Money Moral Dilemma: Should I pay my friend for a smashed bottle of wine?

happyinflorida

discuss it with them

it broke - how? wasn't it wrapped up properly - every time I've brought a bottle of wine back from abroad, I've always wrapped it in a towel so it doesn't break

are you sure it did break? have you seen evidence of that? if not, are they lying because they couldn't be bothered to get it for you?

ask to see their suitcase before offering any money if you feel obliged to do so - any excuses made, don't offer

are they asking for repmt? if not, see the case to prove it happened and then offer something if you want to

jaygra51

I’d definitely pay it and, if they have insurance, the bottle was well protected and they have the receipt, then they should get the money for it without any problem.

jaygra51

I certainly wouldn’t do anything that you’ve suggested, that’s one sure fire way to lose a friend!

anotheruser

I'd love to have a lot of you as friends!

You asked someone to get you something and they did but it broke.
I wouldn't expect your friend to ask you to pay for something that's broken.

If they didn't pack it properly, there's only one person to blame there.

If you're happy to pay for broken things, go pay for it.

palman

ok perhaps I am a sceptic but did anyone see the broken bottle, wet clothes? receipt? Are we sure it was even bought is my drift. Of course it really does depend on how expensive the wine was and was this a really good friend to be worth just pocketing the money. I for a fact know some people that would lie to pocket a few quid.

socksy

Yes, its not your friends fault it got smashed, and she did pay for it beforehand?
I would definitely pay and thank her for going to the trouble to actually get it x

MarkSpark

I suggest you have the moral sensibility of a reptile, so here's a plan:

You are not a proper friend by any normal reckoning of friendship, having got this far in adult life without any moral compass. The sooner this fact is out in the open for your friend and mutual friends to see, the better. Then they can either drop you as a friend, or handle you at a distance metaphorically wearing not kid gloves, but rather, welding gauntlets.

So, refuse to pay so everyone sees you in your true light. OK?

ALTERNATELY: Use this unfortunate incident to look into your psyche and wonder why you are like this, and what you can do to change. Friendship and care make the world a much better place for everyone. As suggested elsewhere please put yourself in other peoples shoes. In this case apologise profusely that this unfortunate event should have happened, pay for the wine and cleaning bills/ new luggage without hesitation. If a garment is permanently stained foot the cost of a new one.

Expensive? Quite possibly. But your friend was kind enough to you to go shopping on your behalf while on holiday, acted in good faith, and there was an unintended consequence affecting the friend. Because the action was on your behalf you should rectify it. Others here express that very well.

But most of all please treat this as a wakeup call....

SWGranny

I think the fairest solution would be to both pay half the cost. It is not your fault that the wine bottle was broken, but it is you who asked for it. I don't know if it is through negligence that the wine bottle broke, ie it was not sufficiently wrapped for transit, or whether it was a genuine accident. If it was not sufficiently packed then it is partly your friend's fault.

minislim

yes. of course. they paid out of their own money for it.
otherwise you'll find that next time you ask them you'll probably get no.
you never know they might refuse to take the money.
but its always polite to offer.

SWGranny

I suppose this is a possibility. It depends how long you have known this friend, and how honest you feel they are. You could ruin a long term friendship if you adopt this view without any proof!