ComplaintsforBerryhill Child Care

• Initial Complaint

  11/14/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I am not liable for this debt with BERRYHILL CHILD CARE, I do not have a contract with Capital Accounts, they did not provide me with a contract that I requested.

  Business response

  01/01/2024

  Ms. ***** *** ****** **********) signed an agreement with our center on 8-8-2022 which states the costs of services she would be responsible for upon enrolling her child. This agreement states, in addition, that to withdraw from services a two-week written notice must be given and if that notice is received less than two weeks prior to the following month she would be charged for the following month.  She also signed two separate credit card processing forms agreeing to let us charge her credit card for these services.  Ms. ********* paid for the first month of pre-k and registration.  She then paid for an extended care week on 8-15-22 which later came back declined on 8-18-22.  This was discussed with Ms. ********* on 8-19-22.  Ms. ********* said that she had money in her account and to charge it again and to add 5 days of extended care, which was $100.  We ran that on 8-19-22 along with the charges for the credit card return, and since it was after the middle of the month we ran the pre-k charge for the following month, per agreement.  This came back, again, returned on 8-24-22.  Her child was not in attendance on that day so we called Ms. *********.  She informed us at that time she would be pulling her child out.  She was informed that we require two week notice to withdraw and that she still had a considerable balance with us.  The next day, 8-25-22, she came in and signed and two-week notice withdrawing her child and an agreement to try to make a payment on 9-2-22.  Ms. ********* did not show or call to make a payment on 9-2-22, and we were not able to contact her by phone.  We continued to attempt to contact her for months and eventually we placed her in a collection status. 
  Our center, like other centers (businesses) similar to ours, are tuition based, not attendance based.  We operate based on filling spaces and charging for them regardless of attendance to remain viable.  When a customer agrees to take a space and it is not paid for it is a tremendous loss.  It is difficult, at best, to fill these spaces and we must maintain a strict policy for payment of services. 
  Ms. ********* made no attempt to contact us and discuss any payment options. Perhaps if she had we could have discussed a compromise or an extended payment plan of some sort.  Without communication from her, we will never know. 
  He complaint is about a financial obligation she has failed to meet.  We have very few complaints in 17 years of operation, and this is the first I am aware of concerning the Better Business Bureau.  If it were a complaint about the care of children, employees or customers, a review of our polices or business practices may be in order, but not in this case. 
  At this point, Ms. ********* must communicate with Capital Accounts, which is the collect agency, and this is the agreement we have signed with them. 
  I have attached a copy of the agreement Ms. ********* signed as well as copies of two credit card processing forms. The child’s attendance records the ledger for the account, documentation notes, the two-week termination notice, as well as the note agreeing to make payment.  

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