"boy, five, sent £15.95 party no-show invoice"

Its a poor show that, if as the mental mother claims, there were contact details for them that the boy’s parents didn’t bother to let them know he wouldn’t be attending.
But to send an invoice? WTF?

kids parties are a total minefield

I have been in the doghouse this morning as while in charge of the kids this weeks while the wife was out with her sisters ‘I’ forgot about a party that the eldest had been invited to.

The fact that I hadn’t been made aware of this (there was an invite on the pin board amongst about 10 other invites) or that my son had forgotten was lost on the wife.

Also, the fact that no one realised until this morning was not taken into consideration 🙂

I doubt I’ll be hit with an invoice – but if I’m honest I’d sooner pay up than have the mornings worth of hassle

send a present in to school for the kid who’s party was missed as a ‘sorry’ – it’s not the birthday child’s fault you didn’t turn up.

tbh, I think most parents do a little ‘cost per party place v value of present received calculation’ and reckon to break even on most younger kids parties (not sure the £16 skiing one would meet this rule though)

Chomp you need counter sue now.

Well, if they knew that it was at a dry ski slope (and I would expect they did), then no-showing is a bit shit. Everyone knows it isn’t cheap.
Then again, attempting to invoice for the no show is absurd. Crazy pointyheads!

Teaching your five year old to bully and manipulate is disgraceful. ideal preparation for becoming a parent

FIFY

😀

Surely, there was nothing in the invite to say you ‘must attend’ and probably nothing in their about failing to turn up will result in a ‘no show’ charge.

Good point. Check the Ts&Cs on the invitation.

Irrelevant of anything, still crap that they didn’t have the decency to tell her that their son wouldn’t be attending.

bh, I think most parents do a little ‘cost per party place v value of present received calculation’ and reckon to break even on most younger kids parties (not sure the £16 skiing one would meet this rule though)

I think it’s nice if the invitees bring a gift, but I certainly don’t bother working out how much it cost.

To be fair this was the cost of a booking at the local dry ski slope and as a no show I can understand it would seem wasted.

Personally I’d have thought for a party like that, invite people saying they’re doing dry skiing and ask them to pay for the dry ski, then hold a party with free food etc after. Or get them to pay a deposit and they get a refund or something if they turn up. Kind of way it worked back in my yoof at least. Though that was in the poverty days of the 70s.

If she’s happy with paying for all the kids though, and nothing specified that they must turn up or have to pay, then that’s her problem.

If it was me I would send the payment in Monopoly money, or a check written against the Thomas the Tank Engine Bank.

Silly cow.

I think it’s nice if the invitees bring a gift, but I certainly don’t bother working out how much it cost.

No, nor me. That’s a bit odd.

I’m still puzzled though. Surely she’d be out of pocket if the kid came or not, unless of course the kid was supposed to pay for the skiing and she had to instead.

Not defending her in any way, but it does appear offending child was doubled booked in advance so maybe if they’d bother so say “we’re at grannies that day” beforehand she could have let the ski centre know – usually you’d get the money back for poor johnny if you give them notice.

tbh, I think most parents do a little ‘cost per party place v value of present received calculation’ and reckon to break even on most younger kids parties (not sure the £16 skiing one would meet this rule though)

My mate in Singapore has just come out of a kids party where there were iPods in the party bags 8O… I move in somewhat less rich circles – a bouncy ball, a couple of refreshers and screamer balloon and that’s your lot.

I think most parents do a little ‘cost per party place v value of present received calculation’ and reckon to break even on most younger kids parties

In our group we have a standing agreement that presents should be no more than a fiver. Class of 30 odd kids that are still at the age where they invite everyone means we have a party to go to every other weekend.

Mind you, we’re also a social lot. It’s a small village, most of the parents know each other and are on the Facebook group for the school year, so things like this are sorted very easily. Without the need for Small Claim Court 🙄

FFS graham what is that teaching your kids

At my kids school we sort it how it should be

behind the bike sheds after school ….like proper men

All kinds of wrong with this story

no more than a fiver. Class of 30 odd

There you go £150 worth of presents = party paid for 😉

If it was me I would send the payment in Monopoly money, or a check written against the Thomas the Tank Engine Bank.

Or send it on a giant novelty cheque like the ones people use for fundraiser photos.

Mind you, we’re also a social lot. It’s a small village, most of the parents know each other and are on the Facebook group for the school year, so things like this are sorted very easily

Theres a Facebook parents group for each year?! 😯

I don’t know how you’ve managed this fella, because believe me, this is a pretty hotly contested mantle around these parts, but you’ve just broken the STW middle-class-o-meter, with its highest ever reading. A post that sent the mercury straight through the top of the glass, and spaffing itself all over the ceiling in a sighing, orgasmic groan that even a freshly printed Boden catalogue and a trip to John Lewis couldn’t manage 😆

Theres a Facebook parents group for each year?!

