DB shortchanged me AGAIN!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:She wasn't cheated. Stop saying that. She was paid, to the minute, for the time she actually worked. SHE WAS NOT CHEATED. Does she have a good reason to be annoyed? Yes of course. Does the dad understand why? Clearly not. I doubt very highly that he was paying this way to purposefully piss you off. So many of you really and truly need to work on your communication skills, whether this is your career or not. You don't just throw in the towel every time something doesn't go your way, or someone doesn't think the way that you do. Open your mouth and talk. It really isn't hard, and who knows? OP could very well have gotten an apology from her MB, the payment she feels she deserves, and not be looking for a new job. I can't believe the terrible advice on this thread. Good luck in your future career, and I hope some life experience and maturity improve your communication skills, for the sake of your patients.

She was cheated TWICE. And telling your employee to be at you house at nine is when her work started! She was there at nine and should be paid from nine on. No exceptions and no more excuses!!! SHE WAS CHEATED.

It is a part-time job for a college student and not worth the drama of a confrontation with a clearly disreputable father. She was paid in cash - she has no proof and he could say he paid her fully with a tip! And she opened her mouth - she quit - and got out of a bad situation. She will find another part time job, hopefully for a more moral family.

How was she cheated? This is a misunderstanding. He paid her for the minutes she was actually doing the job he hired her to do. Yes he's a doofus who doesn't know what he's doing, but who among us married to a man has never known them to do such things? And as far as what he "could" have said, OP will never know, which is kind of the point. She never gave him the chance to say anything because she never spoke up. He could have said, "oh, I'm sorry, you're our first sitter, and I didn't know that it how its done. Here's the money I owe you, and it won't happen again." She will never know because she threw a fit and quit like a spoiled child.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:She wasn't cheated. Stop saying that. She was paid, to the minute, for the time she actually worked. SHE WAS NOT CHEATED. Does she have a good reason to be annoyed? Yes of course. Does the dad understand why? Clearly not. I doubt very highly that he was paying this way to purposefully piss you off. So many of you really and truly need to work on your communication skills, whether this is your career or not. You don't just throw in the towel every time something doesn't go your way, or someone doesn't think the way that you do. Open your mouth and talk. It really isn't hard, and who knows? OP could very well have gotten an apology from her MB, the payment she feels she deserves, and not be looking for a new job. I can't believe the terrible advice on this thread. Good luck in your future career, and I hope some life experience and maturity improve your communication skills, for the sake of your patients.

She was cheated TWICE. And telling your employee to be at you house at nine is when her work started! She was there at nine and should be paid from nine on. No exceptions and no more excuses!!! SHE WAS CHEATED.

It is a part-time job for a college student and not worth the drama of a confrontation with a clearly disreputable father. She was paid in cash - she has no proof and he could say he paid her fully with a tip! And she opened her mouth - she quit - and got out of a bad situation. She will find another part time job, hopefully for a more moral family.

How was she cheated? This is a misunderstanding. He paid her for the minutes she was actually doing the job he hired her to do. Yes he's a doofus who doesn't know what he's doing, but who among us married to a man has never known them to do such things? And as far as what he "could" have said, OP will never know, which is kind of the point. She never gave him the chance to say anything because she never spoke up. He could have said, "oh, I'm sorry, you're our first sitter, and I didn't know that it how its done. Here's the money I owe you, and it won't happen again." She will never know because she threw a fit and quit like a spoiled child.

agree. op sounds extremely immature and I'll equipped for dealing with the real world, especially as a nurse where communication skills are crucial.. With sick patients, their families, bosses, doctors, other nurses, other departments etc. I imagine she'll be one of those nasty job hopping nurses so has to go from job to job because someone says something she doesn't like so she leaves in the middle of a shift. Good lord grow up and at least tell them why you're in a suit. Would you like it if you said something daft and they just fired you without telling you why? And most of the people responding to you are just as stupid or more so. Unbelievable.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:She wasn't cheated. Stop saying that. She was paid, to the minute, for the time she actually worked. SHE WAS NOT CHEATED. Does she have a good reason to be annoyed? Yes of course. Does the dad understand why? Clearly not. I doubt very highly that he was paying this way to purposefully piss you off. So many of you really and truly need to work on your communication skills, whether this is your career or not. You don't just throw in the towel every time something doesn't go your way, or someone doesn't think the way that you do. Open your mouth and talk. It really isn't hard, and who knows? OP could very well have gotten an apology from her MB, the payment she feels she deserves, and not be looking for a new job. I can't believe the terrible advice on this thread. Good luck in your future career, and I hope some life experience and maturity improve your communication skills, for the sake of your patients.

