Ken Gargett Posted January 20, 2015 Share Posted January 20, 2015 granted the parents of the kid who failed to show are rude tossers but suing? spare me. and you do have to love a 5 year old who finds himself "double-booked". Five-year-old misses friend's birthday party and gets invoice for £15.95 The parents of Alex Nash have been sent an invoice for failing to attend the birthday party and threatened with legal action if they do not pay No-show invoices, gift vouchers and posh gift bags: the true cost of the children’s party Alex Nash and his father Derek with the invoice for missing the birthday party. Tuesday 20 January 2015 00.44 AEST The parents of a five-year-old schoolboy have been invoiced for failing to attend a school friend’s birthday party and have been threatened with legal action if they do not pay. Derek Nash and Tanya Walsh found a brown envelope with a £15.95 “no show fee” left in their son Alex’s schoolbag last week, sent by his classmate’s mother Julie Lawrence. Lawrence claims that Alex’s failure to attend her child’s birthday party has left her out of pocket, and that his parents had her details to tell her that their son would not be attending. Nash said he had been told he would be taken to small claims court for refusing to pay. It all started with an invitation to the birthday party just before Christmas at the Plymouth Ski Slope and Snowboard Centre. Alex – who attends a local nursery in Torpoint, Cornwall – told his parents he wanted to go, so they confirmed he would be at the party. However, his parents realised on the day that Alex had been double-booked to spend time with his grandparents. His mother told Apex News, “Julie Lawrence and I weren’t friends, we didn’t talk to each other at school, but I felt bad about Alex not going to the party.” “I searched for the party invite afterwards and I’m not sure we even had one.” She added: “But to be invoiced like this is so over the top – I’ve never heard of anything like it. It’s a terrible way of handling it – it’s very condescending.” Nash said he did not have the contact details of Julie Lawrence, and so could not let her know on the day. After he found the letter he visited Lawrence, as her address was on the invoice, and “told her I would not be paying her the money”. “It was a proper invoice with full official details and even her bank details on it.” He added: “I can understand that she’s upset about losing money. The money isn’t the issue, it’s the way she went about trying to get the money from me.” “She didn’t treat me like a human being,” he said. In a short statement, Lawrence said: “All details were on the party invite. They had every detail needed to contact me.” Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rigby Posted January 20, 2015 Share Posted January 20, 2015 'unfriend' button already pushed... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnS Posted January 20, 2015 Share Posted January 20, 2015 Moral to the story? Make sure to keep your paperwork or else people will treat you like a bank when you fail to keep your end of the deal! Also, I can't see these five year-olds getting together for a play again and because they go to the same school they'll have to be separated. What a nice win-win situation! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ken Gargett Posted January 20, 2015 Author Share Posted January 20, 2015 Moral to the story? Make sure to keep your paperwork or else people will treat you like a bank when you fail to keep your end of the deal! Also, I can't see these five year-olds getting together for a play again and because they go to the same school they'll have to be separated. What a nice win-win situation! i suspect five year olds have no clue what is happening and even less interest. if these two were mates then he would have been at the party. i also suspect parent events may be frosty. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fuzz Posted January 20, 2015 Share Posted January 20, 2015 Get a sack of 1595 1p coins, whack her with it for being a twit, then hand it over as payment. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Ken Gargett Posted January 20, 2015 Author Popular Post Share Posted January 20, 2015 Get a sack of 1595 1p coins, whack her with it for being a twit, then hand it over as payment. no fuzz, better to attend the next one and then send an invoice for an appearance fee. 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fuzz Posted January 20, 2015 Share Posted January 20, 2015 no fuzz, better to attend the next one and then send an invoice for an appearance fee. Classic! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
forgop Posted January 20, 2015 Share Posted January 20, 2015 Not saying I would do it myself, but I understand it. If a person RSVP's that they're going to attend and don't show up, you've paid for something for nothing. Someone else could have gone in his place if they were limited in number of attendees or not paid for a no-show at all. It's not like the parents got by without the charge. Moral of the story: If you RSVP, have the common courtesy to let them know you can't make it. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ken Gargett Posted January 20, 2015 Author Share Posted January 20, 2015 Not saying I would do it myself, but I understand it. If a person RSVP's that they're going to attend and don't show up, you've paid for something for nothing. Someone else could have gone in his place if they were limited in number of attendees or not paid for a no-show at all. It's not like the parents got by without the charge. Moral of the story: If you RSVP, have the common courtesy to let them know you can't make it. completely agree re the poor form rsvp'ing. complete lack of class and manners. see it all the time with the stuff i do (as an observer). some go out of their way to get there if they have accepted. others could not care less. but there is probably lots more here. did they have to pay an individual charge for each child and if so, what? was it simply a 'hire the venue' charge, in which case the parents lost nothing and are just being tossers. who knows the full circumstances. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
