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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

School asked me for 20p

195 replies

MoanCraft · 11/05/2015 22:06

Ds is going on a field trip. I'm always really busy (aren't we all), partly because I help out with lots of community things and one is the school committee.
I spend a lot of money when funds don't come through to cover for stuff that's asked for or needed by teachers etc., it goes without saying that I have given a lot of my time at events.
School asks for money to pay for school trip. I mistakenly underpay by 20p.
I get a call from the school asking me to bring in the 20p.
AIBU to be a bit miffed.

OP posts:
Starlightbright1 · 12/05/2015 11:54

To be clear I'm a bit miffed that someone has called me and asked me to bring in 20p. There are so many other ways they could have dealt with it. Someone mentioned that it may well come out of a receptionists pocket. Well I wouldn't want that obviously.
Maybe they could have temporarily taken it from someone else and maybe mentioned it to the teacher so I could give it to her in the day. It was just all so officious.

I think some of it is about efficiency..Our school are currently collecting for schools trips for all years to different places. If 10 parents had underpaid they will need to just make 10 phonecalls. If they wrote a letter printed them off, individual letters for each child, then delivered them to each classroom or just made a quick call. The thing about school is no special treatment for PSA, governors , volunteers. If secretary mentioned to teacher, teacher then has the uncomfortable job of asking for money.

Really an ok I will drop it in was all you needed to think about.

dustarr73 · 12/05/2015 12:02

Op i think you are getting such a hard time on here.I get where you are coming from but the one thing i would do now is just stop with the money.If they are short changed they can chase them up,after all they did it to you.

Plus i know what you mean about the phonecall it just seems petty.After all you are helping out which means im sure you spend a fair bit of time in school.Cutting off their nose to spite their face really.

Roseforarose · 12/05/2015 12:16

Toof She is giving the 20p, that's a bit nasty tbh.

Hakluyt · 12/05/2015 12:18

AIBU to be a bit cross that the school chased me for a 20p underpayment?

No, not really- it does seem a bit time wasting and petty.

AIBU to be a bit cross that the school chased me for a 20p underpayment because I volunteer and have given lots of money to the school?

Yes you are - the rules should apply exactly the same to everyone.

Pipbin · 12/05/2015 12:40

There are a number of people saying 'I bet they wouldn't say anything if you over paid'. Well in my school they would give you change.

And as for the 'it's a voluntary contribution, you don't have to pay' attitude; what would happen if everyone did that? I guess those people are happy for everyone else to pay for them.

blueshoes · 12/05/2015 13:20

YABU for creating all the unnecessary admin for the school by underpaying. Don't do it again!

HagOtheNorth · 12/05/2015 17:50

'I wouldn't be surprised if loads of parents sent in £9 rather than faff about for the 70p. I bet they weren't phoning them up telling them to call in for the 30p theyd overpaid by. Petty.'

Confused I've never been in a primary school that didn't give change every time. Even if the office staff had to nip out and source more coins from the bank.
TattyDevine · 12/05/2015 17:59

I think they are being incredibly petty, nearly as petty as some of the responses on here.

I would stop subsidising anything, pay the 20p as you have said you will/have, and bask in the knowledge that their pettiness has left them worse off i the long term, by offending one of the good guys.

YANBU

shrunkenhead · 12/05/2015 18:21

It's petty but where else would the money come from?

shrunkenhead · 12/05/2015 18:23

Just out of interest how does it work if nobody pays the "voluntary" contributions to school trips? Does the pta pay or do they just not go?

HagOtheNorth · 12/05/2015 19:01

Cancel the trip, what else is there? Those who paid get a refund.

DoctorShoe · 12/05/2015 19:06

YANBU x 1,000,000.

GraysAnalogy · 12/05/2015 19:09

YABU

How much would you find acceptable to contact you?

retrocutie · 12/05/2015 19:12

Schools are very transactional, they have to be, they're institutions. They don't really have time to think "oh well, she's spent a lot of her own money on stuff, so we really should let her off the 20p". And as someone said, where is it going to come from?

Actually, I put a lot of thought into my post but now feel a bit silly as this has got to be a joke, surely?

HagOtheNorth · 12/05/2015 19:13

Got the T shirt yet, OP?
www.force18.co.uk/image/cache/data/mens/dont-you-know-who-i-am_0009_purple-640x640.jpg

Pipbin · 12/05/2015 22:22

As for someone bitching that schools ask for cheque payments, who do you think should pay for them to have a card machine installed? I'm guessing you would be happy for the children to have less so you don't have to find your cheque book.

I have known trips to be cancelled because not enough people have paid. If a school has a high proportion of FSM then they might be able to use some of the pupil premium to pay for it, but otherwise it gets cancelled. Coaches and entrance fees still need paying for.

Toofattorun · 12/05/2015 23:07

So basically, you see helping the school as a political move to get you a higher social standing but reality has hit hard and you're not the important person you imagined you were.
Sorry if this isn't true but that's how it's coming across to me.

LowryFan · 12/05/2015 23:42

Pipbin, scrapping cheques and bits of paper in favour of a decent online system would make school offices so much more efficient. I'm sure it would pay for itself.

ilovemargaretatwood8931 · 13/05/2015 00:38

This thread reminds me of all the times (surprisingly frequent) that customers over the years in various retail jobs I've had (bookshop, supermarkets, charity shop and on café till) have tried to underpay, just because they don't want to break into a £20 note usually...

