A mother has taken to Mumsnet to ask whether she is right to seek a refund for days that her daughter’s childcare was closed due to the snow.
She posted her dilemma on the forum saying:
“Just had a phone call to say my daughter’s nursery is closed tomorrow because of the snow. The nursery is part of a big college and the head has made the call to close the college. We had heavy snow fall last night, but the main roads are now fine, we’ve been out and about all day.
We’ve been told no refund! I’m now going to have to pay for alternative childcare as I work for the NHS, which does not close no matter what the weather! My husband is saying we should insist on a refund… Anyone ever managed to do this?!”
She’s had mixed responses with some people saying she is right to ask for a refund.
“I’m sure it is standard, I just don’t see how they can demand payment for a service they have not provided.”
“They’ll have covered themselves in the contract but you definitely should be getting a refund, you’ve paid for a day of childcare that they aren’t providing. It might not be their fault it’s snowed but it’s not yours either.”
And others saying she shouldn’t expect a refund.
“They haven’t caused this, the weather / higher powers have. No way you will get or should expect a refund. There will be something in your contract about this type of circumstance.”
“Presumably they will still have to pay their staff, and their other fixed overheads – would you be happy for them not to pay their staff tomorrow, so you can have a refund?”
Another person had a more reasonable answer:
“Just bad luck I’m afraid. They still have running costs and staff wages to pay. Look at it this way: if your child was in school and the school closed for snow, you’d be in the same position (ie having to pay for childcare, or to take a day off) and wouldn’t have thought about demanding a refund, as you’re not visibly paying out in the first place.”
What do you think? Has this happened to you? Let us know on Twitter or on Facebook.
