Moral question

[Simster]

This sounds like it belongs in the "am I being unreasonable" forum on mumsnet, but since I'm not a Mum, I'm going to ask the opinion of NSC instead:

Last night my daughter was performing in a show which started at 7.30pm. Consequently, we booked a babysitter through Sitters (we pay a quarterly subscription of 15 quid or something I think) from 7pm until 10pm. The babysitter took the booking, and phoned us at 6 to confirm it.

At 6.30pm it became obvious she was going to be late (M25 closure) so Sitters phoned us to let us know. I asked them to keep us informed with her progress getting to our house. At 6.50pm I took my wife and son to the performance and came back with my youngest, waiting for the babysitter to arrive.

She eventually turned up at 8.10pm, 1 hour ten mins late. Not ideal but I was able to get to the performance in time to see my daughter do her turn, went for a drink afterwards on a lovely summer's evening, and got back at 10.10pm.

Two hours baby sitting to be paid you'd think? Apparently not, according to the babysitter, who was insistent on the minimum THREE hours money, despite the fact that she had turned up 70 minutes late! I paid it as I really didn't want to create a scene, but it left a bitter taste in the mouth.

Anyway, I have since phone Sitters, the agency, to suggest this wasn't really on. I thought they might waive the next quarter's retainer, but NO, they are going to get the hour in the form of a cheque from the babysitter!

What are your opinions on this?

 

[Munkfish]

Should have put the kids to bed and made her stay for an extra hour with you and the wife. teach her a lesson.

Too much porn.

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

Whatever your Terms & Conditions with the agency state. Do baby-sitters normally commute round the M25? Personally I'd have gone for something more local, like a friend or neighbour's teenage daughter who would doubtless be glad of a bit of extra spending money.

 

[Simster]

Whatever your Terms & Conditions with the agency state. Do baby-sitters normally commute round the M25? Personally I'd have gone for something more local, like a friend or neighbour's teenage daughter who would doubtless be glad of a bit of extra spending money.

I knew someone would say this.

It was only because our usual local babysitter was unavailable that we ended up using this.

 

[Simster]

Whatever your Terms & Conditions with the agency state.

Here is the pertinent piece:

6. In the event that a Childcarer is booked and for reasons beyond the agency's control the Childcarer cancels at short notice or fails to arrive at the appointed time the agency will use its best endeavours to find another Childcarer for the Client. In the event that it is not possible to refill the booking no booking fee will be charged and a refund of a proportion of the Client's membership or an extension of their membership will be offered.

We got a call half an hour before the booking. No "best endeavours" were made.

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

Here is the pertinent piece:

We got a call half an hour before the booking. No "best endeavours" were made.

Ouch!

Sounds like one agency too many in your life. Happy to take the middleman's cut while the going is good, but the minute it's not, they don't want to know.

 

[Sheebo]

I'm suprised you'd use an agency in the first place tbh. Try and get yourselves 3 or 4 babysitters or family members as back up then in the event anyone cancels late on there's back up options..!

Sounds to me like you'd both end up being a bit bitter - her for wasting time stuck in traffic and you for paying an hour of nothing - let alone the hassle you had to go through ferrying your family there and then coming back! It's the sort of thing the agency should subsidise IMO - and why they've sent someone who has to go on the M25 for 3 hours work is beyond me - although I don't know your location obviously....

 

[drew]

What's the hourly rate? Also, aren't you getting your hour back so isn't that fair. Yes you were right to complain and it seems you're getting your money back so not sure what the ongoing problem is.

 

[Simster]

Ouch!

Sounds like one agency too many in your life. Happy to take the middleman's cut while the going is good, but the minute it's not, they don't want to know.

Exactly what I told them on the phone.

 

[Questions]

Was the babysitter fit Simster ?

 

[nwgull]

Sounds reasonable that the agency are getting the hour's worth of money back from the sitter. It's more than a bit cheeky of her to demand 3 hours of pay after being late; it's not as if you're paying for her travelling time.

 

[Chicken Run]

I'd tell the the sitter to go do one tbh, I'm impressed with you holding your nerve and not cancelling when you new she was late.

 

[Ernest]

Was the babysitter fit Simster ?

Could have got your hours worth

 

[Cadiz Seagull]

Back in the day we had a bunch of friends who got together and organised a babysitting circle. Everybody was given a bunch of tickets, 10 I think, just pieces of paper suitably inscribed, each worth one hour. The deal was you paid in vouchers. If you took advantage you could get 10 hours free babystitting but people didn't. They paid in tokens and went out and baby sat themselves to earn tokens. Or, in my case, it was usually me who was sent out to earn the tokens!

But it worked well and everybody was friends anyway.

Does that sort of thing happen these days or does everybody have to have CRO checks?

 

[Icy Gull]

I'm not totally convinced I would have argued about it. It wasn't actually her fault she was late if the traffic was really bad. I'm sure she'd rather have been in the comfort of your home than in a traffic jam too. I think you are being a bit mean and the fact she had to come from miles away is more your fault than hers surely? She certainly did a three hours stint away from her home.

Not impressed with the agency either. They should be sweet talking you and bollocking the baby sitter if they agree with you. Why do you need to know how they are getting the money back? They should have paid you back with a smile and dealt with the baby sitter without boring you with the details of how they would deal with it.

 

[seagullsovergrimsby]

As you got back home at 22.10 I think she was within her rights to ask for the 3 hours minimum payment. You're lucky she isn't in the Babysitters Union because she could have asked to be paid for 4 hours because you only booked her until 10pm.

 

[Billy the Fish]

Seems a bit harsh to dock someone who probably doesn't earn very much when it's not entirely her fault. I can't say I'd like to put up with motorway travel for the sake of 3 hours work in the evening.

I guess it depends what the rate is. If it's not worth people's while to take these jobs then the whole thing falls apart and nobody can get a babysitter unless they're local. Definitely a grey area.

 

[goldstone68]

Anyway did you enjoy your night out?

 

[Machiavelli]

It's not really a moral question, it's a contractual one. And we all know about small print.

 

[hans kraay fan club]

Why don't you just advertise for a babysitter on HERE? There are probably loads of people who'd fancy a bit of casual work, a swig of your best malt and a root through your stuff.

What could possibly go wrong?