Eg me- 'That's £4.05 please'
customer 'oh, I've got the four, do you need the 5p?'
me 'Well, erm, yes, please...'
customer 'well, I've got the 4 in change, but otherwise I'll have to give you a £20 note...' (customer looking put out by now)
me 'well, sorry, but the till has to add up at the end of the day'
etc etc.

Used to happen at least once weekly, but of course several times a day people would decline to accept their change if it was 1 or 2 p... really annoying till wise!

unlucky83 · 13/05/2015 01:08

To be honest primary age DD2 has school lunches x5 every week - every week I fill in an envelope and put the right amount of money in there ...
I would LOVE to be able to make a monthly internet banking payment...or set up weekly payments...
BUT I can see a lots of problems. I collect money for groups through bank transfer -larger amounts and for only 50 children ...in some of ways it is easier and quicker - but not problem free...

First unless you have an automatic system (Sage pay etc - not cheap)- where paid amounts are automatically transferred from the bank things like weekly lunch money or trips could be a nightmare. You need to check the bank payments online and check cash and check cheque payments - you need a 'column' for each because they all have to tally at the end of the day (I got x amount in cash for lunch and I banked it on y day using slip no, etc) .
People often think they have paid and they haven't ...for various reasons they went to do it and got distracted or have gone over their daily limit or meant to and forgot etc.
You have to confirm payment really as nothing has physically changed hands.
People don't always use the right reference -even something as obvious as 'child's name' - sometimes they don't put a reference at all. Then if children and parents have different surnames you get a whole host of problems (I once had a mystery payment -payee name appeared as 'Frank Thomas' - no-one had the surname Thomas Confused turns out the Thomas was someone's middle name so payment was from Frank Thomas Smith (not the real names!) who had a different surname from the child they were paying for anyway and their full name didn't even appear until the printed statement arrived). And is that Joan Smith in Yr 1 or Joan Smith in Yr 4?
Add into the mix siblings where some people will pay once for all and others will pay separately for each child...is that all four for a week or one child for a month? - is that £ 7.50 for the school trip or 3 days lunch money? and it doesn't matter how many times you ask them to do it in a certain way ...not all do!

And they pay the wrong amounts - eg the OP's case - that 20p should she make another bank transfer for it? - or pay the cash -and so that's two 'columns' for one payment... how do you refund an overpayment - give them 'credit' or take cash out of the 'pot' or make an internet banking payment for 20p?

Also the school would need internet banking to check the bank accounts regularly.
And some internet banking things serious rack up charges - which most businesses have to pay - not sure about schools, small charities often don't - but if you have to pay them - that 20p refund might well cost 20p in charges - you may well be charged for every payment you receive...
(All card payments cost - Debit cards usually a fixed rate per transaction of anything from 15p to 30p, Credit cards a % - from about 1.5 -3% depending on your terminal charges -you pay on top and level of usage etc)
I don't know how businesses get round it from a security point of view ...but I know the school needs two signatures on some (at least) cheques. I do accounts for charities -and it is a headache. Most banks don't seem to allow you to have a system where one person starts a payment and another finishes it (effectively 2 signatures). I have come across something where two people do the transaction together...but they both have to be there at the same time- -which could be pain for the school - currently secretary can write and sign a cheque and leave for say HT to sign later..
I get round it by being the only person who can make a payment online and having someone else who can check the balance etc -but far from ideal and not suitable where larger sums - thousands are involved.

Whilst messing around with cash and cheques seems old fashioned and faffy - I think it really is (at the moment at least) with the small amounts from many people they have to deal with - the most simple and cost effective way for schools...

LynetteScavo · 13/05/2015 06:09

And this is why ParentPay is so brilliant.

IamtheDevilsAvocado · 13/05/2015 06:18

As unlucky says... It really is as tortuous as this.... Having temped in a school office I have seen it .... - - never again---

Also chasing monies and accounting for it are only part of a huge range of jobs a school admin team undertake...

Yes it does indeed seem petty... But the amount is immaterial as the all these books must balance... There often is no other pot to take money from... And with loads of kids under/overpaying it makes it a real pita to sort.

It takes an absolute AGE to ensure all the books balance... On the school I worked with there were still cash payments in envelopes for lunch monies for 500 kids plus they would all go on at least 2 school trips yearly.. As well as other money we administered....

All in separate accounts that all have to balance... It's a real pita when say 14£ is requested and the half the parents put 15£ as 'it's only £1'... we have to find and put back in tje envelope... 'It's only a quick job' - - - and ensure its in the correct teachers pigeonhole by home time and finding 250 separate pound coins to return.. Confused.

Also when parents don't pay within a time frame... Someone then has to chase them... This takes time and effort... Often parents seemed to be quite put out that we chased them for small amounts..
also we were less than thrilled at having to waste our time... Theu just didn't seem to understand how deeply inconveniencing their actions were taken in context!

GobbyAbby · 13/05/2015 06:29

Yanbu
For one thing it is a voluntary contribution not some kind of debt.rude. unlawful and petty I would ssy

Roseforarose · 13/05/2015 06:39

I used to work in Tesco and if a customer was short of the odd 20 or 30 pence they'd be let off. The tills were never expected to be perfectly balanced to the exact penny because of human error. I presume most supermarkets are the same.

merrymouse · 13/05/2015 06:49

I can completely see your point of view OP.

You didn't intentionally underpay, and you will make up the difference, However it feels as though you have given loads of time and money to somebody out of a sense of friendliness/public spiritedness and they are being arsey over 20p - like going out for a meal with a friend who wants to split the bill when that would go in their favour, but pay item by item when it wouldn't.

However, I think volunteering is often a bit like that.