Late Fee Help

[cara041083]

I had a parent that didn't come on friday and she kept DCK home. She texed me at 11 and said she would swing payment by later. Here is the convo via text:

Me at 5pm- Can you leave the payment with my husband, I have to go work.

Her- I totally spaced and will bring it by.

Me 7:30pm- Hey when are you coming by my husband has been waiting at the house for you.

Her- Oh we just sat down to dinner. I will have my husband bring it by.

Me. Ok will you please hurry so my husband can go to the kids school for movie night.

Her at 8pm. My husband just left. Im sorry I didn't know you had plans and I didn't know I needed to rush! I have had a crazy day and Im just so stressed out that I really didn't need all this.

Her 9pm- If you would have told me you had plans I would have been there earlier. You should have told me you had things to do because I didn't know. Im have too much going on right now!

I got to a point where I didn't even respond to her because I was so livid! How dare her think its ok for me to have to sit here and wait for her to pay me when ever she feels like it. I close at 5:50 there for payment needs to be in my hand by 5:30. Well now that I have calmed down I am going to write a bill up for the late fee since it wasn't in my hand by 5:30. Do you think I should give her a warning and not do the late fee? My husband thinks Im overreaction. I don't think I am.

[LadyK8]

You're not overreacting at all.

If you have a late fee policy, she needs to be charged a late fee, regardless of her reasoning.

[daycare]

Stop chasing your payments. If she didn't pay it by your closing time then she is charged a late fee and it's due Monday morning. If she doesn't have it Monday morning with late fee it's no pay no stay

[Leigh]

If your late fee is in your contract, that IS her warning, IMO.

[Unregistered]

If she gripes about your not telling her you had plans, tell her it doesn't matter if you did or not, she said she'd be by and didn't show up! How RUDE! You do not "owe" it to your clients to tell them what you will be doing AFTER hours! Your husband waited and waited and that's unacceptable. She should have just brought the payment in the first place but because SHE spaced, that is HER own fault, so SHE should be the one inconvenienced, not you.

[rebekki78]

If your late fee is in your contract, that IS her warning, IMO.

I agree with this. Don't even ask them for payment. If they don't pay then bring into Monday. Like the biter person said, don't chase your payments. It just gives them opportunity to make excuses.

[spinnymarie]

Maybe I wouldn't have charged her when if she had showed up the first time she texted, before 7:00, as she said she would.
She needs the late fee to understand how this works.
If she had such a busy day planned, she could've paid on you Thursday before she left with DCG and that should be the norm.

[Unregistered]

Enforce late fees or this could become a habit.

I would recommend instituting a hefty late fee and ALWAYS collect it if a parent is late. If you want to have an end to the late pick-ups, have an obscenely expensive late fee.

[rebekki78]

I agree with this. Don't even ask them for payment. If they don't pay then bring into Monday. Like the biter person said, don't chase your payments. It just gives them opportunity to make excuses.

"I agree with this. Don't even ask them for payment. If they don't pay then bring in up on Monday. Like the other person said, don't chase your payments. It just gives them opportunity to make excuses."

That's what that was supposed to say. It's so tough to type on this teeny tiny keyboard. Excuse me many typing errors. I would blame it on auto correct, but it's really my big thumbs fault

[cara041083]

"I agree with this. Don't even ask them for payment. If they don't pay then bring in up on Monday. Like the other person said, don't chase your payments. It just gives them opportunity to make excuses."

That's what that was supposed to say. It's so tough to type on this teeny tiny keyboard. Excuse me many typing errors. I would blame it on auto correct, but it's really my big thumbs fault

I had to unfortunately. I had some bills due and due to some emergency dental work earlier in the month, I couldn't afford to wait. The problem im in, is since I have my own kids I can only take 6 DCK's and then 2 extra in the school year. Well since its summar, I had to loose 2 kids and make a spot for my older 2 so for the next 3 months I am going to loose some income until school starts. Normally I am prepared, but that dang dentist made me pay the left over fees before he would do the work that needed to be done( and im still having problems ) So in a nut shell it took the money I had saved so I would be ok this summer.