to think that i should not have to pay for the school's mistake?

[Kitsmummy]

This year the children at school have each done a Christmas card design and parents were able to buy the cards at 6 per pack.

So I duly bought my two packs (one pack per child) and a couple of week's later they were sent home. I noticed they'd sent two packs of my son's cards, I gave it about 2 seconds thought, figured I must have ordered the wrong amount of cards (the form was quite complicated) and thought nothing more of it. I certainly didn't think that someone else might have ordered my son's cards. My children wrote all their cards straight away (I am right in the middle of a divorce/house move and want to get things crossed off the list straight away at the moment).

Then yesterday the school emails everyone asking if anyone has been sent extra packs of cards as they were ordered by and paid for by the teachers. I immediately replied, explained I assumed i'd ordered in error, the cards have already been written but I think there are a few spare ones at home that I can send back in and a few spare cards of my daughters that I can send too (knowing that obviously they haven't been bought by a parent so I thought my daughter's might be an appropriate substitute).

School have replied saying it's the Headmistresses cards and she wants to be re-imbursed for them, as she bought packs of my son's and daughter's cards.

Now firstly, I only received one pack of my daughter's cards so I'm not reimbursing the headmistress for an extra pack that I never received, but AIBU to think it's a bit off to demand payment for their mistake and they should just take it out of the profit for the cards? I know my kids wrote on them but I didn't give it any thought other than initially assuming I ordered an extra pack by mistake. I should also mention that I support the school in lots of other ways, attending functions, sending in stuff for school fayres blah blah blah.

Now i am going to pay, I don't want a falling out with the Headmistress, but I'm pissed off because I think it's a bloody cheek and the school should be covering this error. And also perhaps the fact that I straight away offered (before being asked for payment) to send the few spare cards that I have left back in should be enough.

This is a hilarious thread. The Headteacher is clearly a peadophiles who wants the cards for her ring of sexual abuse, OP must burn all copies of the cards immediately, and the children's true names should be whispered in a box, which is then locked and buried in the ocean, the names never to be voiced again - basic child safety measures really.

Erm, Vincent goes to the care home and has convo with Mary.
She's not his mother.
Well not the woman he is protecting, can anyone go back to the bit where he was looking at the photo?

Friends with a head who uses these type of cards (and coasters etc) it's not creepy it's supporting the school. She probably picked a few packs to use for the governors etc.

You're the only one banging on about paedophiles booboo

I just don't like the idea of randoms knowing my child's full name, age and school anymore than I like it when Argos sell my details on to telemarketers.

And let's face it, these cards are only cute if you know the child that actually drew them. To anybody else, it's just a badly drawn piece of crap that's destined for the bin. I just don't like the idea.

I can understand with what's going on with the move and things that you would perhaps assume that you'd ordered two by mistake. There is usually a bit of a delay from when you send of the form to when you receive the cards. It's not your mistake so I do think it's rather annoying they are now expecting you to pay for them, but you have got some use out of them and if you can afford it, would probably be easier just to pay it.

:)

Why would I care if someone knew my son's name, age and school? Precisely what are they going to do with that information - walk into the crowded playground calling his name and brandishing a copy of his card design?

I agree with you OP - it's your children's designs so it would never occur to me that someone else might have ordered them, and I'd just assume that I'd ordered three packs rather than two. It was the school's error, surely the head's order would've been on a separate form so it was their mistake to send the cards home with you. Very annoying that you now have to pay for them.

I'm with Saucy on this. At the very least I'd expect a call from the HT to ask if it would be okay to purchase my DC's card for school use (basic courtesy) and would probably say ok. Or, I could want my DC's information kept private and confidential for other reasons (fleeing abuse) and would likely say no.

Oh, and OP - yanbu because you're going to pay the money back. But the school bollocked up on this one. x

Ah- that's where I posted it!

Chef Where were you? Sounds intriguing

Hellsandwich- I totally agree with you.

The reason it is creepy (and my school do these cards) is that your child does a design for you to buy. No other parent is permitted even to view the work - it's presented to you with a personalised order form. At the very least the HT should have asked permission to have a pack of that child's cards.

It is very different to a situation where a class all do a design and the best is picked to be printed and sent out to represent the school or something like that.

Oh and I will add that on the order form you get to choose whether your child's name is there or not etc. HT would've had to do a form and make those choices when it's not his or her place to do so.

HT was in the wrong.

In the RL world, if you order something and the company gets it wrong re shipment then it's the company's fault. Not the customer.

Very though for the school as they will have had very little leaway there.
But I'm also wondering if the issue isn't that the school has made a mistake and they are trying to cover for it/recover as much of the money as possible.

Clearly OP should pay for the extra cards used. Don't think it's at all creepy for school staff to buy cards & use these, I would see this as supporting the school they work for.

And as for the data protection act loons, what exactly do think someone receiving a school Christmas card with a picture drawn by your child, their name (shock horror) and their class on it, is going to do with it?? Take off your tinfoil hat and actually think about what you are suggesting.

Saucy basic child safety rules dictate you change your child's name on a daily basis otherwise with the best intentions some random stranger could find out your child's full name. Calling them "Child 1" and "Child 2" is another option but it can become a bit confusing in large groups of children.

On a thread in telly addicts about The Missing!

Will give this thread my proper attention now, sorry.

purpleproxy in my DCs school the teacher wears eye patches when the children do artwork so that she doesn't inadvertently see it. The paintings are then sealed in special envelopes that can only be opened by the parents (fingerints and retinal scans).

Booboo you have made me laugh so much- thank you as I was feeling quite down today.

OP you are being unreasonable- you thought you had mistakenly ordered & paid for 2 sets anyway so what's the issue now that they have pointed out you hadn't! If you were that bothered you should have raised the issue before the cards were used.

Noone's suggesting anything would happen MmeMorrible.

You either value your privacy, or you don't.

I do, and as such I don't want my children's details and school work given out to people who don't need them. Nothing to do with the paedofiddlers.

I really don't understand why people are being quite so rude. I wouldn't want my DC's details being shared (no matter how innocently) without my consent. In this case, the drawings have been created for personal use for the family - they don't 'belong' to the school, so the school should ask. It's not a biggie!

It's a Christmas card with a drawing of Santa and 'Jack Brown (8), Walthambridge Preparatory School' printed on the back. Not a photocopy of his birth cert, medical records and exam results, for crying out loud.

I honestly think some people actively look for things to get paranoid about.

At all the primary schools I've been at they have asked selected children to do a card which is then given to a governor or a parental helper. I expect the cards were to be used for something like that. They do similar for thank you cards after school trips and things like that. Do you find that creepy?

Although I note that the head says that she ordered 1 of your ds and 1 of your dd. As you obviously were so uncertain that you might have ordered a third, you can't be certain then that you only ordered one, so maybe you do need to reimberse for two packets.