Recently we covered all the awesome reasons you should join and become an official member. One of the biggest reasons is for access to our AMAZING lending library. If you have joined and checked out a carrier, we’re sure you read the lending library agreement….right? Especially this part?
2. Checkout Period – I understand that the carrier is due back to the next meeting location from which it was checked out. If I do not return the carrier in time for the meeting it is considered overdue and subject to a $1 per day late fee until the carrier is returned. I agree it is my responsibility to return the carrier, whether it is meeting with the VBE at their convenience, or by mailing the carrier back via USPS Priority Mail with insurance and tracking prior to the next meeting date. New carrier checkouts may not be done until any outstanding fees have been paid.
We know it’s often just a formality, but we do encourage you to read the agreement to become familiar with expectations for carrier condition, cleaning issues, and….LATE FEES! In the past we have been fairly lax about collecting these fees, but as we have grown it has become much more important to get carriers back on time. We are now enforcing our late returns policy, including late fees. Here’s why:
- We have a lot of carriers, but usually only one of each type! Imagine if you came to a meeting specifically to try a certain carrier, expecting it to be returned to that meeting. You get your sleepy baby and/or cranky toddler out the door and make it to the meeting in one piece….only to be told that the previous member did not return the carrier on time. Bummer.
- Some of our lending libraries are larger and some are smaller (we currently have 5 separate ones), based on member need in that area. It is especially important for smaller libraries and those libraries hosting multiple meetings a month to have carriers returned, so that meeting attendees have a range of options to try at a meeting.
- You returning to a meeting is the easiest course of action for our volunteers. We put a lot of time into the group in addition to other jobs and family commitments. You bringing the carrier back to a meeting allows us to focus on helping new baby wearers and not tracking down carriers.
- If for some reason you absolutely cannot make the meeting that the carrier is due to be returned at, we do have other options! Please PM the main Facebook page prior to the due date to arrange an alternate option if necessary and a volunteer will be in touch. Some options:
- Is there another meeting or Patuxent Babywearing event prior to when yours is due? Return it to that meeting or event instead! If it’s a meeting or event where you can check out a new carrier, you can even check out a new one yourself!
- When you get a check in reminder, there are several addresses on the email. You may mail to the volunteers’ homes indicated there (please use Priority Shipping with insurance – you are responsible for fees and/or lost items) or drop off to the homes listed in the email.
- For these same reasons, we also do not allow online renewals. We ask that you bring the carrier back to the meeting and if it is still available come carrier check out time and nobody else wanted to try that one, you are free to check it out again!
If for some reason you get a late checkout email that you feel is inaccurate, please PM the main Facebook page ASAP and we will try to get it figured out. Meetings are busy and sometimes we do mess up!
If you are a member and are checking out items and do NOT get emails from us, please PM the main Facebook page ASAP! We must have your email address wrong and will need to fix it in our system!
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