Charged for not Attending

Last Thursday, 5 year-old Alex Nash in Cornwall, England returned to school to receive an invoice asking him to pay money for not attending a friend’s birthday celebration. The invoice was titled, “Child’s Party No-Show Fee”, and charged his parents, Derek and Tanya Nash, $24.13.

According to Yahoo News, Alex Nash was invited to a birthday party on December 20 at the Ski Slope and Snowboard Centre in Devon, England. He initially planned on attending the party, but unbeknownst to him, his grandparents came to visit on the same day. Given the option between the celebration and his family, Alex chose to stay home.

After receiving the invoice, Alex brought it home to his father, who then refused to pay the bill. He said, “I can understand that she’s upset about losing money. The money isn’t the issue, it’s the way she went about trying to get the money from me.”

Because of this, the other family threatened the Nashes with a lawsuit. Moreover, many of the children in Alex’s class have stopped associating with Alex.

This fight has been taken to social media now, with Derek Nash forcing Alex into photos with the invoice, and comment battles between the Nashes and the opposing family.

Providing judgement on the issue is the owner of The Protocol School of Texas and expert of etiquette, Diane Gottsman.

Upon being asked if the Nashes should pay, she said, “Absolutely not. In life, there are no guarantees. People make mistakes and miscommunication happens. In the case of a birthday party, the host should be gracious and understanding."