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
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To think if you break someone's property you should at least fix it/pay for it to be fixed?

29 replies

hibbledibble · 16/06/2015 05:04

I gave away my sofa for free, to get rid of it quickly. It was an expensive sofa bed (over £1000 new and in decent condition). I out a Facebook message saying it was free to whoever can collect and one of dh friends collected it.

Her boyfriend dropped it on our garden gate, breaking it. Now the gate has to be stirred elsewhere as it is off its hinges and would likely be stolen for scrap metal. The front of the house looks pretty terrible tbh.

It will cost quite a lot in materials alone to fix, and this is is dh is even able to fix it, which I'm not sure he can. So far he has sent one day trying to no avail.

They also took the scatter cushions which were bought separately and I had not offered and wanted to keep. Grrrr!

Aibu to think they should have at least offered to fix?

Every time I walk into the house and see the damage it annoys me.

OP posts:
Mermaidhair · 16/06/2015 05:46

In this situation yanbu, can you ask for the cushions back? Can you ask for their assistance in fixing the gate too?

Aridane · 16/06/2015 05:50

Ugh -how annoying - no good deed goes unpunished...

TestingTestingWonTooFree · 16/06/2015 06:27

Ask for the cushions back and tell them the cost of the gate.

londonrach · 16/06/2015 06:31

Why did you allow the cushions to leave the house. As for the gate find out how much it would cost to fix and drop the bill around to dh friend or her boyfriend.

FenellaFellorick · 16/06/2015 06:32

how did they get the scatter cushions? Weren't you there when they collected and your husband thought they were included? Certainly say sorry there must have been an error. They weren't part of it.

And yes, saying you broke my gate, I really need you to fix that is not unreasonable. He knew he broke it and he just left? Without saying anything about it? And he hasn't offered or anything? Some people are just really thoughtless, aren't they?

eddielizzard · 16/06/2015 06:35

yes, ask for cushions and cost of gate. shoddy behaviour.

Original poster
hibbledibble · 16/06/2015 08:09

Like fenella says, I wasn't home, and dh let them take the cushions. I am more angry at him for that. He thinks that it would be rude for us to ask for them back.

Regarding the gate, no there was no offer to repair it. It is very cheeky isn't it?

OP posts:
WhenYouGottaGo · 16/06/2015 08:11

It sounds like your DH didn't like the scatter cushions!

Original poster
hibbledibble · 16/06/2015 08:14

when quite possibly true. But I said I would put different covers on them! I wanted to at least keep the cushions as they were feather filled.

He bought new ones that were cheap, and the cushion has been ruined after 1 wash.

OP posts:
londonrach · 16/06/2015 08:15

Wheryou Grin. Re the scatter cushion that sounds like a misunderstanding. Gate get three tradesmen around to give quote and phone up dh friend and tell her how much it is. I bet her boyfriend hasnt told her he broke the gate...

DrinkFeckArseGirls · 16/06/2015 08:17

Definitely ask for the cushions back. Tell them Dh got confused.

Original poster
hibbledibble · 16/06/2015 08:20

Do most people agree with London ?

This also happened nearly a year ago, but dh has only recently told me this is how the gate was broken. Would it still be ok to ask to contribute towards repairs?

OP posts:
FrancesHouseman · 16/06/2015 08:23

God, this sounds like my fridge-giving-away incident that was well more trouble than it was worth and why I don't use freecycle anymore. The man who turned up to collect the fridge I was giving away managed to knock the gatepost over on his way out of the drive. Turns out he'd borrowed a friends van and wasnt insured so I had to pay £120 to get the gatepost rebuilt. Fucker. It was three years ago and I still feel sour about it...

londonrach · 16/06/2015 08:26

Oh op a year ago....im really sorry but with the amount of time gone past i dont think you can do anything. Is dh friend even aware of the gate. Sadly i think it needed sorting or telling her about it straight away. Yanbu re they should have paid to fix the gate or fixed it themshelves but after a year....im afriad thats too long.

whois · 16/06/2015 08:29

A YEAR AGO??? if someone told me I'd broken their gate a year ago they would get quite shirt shrift. DH sounds like a total wet blanket both for not wanting to ask for the cushions back, and for not addressing the gate issue at the time.

MokunMokun · 16/06/2015 08:30

If this happened a year ago then it's too late now. Just chalk it up to experience annoying as it is.

cuntycowfacemonkey · 16/06/2015 08:34

I was with you until you said a year ago! Sorry but you should have dealt with it at the time.

Original poster
hibbledibble · 16/06/2015 08:37

Yes they were aware of it then, and no didn't offer to fix it.

I think you are right that too much time has passed Sad

I'm really annoyed at dh for not taking any stand with this.

Friend in question has form for paying fair share in the past. I accept that she may have no idea what happened though.

OP posts:
Original poster
hibbledibble · 16/06/2015 08:38

Frances that sounds terribly annoying! My sympathies Brew

OP posts:
FenellaFellorick · 16/06/2015 08:41

oh crikey. A year ago? No, I do think it is too late now.

GloGirl · 16/06/2015 08:44

Yes, too late. Move on.

Original poster
hibbledibble · 16/06/2015 08:44

Fair enough. I'm not expecting anything, after all, if help was forthcoming it would have been offered a long time.

This is more a grievance that they didn't offer to repair the damage.

Dh apparently didn't tell me as he thought that I would want them to contribute towards repairs!! Angry

OP posts:
FenellaFellorick · 16/06/2015 08:45

I agree with you. I would have thought someone would offer to sort that out. I think it's shabby that they didn't.

Original poster
hibbledibble · 16/06/2015 20:25

I've tried to talk to dh about this, now I know its not just me who thinks this kind of behaviour is not on. (Btw this came up recently as the gate is still broken, I don't know if it will ever be fixed!)

I'm equally annoyed at him for not taking a stand and telling me at the time.

OP posts:
Original poster
hibbledibble · 16/06/2015 20:28

I just want to know that if something similar happens again that we won't be footing the bill.

OP posts:
Swipe left for the next trending thread