Does "I need your Child Picked up on time" not Mean ANYTHING to some Parents?

[AfterSchoolMom]

Oooh, that would have burned me up! Sometimes it seems as if they do these things on purpose, doesn't it? They're on time until you specifically tell them that they need to be?

Too bad you can't get a little revenge by "not hearing" the doorbell in the AM for, oh, twenty minutes or so.

[DanceMom]

Oh My God I would have KILLED them !!! ANytime a dcp is going to be more than 15 minutes late they are required to call their Emergency contact to pick up their child ! Ive had it happen only once..

[momma2girls]

Oooh, that would have burned me up! Sometimes it seems as if they do these things on purpose, doesn't it? They're on time until you specifically tell them that they need to be?

Too bad you can't get a little revenge by "not hearing" the doorbell in the AM for, oh, twenty minutes or so.

This is funny!! HA!!! Only if we could do that!!

[countrymom]

I would have packed the child up and took them with me. that way a parent would have to wait for me to either get back or come and find me (I've done it before) also then I would have charged the late fee.

[momma2girls]

I have just added this to my contract. If you are not here, and I have to leave, I will have your child with me, and I will leave my # and place on the front door. This don't even matter to one of mine. I actually do not have a base for her child's car seat anyways. Maybe she is thinking this!! HA!! He is almost one yr. old anyways. I do have an extra car seat for this age though.

[dEHmom]

that really stinks! I would have been furious! Can I ask what time they did show up? In my contract it states what time I close, my late fee charges, AND also says if I have something to do-your child may be where ever that is-I have never had to take any children with me because they haven't been picked up that late-but I won't hesitate to do it-ESPECIALLY if I inform the parent I need them picked up because I have plans!

I agree with this.
I charge a late fee and then per hour on top of that. I've never had to charge it, but I certainly will.
I've had to drag kids to my kids swimming lessons many times, mom worked till 5, kids started swimming at 5. One time she showed up at 530 when I had to go downstairs into the locker rooms to pick my kids up from beside the pool. And I was furious, I'm sure she noticed, because her kids were heavy little kids, and lugging those 2 around, was very hard to do. But she wasn't exactly late, she was usually just earlier. So I got used to that. I live in a small city, and it takes no more than 5 minutes to drive from one end of the city to the other. Even if you hit every single one of the 4 red lights. haha. But the swimming was only 2 minutes from her work.

I would let them know, they owe you this much in late fees, and you will not watch their child again until it is paid in full. So they have to have money in hand when they are late, or they have to have it at drop off. If they do not, then too bad.

What is a ridiculous late fee that is within reason though? I'm thinking if you charged an extra days worth because they were late, they may decide never to be late again? But they may refuse because it's so ridiculous. Hmmm...Lets decide on a good fee that's intimidating but not going to cause major problems

[MarinaVanessa]

I would have packed the child up and took them with me. that way a parent would have to wait for me to either get back or come and find me (I've done it before) also then I would have charged the late fee.

Yup I have that in my policies also. It really gets my goat when people do this. It's so inconciderate and disrespectful so I feel for you.

And yes I have had to actually do this several times but only with the same dang DCM (which is no longer a client). I gave a 15 minute buffer so at 6:16pm I'd pack her son up and load him up in the car whether I had an errand or commitment or not. I would just think of the most inconvenient errand that I had to do and take her boy with me. I wouldn't even try to call first, I would just leave. If she didn't have the common courtesy to call me to tell me she was running late then I didn't have to tell her I was leaving and toting her son with me.

I LOVED doing this in a large store like Target or Wal-Mart. I'd wait for the call "Um ... I'm at your house", "Oh? I'm not home. We're at [place that I was at]. I'll be here for a little while longer then I need to run to [another place]." Once she arrived I ignored my phone ("Oh woops. I didn't hear it ring") and let her come in to look for me and yes of course I would keep moving. I WAS NOT making it easy for her to find me. I charged her $5 for every 15 minutes that she was late and the clock didn't stop until she picked him up wherever we were. I asked for the late pick-up fee right then and there and if she didn't have it then I tacked on an extra $5 for the late payment fee ::. You would think that she would learn but nope. Not right away. It took a few times of this before she paid so much in fees that she finally never picked up late again. I really do wonder what people are thinking sometimes.

[momma2girls]

I almost added a 5 or 10 min. window in my contract. BUt I already know if I would have placed that in there, the one Mom would always be 10 min. late, so I left that out. There isn't any window at all!!!

[SandeeAR]

I really do wonder what people are thinking sometimes.

They are thinking ONLY of THEMSELVES!

[Luna]

I would have packed the child up and took them with me. that way a parent would have to wait for me to either get back or come and find me (I've done it before) also then I would have charged the late fee.

I haven't run into this problem (yet) but this is the plan I have in mind. I have been halfway down the street when Mom showed up once, Hubby was still at the house & he would have told her I went out & would be back soon. I was planning to have her stand there & wonder where the heck we were until I was good & ready to come back.
Rude, rude, RUDE!

[Cat Herder]

Almost a hour late without a phone call and I would have already called them AND every one of their emergency contacts. They can apologize for worrying their family/friends themselves....

I charge $1 a minute, here...but that is with a phone call and a very good excuse. (copious blood from 2 or more orifices, broken limbs, trapped in a well, etc...)

[misol]

I almost added a 5 or 10 min. window in my contract. BUt I already know if I would have placed that in there, the one Mom would always be 10 min. late, so I left that out. There isn't any window at all!!!

Ugh! I kick myself at least 3 times every week for putting a grace period in my contract. I have since taken it out but I have a family that still has the old contract. I can't wait until it's time to renew their contract.