Friend Borrowed Something and Broke It

[TheChandler]

Thoughts please. Lent something valuable to a friend and due to carelessness, hurrying and not following instructions, she broke part of it.

She got it fixed, but it was a cheap fix (welded) and it broke again. Told her this politely and she is not showing willing to get it properly fixed and seems to think its due to the item being worn or having a fault. (it isn't, its very well made and not at all old, the part wouldn't have broken if it hadn't been bent back and pushed into the wrong position).

Feel really awkward, and also very aggrieved, as I've been spending time trying to find out where I can get it fixed or a replacement part. Without success. