My son is in 5th grade, and his school sent home one of those fundraising booklets — selling chocolates, flowers, and the usual stuff most of us probably remember doing as kids. The incentive? A tiered reward system depending on how many items were sold. The top prize, at 210 items sold, was an Oculus VR headset.
My son worked so hard. Over the span of two months, he hustled to hit his goal. The cheapest item in the booklet was a $17 box of chocolates, so we’re not talking small numbers here. He sold 217 items — easily worth a few thousand dollars in total.
Not only did he put in well over 40 hours of his own time doing this, but now we as parents are spending even more time delivering all the items he sold. And after all that, he came home from school with… a $15 Dairy Queen gift card. That was his “reward.”
Apparently, the Oculus headsets “aren’t available” anymore. No one from the school warned us. No one updated us. And this wasn’t just some vague goal — this was something my son talked about every single day for two months.
“Dad, I can’t wait to earn my Oculus VR.”
This wasn’t about the headset itself — it was about the motivation, the work ethic, and him setting a real goal for the first time and going all in.
To say he was heartbroken is an understatement. So I reached out to the teacher and said, very directly, that my son needs to be properly compensated — or I may cancel the full order. For context, I paid for all 217 items on my own credit card and will be collecting the money from customers as we deliver. So yes, technically, I could dispute the charges.
Now I’m getting pushback — people saying I’m overreacting, that it’s “just a school fundraiser,” or that I’m teaching him the wrong lesson. But honestly, I think they taught him the wrong lesson — that hard work doesn’t matter and promises don’t mean anything.
So, AITA for telling the teacher I might cancel the order if they don’t make it right?
See what others had to share with OP:
Head_Emotion_4598 said:
Was this through a fundraising company? I handled fundraisers at our elementary school for two years, and I’ve never seen something like this happen.
Was it the school making the promise, or an external company like Big Kahuna, Boosterthon, World’s Finest Chocolate, or Apex?
If it was a company, email them — and copy the principal and teacher. If it was just the school or PTA, include them too. I really hope your son gets the prize he earned.
SaltywithaTwist said:
You should contact the company that provided the fundraising materials. They’re usually the ones responsible for the prizes.
mynameisnotsparta said:
OP, please clarify the prize rules. Was it that everyone who sold 210 items would get an Oculus VR? Or was it just a chance to win one after selling that amount? Huge difference.
do2g said:
We need more info. If 210 sales was the threshold and he sold 217, what reason did they give for him not receiving the Oculus? Were there hidden conditions or fine print?
loOpsie said:
Don’t waste time talking to the teacher — they usually have no control over this. This sounds like something the administration approved and managed, so go directly to the office or whoever coordinated the program.
Maleficent_Theory818 said:
Skip the teacher — they just pass out the forms. Contact the school office or find out who in the Parent Club or PTA is running the fundraiser. They’re the ones who would know.
_Istvan_5 said:
I’m originally from Europe and now live in the U.S. Back home, schools are funded by taxes. Here, I pay huge property taxes and get asked to buy over $100 worth of school supplies — not just for my kid, but for the whole classroom.
Then my child comes home with these catalogs like he’s part of some pyramid scheme to raise money for school. It’s ridiculous. What exactly are my taxes paying for? It’s just stupid and frustrating.
Agoraphobe961 said:
NTA. I had a Girl Scout leader who used to rig things so her daughter got the big prizes. Definitely speak to the principal — or even the school board — if you don’t get answers.
Denovol17 said:
Have you received the actual items yet? Usually, the prizes are delivered along with the goods. It might just be a delay.
leftytrash161 said:
You should really read the fine print on those fundraiser packets. Most of the time, it says you’re entered into a drawing to win something big — not that it’s guaranteed.
If they gave out something like an Oculus to every kid who sold 210 items, they’d go bankrupt.
