My daughter is sick and we're supposed to have a sitter watch her so we can go out on a date night. I think we need to cancel because I don't think it's fair to either one of them. Do I pay the sitter since we are canceling?
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No. You just call and say you'll have to reschedule your date and you'll be sure to call them!
ETA: They didn't provide you with the service, therefore they do no get paid for that service.
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I have had to cancel before and didn't pay them
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@.twist.: @Mamaof2: really? I would feel bad canceling day of since they reserved the time for me, expecting to be paid. I would feel like I should at least give them $20 or something. But I haven't been in the situation yet.
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@Foodnerd81: I agree. They may have turned down another opportunity.
However if your lo is sick that's more understandable then just changing your mind. So I'm not sure what would be expected. @brady80
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Is it tonight? I wouldn't pay the sitter... explain the situation and tell her you'll call her to reschedule!
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@Peasinapod: I guess if it was a babysitter I used more than once, I'd probably just give her a little extra for whenever we rescheduled for.
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@Foodnerd81: That's so thoughtful! I think an extra tip next time would be really appreciated.
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When I used to babysit all the time I never expected to be paid if the family had to cancel. Most of the time babysitting money is just fun extra money, not something someone is dependent on to pay their bills. The babysitter now gets the night to do something fun, I don't think she'll be overly disapointed that you had to cancel.
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@Foodnerd81: Yea. I babysat from 12 - 18. If I didn't do my "job" for whatever reason, I didn't expect payment. Things come up. You wouldn't pay a restaurant for your food if you had to cancel a reservation, would you? haha I dunno, maybe I'm a weirdo.
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I'd probably give her a little extra next time to make up for it. She did block off the time for you and may have turned down other jobs (I know I had to do that frequently when I was babysitting growing up).
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I wouldn't pay anything extra, but I would apologize and promise to use her the next time. I used to be a nanny and this would occasionally happen. I never expected to be paid for cancelations.
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@mrbee: well it's easy to be thoughtful when it's hypothetical and we have only ever paid a babysitter once in C's 21 months.
I babysat at a family resort and remember one time a family cancelled and still gave me like $20 or $40 because they knew I blocked the night. It was really nice!
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Thanks everyone! We've used her a few times and told her the next time we need a sitter we will definitely call her. I plan on giving her a little extra when we see her next.
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I've struggled with this before. Ultimately I see it as a risk to the the job itself, your schedule is always fluctuating. On the flip side when parents are late coming home (used to happen to me a lot) you've now worked more than planned. I think as long as you tip the next time and mention it is for the inconvenience of cancelling then it will be fine.
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As a babysitter in my teens/20s, I have never been paid when the family canceled, although it would have been nice.
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15 comments