She was cheated TWICE. And telling your employee to be at you house at nine is when her work started! She was there at nine and should be paid from nine on. No exceptions and no more excuses!!! SHE WAS CHEATED.

It is a part-time job for a college student and not worth the drama of a confrontation with a clearly disreputable father. She was paid in cash - she has no proof and he could say he paid her fully with a tip! And she opened her mouth - she quit - and got out of a bad situation. She will find another part time job, hopefully for a more moral family.

How was she cheated? This is a misunderstanding. He paid her for the minutes she was actually doing the job he hired her to do. Yes he's a doofus who doesn't know what he's doing, but who among us married to a man has never known them to do such things? And as far as what he "could" have said, OP will never know, which is kind of the point. She never gave him the chance to say anything because she never spoke up. He could have said, "oh, I'm sorry, you're our first sitter, and I didn't know that it how its done. Here's the money I owe you, and it won't happen again." She will never know because she threw a fit and quit like a spoiled child.

Where was the "fit"? Seriously, you said that OP threw a fit and quit like a spoiled child - where was the fit? And how should she have quit? She told them she was not able to work for them anymore. Does she owe them a blood oath for leaving a part-time, once a week job?

Go back and read her first post on when he shortchanged her eight dollars two weeks ago. I think she did the right thing in quitting and I truly think the people defending the DB are absolutely ridiculous. Not everything in the world needs to be confronted and challenged. I'm sure she'll be gainfully employed by the end of the week.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You absolutely did the right thing, OP. Screw telling them why you quit - the DB would only deny shortchanging you or say it was a mistake and you were being over-sensitive. And of course, MB would have to agree with her ass of a husband. You can not prove you were shortchanged since you did not count the money right in front of them but, like any polite person, you trusted them and counted the cash when you were at home. I'd have done the exact same thing.

Besides, it is not your job to instruct and educate the parents. You did you job and you were cheated. I wish you the very best in finding a new job!

The only person she is screwing, by not telling them why she quit, is the next unfortunate sitter. Next time you find yourself dealing with clueless parents, you can thank their last sitter who never spoke up. You say its not your job to educate them, but if you don't, who will? Idiots, all of you.

Hi Comma Lady,

Why do you put commas in weird places? Unless you are perfect at everything (including grammar and spelling) you should NOT be calling other people idiots.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You absolutely did the right thing, OP. Screw telling them why you quit - the DB would only deny shortchanging you or say it was a mistake and you were being over-sensitive. And of course, MB would have to agree with her ass of a husband. You can not prove you were shortchanged since you did not count the money right in front of them but, like any polite person, you trusted them and counted the cash when you were at home. I'd have done the exact same thing.

Besides, it is not your job to instruct and educate the parents. You did you job and you were cheated. I wish you the very best in finding a new job!

The only person she is screwing, by not telling them why she quit, is the next unfortunate sitter. Next time you find yourself dealing with clueless parents, you can thank their last sitter who never spoke up. You say its not your job to educate them, but if you don't, who will? Idiots, all of you.

Seriously, we are "idiots" for not telling our former employers that they were cheating us - but the cheating employers have no responsibility here?! LOL

Does an adult really need to be told to pay a person what they are owed? Didn't you all get that "education" in grammar school?

No one said that the DB shouldn't have shortchanged you, but there's no benefit to simply quitting. If you don't provide them with a reason then there's no chance that they'll fix the error, little chance that they'll avoid the same mistake with the next innocent nanny, and no way you'll get a reference from them in the future.

