x mas present for dc been ruined by friend wwyd

[wonderingsoul]

not sure what to do about this. but couple of weeks ago i had been in town with a friend. she is a lovely friend. i had brought to presents for my dc. coming to £30. which may not sound alot but it is to me and her. i hadnt noticed the time so had to speed of to get kids from school.

she kindly offered to take them back to hers so they wouldnt see the bags and see whats inside. and said shed bring them with her when she came to mine later that night when the kids where asleep.

she forgot and has forgotton the other times. iv offered to go up hers a few times but shes been at work or out.
but as it is her kids have got hold of them and are slightly dirty (their two talking tomes. 2 for 30 in argos) and used basically.


my delimea is now.. i want the money to buy new ones. or it to be replaced. but shes has big money troubles.. so do i

a- just replace them myself and wait for the money instalments .. though i dont really have the money to replace them along with the other stuff i have to get.

b- just forget about them for christmas and get th emoney in the new year.

part of me feels bad wanting to ask her becasue i know her money troubles but then the other part of me feels like my children shouldnt miss out of the presents i brought becasue of it.

[timeforachangebaby]

wipe them? Its not like your children will notice. Are they still in the packaging? Take them back and tell Argos they were like it but you didn't notice in the shop, that is quite likely to be the case anyway.

[iHaveNoIkea]

Agree with timeforachange but if the presents are beyond that point then I'd be asking her to replace them. Did she just tell you her kids had been playing with them and not apologise or offer you the money? That's very rude.

[Yamyoid]

Clean them up. If the children are young, they won't care if they're not in the packaging, just wrap them. Don't lose out on them just because they're a bit dirty.

[pictish]

Depends how used they are. If they just took them out of the packaging and fiddled for a while, no worries.

[wonderingsoul]

no theve been taken out the packaging.

but yes this may be the best solution if it can be cleaned back to new. im just..alitlle.. ok a lot.. annoyed. which my b u but i cant help feel like it.

[TheLightPassenger]

your friend shouldn't have let her kids play with them BUT given you are both so badly off, I would let it go, and as the other poster suggests, give them a clean, your children are unlikely to notice.

[TheLightPassenger]

she let her kids take them out of the packaging . I wouldn't let her near your stuff again TBH.

[timeforachangebaby]

My DS did this so someone elses present (thankfully that I had bought), I wrapped the packaging with sellotape and explained to the mum, the DC didnt even notice the damaged packing.

Such a shame, I now leave everything out of reach.

[wonderingsoul]

no she appogised that the kids had got hold of them. but kind oif ummed and arred about the money. will have to see them before i decided what to do. which will be today.

i know i should have got them sooner, but shes a good friend and should have kept them some where safe. like iv done for her on occasions.

[SavoyCabbage]

I take toys out of the packaging before unwrap them for Christmas so I don't have to do it on the day.

[TheLightPassenger]

yes, sometimes people, as savoy cabbage does, unwrap pressies beforehand anyway, particularly if they need batteries/assembly so they are ready to play with as soon as they are opened.

[DowntonTrout]

I know people are saying just clean them up. But she let her DCs take them out of the packaging and and play with them?

I don't have any sensible advice but I would be very angry. What did she say about it? Did she apologise?

[flow4]

Your kids won't notice, honestly :)
When DS was little, I was really broke, and I did a couple of Christmases with a total budget of £15 for toys/presents for him. I bought good quality stuff second hand from the market, and he didn't know or care! :D

[wonderingsoul]

3 and 7. tbh the kids prob wont notice that their not in their boxes.

if i think about it its more me that cares they wont be and their not "new" "new"

[Softlysoftly]

I don't think she should have expected her mate to let the kids play with Christmas presents that's just bloody rude.

YANBU to be very annoyed but as pps said if you are both skint clean them up and wrap them the kids won't notice.

[Svrider]

I'm at the other posters tbh
Your "friend" should have never allowed her dc any where near those presents
Out of interest did she allow them to open the presents she'd brought?
Don't accept the opened presents
She needs to replace them

[pingu2209]

That is totally out of order. I would be massively pissed off if my children's presents were opened and played with. I would expect the other mum to replace.

[Yamyoid]

Yanbu to be annoyed but it's done now. Just get the toys back, clean them and try not to let it spoil your friendship. She shouldn't have let it happen and should have brought them straight over to you as soon as her kids got at them but life gets hectic with kids around and these things happen. Hope you can rescue them.

[pictish]

Oh right - well in that case, I'd take them back and wrap up, as suggested.
If nothing else you'll know not to hand your lott over to other people for safeguarding again.

I don't think this need be anything other than a lesson learned. Yeah she was a bit remiss, but aren't we all at times?

It's cool. Just give them as they are now. The kids will love them! x

[pictish]

loot even

[SavoyCabbage]

I don't think we are saying its ideal rider, just that it's happened now and the friend doesn't have much money.

[TheLightPassenger]

the problem with demanding a replacement is the lovely friend may no longer be lovely, and may need constant chasing for either a replacement or the money. So in terms of the stress and hassle factor, if they can be cleaned up, it will be better for the OP in the long run.

[DowntonTrout]

Sorry x posts.

I still think its awful that she didn't just put them away somewhere safe.

[pixiestix]

I woud be pissed off and asking for the money back.