On Monday I blogged about the saga of my four year old’s stolen glitter shoes ($45 Jefferson Bling Glitter Native Shoes to be exact).

Just to recap, her favorite shoes were stolen from the shoe cubby at a local trampoline park. I complained to a park employee, but was summarily dismissed with a shrug and a “yeah it happens all the time.”

To read the full account (including a comparison of my four year old to Carrie Bradshaw of Sex in the City), click here.

As promised, I “played the lawyer card,” meaning I acted like an a$%hole lawyer at the trampoline park over a pair of kid shoes.

God bless the poor girl who was the manager on duty when I came in because I’m sure she was not expecting the mom wearing sweaty workout clothes dragging a four year old wearing a princess costume to give her such a hard time over a pair of missing shoes.

In my defense, I had just come from the gym, the workout clothes were Lululemon (so I looked messy and slightly gross, but not disheveled), and for what that Belle costume cost me, the four year old better wear it every day of October.

If I showed up in a power suit and heels, that would have been overkill, right?

Back to the story.

I relayed the story of stolen shoes and her employee’s claim that shoes are stolen all of the time. She replied with the standard we’re not responsible for lost or stolen shoes.

I pointed out that there was no such sign, and even if there was such a sign, the park is still responsible for the shoes because:

• My kid was forced to remove her shoes as a condition of entry and told to place them in a particular area (the shoe cubby).
• The shoe cubby is within easy visible range of the check-in desk so it was reasonable for me to assume the employees were keeping an eye on it.
• The employee did not give me the option to place the shoes in a more secure area (like a locker) or tell me to keep the shoes with me.

Was it my solid legal arguments? My snappy comebacks to her defenses? My no-nonsense, authoritative tone? My lack of a shower?

Who can say? But here’s what a finally got out of the trampoline park.

First and foremost, a sincere apology, once in person while I was at the park and a second time several hours later when the manager called to make sure I understood that she truly was sorry for my experience.

I also got a review of the security camera footage. It turns out there was a security camera on the shoe cubby (which of course bolstered my argument that they had assumed responsibility for the shoes). And no, you can’t tell who the perp was.

Finally, I got four passes to bring my kids back to the trampoline park again (the value of which is double the replacement cost of the shoes).

A win. Yes! But I am guessing I will never use those passes because I will be too embarrassed to show my face in there again. I was a little aggressive, even for a mom lawyer.

Anyone want to take their kids to the trampoline park? Take a tip from me-bring a purse big enough to carry their shoes.

Copyright © 2018 by Siobhán Fitzpatrick Kratovil. All Rights Reserved.