AIBU to expect Waitrose/John Lewis to give me back my £500?

[Clazzer1]

I had my car stolen last night. This would be bad enough in itself but Inside my car was over £500 of Waitrose / John Lewis gift cards that have been stolen along with all my children's Christmas presents.

As I still had the receipt for these gift cards I was able to give JL the gift card numbers and they were able to confirm that nobody had used them and they were able to successfully block anyone from from using them in the future. Sounds good - so you think they would issue new gift cards to me - WRONG.

Waitrose/ John Lewis policy is to NOT refund or reissue gift cards. This means they have my money, they have stopped anybody from using the vouchers I bought, they have confirmed that NOTHING has been spent from these gift cards but they are now withholding this money and refusing to give it back or provide a replacement. I am totally shocked at this response from such a respectable retailer. They are no better than the thief that stole them in the first place.

These gift cards were the school collection money that the parents had collected for a gift for several teachers and teaching assistants To withhold this from us is a true disgrace. AIBU to expect a multi million pound retailer like Waitrose / John Lewis to do the right thing and provide a replacement?

They also don’t work anywhere near as hard as the teacher and have a negligible impact on the children’s learning.

In fact, many studies show TAs are the least effective/impactful use of resources for schools.

FlouncyDoves, I’m going to respectfully disagree with you there. My DS struggled through reception due to severe glue ear and he adores the two TAs his class were fortunate enough to have as the reception teacher (who everyone raves about as she’s wacky and lively) basically ignored him and the fact he couldn’t hear and insisted their Senco start ‘investigating’ him. Apparently now he’s in Year2 she’s very annoyed to hear SALT and the NHS are happy his issues were all hearing based. But his TAs were outstanding and in this instance his teacher not so much.

I give the teachers and TA equal presents but it’s only a bottle of prosecco. I doubt anyone getting an £85 present is too upset.

Great result OP. Though like you said shame it had to take this for a well known company to do the right thing.

Great result, OP, well done. Happy Christmas!

TAs don’t work as hard? ODFOD.

ODFOD? Oh do fuck off dear?

TAs don’t work anywhere near as hard as teachers. That’s obvious to anyone whose ever been a TA or a teacher. There’s controversial about that statement.

TAs turn up at 8:30 and leave at 3:30. They have no planning, little responsibility etc. Teachers, incomprions, are professionals and work incredibly hard.

Incomprions?! In comparison.

I swear my phone can’t keep up with my fingers.

You'd have to be quite ignorant of how schools work to think TAs put in anywhere near the number of hours as teachers. Sadly, a lot of parents still think teachers turn up at the same time as the children and leave when they do. The TAs at my child's school mostly have nannying jobs after 3.30 - often with a child from their class.

That aside, I don't like to give gifts based on status. I prefer to give everyone the same - it's just a gesture of kindness and appreciation, not reimbursement for hours worked.

I’ve been a TA and a teacher - I worked hard as a TA, arriving early and staying late, but it was nowhere near the workload when I was a teacher, which was phenomenal. I did, however, always have the utmost respect for my TAs and could not have done my job effectively without them. I also wouldn’t ask my TA to do anything I wouldn’t do, such as cleaning up or changing wet children (EYFS teacher).

All that being said, there was never a distinct between the gifts I received as a teacher and the gifts the TAs received, as the parents quite often just saw everyone who worked in the school as ‘teachers’.

Congratulations on your result OP, much deserved.

Hi, it is your insurance company not the retailers you need to speak to. Your car was stolen, and that’s why you pay car insurance (or should do)

And the prize for skipping the whole thread goes to....😂

😂

I will never understand why, when s thread is 15 pages long, some people don't at least read the very last sentence of the very last post - which would have shown it was successfully concluded! 😂

I trained as a teacher.

Working hard is different to work load. Every TA I worked with worked just as hard. Different job roles contribute in different ways. It’s rather condescending to say otherwise.