A better way would be to send an email to both MB and DB and say "yesterday when I got home, I realized that DB paid me $108. I had been asked to start at 9, and arrived at work on time time. I stayed until 4. At $16 an hour, I should have been paid $112. Please let me know how you'd like to address this."

Then the ball's in their court. They can say "We're so sorry, we'll have the extra $4 next time." or "We're putting that in the mail" and then you can decide whether you still want to quit (in which case give notice). Or they can say 'We calculate differently" in which case you can say "I'm afraid we don't see eye to eye on this, and so I will need to resign."

Oy. She is a 21 maybe 22 year old part-time babysitter who was cheated. Give her a break. This isn't a lifetime career for her and, frankly, I don't think these parents are worth the time or drama either.

Some of you people need to get a grip. The father basically stole money from her - why is everyone so intent that he was mistaken or suddenly forgot how to multiply (twice)?!

NP here. I think OP did the right thing in quitting. She obviously doesn't need that job and why work for people like that if you don't have to. I really don't understand why she couldn't just explain why though. She says she has so much respect for nannies and will be a good MB in the future but she really did a disservice to other nannies/babysitters who will work for them in the future and will similarly be short changed. My guess is the MB has no idea the DB did that and now she will never know.

I also don't really understand the whole "T___" and "J___" thing. I'm assuming those are their actual initials so is she hoping they will see this and know it was about them? Because that's pretty immature that she would do that and not just tell them directly.

Please stop. I am the "OP" and I purposely used false initials. I do not understand why a few of you on this thread are so determined to see me as in the wrong. You have a right to your opinions but I did what I did and I still feel I was right.

I'll not read anymore comments. Thank you to those who understood and defended me. For those who attacked me - it's been eye opening. Perhaps there are more people out there like my former DB than I realized - good to know.

I think this proves the "immature" point. The PP defended you and said you did the right thing in quitting. You won't last long as a nurse if you don't have a thicker skin than that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You absolutely did the right thing, OP. Screw telling them why you quit - the DB would only deny shortchanging you or say it was a mistake and you were being over-sensitive. And of course, MB would have to agree with her ass of a husband. You can not prove you were shortchanged since you did not count the money right in front of them but, like any polite person, you trusted them and counted the cash when you were at home. I'd have done the exact same thing.

Besides, it is not your job to instruct and educate the parents. You did you job and you were cheated. I wish you the very best in finding a new job!

The only person she is screwing, by not telling them why she quit, is the next unfortunate sitter. Next time you find yourself dealing with clueless parents, you can thank their last sitter who never spoke up. You say its not your job to educate them, but if you don't, who will? Idiots, all of you.

Hi Comma Lady,

Why do you put commas in weird places? Unless you are perfect at everything (including grammar and spelling) you should NOT be calling other people idiots.

Not comma lady. Please do tell which comma is incorrectly, oh wise one. I don't have to be perfect to know an idiot when I see one, and my idiot senses are tingling.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You absolutely did the right thing, OP. Screw telling them why you quit - the DB would only deny shortchanging you or say it was a mistake and you were being over-sensitive. And of course, MB would have to agree with her ass of a husband. You can not prove you were shortchanged since you did not count the money right in front of them but, like any polite person, you trusted them and counted the cash when you were at home. I'd have done the exact same thing.

Besides, it is not your job to instruct and educate the parents. You did you job and you were cheated. I wish you the very best in finding a new job!

The only person she is screwing, by not telling them why she quit, is the next unfortunate sitter. Next time you find yourself dealing with clueless parents, you can thank their last sitter who never spoke up. You say its not your job to educate them, but if you don't, who will? Idiots, all of you.

Hi Comma Lady,

Why do you put commas in weird places? Unless you are perfect at everything (including grammar and spelling) you should NOT be calling other people idiots.

