Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Child-safe in minutes.

Meet the Other Phone.
Child-safe in minutes.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Chat

Join the discussion and chat with other Mumsnetters about everyday life, relationships and parenting.

Original poster

Bill for broken phone WWUD ?

32 replies

thoughtsbecomethings · 04/06/2014 18:49

My DS (14) has given me a bill from his friends parents to pay for the phone screen to be replaced £65. My DS admits to accidentally riding his bike over his friends coat which had the phone in the pocket, this made the screen crack( it did already have a small crack in screen).
So WWUD ? Pay up, ignore

OP posts:
HelpMeGetOutOfHere · 04/06/2014 18:51

If he broke it then you need to pay for it and work out how ds will pay you back.

ThinkIveBeenHacked · 04/06/2014 18:52

He rode over the friends coat. Accidentally or on purpose he needs to pay up.

thefirstmrsrochester · 04/06/2014 18:54

It was an accident.

If it has been my son, he'd have got into trouble for leaving his jacket with the phone in the pocket on the ground.

RhondaJean · 04/06/2014 18:54

Hang on a minute.

Where was this coat?

I'm seeing it as, their child left the phone in a pocket lying on the ground, your son didn't know and went over it, at which point the already existing crack got bigger?

I'd tell them where to go. If he did it deliberately he would be paying them back himself, but it's not his fault his friend left it lying around carelessly.

And I think it's a bloody cheek to send you a bill in those circumstances!

Original poster
thoughtsbecomethings · 04/06/2014 18:56

The coat was on the ground with the phone in the pocket.

OP posts:
Discobugsacha · 04/06/2014 18:56

Hmm, if it was an accident I don't think you should pay. Especially if there was already a crack. It needed repaired when your ds ran over it? Is it likely he just made the original crack bigger?

I can't imagine asking my dc's friends parents to pay for obviously accidental damage to their property. It's just one of those things. If it was my dc I would be telling them off for bring careless with their phone!

Original poster
thoughtsbecomethings · 04/06/2014 18:59

That's kinda my thinking that it was an accident my son didn't know the child's phone was in the coat. I would never ask for payment from my DS friends parents for such an accident.

OP posts:
thefirstmrsrochester · 04/06/2014 19:03

I would contact the parents to ask if they has asked their ds to bill your son for repairs. Perhaps they were making their own ds pay & he's chancing his arm by blaming your ds and foisting the bill on him?

Had the jacket been put somewhere reasonable safe, it wouldn't have been there for you ds to accidentally ride over.

And if the bill was intended for your son, don't pay.

peachactiviaminge · 04/06/2014 19:08

Your son really shouldn't be riding over peoples coats though.

Original poster
thoughtsbecomethings · 04/06/2014 19:12

I am aware of that but I would expect the child to take responsibility for there own phone.

OP posts:
BelleateSebastian · 04/06/2014 20:13

My ds dropped a friends iPod and badly cracked the screen (again was already cracked ) friends parents made a big song and dance that it would cost £70 to repair (but didn't ask for the money) so I bought a replacement screen and kit to fix it from eBay for £11 which was perfect ... Please don't pay £65, even if it's an iPhone it should be less than £20.

gamerchick · 04/06/2014 20:17

A similar happened to my sons phone except it was in his bag on the ground.

He got a tongue lashing for not looking after it and I wouldn't have dreamed of asking the parents of the kid to cough up.

Send a note back saying that as it was in the ground you're not taking responsibility for it or send a new screen over for them to fit themselves if you're feeling a pang.

ThinkIveBeenHacked · 04/06/2014 20:28

Kids do put their coats on the groubd though - as football goals or because theres nowhere to hang them.

He shouldnt have rode over it.

Mobile phones are usually kept in pockets.

HelpMeGetOutOfHere · 04/06/2014 20:28

No still think your son needs to pay. Why did he ride over the coat? That in it's self shows to me that he was not being respectful of someone else's property. At 14 he should know better than to ride over someone's coat regardless of what's in the pockets.

Itsfab · 04/06/2014 20:32

The parents should have been mature enough to meet with you to discuss the situation and give you the bill, not get the kid to do their dirty work.

Staywithme · 04/06/2014 20:35

I find it hard to understand how he didn't see the coat if it was on the ground? Did he explain how he ended up riding over it? Did he ride over it for a joke, not realising the phone was in it? I know young people play silly pranks on each other, but if that is the case either pay up or do as someone else suggested and fix the phone.

lornemalvo · 04/06/2014 20:37

The other boy left his phone lying on the ground. If I left my phone in the pocket of a coat and left the coat on the ground and someone stood on it I would not be blaming them.

Also, if they want you to pay for it they should be contacting you by phone or in person. They should not be getting their son to hand you a bill. If they can't be bothered to speak to you about it I would not be worrying about speaking to them on the matter. I would leave it until they actually ask for the money.

I really don't think you should pay for it. It was broken in an accident because it was discarded on the ground. It was also already broken.

Nevercan · 04/06/2014 21:12

How about offering to pay half as it was an accident but he did ride over the coat?

Droflove · 05/06/2014 09:23

I old pay half definitely. I think there was 2 of them in it. I'd also give my son a lashing for riding over someone's coat. That's ignorant.

LightastheBreeze · 05/06/2014 09:35

Sounds like both their faults and just unfortunate. As they are 14 they were probably mucking about anyway, and you probably haven't got the whole story.

When DS was this age, one of DS friend's had borrowed DS bike and was mucking about on it and somehow managed to completely break it. It was like it had been run over by a car. It ended with DS not having a bike as we didn't blame his friend because DS shouldn't have lent it to him anyway to muck around on or whatever really happened.

At this age a lot of this sort of stuff happens and you're DS should not have to pay, the other person should have taken care of their property and not left it on the ground.

lazypepper · 05/06/2014 09:41

On one hand DS rode over the coat.

BUT the friend left his coat on the floor.

Perhaps make DS pay for half of a new screen.

I don't believe that it wuld cost that much. I had to replace my screen, but had insurance and had to pay the £35 excess only. It was totally my own fault for breaking it.

Do the parents not have phone insurance?

HelpMeGetOutOfHere · 05/06/2014 12:18

Not everyone has phone insurance. I don't and don't for the dc who are on payg and phones that cost around £100, the excess on things like protect mybubble are £50 so not really worth it, assuming you would hardly ever claim.

BobbyGentry · 05/06/2014 13:01

Personally, I'd be tempted to pay in pound coins and explain it's your son's savings and if anything's meant to be learnt then it's about no leaving a phone on the street and in a coat then I'd let the friendship cool off :) (How much is a friendship worth, around 65 pounds?)

NorbertDentressangle · 05/06/2014 13:09

Surely the owner of the phone coat needs to be responsible about where they leave their valuable or fragile possessions. If you put anything on the floor then it stands a good chance of being walked on/driven over/sat on/tripped over etc

OK, your son shouldn't have cycled over the coat but it was an accident. It could be argued that if the other lad had been more sensible about where he left it, it wouldn't have happened.

ILoveCoreyHaim · 05/06/2014 13:35

£65???

It only cost £12 for a local shop to replace a cracked back panel on an iPhone 4 on dds.

Sounds like it's reverent opportunity to get the already cracked screen fixed.

I would say - sorry but the screen was already cracked so by our son should really learn to look after his stuff. It was an accident and the phone shouldn't have been left on the floor in a coat. It's your son you should be billing not mine. Also £65 is ridiculous when you can get the phone fixed for far less. I'm sorry my ds ran over your son's coat damaging the phone but but it shouldn't have been on the floor.

Swipe left for the next trending thread