Real life MMD:Should I pay for the £700 watch my friend forgot?

bobthedambuilder

She lost it first. You found it but then unfortunately lost it again. No you shouldn't pay her - she's no worse off than she would have been if you had done nothing.

Albert_the_teddy_bear

She lost it. You found it. You lost it. You told her you had found it, thus making it clear that you had no intention to permanently deprive the owner (her) of it.
Triple check all of your bags, pockets, folders, plastic bags, etc., in other words, anywhere that it might still be.
You have been honest with her, and us, on a public forum.
Tell the college, tell the police, and get an incident reference number from the police, to give to the insurance company.
Wait till you are shown the 'excess amount' that the insurance company give, in writing !!!
Then decide how much you are generously prepared to donate to your 'friend.'
To be totally cynical about this, "with friends like her you don't need enemies."
Anyone could have walked off with the item. Your actions were done with the best of intentions. For heavens sake, we've all lost something at one time or another. Now she wants you to pay for her original mistake.

pennystretcher

telsco wrote: »

You admit you knowingly took something which didn't belong to you!

Just be thankful she's not called the police.

How does she know you've not taken it to sell on ebay?

Get her to prove its value and pay up before the situation gets messy.

I don't think you read the description properly? She didn't STEAL the watch, it was "lost and found". It would have been much worse if she hadn't taken the watch and told her friend next day 'ohh I noticed you'd left it behind, but I just left it there. Someone else must have taken it afterwards.' Thank goodness I can say all my friends and colleagues would have taken the watch and kept it for me. And no, I wouldn't ask my friends to give money if they lost it afterwards. My own stupidity to leave it behind in the first place.

SimonFin

jamespir wrote: »

why would they wear a 700 pounds watch to uni or college sorry but its their fault for being a tool

Whats wrong with wearing a nice watch? I wear a £1500 watch daily because I like it, I can afford it and it has sentimental value for me. If I lost it, would I be a tool for this?

Fujiko

Just a thought - how did you manage to lose the watch? I would have thought the obvious way to carry it would be to put it on your wrist. But don't hand over a penny until all the other actions suggested - police, college authorities, etc - have been taken, and even then I would hesitate if the watch does not appear. Ask to see the jewellers valuation which would have been obtained at the time the watch was insured. If she doesn't have one, you have only her word that it is worth £700.

Lady_Annabel_Aardvark

redkids1972 wrote: »

Yes defo u should pay her u lost it

Actually SHE lost it.

The finder was at least honest about finding it then losing it and should stick to their guns.

whosforachat

SimonFin wrote: »

Whats wrong with wearing a nice watch? I wear a £1500 watch daily because I like it, I can afford it and it has sentimental value for me. If I lost it, would I be a tool for this?

My personal view would be "yes", but the important point is that someone else should not be made to suffer from your decision to wear such a pointlessly expensive watch. Why should this person suffer such a great expense just because their colleague has chosen to take such a big risk?

I don't think you should wear a £700 watch unless you can afford to lose it.

phillstarr

unfortunately it just goes to show, "no good deed goes unpunished" :mad:

Paddy001

No I don't think so. Was it insured? If it was so much value to her sentimentally, why not? I suggest a small proportion of the value of the watch...report the loss to the police who will give you a number. It can then be claimed on household insurance. You might want to pay the excess...
It was kind of you to retrieve it for her, ultimately she lost the watch when she left it behind. Don't feel bad, you did your best.:A

tgroom57

I'm not going to comment on why anyone would take an item to college that vastly exceeds the amount insurers would pay for an item lost outside the home. (£250 on my policy, I think)

Anywhere else is a different story, but in college like this, anything of value I found I would hand in at the college office: I would get a receipt for handing it in, and I would (surreptitiously if necessary) take a photo of it on my phone first.
That avoids the 'finder' being called a thief.
And thwarts any chance your friend might have had of claiming the insurance value.