Not comma lady. Please do tell which comma is incorrectly, oh wise one. I don't have to be perfect to know an idiot when I see one, and my idiot senses are tingling.

not the pp but you don't need a comma between 'parents' and 'you can thank...' in your second sentence as is one thought. nor do you need a comma between 'educate them and 'but if you don't...' in the third sentence. i wouldn't even break up your first sentence with any commas but it isn't wrong if you think of 'by not telling them...' as a prepositional phrase.

further, in the rebuttal, in the third sentence you don't need a comma between 'when i see one' and 'and my idiot senses...'

sorry for the lowercase typing - the baby is asleep on my right arm.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You absolutely did the right thing, OP. Screw telling them why you quit - the DB would only deny shortchanging you or say it was a mistake and you were being over-sensitive. And of course, MB would have to agree with her ass of a husband. You can not prove you were shortchanged since you did not count the money right in front of them but, like any polite person, you trusted them and counted the cash when you were at home. I'd have done the exact same thing.

Besides, it is not your job to instruct and educate the parents. You did you job and you were cheated. I wish you the very best in finding a new job!

The only person she is screwing, by not telling them why she quit, is the next unfortunate sitter. Next time you find yourself dealing with clueless parents, you can thank their last sitter who never spoke up. You say its not your job to educate them, but if you don't, who will? Idiots, all of you.

Hi Comma Lady,

Why do you put commas in weird places? Unless you are perfect at everything (including grammar and spelling) you should NOT be calling other people idiots.

Not comma lady. Please do tell which comma is incorrectly, oh wise one. I don't have to be perfect to know an idiot when I see one, and my idiot senses are tingling.

not the pp but you don't need a comma between 'parents' and 'you can thank...' in your second sentence as is one thought. nor do you need a comma between 'educate them and 'but if you don't...' in the third sentence. i wouldn't even break up your first sentence with any commas but it isn't wrong if you think of 'by not telling them...' as a prepositional phrase.

further, in the rebuttal, in the third sentence you don't need a comma between 'when i see one' and 'and my idiot senses...'

sorry for the lowercase typing - the baby is asleep on my right arm.

The irony . . . .

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You absolutely did the right thing, OP. Screw telling them why you quit - the DB would only deny shortchanging you or say it was a mistake and you were being over-sensitive. And of course, MB would have to agree with her ass of a husband. You can not prove you were shortchanged since you did not count the money right in front of them but, like any polite person, you trusted them and counted the cash when you were at home. I'd have done the exact same thing.

Besides, it is not your job to instruct and educate the parents. You did you job and you were cheated. I wish you the very best in finding a new job!

The only person she is screwing, by not telling them why she quit, is the next unfortunate sitter. Next time you find yourself dealing with clueless parents, you can thank their last sitter who never spoke up. You say its not your job to educate them, but if you don't, who will? Idiots, all of you.

Hi Comma Lady,

Why do you put commas in weird places? Unless you are perfect at everything (including grammar and spelling) you should NOT be calling other people idiots.

Not comma lady. Please do tell which comma is incorrectly, oh wise one. I don't have to be perfect to know an idiot when I see one, and my idiot senses are tingling.

not the pp but you don't need a comma between 'parents' and 'you can thank...' in your second sentence as is one thought. nor do you need a comma between 'educate them and 'but if you don't...' in the third sentence. i wouldn't even break up your first sentence with any commas but it isn't wrong if you think of 'by not telling them...' as a prepositional phrase.

further, in the rebuttal, in the third sentence you don't need a comma between 'when i see one' and 'and my idiot senses...'

sorry for the lowercase typing - the baby is asleep on my right arm.

The irony . . . .

I don't think you understand what the word "irony" means. BTW there is a great book on punctuation called "Eats, Shoots, and Leaves". It explains the use and misuse of the comma in a fun and humorous manner.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You absolutely did the right thing, OP. Screw telling them why you quit - the DB would only deny shortchanging you or say it was a mistake and you were being over-sensitive. And of course, MB would have to agree with her ass of a husband. You can not prove you were shortchanged since you did not count the money right in front of them but, like any polite person, you trusted them and counted the cash when you were at home. I'd have done the exact same thing.

Besides, it is not your job to instruct and educate the parents. You did you job and you were cheated. I wish you the very best in finding a new job!

The only person she is screwing, by not telling them why she quit, is the next unfortunate sitter. Next time you find yourself dealing with clueless parents, you can thank their last sitter who never spoke up. You say its not your job to educate them, but if you don't, who will? Idiots, all of you.

