Is this legal?

winegums

suited-aces wrote: »

I remember being the sixth form 1st year prefect when the deputy principal told the parents of the new pupils that their kids would "attract attention for the wrong reasons" if the parents didn't buy official uniform, for about £200 per kid, from the sole supplier who her daughter just happened to work for.

I went straight to the principal the next day. The DP hasn't spoke to me since (we live about 2 mile apart so bump into each other regularly)

I know its going off subject a bit but how do people afford it? I've just worked out that the PE kit is £40 for the shorts and tshirt, plus £15 for the optional fleece and £15 for the optional jogging bottoms, 1 full set of uniform - embroidered jumper - £23.50, Tie £5.50, embroidered blazer £38-£42 (depending on size), white shirts £5 for a couple from Asda and Black trousers £11 pair from Asda, shoes £20, football boots £25 (for cheap ones) - plus the school catering apron £5.50, the woodwork apron £5.50 and the lunch card (a plastic credit-card type of affair to load credit onto and used to swipe in the canteen till) which is a one-off £10 and £10 to replace if lost.

The bare minimum essentials comes to £189! Obviously I haven't included the optional outdoor PE fleece and jogging bottoms which would be another £30 and in reality, a spare pair of trousers and jumper would be needed, which would be another £34.50, plus pens, calculators, etc, say £10 - would be a grand total of £263.50!!!

And this is cost effective !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

£40 grant seems like such a joke now!

suited-aces

Some of those items are still cheaper than mine were (5 years ago!). They deliberately redesigned the shirts and blouses so you couldn't buy them elsewhere. Come to think of it, two hundred was a wild underestimate. I never let my parents pay the "voluntary fee" either, and wrote a letter on their behalf telling them to consider the disgraceful mark up as their voluntary subscription.

Can't think why my careers teacher advised me to do accountancy...

winegums

shaun_from_Africa wrote: »

I take it from this comment that you're not a bloke!

Does the shop in question have a website for online sales? (unlikely, but you never know).
If it does, your sister could order a few items including the badge, then once she's received them, return the unwanted goods under the distance selling reg's.

Another option might be to put an ad in a local shop window or on freecycle. She might find someone who is willing to sell a blazer for a couple of £'s.
It doesn't really matter if it's very tatty provided the badge is okay and can be removed.

Ha ha - by your powers of elimination you guessed correctly - I'm not a bloke!

Unfortunately, the shop doesn't have a website - the 'official' supplier did but theyve gone to the great retail market in the sky now!

I've asked my DH to go into the shop for me this weekend and see if they'll refuse to sell a badge to a bloke - the shop owner was very intimidating to me and my sister. I'll let you know how it goes.

BTW, Debbie (my sister) said thanks for the suggestions.

threesacrowd

As a parent also from St Helens, i would urge you to contact the star or reporter. Finding money for uniforms is hard enough without this and i'm sure other parents would like to know that this is happening.

MamaMoo_2

Might be an idea to go in and secretly record the convo. Then if he says no, stop the recording, and tell him it'll go to the press. He'll probably then sell you one, but I'd still name & shame him. Sounds like a douche.

I agree about the cost of uniforms. I don't know how my mom did it. It had to be bought from an official retailer, and every year I got 2 jumpers (with the school emblem embroidered on), 2 shirts (with a funny collar in a horrible cream that couldn't be bought anywhere else) 2 skirts (had to be the 'prescribed' ones), a blazer (with the school logo on) PE skirt, knickers, polo shirt and jumper (all with school logo on). Then there were trainers for PE, hockey socks, shin pads, mouth guard, lab coat, cookery apron, cookery basket (and basket cover) school purse (I kid you not). All that, plus we had to have a certain calculator, folders for each subject, etc etc etc, used to be around £500. And no grants available either! Total rip off!

abi-em-mum83

Thats absolutely shocking! Obviously this guy knows he can pretty much do as he pleases since he's the last supplier available!
I remember my school having a stock of the blazer badges and school ties available to buy from the receptionist, shame your sons school doesnt do that!
Do you know any of the other parents, of any of the children from any years? If so and they are buying some school items from the shop could you ask them to get a badge as well as their items and give the money to them?

Or tell the school you refuse to buy a £40 blazer for 9 months use, and if their supplier is refusing to allow you to have a badge, his blazer will just have to be without it, or he'll have to be without a blazer!
And I completely understand your son refusing to wear second hand. I would of rather had the cheapest of something as long as it was brand new, rather than second hand. If my mum even looked in the window of a charity shop I was mortified and walked away from her! How times have changed!
xx

Anniemacca

That sounds utterly ridiculous. If he stocks the badges on their own why on earth can he not just sell you one?

I would complain to the board of governors. Alternatively just let the kid not wear a blazer?

Another option would be to buy something else and the badge and then return it and get a refund?

But he sounds like the kind of awkward sod who would refuse a refund and give you a "credit note". Which I think is illegal.

You need to read up on the sale of goods act.

suited-aces

Not illegal in any way Annie, you have no right of refund from a shop, even for a credit note (unless they advertise it, then it forms part of the contract).

pmduk

Like the previous poster, my school used to sell the school badges from the office. Why not suggest this to the school, it might be a money-earner for them.

Jinx

I would just buy a non-branded blazer and tell the school you will not be purchasing an expensive one in its place.

My daughters school didnt have a strict uniform in place and in her last year I bought all her new stuff only for her to come home on the 1st day of the school year with a letter saying they were cracking down and everything should be as noted in the policy she came home with! I told them to get stuffed, if they had wanted specific items they should have said BEFORE the hols, before I bought her new stuff. I wouldnt buy a blazer on principle, expensive non-essential piece of kit....