PTA requesting payment for football boots that are ours.

[WineIsTheAnswer]

DD1 lost her boots just before Christmas. She asked at lost property, checked lockers, asked teachers, reception etc I also asked teacher and checked lost property. Unfortunately cleaning the mud off weekly had worn away the name on the outside and the sticker inside had almost completely come off (dark inside so the only way of marking them.) So I accepted they were gone, my mistake not re-labelling them.

The school has a history of coats etc going missing only to turn up on the back of others with the label cut out a week later. The school does nothing in these cases.

Now I find them on the PTA FB page as part of a large picture of stuff for the next sale. I messaged the PTA lady and asked to collect them or asked for them to be left at reception so I can get them back. She responds saying all lost property is given to them by school at the end of term, they were handed to them at Christmas so they are now PTA. I explain they must of been handed in on the last day as I had checked lost property in the morning. I also think it's unfair, if you forget something on the last day it's automatically PTA's on the first day of term but I haven't said that yet.

She asked for proof, I told her the size, about the faded name (now she knows the name, she should be able to still make it out) and sent the online order receipt. She's now offering to sell me them back ahead of the sale as a goodwill gesture. I've told her I expect them to be returned to school on Monday and if they aren't will presume the PTA has stolen them. I'm being told I'm BU, so am I?

There are a few more but I quite like this user name and would have to NC after posting any others that occurred during her 3 year reign of terror...

I wasn't the only parent who instead of being sad at their child leaving primary was overcome by joy and relief .

Silly thing though was it all backfired really. She was challenged by a mother whose son was friends with mine (to explain how I knew) on the gift list fiasco who pointed out that she might want to think about items more modestly affordably and appropriately priced and asked curiously what she was donating. Apparently this want met by a verbal diatribe along the lines of "there are raffles and there are MY RAFFLES" the former being rubbish and the latter the social highlight of the year. As to her donation - her leadership, time and effort was far more valuable than even the most expensive item on the list

All in all it just eroded previous goodwill and people who had been happy to help out just stopped doing so as the demands became increasingly onerous in terms of both time and money. Sad for the school really tbh.

DarthArts,We have PTA wags who try exert influence but they aren’t as cunty as your lot were

Yes, again the 'theft' thing is a kneejerk accusation which I can understand, but it's wrong.

At a school, I am sure there's a fair amount of lost property and some of it might well be abandoned rather than lost (kids who hate their new shoes etc). But still, you can probably do a bit of sleuthing to figure out a pair of football boots found on Tuesday might well be from one of the classes of that day, or the Monday, and if a parent calls in saying they've lost a pair, how many pairs of boots can their possibly be? a dozen? it's still that not many if there's a brand on them too (I don't know if there was) and a size etc etc. Worst case is asking the parent to come in and see if they can identify them.

It's just a common sense approach really, but I dare say many schools get tired of trying to filter through 60 nameless jumpers and are wary of some parents trying to get a free jumper out of lost property too.

As for the PTA person, it's just bad PR to ask for payment back (imo).
I mentioned early, not to tarnish the entire PTA because of one person.

Sadly, schools have better things to be doing than handling lost property, but if they're going to potentially profit from it, they've got to do it properly!

Does the school have a FB Page?

I'd be tempted to write a WARNING post!

WARNING: if your child leaves something at school by mistake and you search lost property for the item.
If staff are unable to locate it but PTA get hold of it they will make you buy it back. And not at a reasonable second hand price either!

Threaten to contact the police, and definitely contact the Head, phone the office and ask to speak to them.

I don't think it needs to be escalated in the first instance. A simple revisit to the person involved, explaining you're not prepared to pay, or certainly won't be obliged to pay, and would like your property back SHOULD be enough.

You can escalate it if a that conversation doesn't help. It would be an unwise move on the PTA member's part not to hand them back to you.

Anyone phoned 101 to log it yet?

Cheeky fuckers I hope you get them back!

Seriously, what a piss take! Hope you get them back!

Bloody Hell, our PTA is seriously vanilla compared to some of the stories I hear on here
Explains why when any non members volunteer to help they always say how much they’ve enjoyed themselves and how lovely we are - it obviously comes as a total surprise that we aren’t a coven of power hungry bitches with ambitions to take over the world!

Ah,yes log it with police.there is a drawer wi log its in it.just on case...

Theft by finding. Arrestable offence. I mean, that would be completely over the top to say to PTA lady, but I would!

Ours is vanilla too hopping
They’re really quite nice and approachable. I don’t want to join, but happily go along to events and spend money. In fact, most recent was a cake sale- I LOVE cake. Bought far too much, but it’s for a good cause! Any are accepted, home made, shop bought. And cheap! Most expensive one was 50p and they were amazing.
They have a brilliant summer fayre too. Loads to do and plenty of opportunities to spend 😂 they engage with the local community too, so that was really well attended

Marking place for outcome!
Outrageous! I mean fair enough if it was something generic but football boots are probBly not something they get a lot of and the fact that you had reported it to a teacher too

That is downright cheeky and they shouldn't get away with it. I agree with going to small claims court or report to police will be enough of a threat. These boots have been stolen to all intents and purposes.

This is one PTA lady, at its worst!!

Agree to buy them. Turn up, then take them and run off without paying.

It isn't like they have been sat available and the OP hasn't collected them. They've looked and not found them. So they should be handed back!

What I and expect the aforementioned Head Teacher wouldn't have given for a vanilla PTA .

Even my DH didn't believe me - he traveled further for work and left earlier so I did the school run. Thankfully DS went to after school club, so I like some poor parents I was at least only subjected to a single daily gauntlet run.

To be fair to DH, I may have caused him to question the veracity of my claims by getting carried away by a number of analogies - for example suggesting the experience was akin to fighting off Voldemort and a squad of Death Eaters armed only with a rudimentary knowledge of the Dark Arts....

Equally, tales of my epic escapes as I gracefully raced past the blockade like a lithe gazelle in a move worthy of being awarded best try at the 5 nations tournament, did indeed result in a modicum of skepticism when he knows I actually run like a waddling duck whose drunk 50 steroid laced expresso coffees.

So I have to confess that when I went away with work for a week, I was full of anticipatory joy at the prospect of being able to say to him possibly the most fulfilling and self congratulatory sentence in the English language "I TOLD YOU SO" - as he was required to do the school run for a week.

However day one - there was nothing to report. Shocked at this turn of events I demanded a de- brief from an independent party DS. Vindication was mine!

The DD of Alpha PTA mum was poorly and clearly the general had not been there to assemble the troops .

Day two - yes DH got nobbled having failed to heed my warnings, he took the lead position cannon fodder in exiting the school gates. He was "volunteered" to help the children make Christmas baubles (and provide the materials to do so) to be sold at the PTA Christmas Fair.

Panicking he thought I would offer my help and support in this venture....umm no. Lesson learned and all that

All in all a very satisfactory result for myself especially seeing DH grapple with glitter .....

@DarthArts
10/10

"cake diversity" !

And I would have told them where to shove their organic recipes.

So they were 'lost' but miraculously turned up just in time for the PTA 'collection' time?

I think there's something dodgy going on.....does this PTA include parents of kids wearing the coats with cut-out labels by any chance?

Agree with @HeebieJeebies456 - I bet you couldn't find them as they were swiped and stashed away for the next PTA sale. Second giving them a cheque...

YADNBU.
This is theft.
CFs.

I don’t think it’s theft, the boots weren’t purposefully stolen.
they have rocked up and now they’re on sale