No-show Birthday Party Invoice

[polksaladallie]

Party invoice: Boy sent bill for birthday no-show

A five-year-old was billed for failing to attend a friend's birthday party - resulting in threats of legal action.

Alex Nash, from Cornwall, was invited to the party just before Christmas.

An invoice for £15.95 was sent by his schoolfriend's mother Julie Lawrence, who said Alex's non-attendance left her out of pocket and his parents had her details to tell her he was not going.

Alex's father Derek said he had been told he would be taken to the small claims court for refusing to pay.

Alex's parents, from Torpoint, had accepted an invitation to the party at a dry ski slope in Plymouth, Devon, just before Christmas.

However, they realised their son was double-booked and due to spend time with his grandparents, which he did.

http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-cornwall-30876360

[gleee58]

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@j*oono wrote:

It's all absolutely ridiculous to invoice the parents but then again it's darn rude to accept the invitation and then just be a no show.

I hope the birthday child had other friends there to help him celebrate. It scares me that there might have been other unreliable parents and that is what upset birthday boy's mum so much that she did  such a silly thing.

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I agree. If the mother had to pay for the set number of children booked in and the no show parents had let her know in advance she could have invited another child.  

[icyfroth]

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@gleee58 wrote:

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@j*oono wrote:

It's all absolutely ridiculous to invoice the parents but then again it's darn rude to accept the invitation and then just be a no show.

I hope the birthday child had other friends there to help him celebrate. It scares me that there might have been other unreliable parents and that is what upset birthday boy's mum so much that she did  such a silly thing.

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I agree. If the mother had to pay for the set number of children booked in and the no show parents had let her know in advance she could have invited another child.  

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I can't believe the production ppl make out of kid's birthday parties..

Speaking to a young Mum last Saturday said her daughter's 1st birthday party was going to cost her around  $1000.

Too hot to have it in the backyard and too many ppl to accomodate anyway, so had to book a hall.

caterers.

Jumping Castle

Whatever else she said I forget now, I was that flabbergasted.

What ever happened to inviting a few relos and other young Mums with their kiddies around for an afternoon tea. Serve chips, fairy bread, cocktail franks and sausage rolls. Have Grandma make a cake.

Play pass the parcel and Postman and musical chairs.

Put the sprinkler on if it gets too hot.

?

[cmcoins2000]

Forgive me but :

This was a 5 year old birthday party.

What is it with a 20 buck a head - 5 year old birthday party.

We used to get Fairy Bread & think it was Christmas.

[tasfleur]

It would have taken the most minimum of logic and intelligence to not set up the event in the way they did, thereby ensuring that if there was a 'no show' or more than one, only those who attend are paid for.  It's always risky to rely on everything working perfectly where children are concerned (they can get unwell quickly etc), it rarely does. 

[gleee58]

OMG, that's extreme party time for a toddler who will not remember a thing about it later, who will possibly fall asleep during the event and is likely to throw up from indulging in too much party food.

[azureline**]

It made no difference though, whether or not said child turned up, had he turned up, she still paid?

unless the invited child's parents had to pay for him?.

[the_bob_delusion]

If you have a wedding and pay $$$ for guests and people simply don't show up with no decent excuse. I would be pretty **bleep** off. 

I think the b'day parent is just teaching the other a lesson in common curtesy. 

[i-need-a-martini]

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@**bob_on_the_go** wrote:

If you have a wedding and pay $$$ for guests and people simply don't show up with no decent excuse. I would be pretty **bleep** off. 

I think the b'day parent is just teaching the other a lesson in common curtesy. 

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I agree. I doubt it has anything to do with the money but the principle.

Not showing up after RSVPing is plain rude but ridiculously common.

After years of throwing parties for my 2 kids (usually backyard jobs) I used to get really irritated by kids that failed to show or parents who thought it Ok to allow uninvited siblings to stay.

[2106greencat]

And, sadly, how picked on is this little kid going to be once the school chums find out his mum and dad have initiated court action coz 'someone didn't show for his party' ?

Kid's know nothing about money, and why should they at that age, this poor little mite is going to be hounded by his school mates coz his parents are knobs!

[i-need-a-martini]

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@2106greencat wrote:

And, sadly, how picked on is this little kid going to be once the school chums find out his mum and dad have initiated court action coz 'someone didn't show for his party' ?

Kid's know nothing about money, and why should they at that age, this poor little mite is going to be hounded by his school mates coz his parents are knobs!

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I think it is the other way around. 

The knobs are the parents who wasted birthday childs mums time and money without a second thought.