Hi Comma Lady,

Why do you put commas in weird places? Unless you are perfect at everything (including grammar and spelling) you should NOT be calling other people idiots.

Not comma lady. Please do tell which comma is incorrectly, oh wise one. I don't have to be perfect to know an idiot when I see one, and my idiot senses are tingling.

not the pp but you don't need a comma between 'parents' and 'you can thank...' in your second sentence as is one thought. nor do you need a comma between 'educate them and 'but if you don't...' in the third sentence. i wouldn't even break up your first sentence with any commas but it isn't wrong if you think of 'by not telling them...' as a prepositional phrase.

further, in the rebuttal, in the third sentence you don't need a comma between 'when i see one' and 'and my idiot senses...'

sorry for the lowercase typing - the baby is asleep on my right arm.

The irony . . . .

I don't think you understand what the word "irony" means. BTW there is a great book on punctuation called "Eats, Shoots, and Leaves". It explains the use and misuse of the comma in a fun and humorous manner.

I understand what the word irony means. Your post was a good example of situation irony, which can be defined thus:

Dictonary.com wrote:

situational irony
noun
irony involving a situation in which actions have an effect that is opposite from what was intended, so that the outcome is contrary to what was expected.

In this case you action seemed to have the intention of making the PP look less than intelligent, and of making a point about the value of mechanics of written language on the internet.

Instead, you have achieved the opposite. You have made yourself look less than intelligent, and made the PP look quite good in comparison.

I have read the book Eats, Shoots, and Leaves. I am not entirely sure why you think I would need to read that book based on a two word phrase followed by an elipsis. I clearly didn't misuse a comma. Are you arguing that I should have? Should I have written "The, irony . . . " or "The irony , , , "? I'm pretty sure the answer is no.

I have also read the book you reference. I'm not really sure why you're suggesting I read it, since the post you reference only contains periods. Perhaps you're assuming

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You absolutely did the right thing, OP. Screw telling them why you quit - the DB would only deny shortchanging you or say it was a mistake and you were being over-sensitive. And of course, MB would have to agree with her ass of a husband. You can not prove you were shortchanged since you did not count the money right in front of them but, like any polite person, you trusted them and counted the cash when you were at home. I'd have done the exact same thing.

Besides, it is not your job to instruct and educate the parents. You did you job and you were cheated. I wish you the very best in finding a new job!

The only person she is screwing, by not telling them why she quit, is the next unfortunate sitter. Next time you find yourself dealing with clueless parents, you can thank their last sitter who never spoke up. You say its not your job to educate them, but if you don't, who will? Idiots, all of you.

Hi Comma Lady,

Why do you put commas in weird places? Unless you are perfect at everything (including grammar and spelling) you should NOT be calling other people idiots.

Not comma lady. Please do tell which comma is incorrectly, oh wise one. I don't have to be perfect to know an idiot when I see one, and my idiot senses are tingling.

not the pp but you don't need a comma between 'parents' and 'you can thank...' in your second sentence as is one thought. nor do you need a comma between 'educate them and 'but if you don't...' in the third sentence. i wouldn't even break up your first sentence with any commas but it isn't wrong if you think of 'by not telling them...' as a prepositional phrase.

further, in the rebuttal, in the third sentence you don't need a comma between 'when i see one' and 'and my idiot senses...'

sorry for the lowercase typing - the baby is asleep on my right arm.

The irony . . . .

I don't think you understand what the word "irony" means. BTW there is a great book on punctuation called "Eats, Shoots, and Leaves". It explains the use and misuse of the comma in a fun and humorous manner.

I understand what the word irony means. Your post was a good example of situation irony, which can be defined thus:

Dictonary.com wrote:

situational irony
noun
irony involving a situation in which actions have an effect that is opposite from what was intended, so that the outcome is contrary to what was expected.

In this case you action seemed to have the intention of making the PP look less than intelligent, and of making a point about the value of mechanics of written language on the internet.

Instead, you have achieved the opposite. You have made yourself look less than intelligent, and made the PP look quite good in comparison.

