Anonymous wrote:You should have invited her in, appoligized for the mistake and allowed her to wait till your son woke up. And, paid her full time. Soemtimes our cells hold on to messages and we do not get them for a week.

Agree. Sometimes my cell doesn't "notify" me of a new voicemail, and I don't even know it's there until I get a second new voicemail, sometimes days later!

Anonymous wrote:In addition to the previous PP's points, I think it was cold to turn her away and have her wait somewhere else for 90 minutes just because you weren't ready. You couldn't give her a newspaper to read and a couch to sit on, instead of sending her back out and tell her to come back when it was time?

Yea but if she invited her in then it would be much harder to claim she shouldn't have been paid.

In addition to the previous PP's points, I think it was cold to turn her away and have her wait somewhere else for 90 minutes just because you weren't ready. You couldn't give her a newspaper to read and a couch to sit on, instead of sending her back out and tell her to come back when it was time?

I have to agree with most of the comments on here. I don't babysit but if my ft nanny family changes my hours for whatever reason, it's in my contract that I'm paid for my full hours. (Even if they decide I'm not needed ie family in town, etc). I keep my self available from x hr to z hr and will be paid for that. This was a last minute change and you didn't speak to her directly. What if it was the other way around. If she called you left a voicemail that she would be an hour and a half late, but neither you nor your dh got that voicemail. You both would be waiting at 9am pissed she was running late. She comes strolling up at 1030 shocked at why you're mad, she DID leave you a voicemail. Doubt you would use her again as a babysitter. Live and learn OP. Respect your next caregiver (and her time) and she will respect you.

You should have invited her in, appoligized for the mistake and allowed her to wait till your son woke up. And, paid her full time. Soemtimes our cells hold on to messages and we do not get them for a week.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Does it really matter, OP, if there is some rule or not? You contracted a sitter for 8 hours, changed it to 6.5 hours the night before, and paid her for 6.5 hours.

And she refuses to work for you again.


Right/wrong - legal/illegal - black/white. You lost a great sitter that you and your son loved for 1.5 hours of a babysitting rate.

Agree.

Excellent way to "bottom line it" PP.

And the sitter is not here complaining that she doesn't have enough work. You are here complaining that you lost a great sitter. All for what, OP? $15 or $20 dollars?

Lesson learned. Do you even remember what you spent that 15 or 20 bucks on last November that was so important that you lost a great babysitter?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Does it really matter, OP, if there is some rule or not? You contracted a sitter for 8 hours, changed it to 6.5 hours the night before, and paid her for 6.5 hours.

And she refuses to work for you again.


Right/wrong - legal/illegal - black/white. You lost a great sitter that you and your son loved for 1.5 hours of a babysitting rate.

It's not like nanny could have worked that 1 hour somewhere else. She got extra time off and should be grateful. If she had a cell phone she would have known she could sleep in. OP gave PLENTY of notice.

I do not agree. The sitter had 13 hours notice and easily could have turned down another 8 hour job that day to take what she believed was an 8 hour job with OP.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Does it really matter, OP, if there is some rule or not? You contracted a sitter for 8 hours, changed it to 6.5 hours the night before, and paid her for 6.5 hours.

And she refuses to work for you again.


Right/wrong - legal/illegal - black/white. You lost a great sitter that you and your son loved for 1.5 hours of a babysitting rate.

Agree.

Excellent way to "bottom line it" PP.

And the sitter is not here complaining that she doesn't have enough work. You are here complaining that you lost a great sitter. All for what, OP? $15 or $20 dollars?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think you should have paid her, OP, but I don't think you made some major mistake and there is no "cancellation rule" unless your sitter has one and tells you ahead of time.

Personally, I think your sitter is pretty immature by just ignoring your calls. She should just tell you she isn't open to sitting because you didn't pay for 90min one day.

She should also check her messages.

She should probably get a cell phone.

To me that wouldn't matter - the nanny/babysitter held open 9 to 5 for this family. She should be paid for 9 to 5 regardless of whether she picked up her messages 12 or 13 hours before her start time.

