Parents billed for missing family wedding - after babysitter cancelled last minute
Errr.... what?
A couple from Minnesota in the US were billed after missing a family wedding, according to recent reports.
Mum Jessica Baker and her husband were given an invoice for $75.90 (roughly £50), to cover the cost of the food that had been made for them, and a service charge, by the bridge and groom.
Jessica, who says she was originally set to attend her relative’s wedding, had to cancel at the last-minute when her babysitter (her mum) rang to inform her she would no longer be able to look after her kids.
Since the wedding was child-free, she wasn’t able to go, and since it was so last-minute, she didn’t let anyone know they wouldn’t be in attendance.
Jessica told local news channel KARE11 that she didn’t plan on paying it (obvs) but she wasn’t sure where to go from here…
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"I guess I don't know what the right answer would have been. What the right thing to do would have been,” she said.
But her reaction to the bill was pretty straightforward: "You've got to be kidding me."
Hmmmm…
Firstly, it’s definitely not cool to bill guests - it’s not like a wedding RSVP is a contract! These things happen.
But we also totally get why the bride and groom might be a bit ticked off that Jessica and her hubby didn’t call someone to let them know they wouldn’t be attending, along with the reason why.
The bottom of the invoice seems to allude to this being the case: “…and explanation for no show, card, call or text would be appreciated.”
Perhaps the newlyweds would’ve understood the difficulty of finding a last-minute babysitter (let alone one who’s qualified to nanny for the entire length of a wedding) had they known.
But another mystery is: why did mum cancel babysitting duties so close to the big day? As one MFM team member suggested, perhaps one parent could’ve attended the ceremony, while the other stayed at home?
We reckon something else might be going on here to spark this drastic action of sending a bill.
What do you think of all this? How would you react if a family member sent you a bill for the same reason?
Let us know on Facebook.
Images: Jessica Baker
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