I have read the book Eats, Shoots, and Leaves. I am not entirely sure why you think I would need to read that book based on a two word phrase followed by an elipsis. I clearly didn't misuse a comma. Are you arguing that I should have? Should I have written "The, irony . . . " or "The irony , , , "? I'm pretty sure the answer is no.

I have also read the book you reference. I'm not really sure why you're suggesting I read it, since the post you reference only contains periods. Perhaps you're assuming

Please stop embarrassing yourself. Someone writing in all lowercase letters on a nanny forum because they have a baby in the arms is not the comparable to the repeated misuse of punctuation and therefore shows no irony. The rest of your comment is a transparent and pathetic attempt to cover your under-education.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You absolutely did the right thing, OP. Screw telling them why you quit - the DB would only deny shortchanging you or say it was a mistake and you were being over-sensitive. And of course, MB would have to agree with her ass of a husband. You can not prove you were shortchanged since you did not count the money right in front of them but, like any polite person, you trusted them and counted the cash when you were at home. I'd have done the exact same thing.

Besides, it is not your job to instruct and educate the parents. You did you job and you were cheated. I wish you the very best in finding a new job!

The only person she is screwing, by not telling them why she quit, is the next unfortunate sitter. Next time you find yourself dealing with clueless parents, you can thank their last sitter who never spoke up. You say its not your job to educate them, but if you don't, who will? Idiots, all of you.

Hi Comma Lady,

Why do you put commas in weird places? Unless you are perfect at everything (including grammar and spelling) you should NOT be calling other people idiots.

Hi Bully Woman,
I'm afraid you're no lady. She can put commas where she wants to. Shut up or we'll have to report you for trolling.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:For the second time in three weeks, this DB has shortchanged me on my part-time pay! I only work for this family one day a week and the first time I was shortchanged by eight dollars and yesterday it was by four dollars. These are not simply math errors - he is either paying me literally by the minute or purposely shortchanging me thinking I won't notice. All times prior to these last three weeks the MB paid me (I've had this gig for four months).

Yesterday was the clincher. They initially booked me to work 8 to 4. Then, on Thursday, told me they only needed me from 9 to 4. Fine. I was at their home at nine and they arrived home with the child at 9:15 - and he paid me from 9:15 to 4:00!!!

Congrats, cheapskate - you just lost the best sitter you are ever going to find to save four dollars. I will NEVER work for this family again. I emailed the parents when I got home last night (when I counted my pay) and told them I will not be available to work for them again. No other explanation - they do not deserve one.

OP, before you quit, give them one more chance, tell them that they omitted $4 out of the amount they gave you, and that you have bills to pay so every single penny counts. Also add that when they book you, you expect to be paid for the whole time because you blocked that precious time out of your life to work for them while you could have been doing something else.
Here is the reason I am saying this. My MB short changed me so many times I could not even count, but it was a between $10- $1, but it didn't bother me much, but when it gets to $15, which is 1 hour I always tell her. One morning I get there and she is crying, hugged me and apologized so many times, that she just realized she paid me the wrong amount multiple times, she pays me by check so she realized it by going through her my schedule and checkbook (she paid me 105 the evening while she was supposed to pay me 135, and I brought back the check anyway that day to let her know), so we went over all the 3 months I have been there and added all that the forgot to pay (that we could both remember) plus some extra. She is terrible with math, so now we calculate what she owes me together. So OP, talk to them, they might understand and change from there, and always count the move as soon as you get it in front of them and let them know right away when a certain amount is missing. But if they are doing it on purpose and refuse to pay then, just tell them " hasta la vista baby!!!!".... And find a better family.

[Anonymous]

Good for you OP for sticking up for yourself.

Yes, this family sounds very cheap to me.

Thank goodness you only work for this family occasionally and do not have to rely on this income to feed yourself.

I feel sorry for their next sitter.

[Anonymous]

NP here with no opinions on commas.

OP, I don't understand how exactly you have been cheated. Do you have guaranteed hours? This would be rare for such a very part time position. Do you have a stated cancellation policy?

If you don't have either, then you haven't been cheated. Your DB and you have different expectations. He paid for hours worked. You expected guarantees you didn't negotiate.

In the future, be explicit about your policies. This is your fault, not the DB's.