Money Moral Dilemma: Should I pay for my friend's stolen phone?

AnneMary

NO!
If I could see someone was resting/dozing/sunbathing it is obvious they cannot "watch" my bag. If I wanted to swim I would at least move it to next to them. After that if it is nicked it is an insurance job IF they would consider a pain.

We should all take this as a warning to take crap phones on holdiay if it is going to be left.

Jonathan_K

Hi, No you should not pay Up! Travel Insurance, Phone Insurance on the bank account, Phone insurance or House Insurance. The phone should be covered for theft especially as it was stolen. What you should have done is gone to the local Police in Spain in Barcelona they have English speaking POLICE they lots of Tourist in Barcelona, so would have found an English speaking person to help you. You should have helped your friend report the theft, so it was recorded. Then helped them get the phone blocked by getting the IMEI number blocked by their network. By contacting their network to get the phone blocked & at immobilise com friends help each other. If there had been an excess on the policy then may be it should have been should I pay or help with the excess on the claim. Probabley a lot less money the excess. Barcelona is rife for theft & pick pockets.

Also there are two police stations at Barcelona airport that could have helped you both. Below is info.

English Speaking Police Telephone Number For Making A Crime Report (Denuncia) Whilst in Spain.
Outside Spain Dial
Tel: +34 90 210 2112
Inside Spain Dial: 90 210 2112

roses

boliston wrote: »

They don't sound like "friends" to me!
Putting something like a phone or wallet in a bag is risky anyway as bags are easily stolen - mine stay in a pocket.

How exactly do you go in the sea with a phone in your pocket??

TrishB69

Will you lose the friend if you refuse to pay? If yes, it's a straight choice between the friendship and the money. Only you can decide which one you'd rather lose.

System

The moral of the dilemma... If you aren't aware you've been asked to do something, its not your fault

gloriouslyhappy

peachyprice wrote: »

It was Barcelona for goodness sake. If it's not strapped to your person it's highly likely to get pinched.

Even if strapped on, the professional pickpockets can still get it, and Barcelona in summer is as bad as Oxford Street at Christmas.

marich

Just say "no" !

thorsoak

TrishB69 wrote: »

Will you lose the friend if you refuse to pay? If yes, it's a straight choice between the friendship and the money. Only you can decide which one you'd rather lose.

If a friend is so careless of his/her possessions, and is now demanding recompense from you, s/he is equally careless of friendships .....would be no great loss to lose this "friend" - who should, of course, have insured the phone.

Jojo_the_Tightfisted

Person_one wrote: »

They should claim on their insurance.

Wouldn't be covered on their travel policy (assuming they were smart enough to take insurance out in the first place to cover for sickness/injury). Not only are mobile phones usually specifically excluded from travel insurance policies, there's also an exclusion for unattended items.

For something to be regarded as attended, they have to have a reasonable chance of observing an attempt to remove it and to prevent its removal. Dumping it on the sand and disappearing off into the water meant they could do neither, anymore than asking a sleeping person of their acquaintance, the old lady on the next sun lounger or the guy running the beachbar to keep an eye on it would. Their property, their responsibility. Their loss.

Petra_70

This puts me in mind of something that happened to my cousin about 25 years ago. (When she was about 18.) She had a very bossy friend who she worked with, and she was staying at this friend's house because she and the friend and the friend's sister and a few others were going to a nightclub.. (Let's call the friend Helen and my cousin Shelley.) Anyway, Helen asked Shelly if she wanted to borrow this particular ring when they went out clubbing that night. Shelly said she would rather not, in case she lost it. Helen insisted. So Shelly wore it.

They both came home with 3 or 4 others to Helen's house, (very drunk,) and Helen's sister told Shelly to take the ring off and leave it in the bathroom. So she did so.

Next day Shelly got the bus home.

At work on Monday, Helen said she wanted the ring back. Shelly said she left it on the bathroom window ledge as her sister had requested. Helen said it was not there.

Long story short; Helen came back to my cousin Shelly the next day, and said if she can't produce the ring, then she must pay for it, as it's a family heirloom. She then went on to say 'our mam says I should have £150 off you for that ring...' At the time, that was a week's wage for Shelly. She said she couldn't do it in one week, as she pays 40% of her wage to her mother for board. So Helen, and her sister said she can pay in instalments...

Too scared to say no, my cousin paid Helen £150 over 3 weeks (£50 a week.)

Shelly heard about 3 weeks after her last 'instalment,' that Helen still had that ring. She didn't know what to do or say, and she couldn't prove anything; not even that she had given her the money.

About a month after she found out Helen still had the ring; they were all paid. They used to be paid in cash, and the average weekly wage was about £125-£140. (Prob about £275-£300 in today's money.) This one week, Helen lost her pay packet with all her money in it. Everyone was questioned and searched before everyone left the building, and it wasn't found. The employer never reimbursed her either - as she lost it herself.

A few days later, Shelly found it in the canteen, peeping out from under the lockers. She never knew to this day, how it got there; but the upshot is; she was the only one who saw it, and she scooped it out from underneath the fridge, and shoved it in her bra. She kept the money.

Wrong? Immoral? Maybe. But not as wrong and immoral as lying to someone and conning them, and blatantly stealing £150 off them. (£250-£300 in today's money.)

If it was me, I would NEVER have given this woman any money, and I would have told her to call the police if her ring was missing, and THEY can do an investigation. My cousin was very young though, and bullied and intimidated by these girls.

I think Helen got her comeuppance though! And Shelly got her money back - well most of it!!

As for the OP's dilemma. No WAY would I give them the money!