Dunno about the other years, but yeah we created one for our year. It’s not an official school thing – in fact they rather disapprove of it – but it’s been a really useful way for the parents to communicate, organise PTA stuff, kids parties, emergency babysitting, bitch about school meals etc.

Is Facebook middle class now? Should we have used Snapchat or something? 😉

Theres a Facebook parents group for each year?!

There is at our school, and it’s hugely useful for when your 5 year old comes back with some garbled message about something they have to do or attend or bring. Which is all the time!

Also “Our Tommy has come home with someone else’s shoes/backpack/underwear etc who is missing some?” is rather common.

As for class status – the school’s catchment is mostly giant council estates, so hardly middle class 🙂

My first child is due in about 10 weeks and up until now I’ve been totally fine but I just read this topic and had my first “what the **** have I let myself in for” moment 😆

I wonder what was on the invite.

For her to take him to court he needs to have broken a contract – for there to be a contract he needs to be made aware of it.

As was mentioned, I can’t imagine many parents will accept her next party in case they’re taken to court.

Am I alone in thinking that there must be more to this than what everyone is saying. Perhaps the parents of the kid whose party it was are worried about his friends/lack of friends/whatever.

Mind you, if this is the best way they can think of to handle this situation, the lad is in trouble.

Who publicised this by the way?

Seems the non-attendee’s parents might have re-raised all-in when they could have just tried to defuse the situation(?)

But really, honestly, do these people not have anything better to do?

Hopefully the two lads will become mates in years to come and spend a good portion of their time taking the piss out of their respective parents and making them squirm.

That would be a win-win.

At my kids school we sort it how it should be

behind the bike sheds after school ….like proper men

All kinds of wrong with this story

Either you’re conflating two schooldays cliches or there’s a local scandal about break 😆

I wonder what was on the invite.

For her to take him to court he needs to have broken a contract – for there to be a contract he needs to be made aware of it.

As was mentioned, I can’t imagine many parents will accept her next party in case they’re taken to court.

I think with the small claims court it’s more about ‘reasonableness’ rather than the specifics of contract law. I think this would just get kicked out on that basis, without going in to much detail.

At my kids school we sort it how it should be

behind the bike sheds after school ….like proper men

What a smoking contest?

She’ll have had fun this morning at school drop-off 🙂

DOUBLE wtf-ity-f???

Who publicised this by the way?

I do sometimes read stories like this & wonder how on earth they up up in the national press. Quiet news day I guess

Shame, a quick call would have sorted this in the first place, or a second call or message apologising for the non-show.

I would like to think that the invoice was sent “making a point”, and not to be taken seriously, but the no-manners absentees dad has taken the huff rather than apologise, and had her hung by the court of public opinion.

So, so, so happy I don’t have kids 8)

Looks like there may have been some existing animosity between the mums which explains a lot: ‘His mother told Apex News, “Julie Lawrence and I weren’t friends, we didn’t talk to each other at school..’

Taken from Guardian’s coverage: http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2015/jan/19/five-year-old-misses-friends-birthday-party-and-has-to-pay-1595

It never surprises me how people can be so awful, and yet so entertaining.

I would like to think that the invoice was sent “making a point”, and not to be taken seriously, but the no-manners absentees dad has taken the huff rather than apologise,

Surely this is what has gone on. I’d say knowingly letting the host parent book and pay for a place for your child and not making an effort to contact them and tell them your child can’t come is poor form. In similar circumstances I’d offer to pay for the unused place before the silly invoice came home. But that’s because I was brought up proper! On the other hand as the host I’d expect some wasted places but make sure that child didn’t get invited again if there was no apology or prior warning.

Having this as the top story on the BBC homepage is surely the epitome of a slow news day!

cheeky cow has over-charged too

http://jnlplymouth.co.uk/birthday-parties/

I would like to think that the invoice was sent “making a point”

Well it’s certainly made a point, just maybe not the one she wanted to make

It never surprises me how people can be so awful, and yet so entertaining.

A fact sadly not lost on the producers of Big Brother (other “reality” shows are available).

Having this as the top story on the BBC homepage is surely the epitome of a slow news day!

Setting aside lofty talk of fearless truth-saying and education the media are really there to tell us about things we’re interested in.

The fact that this thread is three pages long and counting shows they were pretty spot on in covering this. I’d bet Mumsnet is in meltdown.

Sorry if it was a choice between a party with his friends or a visit to the inlaws I’d go to the party first.

I imagine they couldnt be arsed with getting a present, wanted to offload their spawn on the grandparents. Great though they are kids LOVE going to parties.

Losers on both sides here. Sadly the kid looses out the most.

Are we concerned that the invoice number is 1432? Clearly this is a nice little earner for the mad woman host.