Exactly haunted. I think most people would agree that teachers have a higher workload than TAs, but then they are remunerated accordingly. TAs do a hard and responsible job for minimum wage, therefore I think it's totally unfair to give them a much lesser gift than the teacher.

I've been both too, and being a ta was he way easier job. The two are incomparable tbh.

TAs arrive at 8.30 and leave at 3.30 , do no planning and have no responsibility "

Bloody hell....I'd love to work at that school!

I work long hours , plan interventions, do assessments, collect data, run nurture groups and do all the other normal classroom stuff.
All my TA colleagues work unbelievably hard.

TAs turn up at 8:30 and leave at 3:30. They have no planning, little responsibility etc. Teachers, incomprions, are professionals and work incredibly hard.

Not to take anything away from teacher but this is bollocks. I am paid 8:30 to 3:30 but arrive at school before 8 and never leave before 4pm and that's only if I'm not running magic breakfast, homework club or attending mandatory personal development meetings until 5pm. Add to that planning interventions, researching and prepping resources...all for less than £12k a year, not that any of us are in it for the money!

All TAs that I know are the same, I don't know anyone that "clocks off" at 3:30.

I know plenty that clock off at 3:30.

We all have anecdotal examples that can prove our opinions (otherwise we wouldn’t hold them in the first place).

It is simple plain fact that TAs don’t have the same workload, demands or expectations placed on them as teachers.

I have a family friend who keeps referring to his DSD as a ‘teacher’ when she isn’t. She’s a TA. The distinction is important.

I completed A Levels, an undergraduate degree, a postgraduate PGCE, and the NQT year before I could claim to be a fully qualified teacher.

A TA can be stacking shelves in Asda on Friday and being a TA on Monday. There is no comparison.

And what an arrogant snob of a teacher you are flouncy. I pity the TAs in your class with that shitty attitude.

They also don’t work anywhere near as hard as the teacher and have a negligible impact on the children’s learning.

That is utter crap. Without the TA, our girl couldn’t go to the toilet unless the teacher leaves the class to bring her. She couldn’t access many areas of the class room or the rest of the school. She would have to start in at playtime, she wouldn’t get her medicine. Sure, her “learning” wouldn’t be affected but her school experience would suffer, she would be isolated from her peers and the class would lose their teacher for periods whilst her needs are dealt with.

The TAs our girl has, are supportive, caring and tend to her needs in every way. Their hours have been cut year on year since she started primary school and the school is definitely suffering for it.

They also do playground duty, work in the medical room, lunch supervision, help the littles get changed for PE, organise and help with school shows etc etc etc. They are incredibly hard working and are a vital part of any school.

I am not saying that my workload or responsibility is the same as a teacher. I am saying that every TA I know works their bloody socks off for a pittance...doing far more than you seem to think.
I also have an honours degree as have many of my colleagues and I have also completed a level 3 qualification in supporting teaching and learning.

A TA can be stacking shelves in Asda on Friday and being a TA on Monday. There is no comparison.
And yet it is the TA who our girl will tell you makes the most difference to her school life. She herself decided that her two TAs should have special gifts and made home made cards for them. Her teacher isn’t held with the same regard by her.

TAs tend to be held in higher regard by children as they end up doing a lot of the nurture stuff - finding lost items, mopping up tears, speaking to parents at the door, etc. It's like having a 'good cop bad cop' situation in class.
Teachers' pay and job security is linked to children's results. We hold the accountability and responsibility to help/make them succeed/get qualifications, or we're out of a job. I don't think TAs have those kind of targets - correct me if I'm wrong.

I completed A Levels, an undergraduate degree, a postgraduate PGCE, and the NQT year before I could claim to be a fully qualified teacher.

And I have a degree in Primary Teaching and Learning. The fact you assume TAs are shelf stackers fancying a change of scenery speaks volumes about your attitude towards them.

I studied hard for my qualification and worked while I was doing it! Teachers do have an enormous workload however they are paid at least double what TAs get.