Need some HELP please with regard to this official complaint and what to do next.

[forcryinoutloud]

Hi, I am planning to ring the Head tomorrow but just wanted some advice/support on this one, I feel this has been blown out of proportion and the school could have sorted this for me months ago...will try and condense.

The school basically put out incorrect information on their website which caused me to spend around £25 unnecessarily back in July. I rang the school a few weeks before end of term to tell them and their attitude was 'you sort it out'. I told them I could not sort it out without spending further money or significant time and was hoping for some sort of suggestion of an apology and compensation. The Head's secretary just said she would get back to me but she never did.

As this was by no means the first time this had happened to me, as in they had not communicated when they said they would I wrote an official complaint to the Head and Governors, this was about 4 days to the end of term. I know someone must have read the letter as I had a missed call from one of the admin staff the day before end of term but didn't hear anything else, no email, text or letter of reply. When I ring tomorrow I am so fed up now with having to sort this thing that should not have gone this far I am in a mind to stay on the phone until I get to speak to the Head. Usually I get the 'he'll ring you back' and then nothing happens. Their attitude seems really poor if they think they can cause me to lose this money and the not bother to reply to my queries. What do you think?

[KoalaDownUnder]

You want to take up the Head's time over this?

Utterly ridiculous.

[MoreCoffeeNow]

Let it go, OP, you are making yourself look ridiculous.

[DecaffCoffeeAndRollupsPlease]

This is silly.

[mathsmum314]

I think a HT has a LOT more important things to do than deal with a neurotic parent obsessing about £4 P&P charge for an issue that no other parent had a problem with. In the time it takes you to deal with this you could have earned the money back working.

[FfionFlorist]

Pick your battles OP. If you are generally happy with the care, education and support the school provide your dc then for god sake let this drop.

[Jubaloo442]

Your complaint will be at the very bottom of the school's list.
Use the time you intended to stay on the phone (and DEMAND to speak to the head) to get the unnecessary uniform on gumtree or similar. Recoup some of your losses and let it go.
Leave the head time to deal with issues such as struggling to fill teaching vacancies, deciding which managed move kids they can realistically take, and trying to scrape together some more budget from thin air.

If nobody else has had the same problem, chances are its your own misunderstanding. Otherwise there'd be a 'sad faces' article in the local paper surely?

[pepperpot99]

Agreed, massive over reaction as well as sense of entitlement. You had the option of returning the item and being refunded. You chose not to do this. You made your bed. Lie in it.

You compare your experience to being mugged or having your bike stolen - as if you feel you are somehow the victim of a crime! how ludicrous. Are you one of those idiots who calls the police when you don't get your own way?

We've all done it - bought something which we subsequently discover is either unnecessary or doesn't look like the picture online. What most people tend to do is return it.

If you actually think it is a good idea to "just stay on the phone until I get to speak to the Head" the you are completely deluded about what it's like to be in the teaching profession. It also proves how much time you have on your hands (although not enough to go and return the item you claim you didn't need...)

You need to suck it up and move on.

[Abraiid2]

Just send the uniform back. You are spending way too much of your own time and energy on this contact with the school.

[Stickerrocks]

Surely by letting this drag on over the school holidays, you have lost any opportunity to get a refund. You say that the website said that new black uniform was required, but it actually wasn't. presumably the uniform you have bought is still valid and can be worn. Most children have some new uniform when they go back to school, simply to cover wear and tear.

Of course you could simply engage a no win, no fee lawyer to take up your case for £4. You really are wasting the school's time and tax payers' money by trying to pursue such a pitiful case. Put it in perspective.

[Stillunexpected]

Good heavens, what was this item of uniform? And are you trying to tell us that anyone who wants to purchase this mystery item has to take a round-trip of 2 hours to get it?! Seriously?

[steppemum]

OK, I get the loss of money, and the inconvenience of returning it, but basically, that's life.

A letter/email pointing out the mistake and saying you were out of pocket over it is fine. Expecting money back and personal contact from head is ridiculous.

You could have returned it in the last few weeks.
You could have posted it.

How about allowing the teachers to teach?

Just let it go.

[t4nut]

Over reacting.

How did they cause you to buy new uniform? Could you have posdibly misinterpreted?

At the very very most ask for confirmation your letter has been received and how many working days before younger a response. And no your minor niggle did not warrent a faster response.

[AleHouseWench]

What to do next?

Drop it, life is too short and you already appear to have over invested massively in this!!

[noblegiraffe]

It's the start of a new school year. Teachers, SLT, the business manager and the school staff have way more important things going on right now than you and your £4.

If you really do need it back, please, give the school a fortnight to get started, then bring up your query again.

[Ditsyprint40]

So teenare you saying I should let my wasted money go because the Head, deputy Head , Business manager have to deal with a bullying issue or something more important? So let's forget about all 'small' crap life deals us because there's always more important things to deal with? Right?
OP, I think you lately underestimate the kind of shit that senior school leaders deal with on a daily basis. 'Bullying issues' are far from it. Serious child protection issues for a start...

I would have just paid to return it, and written a complaint letter if it bothered me that much.

There is no way I would be demanding to speak to the head. No parent really gets to speak to the head unless the head decides the situation warrants a meeting. (There's usually other staff better placed to solve different issues..)

[PatriciaHolm]

So you couldn't find 2 hours at any point to return it. And you genuinely think the school need to compensate you for the return costs?

An "oops, sorry, thanks for pointing the error out" from the school would have been nice.
Anything else- massive overkill on your part.

Let it go.

[AgentProvocateur]

FFS - shit like this is why my DF gave up teaching.

[Haffdonga]

So, you could have got your money back from the shop but you didn't have time.

And so you expect the school to pay for the item instead?! Hahahahahahah! Oh my fucking god. Talk about entitlement!

Incredible.

[SideEye]

I think you must have a lot of time on your hands, or you're very lucky if this minor irritation is what you consider to be major enough to want to make a formal complaint. if this is the kind of complaint that you constantly make to the school then I understand why they don't prioritise you.

[OutDamnedWind]

You clearly know you're being a bit daft, going by your OP, else why be coy about what the money was for?

And of course the police will deal with things in order of severity.

But anyway, yes, why on earth didn't you return it? Which part of the school budget do you expect them to compensate you from? Presumably if the mistake was in the part of the school, other parents will be in this position?

[HorridHenrietta2]

But Forcryingoutloud you haven't been mugged or had something stolen. You bought an unnecessary piece of uniform which you are able to return but haven't because to do so would be a hassle or require £4 postage??
I get it, it's a bit irritating but really turning it into an official complaint is really over the top. Just return it and forget about it, life's too short.

[mummytime]

What do you think the police would do if a bike had been stolen? You would be lucky to get more than a crime number.

[fastdaytears]

Right but it's nothing like having your bike nicked is it? You could have returned it for £4. Or gone to the shop.

This is a massive non-event.

[Scrumptiousbears]

Maybe you cut your nose of to spite your face by not paying £4 postage and "possibly" trying to claim that?

[forcryinoutloud]

So teenare you saying I should let my wasted money go because the Head, deputy Head , Business manager have to deal with a bullying issue or something more important? So let's forget about all 'small' crap life deals us because there's always more important things to deal with? Right?
Ok don't bother to tell the police if you've been mugged or your bike's been stolen, I mean they've got murders to deal with haven't they?

Give. Me .Strength.

Thanks for listening.