Nope, she didn't work she shouldn't get paid. If you want a job where you get paid the exact same amount every time and have certain exact hours then get a job that is salaried, babysitting is hourly. Just like if you work at Burger King you might be on the schedule Saturday from 8am - 4pm and then at 7:30 they call you and tell you not to come in until noon. Tough luck, you won't get paid for 8-12. That's life for these types of jobs.

That is clearly not how this sitter feels! And the sitter is not the one posting - her ex-employer is. The OP wants the sitter to work for her again (OP apparently believed as you do) and the sitter won't even return her calls.

Who lost out in this situation? The person who believed as you do.

Theres thousands of good babysitters, everyone has been in OPs shoes thinking they have found the ONE, but there are many more out there and many more even better than this one. Just because OP has fallen in love with this sitter doesn't make me feel any different. OP hasn't really lost anything, she just isn't looking around.

Anonymous wrote:Does it really matter, OP, if there is some rule or not? You contracted a sitter for 8 hours, changed it to 6.5 hours the night before, and paid her for 6.5 hours.

And she refuses to work for you again.


Right/wrong - legal/illegal - black/white. You lost a great sitter that you and your son loved for 1.5 hours of a babysitting rate.

It's not like nanny could have worked that 1 hour somewhere else. She got extra time off and should be grateful. If she had a cell phone she would have known she could sleep in. OP gave PLENTY of notice.

Anonymous wrote:Does it really matter, OP, if there is some rule or not? You contracted a sitter for 8 hours, changed it to 6.5 hours the night before, and paid her for 6.5 hours.

And she refuses to work for you again.


Right/wrong - legal/illegal - black/white. You lost a great sitter that you and your son loved for 1.5 hours of a babysitting rate.

Agree.

Does it really matter, OP, if there is some rule or not? You contracted a sitter for 8 hours, changed it to 6.5 hours the night before, and paid her for 6.5 hours.

And she refuses to work for you again.


Right/wrong - legal/illegal - black/white. You lost a great sitter that you and your son loved for 1.5 hours of a babysitting rate.

Comparing the person watching your children to a burger flipper?

Wow. no wonder why I've had such a great relationship with my nanny all these yeats. She's like family and we don't treat her like hires help.

I feel sorry for your future loser children. What a rude awakening they will get one day.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think you should have paid her, OP, but I don't think you made some major mistake and there is no "cancellation rule" unless your sitter has one and tells you ahead of time.

Personally, I think your sitter is pretty immature by just ignoring your calls. She should just tell you she isn't open to sitting because you didn't pay for 90min one day.

She should also check her messages.

She should probably get a cell phone.

To me that wouldn't matter - the nanny/babysitter held open 9 to 5 for this family. She should be paid for 9 to 5 regardless of whether she picked up her messages 12 or 13 hours before her start time.

Nope, she didn't work she shouldn't get paid. If you want a job where you get paid the exact same amount every time and have certain exact hours then get a job that is salaried, babysitting is hourly. Just like if you work at Burger King you might be on the schedule Saturday from 8am - 4pm and then at 7:30 they call you and tell you not to come in until noon. Tough luck, you won't get paid for 8-12. That's life for these types of jobs.

That is clearly not how this sitter feels! And the sitter is not the one posting - her ex-employer is. The OP wants the sitter to work for her again (OP apparently believed as you do) and the sitter won't even return her calls.

Who lost out in this situation? The person who believed as you do.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think you should have paid her, OP, but I don't think you made some major mistake and there is no "cancellation rule" unless your sitter has one and tells you ahead of time.

Personally, I think your sitter is pretty immature by just ignoring your calls. She should just tell you she isn't open to sitting because you didn't pay for 90min one day.

She should also check her messages.

She should probably get a cell phone.

To me that wouldn't matter - the nanny/babysitter held open 9 to 5 for this family. She should be paid for 9 to 5 regardless of whether she picked up her messages 12 or 13 hours before her start time.

Nope, she didn't work she shouldn't get paid. If you want a job where you get paid the exact same amount every time and have certain exact hours then get a job that is salaried, babysitting is hourly. Just like if you work at Burger King you might be on the schedule Saturday from 8am - 4pm and then at 7:30 they call you and tell you not to come in until noon. Tough luck, you won't get paid for 8-12. That's life for these types of jobs.