forgop Posted January 20, 2015 Share Posted January 20, 2015 completely agree re the poor form rsvp'ing. complete lack of class and manners. see it all the time with the stuff i do (as an observer). some go out of their way to get there if they have accepted. others could not care less. but there is probably lots more here. did they have to pay an individual charge for each child and if so, what? was it simply a 'hire the venue' charge, in which case the parents lost nothing and are just being tossers. who knows the full circumstances. Agree there's more to the story for sure, and some of it is probably some butthurt that their son got snubbed in favor of what may have apparently been the "cooler" party for the kid and the parents attempting to get some sort of revenge. With technology these days, how can you possibly RSVP to time conflicting events and then claims ignorance that you didn't know how to reach one of the parties involved. Even those in poverty have access to smart phones where you can take pictures, add to your calendar, etc. Any time I have an appointment, I plug in the info including address, phone number, names, etc. so there's no way it rolls around to the day/time and then I'm left clueless about how to contact said party if something comes up. Guess what happens when you skip a doctor's appointment without advance notification nowadays? That's right, you get a bill for a no-show. A little courtesy would have gone a long way here IMO. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ken Gargett Posted January 20, 2015 Author Share Posted January 20, 2015 Agree there's more to the story for sure, and some of it is probably some butthurt that their son got snubbed in favor of what may have apparently been the "cooler" party for the kid and the parents attempting to get some sort of revenge. With technology these days, how can you possibly RSVP to time conflicting events and then claims ignorance that you didn't know how to reach one of the parties involved. Even those in poverty have access to smart phones where you can take pictures, add to your calendar, etc. Any time I have an appointment, I plug in the info including address, phone number, names, etc. so there's no way it rolls around to the day/time and then I'm left clueless about how to contact said party if something comes up. Guess what happens when you skip a doctor's appointment without advance notification nowadays? That's right, you get a bill for a no-show. A little courtesy would have gone a long way here IMO. we are in agreement on the aspect of courtesy however, i'd argue the technology bit. i don't have a smart phone and, on the one i do have, i have no idea how to take photos. or do the calender thing, if it has that. or connect it to the internet. a good old written diary etc etc. but i do manage and turn up if i rsvp. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laficion Posted January 20, 2015 Share Posted January 20, 2015 Where are those days gone when you DIDN'T have to pay to go to a party ? After this, I think I'll INVITE some friends over for dinner AND I'll tell them how much they owe me. Jeeeeee ouchhhhhhh,Now;I know that I'm getting old. Guy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
earthson Posted January 20, 2015 Share Posted January 20, 2015 I feel sorry for the money-grubber's son. She sounds like C U next tuesday Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
... Posted January 20, 2015 Share Posted January 20, 2015 I feel sorry for the money-grubber's son. She sounds like C U next tuesday Meh... We'd need the whole storey from more than one angle to fully appreciate the issue. All we can put forward are biased opinions. I agree billing with formal document for a five year old kid no-show seems plain retarded. However, the pictured kid's parents could have had bad intentions in the matter and deny it after the facts. So easy to jump to the simplest conclusion Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wabashcr Posted January 20, 2015 Share Posted January 20, 2015 I'd be pretty chapped about losing what amounts to $25 US, too, and I'd definitely let the other parents know I was upset. But I wouldn't ask them for money, and I sure as hell wouldn't invoice them for it. Those parents and their kid who didn't show would be persona non grata, and I'd get over it. Sometimes it's best to be the bigger person and move forward, even if deep down, you'll always know the score. