Babysitter Asks To Be Paid After Client Cancelled Last Minute, Client Says It's Ridiculous And Pointless To Pay A Huge Amount For Luxury Services

"The whole point is they don’t feel it’s worth it to pay that much"

Maryjane

• Published in Interesting
• May 2, 2023

We know from experience that parents are constantly balancing a myriad of tasks. And yes, we do understand that your time is valuable, and your schedule is full.

Given how busy you are at work, at home, and with your family, it makes sense that your plans—including your childcare requirements—change frequently. Just like you, a nanny values her time.

No matter the reason for your last-minute cancellation, if they reserved time in their calendar to watch the kids for you, it is only fair to make it up to them by paying them for at least some of their time. Meet u/dancingqueengreen, the OP of today's story, who was booked by a friend of a friend to watch her kids while she and her husband attended a wedding out of state.

The OP did her calculations and gave them the price, as they wanted her to stay 3 days and 2 nights. This is a luxury service, and mind you, the OP has 10 years of experience and is expected to clean, cook, and drive her kids places, as well as sleep at their house.

At the end of it all, this person cancelled last minute, and when told she needed to pay a minimum fee, she said the OP was being ridiculous. 

The Headline...

The OP babysits a lot to supplement her income and was interested in an offer that came by

The client shopped around and she realized the OP was the cheaper option

They didn’t have a contract which the OP admitted was stupid

So now, the OP is asking...

Let's find out what other redditors have to say regarding the story

How the OP should do things henceforth

Why would they wait last minute to cancel?

People need to know so they can make an informed decision

You should always have a refund policy in advance

Giving all the sitters near by a heads up

The OP should treat this as a learning experience

Either sign an agreement or request a nonrefundable deposit

The OP should come up with things like this in writing

The OP should have sorted this out in advance

It's cool as long as the OP isn't harassing them for money

Both parties handled the situation so badly

They are not responsible for the OP's second job

The OP should make screenshots and go to a small claims court

The OP should chalk this up as a lesson and up her game

Verbal agreements are indeed problematic

The OP chose to take time off work

The act of compensating a nanny for a last-minute cancellation demonstrates your consideration for them as well as your appreciation for their services. Redditors agreed that a cancellation clause would have made things easier.

However, when a contract is breached, the aggrieved party is entitled to recover damages. The OP was declared not the AH, and you share this post to get other people's opinions as well.

Maryjane