Belle Babysitters LTD Terms And Conditions for Families – One off (non-membership) occasions for families.
Belle Babysitters is a limited company owned and operated by Annabelle Molloy. Any reference to the Agency refers to the legal entity Belle Babysitters Ltd.
1. The Agency agrees to ensure that your babysitter:
* Has a current first aid certificate (updated every 2 years), or notify you if otherwise (e.g. has expired).
* Has a clean police record (updated every 6-12 months) – Excluding minor vehicle offences.
* Has had 2 referee checks (at least one is from an employer related to working with children).
* Has previous experience in childcare (a minimum of multiple occasions in 2 different childcare settings).
* Maintain a smoke / vape free environment whilst working with your child / children.
* Provides safe and nurturing care for your children (including entertaining, meals, bed and bath routines).
* Ensures that your child / children’s routines and your instructions are adhered to.
2. You agree to:
* Provide a safe / secure environment for your babysitter.
* Provide a smoke / vape free environment for your babysitter.
* Provide tea and coffee making facilities for the babysitter.
* Pay the agency fee in advance to the agency (unless an alternative arrangement has been agreed).
* Pay all monies owed in full to the babysitter at the conclusion of the occasion booked.
* Pay all monies owed in the event of cancellation as per our cancellation policy (see term 4.).
* Not approach the babysitter for any kind of work without consulting the Agency first.
3. If the Agency becomes aware that you have approached the babysitter to complete any work for you without using the agency you may be prevented from using our services in the future. Furthermore, if the babysitter completes the work for you, the agency will invoice you for any bookings (work occasions, not limited to babysitting specifically) as if they were arranged through the agency.
4. If the Agency has received payment and confirmed a babysitter is available for you, the Agency Fee is non-refundable and the booking is considered confirmed. If the Agency has provided a confirmation email of the booking, cancellation fees (these are payable to the babysitter either directly or via the agency) may apply as per the following:
a) If the booking is made and confirmed by the agency more than 10 days prior to the job commencement time, and is later cancelled within 0-2 days of the job commencement time a $50 cancellation fee is payable to the babysitter, if the same booking (confirmed more than 10 days prior to the job commencement time) is cancelled within 3-9 days prior to the job commencement time, it will also usually incur the $50 cancellation fee payable to the babysitter (at our discretion).
b) A booking made and confirmed 3-9 days prior to the job commencement time and cancelled in the last 48 hours prior to the job commencement time will also usually incur the $50 cancellation fee payable to the babysitter (at our discretion).
c) If the booking is made and confirmed within 48 hours of the job commencement time, no cancellation fee shall apply.
5. The Agency Fee is non-refundable once received, and is paid for procuring the babysitter. The Agency Fee is due at the time of booking the babysitter and should be paid prior to the commencement of the babysitting occasion through an acceptable method agreed by the Agency. The babysitter is to be paid separately at the conclusion of the babysitting occasion. If either payment has not been made at the appropriate time any shortfalls shall be invoiced to you and any overdue accounts will attract penalty interest of 5% per month. Where overdue accounts are referred to a collection agency the account will incur additional costs which you agree to pay.
6. The Agency has used its best endeavours, in reviewing the babysitter’s references, qualifications, training, experience and information disclosed by the babysitter and their referees, to select a babysitter suitable for your needs as advised by you. If, for any reason, your babysitter proves unsuitable or unsatisfactory for you, or the engagement of the babysitter is terminated due to the babysitter becoming ill or terminating his/her engagement, the Agency will use its best endeavours to provide a suitable replacement babysitter. In the event of a short notice cancellation by one of our babysitters we will endeavour to find an appropriate replacement but in the event this is not possible the Agency fee shall be fully refunded to you.
7. The Agency acts as an agent for you and is not an employer of babysitters. The Agency’s role is to procure suitable placements, bearing in mind the information and requirements supplied by you and the availability of suitable babysitters.
8. The agency accepts no liability or responsibility for any damage, injury, loss, mishap, accident or illness suffered by you or any other person as a result of the use of the babysitter, and you agree to indemnify the Agency should any action be taken against the Agency as a result of your use of the babysitter, this includes but is not limited to, all last minute cancellations of the confirmed babysitter, or a confirmed babysitter failing to turn up on time, which could be considered a cancellation if they fail to turn up at all. However, we will always attempt to mediate with you, to solve any issues you may have with any babysitter we provide for you.