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leftimatic Posted January 20, 2015 Share Posted January 20, 2015 I tend to wonder why someone would be having a birthday party for a five year old that cost $25 US a head! And then not expect no shows. We get a 65% return maybe on kids when it comes to our sons parties. If you are throwing around money and can't afford to do so perhaps a follow up and confirmation wouldn't hurt. Or just play pin the tail on the donkey, and keep the dough for a trip to Cuba! Also if the kids went to the same class the guy couldn't give a heads up to the birthday boys mom before class a day or two ahead. Sounds like a bunch of whining on both sides really. Hope the kids pull through and don't grow up like their parents. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ken Gargett Posted January 21, 2015 Author Share Posted January 21, 2015 childrens' services should step in and take all the kids away from both tosser parents. not to make this a national thing but interesting how we always have stuff shoved down our throats about america being so litigious and how all US lawyers are ambulance chasers and so on and yet this is the brits (granted they are talking small claims and not having a firm represent them). i've worked in law firms in australia, the UK and america (DC) and always maintained that the firm in the states was by far the most well run, ethical, decent firm by a mile. not necessarily better lawyers but by far the most ethical. anyone bringing this through the door would have been tossed out immediately at the firm in DC. and i have worked in firms in australia that would have taken this on in an instant (not all but certainly one or two). the one in england would have just rolled over and gone back to sleep. that said, speaking to one of the former partners of the DC firm years later, that all imploded and they acted (or at least some of the partners/lawyers acted) in the dodgiest and most corrupt manner possible. firm largely fell apart. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CaptainQuintero Posted January 21, 2015 Share Posted January 21, 2015 I wonder if this type of thing is a result of the digital relationships we all semi live in. Do some people fall into that trap of falling out of touch with reality and deal with everyone in real life as they would over the internet? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
earthson Posted January 21, 2015 Share Posted January 21, 2015 Meh... We'd need the whole storey from more than one angle to fully appreciate the issue. All we can put forward are biased opinions. I agree billing with formal document for a five year old kid no-show seems plain retarded. However, the pictured kid's parents could have had bad intentions in the matter and deny it after the facts. So easy to jump to the simplest conclusion No doubt that this is only one side of the story. If there is another side that rationalizes the invoice, however, I'm sure it'd be a doozy and require a J.D. to explain. I wonder if Invoice Mom realizes that when other parents hear about this, they will be RSVPing NO for years to come! Her kid is going to have some lonely, lonely birthday parties. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ogus Posted January 21, 2015 Share Posted January 21, 2015 the world is beyond redemption but not individuals, thank God. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cigar Surgeon Posted January 21, 2015 Share Posted January 21, 2015 No doubt that this is only one side of the story. If there is another side that rationalizes the invoice, however, I'm sure it'd be a doozy and require a J.D. to explain. I wonder if Invoice Mom realizes that when other parents hear about this, they will be RSVPing NO for years to come! Her kid is going to have some lonely, lonely birthday parties. Another article I read indicated this had happened multiple times and cost them fees. I think the prudent thing to do would have been not to invite the kid but ... whatever. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
topdiesel Posted January 21, 2015 Share Posted January 21, 2015 When I was a five year old, I would go to birthday parties in the neighborhood all by myself. Now that I have a 5 year old, all of the parties seem to require an adult to attend the party as well. I would gladly pay $20/per event not to have to attend a birthday party every weekend. How many times can you go to a bounce house and buy a kid you don't know a set of legos? I can understand these parents requiring a break from this routine and "letting" the grandparents visit with the kids while they go off to have some adult time. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ken Gargett Posted January 21, 2015 Author Share Posted January 21, 2015 the world is beyond redemption but not individuals, thank God. you want to bring god into a childrens' party spat? one might hope that these days he'd be a little busier with more important things. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
earthson Posted January 22, 2015 Share Posted January 22, 2015 you want to bring god into a childrens' party spat? one might hope that these days he'd be a little busier with more important things. Oh, yeah, um, God's really busy cleaning up the world! Can't ya tell!? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ken Gargett Posted January 22, 2015 Author Share Posted January 22, 2015 Oh, yeah, um, God's really busy cleaning up the world! Can't ya tell!? yes, doing a bang up job. you'd have to think that humanity is not going to feature prominently on his/her/its CV. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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