Real life MMD: Should I pay for a broken teapot?

haribogray

you wouldn't have had it in your hands if your friend hadn't asked you to buy it. i think it's only fair you both pay half.

if they're on a good wage why were you paying for it in the first place!

Talent

I laughed out loud at post No 15 by Voucherman.

Right, if you was at your friends place and accidentally broke something worth £95.... would you replace it?

Of course you would!

mrbrightside842

Hmm, whilst I think you should pay for it, I think your friend should be kinder to you and not quote business practise to you when he's asked for a favour. I would however consider my friendship with him, and definitely do him no more favours in the future!

libra1977

I think you should pay for it. Whilst many on here say that he is a friend and should pay half, be kinder to you etc, if I were to buy an item for a friend and then break it I would be mortified. I certainly wouldn't accept my friend offering me money towards something I broke, regardless of whether they asked me to get it or not. Part of the problem with this Country today is that people expect other people to pay for their mistakes.

Lois_Adams

It isn't a matter of, "you broke it, you pay for it". You have already paid for it. This is a 95 quid lesson. Don't spend your money for someone else's purchases, and, your friend isn't a very good friend. Not as good a friend as you.

Irv_the_Swerve

This is a totally made up dilemma which is very unlikely to happen in real life.
If someone asks you to get something expensive in real life , the first thing you would say is " Give me the money"
If he or she says " Can you lay out for me?"
Unless it was a very close relation most people would say, (or words to the effect) " You must be joking!"

A more realistic scenario would be if they did give the money to buy it and you then broke it. What happens then??

Ashagill

jazimews wrote: »

One thought, not sure if it would apply, but if you have home contents insurance why not check to see if the breakage might be covered, especially if you have the "all risks" and/or extra accidental damage cover. Might be worth checking out. There may be an excess but it might not be as mucch as the cost of the teapot. But if it is covered you'd need to weigh up the potential increase in premium next renewal if you did claim. Also, like others have suggested, if you paid by card, is there any cover on that you could claim on.

I think this is an excellent idea. You paid for it, so personal possessions insurance, which is usually an add on to contents insurance, generally covers the stuff you take out of your home up to £2,500. If you keep the reciept, they should cover you, (if you have the insurance add-on) however this really only works if your excess is £50 or less. Otherwise you might as well just bare the loss, and keep your no claims bonus!

People are being very harsh here though. I mean, I agree that you were at fault, and ought to pay. But if this friend was any kind of gentleman/lady with a well paying job he ought to be more gracious. It was an accident after all, and you are indeed not a corporation with a legal department!
And be prepared for this to make things awkward between you two!
Ugh it's a lousy situation! You poor thing.
x

glad2bmad

Why not post it to your friend and pay for postal insurance for the value of the teapot, then when it arrives "broken" your friend can claim for the damage and pay you back! Not very ethical i know but a solution non the less!!

coolcait

The friend might have been able to afford 95 quid for one teapot, but not another 95 quid to buy a replacement for the one which has been broken.

Assuming that it would be easy to find a replacement. It wasn't a chain store purchase after all.

My view is that the student i) agreed to the request to buy the teapot (he could have refused); ii) did not exercise due care when taking it home. So, there's reason for him to take the 95 quid loss on the chin.

But, there's no harm in proposing a 50/50 split of the costs.

He should pay at least half of the cost of the teapot, since he broke it. Given his 'poor student' status, all the more reason to take care of the 95 quid's worth of fragility he was carrying home!

ronangel

Teapot, what teapot? how can the friend be expected to pay for something he never even saw let alone had a chance to use ( or wrap in cottenwool and put in safe at that price!).
Just put cup of water in microwave oven and bring to boil then drop in tea bag. simple, and about 1 tenth the cost of boiling water and filling tea pot + all wasted tea.:cool:
This will also help student get his money back by saving on tea making costs ( also works with coffee...)