Posted on 05/22/2011 10:27:50 AM PDT by rawhide
The girl and her mother got $1200 store credit, which they can use. I am sure the girl will wear formal clothes in the future. I doubt she will shut all doors on life at age 16 because of the death of a boyfriend. Life and we, the healthy ones at least, go on.
A contribution to a memorial fund assures the contribution goes to the funeral expenses. A refund to the girl and her mother may or may not have gone to the funeral. Which leads me to ask, what 16 year old girl pays for her boyfriend’s funeral?
From the comments at the article site, there was a post that said local news had reported that the mother had tried to return the dress BEFORE the boy died. Another report said it was the morning after he died! If true, what’s up with that?
Formal wear for women does change by season and from year to year, especially the high end stuff. Colors, fabrics and styles go in and out of fashion. The store where I shop for my clothing carries limited editions, so that I am pretty much guaranteed that I will not see another dress like the one I am wearing at an event. I understand that when I buy something I have bought it and if the event is cancelled or whatever happens the dress is mine. I would never think of asking for them to excempt me from their stated policy.
And before you say I sound harsh, I assure you I can speak from experience on this issue. My fiancee was killed in a boating accident when we were 20. I did not help pay for his funeral and neither I nor my mother were at a store trying to get money back on a dress the next morning. We were with his parents as we all tried to understand what had happened and asking why.
Since that time, I have gotten on. I’ve married, had children, even been to more than a few formal events.
“They don’t want to give any profit away.”
They have rent, employees, etc. Why do you
decide how much profit they can make?
I think so too. It looks like the girl and her mother are turds.
I wonder what she wore to the accident?
I recall an old episode of "The Courtships of Eddie's Father". Someone wanted the dad to do something he was not interested in doing, but the kid wanted him to do it. The dad was offered money to do it and he still said no. They then offered to donate the money to charity, and he still said no. He had to then explain to the kid about donating to charity because you want to, not because you are backed into a corner or blackmailed. It is not much of a stretch to see a similar situation here.
If the girl wants to make a donation, she should do so ... not put the arm on someone else.
Yeah. The economy. We don't know the details on why, but sudden job loss, illness, or other problems can arise which put one heck of a kink in finances--not to mention losing a son.
Not having money at a bad time does not mean they are lowlifes, they may have had a setback--or a series of them.
If you have never had one, you should get down on your knees and thank God for that.
In the local Gannett newsrag online forum, that article got the most comments and responses of any in the past week. Priorities are askew.
See post 62.
Going solely on what was presented in the article (and granting that the info may be incomplete or skewed), there is no legal issue. From a legal standpoint, the money clearly belongs to the store at this point, and she is SOL. The store is fully within its rights to tell her to go screw herself, and come back for another dress when she finds another prom date. Frankly, they are within their rights to seek a court order barring the girl from the store and have the sheriff's department come haul her out of there in handcuffs if she ever shows up there again.
My remark is that from a human decency standpoint (and from a marketing/business standpoint), they would be smart to, given the extreme emotional circumstances of the situation and the accompanying publicity, make an exception to their no returns policy, and give the girl a refund
With all due respect, had they done what many consider to be the "right thing", it would have been a non-story. Maybe a thank you letter-to-the-editor from the kid, if even that.
I can see that, but a funeral probably doesn’t cost as much as a prom. Despite my Freepname, I didn’t attend either of my proms because I didn’t want to spend that kinda money on a date. I wouldn’t have had any problem getting a date, but I would have had to have paid for it myself. I suppose if my folks were putting up the dough...
I’m just at a loss to understand how people can spend $1200 on a dress for a dance and then claim they can’t find the dough to bury a loved one. None of this makes any sense.
Show me where I decided. And for you to say what is common knowledge - comes off like you feel the need to educate here. You previous email - was how much better you handled the situation in your grief. You REALLY need to get over yourself! Some where you are stuck and didn’t move on like you think.
Exactly. It is not Diane & Co.’s problem if her boyfriend died. They’re in the business to sell clothes & dresses.
Although, if I were the store’s owner, I’d make a donation just to make for good PR. The owner might lose some business anyway.
I'd be willing to wager they were all interested in her personal life, her boyfriend and her hopes and dreams when they were making the sale.
Doubtful, she was a sale, nothing more.
Have you ever run a busiuness?
You were the one seemed to think every cent they received on the dress was profit. I just pointed out it’s not. They have overhead besides paying the the dress supplier.
More money than brains. Let this be a lesson, young lady.
No refund should be given. No boycott should be held.
What's a 'busiuness'? Why is it relevant if I've ever run one?
I never held muyself up as more righteous than she. I moved on and hopefully so will she. If not she needs help.
The article and comments at the article site stated that she or her mother attempted to return the dress either before he died or the morning after, not her friends. I can read and I have run a business.
The world does not center around her or her missed prom any more than it centered around me and my missed wedding.
Anyway it is all moot, the store apparently refunded to her father and he has donated it to charity because the boy’s family does not need help with the funeral expenses.
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