First Late Fee & Family Quits...via GRANDMA

[Texasjeepgirl]

Proud to read this ending.... I had a family leave owing a very high balance last year..... I had cared for their 3 children for over 3 years...they were child care assistance and had lost funding due to a pay raise... also the couple had split up... so mom had new apartment expenses.... I attempted to work with them but in the end when I demanded payment she left... no notice.... I pursued all the way to small claims court... had all communications and contracts documented... they were a no show... and I have a judgement against them.... $2,500 which does include late fees and court costs...
I'll never see it.. but it is filed at the court house

[Leigh]

Proud to read this ending.... I had a family leave owing a very high balance last year..... I had cared for their 3 children for over 3 years...they were child care assistance and had lost funding due to a pay raise... also the couple had split up... so mom had new apartment expenses.... I attempted to work with them but in the end when I demanded payment she left... no notice.... I pursued all the way to small claims court... had all communications and contracts documented... they were a no show... and I have a judgement against them.... $2,500 which does include late fees and court costs...
I'll never see it.. but it is filed at the court house

Have you spoken to your local sheriff about executing the judgement? You should be able to garnish wages or seize property to get paid. I'd contact the sheriff's office and ask if it's a service they provide (some do). If not, you should still be able to garnish wages through the court system.

[BlueChairBlessings]

^^^ This.

Thanks, by the way. I'm not okay with being taken advantage of and attempted to be pushed around by some early twenty year olds that had to have Grandma do their dirty work for them, .

Buuuuut....Does the craziness never end? How did I not see the red flags on these folks? I mailed their child's few personal items back (a few diapers, wipes, change of clothes and diaper cream). Now, I'm getting messages from Grandma #2 saying she's coming here with the police to retrieve stolen property. WTH. Happy I have a postal receipt

[Denali]

^^^ This.

Thanks, by the way. I'm not okay with being taken advantage of and attempted to be pushed around by some early twenty year olds that had to have Grandma do their dirty work for them, .

Buuuuut....Does the craziness never end? How did I not see the red flags on these folks? I mailed their child's few personal items back (a few diapers, wipes, change of clothes and diaper cream). Now, I'm getting messages from Grandma #2 saying she's coming here with the police to retrieve stolen property. WTH. Happy I have a postal receipt

Geez seriously ? I'm sorry...

At this point I would send an email or something saying any further contact, including by anyone on their behalf will be considered harassment and you will file charges with the police.

[thrivingchildcarecom]

First of all, good on you to detail out your late fee policy in your contract. Always a plus! The simple fact is some people just don't read it (even if they sign and initial it). But you are doing well to enforce it.

Over the years I have found it helpful to send out "tickler" reminders every now and then about key policies. Just so they realize I mean to follow my policies. In the reminder about being late, I state that I am licensed to be open from this time to this time and that outside of that I could be subject to citation and fines (TRUE FACT). Therefore, I stand firm on my open & close times. Let me know if you would like the whole reminder text.

About the money. I think you are right, not gonna see that money and not worth it (days off & filing fees) to go to court. But I wonder are you requiring a deposit with enrollment that covers the last two weeks. If not, consider doing that. It has really helped me over the years with those clients that skipped out on me.

[EntropyControlSpecialist]

It is definitely a good chunk of change but I am not sure I would bother with small claims court.

Next time get a 2 week deposit up front that goes towards the last two weeks of care. This way no one can just run out on you owing money. This is what I do

This is what I do! And ACTUALLY, now that I'm thinking about it, all three Mom's who had Grandma "do the dirty work" tried to bail without any notice. I just used their enrollment fee (changed the wording from security deposit so it was clear it was nonrefundable in addition to stating so in many places) and replaced them. Super helpful! Highly recommend implementing this.

[Alwaysgreener]

^^^ This.

Thanks, by the way. I'm not okay with being taken advantage of and attempted to be pushed around by some early twenty year olds that had to have Grandma do their dirty work for them, .

Buuuuut....Does the craziness never end? How did I not see the red flags on these folks? I mailed their child's few personal items back (a few diapers, wipes, change of clothes and diaper cream). Now, I'm getting messages from Grandma #2 saying she's coming here with the police to retrieve stolen property. WTH. Happy I have a postal receipt

Did you do tracking and conformation?

[MyAngels]

Proud to read this ending.... I had a family leave owing a very high balance last year..... I had cared for their 3 children for over 3 years...they were child care assistance and had lost funding due to a pay raise... also the couple had split up... so mom had new apartment expenses.... I attempted to work with them but in the end when I demanded payment she left... no notice.... I pursued all the way to small claims court... had all communications and contracts documented... they were a no show... and I have a judgement against them.... $2,500 which does include late fees and court costs...
I'll never see it.. but it is filed at the court house

As PP said, you can garnish wages and bank accounts to get this paid. Also look into filing a copy with the county recorder's office, that way they can't buy or sell any real property without satisfying this judgment first. This also helps to ensure that it finds its way onto their credit reports.

[BlueChairBlessings]

Did you do tracking and conformation?

Even better - I did signature confirmation! It's just a whole different level of crazy. I just ended up sending dcm a message that it was disturbing and strange that she kept having 3rd parties contact me on her behalf & that if she or anyone acting on her behalf contacted me or showed up at my home, I'd be forced to contact the the police "for the safety of children under my care."