Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Protection built in.

Meet the Other Phone.
Protection built in.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To ask for a contribution after DD's friend damaged my TV

122 replies

pixie54 · 21/08/2012 21:47

DD's friend who had come for a sleepover was playing on the WII without the wrist strap on. When "bowling" she let go of the remote thingy and it hit our tv cracking the screen and it stopped working.
Her mum was with me having a cuppa when it happened and my DD (9) came in and said that it had happened. I said to my DD 'not to worry, I'll sort it later'. Friends mum didn't comment. Then my son came in and said the tv wasn't working and again I said I'd sort it later. DD's friends mum said that her dd probably wasn't wearing the strap. Then they left, without mentioning it all.i haven't heard from her at all since. The upshot is that tv is not repairable, a new one is £1200 and I have to claim on my accidental damage cover which has a £250 excess and I lose my no claims status. Should I contact the mum and ask her to contribute? Or, do we take the view that accidents like this are something to be accepted and we should bear the cost? I don't know what the right thing to do is!! Advice please, thanks

OP posts:
ChickensArentEligableForGold · 22/08/2012 10:14

We have kept our old telly for the DC to play games on. I think if our new telly got smashed DH would actually cry. He has banned the dog from bringing toys in to the living room after a near miss with a tuggy rope.

DowagersHump · 22/08/2012 10:17

Oh no, I would have offered Aitch :)

But the OP's reaction may have made me think that it wasn't a big deal and the telly regularly went on the blink.

Given that the OP downplayed it, I don't think she can now call and ask for a contribution as you said.

pictish · 22/08/2012 10:22

The OP's reaction has everything to do with her friend's response.
The OP brushed it off, so therefore her friend did too.

jandymaccomesback · 22/08/2012 10:23

The other Mum should have at least offered a contribution, that is common decency. Maybe she can't actually afford it though. Even giving you something towards the excess could be a stretch depending on her circumstances.
And in your position if she had offered I'd probably have turned it down because it was an accident, but then I'm a bit contrary.

WerthersUnOriginal · 22/08/2012 10:30

Yes I do think downplaying the accident when it happened wasn't wise. Better to go in all Shockaargh! then cool down if required than to heat it up later when reality hits.

I do tend to do this too though because I hate making people feel uncomfortable. Silly really esp in situations like that, but it's my default.

PrideOfChanur · 22/08/2012 10:31

I would have offered to pay,but would have resented it.I would have offered without hesitation if my child threw a toy sword through a window, but the situation with the wii? It would never occur to me (it certainly hasn't until now!) to consider damage to TVs from escaping remotes,and in a friends house where the damage caused by one might run to £100+ I would prefer the DCs to be supervised,and told to use the straps.
Or not allowed on the wii.
If it happened in my house I would look on it as an accident that I would cover -and next time I would speak sternly to all involved about being carefully,using wriststraps,and I would check on them to be sure they were. I wouldn't expect visiting friend's mum in another room to be responsible for that.

0lympia · 22/08/2012 10:32

I think it's a risk of having anybody over to your house. My friend's son made marks on the wall and I said nothing. You can't go around billing your friends for accidental damage (jmo)

Journey · 22/08/2012 10:32

I agree with dowagershump. I think by saying "don't worry about it" and "I'll sort it later" you missed your opportunity. I think the friend's mum probably thought that if you weren't that bothered about it then she would conveniently not take any responsibility for the accident.

You should of gone through to the room with the tv and inspected the damage with your friend there, and made a point of asking how it happened so that it made it a bit more awkward for your friend to leave without offering to pay for some of the damage.

AitchTwoOhOneTwo · 22/08/2012 10:32

oh yeah, OP has totally blown it already by not even bothering to check. that seems v v odd tbh.

rainbowinthesky · 22/08/2012 10:33

Further thinking about this I allow my dc to use my iPad,iPhone and laptop but don't let them when friends are round.

Ithinkitsjustme · 22/08/2012 10:36

I would just suck it up and claim on the insurance, in fact I'd use the insurance money to buy 2 tv's, one for me to watch and a cheap one for the kids to use with the wii! I'm still Shock about the £1200 for a tv, my son has just bought a 40" 3D Sony for £450!

0lympia · 22/08/2012 10:37

ps, I see your tv costs 1200 stg!! My tv cost 180 euro and it does the job. I would laugh privately at a family who were gadgetted up to the gills expecting me to pay for half of the most expensive tv on the market. I would suggest the walker tv that I have myself.

cocolepew · 22/08/2012 10:37

I'm not sure why people are saying they wouldn't let the children play if their tv was so fragile.Surely all tvs are fragile? As regards to the price, mine is a bog standard 32" but we bought it just before they dropped in price and paid £600 for it.

I still cant believe the other mum just sat there and never mentioned it Confused

mysteriouslady · 22/08/2012 10:38

you downplayed it, also the mum probably had NO IDEA the TV cost £1200, that wouldnt even have occurred to me, if you hadnt downplayed it at the time you may have a point, but its too late now.

I'd pay the whole excess if you asked me, but I wouldnt come over again, whereas if you had said at the time, Id have seen it differently.

0lympia · 22/08/2012 10:40

bog standard for £600? That's not bog standard. People do lose the run of themselves with TVs I think. I tell you all, i got a perfectly good tv for under 200 euro and it has a built in dvd player as well.

DowagersHump · 22/08/2012 10:42

My telly cost £250 from Sainsburys coco. That's bog standard :o

badtasteflump · 22/08/2012 10:42

Awkward one. It's easy to say in retrospect, but the OP should have been more careful to make sure anybody using the wii used the wrist-strap (bearing in mind the value of the tv!). And if she hadn't down-played the incident, maybe the friend wouldn't have either.

OP - Whatever happens now; whether you ask for a contribution or not, the friendship is kind of buggered IMO - if you don't ask and pay out yourself you will feel resentful towards her - if you do ask she may or may not pay and either way it will feel awkward....

Also easy to say in retrospect - but I never see the point in having insurance if your excess is so high. £250 sounds a lot to me Confused.

cocolepew · 22/08/2012 10:42

Erm it is to ys, we've had it for years. Our other one blew up after 10 years. You can get it for less than £300 now

quoteunquote · 22/08/2012 10:43

Claim on your home insurance(that is what it is for), and start supervising visiting children.

AitchTwoOhOneTwo · 22/08/2012 10:43

i bet the value of the tv isn't 1200, iykwim? it might have cost that, but tech comes down in price so quickly that it wouldn't cost that to replace.

badtasteflump · 22/08/2012 10:46

What tv is it?

cocolepew · 22/08/2012 10:48

Rub it in Dowagers Grin

For the price I paid for it, I could probably get a massive all singing, all dancing one now, that makes you breakfast in bed

AitchTwoOhOneTwo · 22/08/2012 10:50

your tv doesn't make breakfast? i pity you. Grin

Flisspaps · 22/08/2012 10:59

I agree with those saying that this is why you have insurance.

This is also why Wii remotes come with wrist straps, and IMO, if children are playing on the Wii, it takes no time to remind them to use the strap.

DowagersHump · 22/08/2012 11:02

Sorry coco :(