes.

HaHa I love this Nannyde. Perfect