Scrolling through Facebook last night and all of the sudden
this article pops up all over my news feed with a headline to catch anyone's attention:
via here
So this little boy Alex, RSVP's to a birthday party with every intention or attending, and then something comes up last minute (spending time with his grandparents) and his parents can't find the birthday invite to inform the party host. Since it's just a 5 years old's birthday party & not a business meeting his parents figured they would just apologize to the host parent when they saw them at the school in the next few days. When that didn't happen it didn't seem to be a moment of distress, so no further action was taken.
So when Alex's dad Mr. Nash found a random brown envelope in Alex's backpack after school one day, he thought it a bit strange. Opening up the envelope revealed an invoice from the birthday party, saying Alex owed £15.95 as a "no show fee."
via
Are you kidding me?
Read the whole article here.
This parent, thought it appropriate to send an invoice to the school for them to pass along to the child? An invoice?
For those of you that are not sure, £15.95 translates to $24.04.
You sent an INVOICE.
To a child.
For a little over $20.00 ??
That is ridiculous!
I've read a few different articles on the matter and a few points must be brought to attention.
First of all, yes.. they did RSVP. BUT this is the chance you take when throwing a child's party! There will people who make it, and people who don't. I throw many parties on a regular basis, but never would I CHARGE my friends if they didn't show!
And if you really feel like they owe you some help covering the cost there are SO many waaaaaaay better ways to get someones attention!
What she did was rude, & in my opinion not handled very classy.
You eat the cost, and move on with your life!
And you sure a shit don't ruin your kids life over $20 damn dollars!
Uuugh.
What do you think?
Was the mother out of line?
Or is this exactly the kind of brazen honesty the world needs?
this article pops up all over my news feed with a headline to catch anyone's attention:
So this little boy Alex, RSVP's to a birthday party with every intention or attending, and then something comes up last minute (spending time with his grandparents) and his parents can't find the birthday invite to inform the party host. Since it's just a 5 years old's birthday party & not a business meeting his parents figured they would just apologize to the host parent when they saw them at the school in the next few days. When that didn't happen it didn't seem to be a moment of distress, so no further action was taken.
So when Alex's dad Mr. Nash found a random brown envelope in Alex's backpack after school one day, he thought it a bit strange. Opening up the envelope revealed an invoice from the birthday party, saying Alex owed £15.95 as a "no show fee."
Are you kidding me?
Read the whole article here.
This parent, thought it appropriate to send an invoice to the school for them to pass along to the child? An invoice?
For those of you that are not sure, £15.95 translates to $24.04.
You sent an INVOICE.
To a child.
For a little over $20.00 ??
That is ridiculous!
I've read a few different articles on the matter and a few points must be brought to attention.
First of all, yes.. they did RSVP. BUT this is the chance you take when throwing a child's party! There will people who make it, and people who don't. I throw many parties on a regular basis, but never would I CHARGE my friends if they didn't show!
And if you really feel like they owe you some help covering the cost there are SO many waaaaaaay better ways to get someones attention!
What she did was rude, & in my opinion not handled very classy.
You eat the cost, and move on with your life!
And you sure a shit don't ruin your kids life over $20 damn dollars!
Uuugh.
What do you think?
Was the mother out of line?
Or is this exactly the kind of brazen honesty the world needs?
It was definitely tacky of the birthday boy's mom. Yes, she was out $25 for a no-show and I get that there are places that charge you per person, especially if you give them a headcount ahead of time, but it happens! I have yet to hear about a couple charging no-shows to their wedding for how much each person's plate cost. And I've heard that the reception per-person cost is A LOT more than this kid's birthday party. If she wanted the money so badly, why not talk to the parents?
ReplyDeleteAlso, I'm a bit confused as to the relationship between Alex and the birthday boy. Some articles have referred to them as classmates while others have called them friends. If it was the latter, why did Alex's parents not have a phone number? Or do parents not keep their kids' friends' phone numbers anymore? It's probably easier nowadays with cell phones.
I couldn't believe this when I read the article. At first I thought it was from a spoof site (like The Onion). Then I realized it was real. First of all, they are FIVE year olds. Five year olds get moody and don't want to do things at the last minute. Most places you have to pay regardless if everyone shows up (it's a risk you take). I'm pretty sure now that this story is out no one will ever let their kid play with this kid again, and that is unfortunate, because now the kid is going to suffer for his mom's actions.
ReplyDeleteThat's a good point on the wedding reception! yes they do cost a ton more! I feel like maybe the mother for whatever reason was just mad that she got an rsvp from Alex and then he didn't show up. but still, he's a CHILD. Things happen. She couldn't have handled this situation so much better...
ReplyDeleteThat was exactly what I thought! it makes me sad for that poor kid. Plus she is not leading by example.. Its just a poor choice all around.
ReplyDeleteI saw this recently and I about capped my pants. I had a ridiculously huge rsvp number for Jackson 's birthday. I ordered $100 worth of pizzas to feed everyone. I gave whole pizzas away because over half didn't show and told me after I got to the lake. It happens. This lady is crazy. Make a different decision for where your child celebrates but sending an invoice through the school is petty and bs.
ReplyDelete