Mandana

Repeated cancellations & unresolved refund issues

My son was in this childminder’s care for approximately five months, from the last week of July 2025 until 19 December 2025.

During this time, we were repeatedly asked to collect our son early or keep him at home for several days for unclear or inconsistent reasons. On multiple occasions, minor issues such as a slightly soiled nappy were treated as serious concerns and used as a reason to send him home. This caused us significant stress, especially as the health concerns raised by the childminder were later confirmed by medical professionals to be unfounded.

I was also uncomfortable with the way the childminder spoke about other children in her care. She frequently criticised them to me, saying they cried too much, used dummies excessively, or that their parents “didn’t care.” This felt unprofessional and inappropriate.

Financially, we paid a £1,000 deposit. At the end of the arrangement, £250 of this deposit was owed back to us, in addition to £50 for a day she cancelled childcare at very short notice. On our son’s final day, she messaged at 5:00am to say she was unwell and could not care for him, but refused to refund the day, referring to her contract terms. We dispute this, particularly as she now claims no signed contract was returned, despite us being confident we did return it in paper form.

We paid in full for all care provided. For December 2025, she cared for our son for 15 days (three weeks), which cost £750. Despite proper notice being given on 19 November 2025 that we would be ending care on 19 December 2025, she has refused to return the remaining £300 owed to us (£250 deposit balance + £50 cancelled day).

After raising our dissatisfaction with the service and mentioning that we would leave an honest review, we were blocked and all communication was cut off.

Based on our experience, I strongly advise parents to read the contract very carefully, especially regarding deposits, notice periods, and what happens if the childminder cancels care. Clarify everything in writing and keep copies of all signed documents and payments.

Unfortunately, our experience did not match the caring and professional image initially presented.

• Overall
• Setting
• Cleanliness
• Food
• Communication

by MANDANA about Joanna B (Childminder) on 05/01/2026