Would you pay for the child's coat?

emlou2009

i wouldnt spend that amount on a coat for myself let alone a child that grows so fast he will only get one year out of it! i hope she takes it as a lesson not to spend so much on clothes when it doesnt need to be spent.

i would demand to see the damage before i decided what to do next personally, if its just a torn seam anyone could fix it. as someone has already said, its nearly summer now its pointless to spend that amount on a coat. if you really do feel you should contribute, advise the woman of a price of a normal priced coat somewhere like asda! if the school are involved then your son will have already apologised to the other boy, dont give the woman the satisfaction of making him apologise to her too.

lrr_2

If it was deliberate then yes I would complain but this has clearly been an accident so dont pay a penny...

Nothing lasts for ever especially with kids...

aliasojo

Sorry guys but since there's quite a few comments about the coat cost, I have to come back and say that it's no-one else's business how much this woman spends on her children's clothes. It might not be what you or I would spend but that's beside the point.

If the coat really cost £55 then that's what it cost. None of us have the right to judge someone else's spending habits when they really aren't the issue here. The issue is damage and potential blame. End of.

splishsplash

I wouldn't pay either, nor would I make my son apologise in any way, shape or form. Neither would I involve the teacher any further - it's ridiculous to expect her to mediate between you and the other two mothers.

Forget about it, let the silly woman get over herself. She should know better than to try to get anyone else pay for the coat.

Nicki

aliasojo wrote: »

Sorry guys but since there's quite a few comments about the coat cost, I have to come back and say that it's no-one else's business how much this woman spends on her children's clothes. It might not be what you or I would spend but that's beside the point.

If the coat really cost £55 then that's what it cost. None of us have the right to judge someone else's spending habits when they really aren't the issue here. The issue is damage and potential blame. End of.

Yes but even if that's what it cost new, its not what the coat is worth now. If the mum wanted to sue (not that she will!) for the damage to the coat, what she would be legally entitled to be awarded would be either the cost of repairing the coat, or if it were beyond repair, the cost of a coat in similar condition to the one which had been damaged - ie the cost of a once £55 coat which had been worn for x months and had suffered x amount of wear and tear not caused by OP's son. She wouldn't get the full "as new" cost.

aliasojo

Oh yes I agree Nicki...it's just that there were numerous comments about the wisdom of spending £55 on a coat and I felt that wasn't fair as that wasn't the point iyswim.

Without doubt a £55 'worn' coat will no longer be worth anywhere near the £55 it was worth new.

Mado

jellyhead wrote: »

Only kidding, but seriously I can't imagine that school can force you to pay for this coat.

The school really shouldn't be involved at all unless it was interpreted as a case of bullying.

I would ask your son to write an apology. But that's about it.:rolleyes:

splishsplash

Nicki wrote: »

Yes but even if that's what it cost new, its not what the coat is worth now. If the mum wanted to sue (not that she will!) for the damage to the coat, what she would be legally entitled to be awarded would be either the cost of repairing the coat, or if it were beyond repair, the cost of a coat in similar condition to the one which had been damaged - ie the cost of a once £55 coat which had been worn for x months and had suffered x amount of wear and tear not caused by OP's son. She wouldn't get the full "as new" cost.

Would she be entitled to the cost of replacing the coat (minus depreciation) even though her son was actively involved in the scuffle?

Rachel85

Jet wrote: »

My son has admitted ripping it but insists that he was simply playing and that the other boy wouldn't give them back the hoop that they wanted, fell over and then my son and his friend dragged him along by the hoop.

Doesn't sound like an accident to me.

But regardless of fault, I would first of all enquire as to whether the coat can be repaired as offering to contribute towards the cost of repair would be a fair option. If this is not possible or cost effective, I'd want to be convinced that the coat did indeed cost £55. I can't imagine she'd have the receipt, but a look at the coat or details of where it was purchased should give you a reasonable guess at cost.

toshkininny

well. It's two against one.

Both mum's approach the other mum, ask her to bring the coat in to school so that you can see the damage for yourselves (you can then see what make it is too!!).

Then offer to get it repaired for her (halve the costs between you and other lady, tells boys say sorry to her. she can then take it or leave it (in polite words!) If she doesn't like it, hard luck!

Afterwards make sure your son promises never to go near this other child again!

Boys will be boys after all, and I am sorry, but I AM going to mention the price of the coat again, she is crazy to expect the coat to be immaculate when she sends a boy to school in it! Everyone knows what boy's are like.