Complaints

• Initial Complaint

  04/25/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I had my 2 foster kids enrolled in roots and shoots from March 14th to April 12th of 2022. **** covered the cost of the daycare. They were enrolled for 2pm to 6pm 4 days per wk. I would drop them off around 2:30 and my husband picked them up around 5:30. For the first week I paid $360 for both kids and $35 enrollment fee each, so I paid a total of $430. I explained the situation to Mala and that the **** payments will be retroactive to the date they started, she said that I should continue paying cash and she will refund me once the assistance kicks in. In the month that they attended her daycare, I was called on 2 separate occasions for immediate pickup because one of the kids was difficult. Also during this month they did not attend for one full week because I kept them home one Monday since my husband did not work, Mala said that I told her I was keeping the kids home all week which I did not, **** still paid for that week she didnt take them. On Tues April 12th I was called for immediate pickup for one of the kids, I was given a letter stating that she was not permitted to attend daycare one Wednes 13th which was the following day. On that Wednes morning I called multiple times to clarify whether she was not to return only that Wednes or she couldnt return going forward. I got no answer, I called everyday after that up to Monday (I called Wednes to Mon). I ended up taking time off from work for all of these days until I got the kids enrolled in another daycare. I got on to Mala on Tuesday 19th and told her that I was calling all these days for clarification but no response and so I will be changing daycares. She said she was closed on all those days for Easter and thank you so much for understanding that the child has a problem and for taking her where she can get help somewhere else. I then asked when would be able to get my refund and her tone completely changed. She said money paid cannot be refunded. I told her this is fraud since both me & **** paid her

  Business response

  05/13/2022

  Dear Sir, 
  

  This is in response to your letter with details of a complaint filed by **** ***** against Roots and Shoots Daycare and Preschool. 
  

  Firstly, I would like to inform that **** ***** enrolled her 2 foster children in our program on March 21st, 2022 and not March 14th, 2022 as she has mentioned in her letter of complaint to you. 
  
  **** enrolled her children as private pay children and not through the **** program as she has mentioned. She had paid our private pay rates for her 2 children for the first 4 days that they were present in the Daycare. 
  
  On April 5th, 2022 we received a letter from ****, which was dated April 1st, 2022, informing us that ****'s 2 children have been enrolled into the **** program and that the program would be covering the cost of daycare services affected March 21st,2022. 
  

  However, we have till date did not receive any payment from **** for the above-mentioned days. 
  

  On March 24th, 2022 **** informed us that as her husband was off from work for a week, she would not be bringing the children to the daycare for that week. She did not pay for that entire week. 
   
  Our time out policy is included in our parent handbook, and she has signed and acknowledged that she has read the parent handbook that contains all our daycare policies and rules. Our Time out Policy includes that if a child's behavior is harmful to themselves or other children in the room, we call the parents to come and pick up their child and they are not allowed to come the next day. 

  Our daycare was closed for Easter Break from April 14th, 2022 to April 18th, 2022 (5 days). Hence there was no one in the daycare to take her calls on those days and she knew about the closure days. 
  

  The daycare reopened on April 19th, 2022 and on that date she let us know that she was withdrawing her foster children from our daycare program. She also let us know that she was taking them to another daycare, and I thanked her for letting us know. 
  

  On April 25th, 2022 **** called the daycare and demanded a reimbursement of all the fee money she had paid me, and she was informed by me that according to our fee payment policy, fees once paid are not reimbursed and that she has even signed the acknowledgement of this policy. On the same day she called back again and kept repeating "Fraud you are doing fraud" and threatened us that she would continue calling us all day long till we agreed to return her money which sounded like a threat to harass us with her calls. We have the time logs of her calling us 8 times that day. 
  

  As such it would please be right for us to say that all ****'s complaints are not Legit. If you need any further information, please do let us know. I have attached all pertinent paperwork with. this letter. 
  

  Yours sincerely

  Mala C.,

  Owner/Director 
  Roots and Shoots Daycare & Preschool 

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