'Tis The Season...

[Cat Herder]

For competitors to start calling for your rates and services while pretending to be potential clients....

How many calls asking for rates have you received so far?

How does it make you feel when you drop the number into google only to read their "updated" childcare ads??

[NeedaVaca]

2 in the past week...

[Kimskiddos]

Only had 1 but she was honest and told me up front. I thanked her for her honesty. Then had a nice chat about starting out.

[Leigh]

I swore that the next time I received one of those calls, I was going to tell them that I was $50/week! It IS annoying to have them waste your time pretending to need a space.

[Blackcat31]

I will usually give a rough estimate of what my rates are but I don't share specifically what I charge each family.

Since my rates are very dependent on each individual family's needs, I can't very well give an exact rate.

Also, I stay pretty close to what my state pays out for subsidy payments so I kind of feel like it is "public info" for newbies if they base their rates accordingly.

If a potential client (real or not) calls for info, most of what I give out is pretty generic so unless they schedule an interview, the answers they get from me is only going to create more questions, not answer the ones they have.

[SilverSabre25]

none but I have been doing exactly ZERO advertising so I doubt I will.

Now, I have been getting calls thinking I'm a daycare CENTER. Who are really confused when I say "no I can't take your 4 kids, I don't have room." and "Well I guess I'm the director, but I'm just a small, in-home daycare. We don't need your professional cleaning services"

Oh and one jerk who yelled at me because I'm (LEGALLY) unlicensed and thinks I shouldn't be allowed to advertise on Yellowpages.com if I "just decided to do this"

[Cat Herder]

I swore that the next time I received one of those calls, I was going to tell them that I was $50/week! It IS annoying to have them waste your time pretending to need a space.

I will go with this on the next one. ::::

The one this morning was very catty about meals and curriculum being included in my rates. Kept asking about hidden fees :confused:

I chalked it up to "red flag wait list basket" (garbage can) but when I asked for her name she hung up on me. Quick google drop; just opened a family child care last month.

You'd think they'd be smart enough to use a cell phone or something. If she had told me the truth, I would have answered anything she needed to know. Now I know her name, address, phone number and will see her in a training class very soon. I am pretty sure she does not know how this community works, yet.

[Cat Herder]

none but I have been doing exactly ZERO advertising so I doubt I will.

I don't advertise either... Our info is listed on the State website. All they have to do is search their own zip code.

[SilverSabre25]

I don't advertise either... Our info is listed on the State website. All they have to do is search their own zip code.

Yeah, I'm not licensed so I don't have that. I am on a few sites like YP.com and I have my website, so the info shows up and i get a few calls here and there, but I have a lot of work to finish before I'm ready to advertise in earnest. Gotta do it soon, but I need to "look cooler" in order to compete with brats who charge a fraction of what I do.

[NeedaVaca]

I will go with this on the next one. ::::

The one this morning was very catty about meals and curriculum being included in my rates. Kept asking about hidden fees :confused:

I chalked it up to "red flag wait list basket" (garbage can) but when I asked for her name she hung up on me. Quick google drop; just opened a family child care last month.

You'd think they'd be smart enough to use a cell phone or something. If she had told me the truth, I would have answered anything she needed to know. Now I know her name, address, phone number and will see her in a training class very soon. I am pretty sure she does not know how this community works, yet.

That will be a funny introduction! You meet at a class and get to say oh,yes, we spoke on the phone , nice to put a face with the name. I wondered why you asked so many questions and then hung up on me.

[Cat Herder]

That will be a funny introduction! You meet at a class and get to say oh,yes, we spoke on the phone , nice to put a face with the name. I wondered why you asked so many questions and then hung up on me.

:::::: I am sure others will want to do something similar, I doubt I am the only one she called today. Her level of frustration and "cattyness" was palpable.

I won't even mention it, though . We only had 4 legal home providers here last year. I am the second oldest in the room every year at classes, we all know and respect one another so it would be cruel for a newcomer to be singled out like that. Too close to home and all that .

I will simply introduce myself, give her my business card and move along like I always do. It is the norm and expected. She will know and that is enough. ***If she appears to be really struggling I will end up helping her, though. We need good "mid-priced" providers out here***.

[Daycaregranny]

I try not to give out too much information over the phone. I usually ask a few questions about their children and their needs and ask what would be a good time for them to schedule an interview. If they keep at it I let them know that rates and policies will be discussed then.

[daycarediva]

Usually about once a week. If I figure out it's a provider, I DO tell them that we aren't legally supposed to be discussing rates and leave it at that. Most aren't even aware of that.

[mia]

That will be a funny introduction! You meet at a class and get to say oh,yes, we spoke on the phone , nice to put a face with the name. I wondered why you asked so many questions and then hung up on me.

::

[spud912]

none but I have been doing exactly ZERO advertising so I doubt I will.

Now, I have been getting calls thinking I'm a daycare CENTER. Who are really confused when I say "no I can't take your 4 kids, I don't have room." and "Well I guess I'm the director, but I'm just a small, in-home daycare. We don't need your professional cleaning services"

Oh and one jerk who yelled at me because I'm (LEGALLY) unlicensed and thinks I shouldn't be allowed to advertise on Yellowpages.com if I "just decided to do this"

YES! I have my website plus I'm on YP.com and yelp. I get TONS of phone calls asking to speak to the "director" ::::. I use my personal cell phone for business too and so I don't pick up "XXX Child Care, how may I help you?" Instead I say "hello?" Most people act super confused and say "oh, is this a daycare?" I say yes and then they start asking center-related questions and I politely inform them that I am an in-home daycare. Usually they get off the phone as quick as they possibly can at that point as if in-home daycares are such awful places .

My favorites are the commercial-style companies that try to sell me things. You would think that once I said I was an in-home daycare, they would be quick to get off the phone too. Instead, nothing stops them from trying to sell me $10,000 worth of outdoor playground equipment. Yeah, cause my 4 daycare children afford me that luxury ::.....I wish!!