Author Topic: 5 year old boy billed for birthday party no-show  (Read 5314 times)

KBecks2

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boarder42

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Re: 5 year old boy billed for birthday party no-show
« Reply #1 on: January 22, 2015, 06:02:06 AM »
thats just awesome.   

one could profit immensely off of this if a court held this up... I don't have kids but when i was a kid there were always kids we thought would be at parties who didnt show up.   Start including all birthday party invites with a 100 dollar no show fee and you could be sitting pretty assuming this held up in court.  which it wont

Adventine

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Re: 5 year old boy billed for birthday party no-show
« Reply #2 on: January 22, 2015, 06:38:56 AM »
Not "kind of crazy." It's crazy crazy crazy.

eyePod

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Re: 5 year old boy billed for birthday party no-show
« Reply #3 on: January 22, 2015, 07:43:35 AM »
Talk about passive aggressive. And it's not a large amount of money or anything! Jeez!

Nothlit

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Re: 5 year old boy billed for birthday party no-show
« Reply #4 on: January 22, 2015, 09:14:11 AM »
When I first glanced at the headline I thought it said "killed" :-\

AH013

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Re: 5 year old boy billed for birthday party no-show
« Reply #5 on: January 22, 2015, 10:17:09 AM »
In all fairness, I think the biller's (Lawrence) tact was off and there is no basis for a lawsuit, but the parents of the no-show kid (Nash/Walsh) are asshats, and maybe Lawrence's intent isn't to actually get the money but to teach them a lesson about respect for others (which is what she tells them she hopes it accomplishes).

As the Lawrence mother called them out, this isn't the first time they've agreed and had their kid agree to go to a destination birthday party and then no-showed.  That's just plain rude to organizer.  If you don't want to go in the first place, decline.  If your plans change, follow up with regards.  They fully admit she confirmed with them multiple times that their son was coming, which she clearly did because she needed to RSVP at the ski place and pay per kid attending to reserve ski equipment, prepare lunches, etc.  I don't buy for a minute they had no idea how to get in touch with her...they at least knew where they were supposed to go skiing and could have called the ski place to say they couldn't attend and maybe it would have been early enough to have a no-penalty cancel.  They knew the name of the kid and mother, right?  White pages!  They just decided doing nothing was less hassle for them, and are now trying to play the gradma & grandpa card to get sympathy from the media.  I think it's laughable they think it's "slander" for the Lawrence mom to state that Nash agreed to go to the party & then no-showed...what idiot thinks having your factual actions called to light is slander, just because you're embarrassed by you and your partner's rudeness?

Yes, I get the logic that if the kid attended she'd still have paid the $24, so she is out nothing by them not attending versus attending.  But I think the point Lawrence is trying to make is more your actions have costs, so be mindful of others...you wouldn't want people wasting your own money so don't waste other people's money they were willing to generously spend on you.

sheepstache

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Re: 5 year old boy billed for birthday party no-show
« Reply #6 on: January 22, 2015, 10:41:01 AM »
Yeah I'm with you, AH013, although I have yet to see an article that explains the situation in a way that makes sense. I suspect the hostess might be nuts and terrible at communication, but in the abstract this seems like if you told a friend you'd go to the movies with them so they reserved and paid for a ticket for you and now you're saying you shouldn't have to pay them back because you didn't show up.

And actually if the case was that she would have paid for them coming if they'd come, that makes me even more sympathetic towards her. She was happy to treat them and wouldn't have minded spending the money in that case.

24 bucks isn't much, but that means if four kids are no-shows you're out almost 100 bucks for nothing. Granted, if you can't handle that you could choose a less expensive option for your kid's party, but whether you can afford it or not doesn't affect whether it's rude.

It doesn't help that this article features a picture of the dad, which, I know Americans characteristically don't dress well*, but his deliberately scruffy stubble beard, hip glasses, and deliberate bed-head make me want to punch him in the face. And while the hostess's attitudes might be questionable, I can't stand the whiny 'How dare you pass a note to us through our son!!' weirdness. Like, really? Aside from the weird sanctity-of-the-child argument, it seems contradictory to argue that you had no possible way of contacting with the hostess (so there obviously isn't a contact list or an established system for parent-to-parent communication) but you're mad at her for using the only possible path of communication as though she had an alternative.

