Direct Debit The most convenient way for you to pay

8/13/2009 5:13:52 PM #

Dear Kady,
Thanks for your query and please find below a clearer explanation which will hopefully explain things a bit better:

we are going to start rolling out the direct debit option for paying fees with effect from September, initially for the new families starting in September and then if it proves successful we will start phasing it through the rest of the nursery so that by the end of the year everyone should be on the DD scheme.
This is down to two reasons one being quite a few people have requested
the DD option as it takes the hassle out of paying the fees and the other reason is that because the fees can change quite regularly some people are not paying the full amount or are not paying by the 1st of the month (and by the 7th with vouchers) which obviously causes extra work for me and has a negative impact on our cashflow.

There are as ever going to be exceptions to this and so we are going to look at peoples specific requirements individually, for those who pay using vouchers companies in full and who want to continue doing so there will be no admin fee for this, likewise if only the £243.00 is used through the voucher scheme and the balance paid by standing order the admin fee would only be applicable to the s/o element and then only if historically the payment is regularly late as all we are trying to do is get our fees collected as quickly and as effectively as possible.

I hope this clarifies everything for you and if you have any other
thoughts or feedback please let me know as this is a work in progress and we want to make it as simple & pain free as possible.

Amanda | Reply

8/17/2009 7:42:54 PM #

Hi Lisa

I'm really sorry about the confusion that this has caused.  The simplest way of looking at this is that we plan to run this in just the same way as the standing order scheme and the direct debit system would simply take its place.  At the moment your standing order is the amount less any childcare vouchers and so the DD scheme would be the same.  As such there would only be late payment fees if you pay late, just the same as there is now.  In fact we are hoping that the DD scheme will take one more headache away as you can have the peace of mind to know you have paid at the start of the month and for those who are part time and do extra sessions these will be taken care of automatically.  In fact when children go into the Racoons, the term after their third birthday they are eligible for the early years grant and so your payment will automatically be reduced to take into account for this.

I hope this clarifies it for you, please do let me know if not.

Best

Emma

Emma Tennant | Reply

8/17/2009 7:46:45 PM #

Hi Wayne

You are right, there are no charges in this scenario and you still retain all of the control, as you can view your account at anytime of the month and you can of course cancel the direct debit at any time too.

Thank you for your comment and I hope I have put your mind at rest.

Best

Emma

Emma Tennant | Reply