ADDITIONAL Terms and Conditions which apply to “Multiple Use (Membership) occasions for families” ONLY. Membership Conditions and Benefits:
9. The membership option offers benefits over standard one-time infrequent users. Whilst additional benefits may be added in the future you will be notified of these at the time the renewal of your membership is due and if necessary at the time any change is made.
Membership benefits initially include:
* Pay $10 per babysitter booking instead of $30 per booking.
* Short notice hourly babysitters rates waived pay only $28 per hour even if you booked less than 12 hours in advance (but please note: Public Holiday Rates will still apply).
* Minimum amount payable to the babysitters is $40 not $50 (for shorter bookings of less than 1 hour 25 minutes, non-members pay for a minimum of 1 hour 45 minutes).
* Priority booking (you will get to book a babysitter for a specified occasion before a non-member).
* Your preferred choice of babysitter/s on the condition that they are available for the occasion.
* You will have the opportunity to pay the babysitter after the babysitting occasion via additional methods such as credit card/online banking once you have satisfied our credit criteria being a minimum of 3 prior prompt payments.
* The cancellation fee will be only $40 not $50 (the same as the minimum amount payable to the babysitter).
* Cancellation fees will only apply when a booking is booked and confirmed in advance by more than a 10 day period and cancelled within the last 48 hours prior to booking start time, and also at any time the booking is cancelled with less than 2hours notice. (Note: We do still recommend you book in advance as much as possible to avoid disappointment, we may waive cancellation fees at our discretion, particularly in circumstances of more regular ongoing bookings).
* The Guarantee the Agency fees and Babysitters rates will not increase during the duration of your six month membership. (Except where law changes increase minimum / living wage above our lowest babysitter rates). Please note: We use the living wage to the nearest dollar as our minimum wage benchmark.
* You also get a bonus month of paying any babysitter hourly rates/cancellation and minimum booking time fees at the old rates, when these are increased.
* If you require bookings for irregular consecutive days and book them together, you only pay for the one booking fee (plus $10 per any additional babysitter if more than one babysitter is required to fill all the bookings).
* Members are eligible to use our services for regular ongoing bookings at a further discounted rate (please ask us about how this might work for you).
* If you require a booking to be actioned urgently outside of office hours members only pay an additional $10 surcharge (where non-members pay $15). (Our office hours are considered to be 7am – 7pm, 7 days a week – however we can still be reached outside of these hours and we will always endeavour to help you anytime day or night).
* If you require a significant amendment to your booking, that is a change to your booking of more than our minimum booking time (I.e. different day / different time or combination of both), if the same babysitter is available no charge applies (instead of $10 for non-members), this is capped at 2 free changes in 6 months, and 5 free changes in 12 months, (‘free changes’ allocations are renewable as applied at every 6 / 12 months membership renewal, but any unused allocations are not and cannot be carried over I.e. they all expire at the end of every 6 or 12 months), and if the same babysitter is not available and a different babysitter is required to fill the booking (assuming we have one available), only a $10 charge applies (instead of $15 for non-members). I.e. see example table below. Please note: Some amendments to Regular Ongoing Member bookings are excluded (see point 2. of ‘Regular Ongoing Booking Policy’).
If the same babysitter is available and the changes are of MORE than our minimum booking time:
| Number of changes: | Non-Member | Member |
| 1 change | $10 | Free |
| 2 changes in a consecutive 6 months of membership | $10 per change | Free, $10 per change thereafter. |
| 3-5 changes in a consecutive 7-12 months of membership | $10 per change | Free, $10 per change thereafter. |
Also as a member if the amendment to your booking is of an amount of time that is less than our minimum booking time and the same babysitter is available no additional fees are payable (instead of $5 for non-members), and as a member you can make unlimited changes (if the same babysitter is available). If a different babysitter is required (and we have one available), only a $10 charge will apply (instead of $15 for non-members). I.e. see example table below.
If the same babysitter is available and the changes are of LESS than our minimum booking time:
| Number of changes: | Non-Member | Member |
| Unlimited changes | $5 each | Free |
10. BEING A MEMBER DOES NOT GUARANTEE A BABYSITTER WILL ALWAYS BE AVAILABLE FOR YOU.