*edit to clarify: even though it's common to be more fashionable in his country than in mine, his emphasis on looking cool and hip pisses me off
« Last Edit: January 22, 2015, 12:21:13 PM by sheepstache »

MgoSam

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Re: 5 year old boy billed for birthday party no-show
« Reply #7 on: January 22, 2015, 11:31:46 AM »
A pox on both their houses. I disagree with giving an invoice, but to be honest, screw the parents of the no-show. I host a lot of events and use FB to organize and invite people (and see who all is coming), and it generally isn't a big deal for anyone that says they are coming and doesn't, as plans change. But I would be steamed if it was an event that requires a set amount of people AND costs money per person. There is an implied contract when you agree to go somewhere and that somewhere costs the host money, and in my opinion the father should apologize and pay it. I would be steamed if I booked a table for 20 for my birthday and have the people were no-shows without notice, and I'm sure the restaurant would be displeased with me because they likely had to reserve that many spots.

MgoSam

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Re: 5 year old boy billed for birthday party no-show
« Reply #8 on: January 22, 2015, 11:35:14 AM »
Also, let's assume that father was completely truthful in that

a. He did not have access to the host's contact information and had no legitimate way of contacting them (ie, couldn't call a mutual friend to pass along the message)

and

b. He sincerely did not know about a conflicting obligation,

I still think that he is at fault for not knowing his previous obligations and not trying to man up for it. I sometimes double-book myself, but am extremely good about providing notice to someone. In the event that I have to cancel on something that requires money, it is my experience that the person bailing must compensate the host for their portion of the expenses. For instance, a year ago I organized a ballet outing with some friends, one of whom bailed at the last moment. To her credit, she

a. Gave me notice in advance
b. Tried to find someone to take her ticket
c. On her own initiative, sent payment for her ticket. Thankfully I found someone that was interested and so was able to void her check, but I really appreciated her thoughtfulness.

ILoveMyBlondeStache

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Re: 5 year old boy billed for birthday party no-show
« Reply #9 on: January 22, 2015, 12:01:37 PM »
When I first glanced at the headline I thought it said "killed" :-\


HA!  +1

Numbers Man

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Re: 5 year old boy billed for birthday party no-show
« Reply #10 on: January 22, 2015, 12:52:59 PM »
I think the child that got the invoice should claim bankruptcy. And the parents of the child with the birthday party should have the party at home to alleviate cancellation expenses.

CommonCents

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Re: 5 year old boy billed for birthday party no-show
« Reply #11 on: January 22, 2015, 01:27:07 PM »
Also, let's assume that father was completely truthful in that

a. He did not have access to the host's contact information and had no legitimate way of contacting them (ie, couldn't call a mutual friend to pass along the message)

and

b. He sincerely did not know about a conflicting obligation,

I still think that he is at fault for not knowing his previous obligations and not trying to man up for it. I sometimes double-book myself, but am extremely good about providing notice to someone. In the event that I have to cancel on something that requires money, it is my experience that the person bailing must compensate the host for their portion of the expenses. For instance, a year ago I organized a ballet outing with some friends, one of whom bailed at the last moment. To her credit, she

a. Gave me notice in advance
b. Tried to find someone to take her ticket
c. On her own initiative, sent payment for her ticket. Thankfully I found someone that was interested and so was able to void her check, but I really appreciated her thoughtfulness.

Yep.  And it can also be said, if he had no way to get in touch with them, but could with the grandparents - maybe they should have canceled on the grandparents.

I don't think the biller intends to win or cares if she wins a court case.  I think she was just pissed at lot of no-shows by this kid and figured maybe this would get the point across humorously.  Unfortunately it didn't work.

I had no shows for my wedding, which was a lot more than $24 each.  I was annoyed yes, and wished there was a way I could communicate it to the no-shows that what they did was rude, but I couldn't because in polite society you are supposed to just forgive and forget, which enables that behavior (until you stop inviting those people).

 

Wow, a phone plan for fifteen bucks!