Money Moral Dilemma: My son's friend borrowed his bike and it got stolen - should his parents pay?

TRACYNUTT

Split the bill imo

diggingahole

100% The friend (or his parents) should pay the cost of buying another £350 bike, the son left it in a safe place and his friend didn't have permission to use it, the friend went ahead and 'borrowed' it without consent anyway and was negligent when leaving it unlocked!

Some replies on here attempting to blame the son or parents for not having bike insured are ridiculous.

 

Claire_M_3

The basic rule of law is, cause no harm, suffering or loss. This is not a moral dilemma, the law on this is already written. You must put your claim in writing to the adult who has parental responsibility for the child. Include 1 or 2 witness signatures for more weight. Keep a copy and post it recorded delivery. 

Eatsruns

I think it's a valuable life lesson for the son. Long ago I learned never to entrust my possessions to anyone unless I don't mind never seeing them again. This includes my own mother. I recall an incident where she insisted on taking responsibility for a favourite tshirt, only to lose it. Another where she moved my mobile phone from next to my towel and under a bag I had placed there to shield it from the sun. She decided she wanted to "borrow" the bag so moved my phone ONTO my towel and under a tshirt I had taken off to go for a swim. Naturally, when I returned dripping wet I grabbed the towel to dry myself, shook the tshirt off the towel, and my phone went flying right onto a rock. She replaced the phone. Anyway, the moral of that story is that other people, even if they are family, will never treat your belongings as carefully as you will.
This may affect the friendship between the boys and this is for them to navigate. Of course the other boy's parents should pay, or insist the boy does from his savings. But either way both boys will have to work out how they feel about what happened.

phillmmorris

Whoever was in charge of the cycle when it is ridden is responsible for its safekeep. It is no different when you hire a car, you are responsible. Maybe a first approach is to ask if it is covered under their insurance and go from there.

Claire_M_3

DrWatson1 said:

It's your son's fault. If he hasn't left it at the friends in the first place, this wouldn't have happened.

He's learned a valuable lesson, just move on. 

So the other party who caused the bike to be stolen have no responsibility whatsoever? That is not how the law works.

CHRISTy7

50/50.   Left with friend at your own risk. Friend should have taken care of it off the premises.  It is not fair for them to take on the whole cost when they did your son a favour in the first place

mymumlookslikenormanhunter

The key point is not whether the bike was insured (it wasn’t secured so insurance wouldn’t pay anyway), nor that the son left the bike at his friend’s house for a few days. The bike would probably not have been stolen if it had been locked. It’s the friend’s fault for that, so they or their parents are liable for replacement. 

This is tempered by whether both children are old enough to know better, and whether the parents are in a financial position to replace it.

Hopefully, lessons learned all round. 

SStitanic

how is your son ever going to learn the value of things if you just replace it!
Get him to save up for a new bike or tell him he gets one at xmas or new year. 
Shouldnt leave something so valuable at someone elses home without insurance, so no the other parents should not bear the cost as they are not responsible for the theft.
cant be responsible for their kid borrowing the bike, if you dont take responsibility for the bike being left there, its the same thing.

gimmetheloot

If you borrow something from someone you assume responsibility for it for the duration you've borrowed it for. This is the only sane system of borrowing there is!

The friend, of their parents, should pay and I'm amazed that anyone thinks otherwise! I won't be lending anything to several commenters in this thread that's for sure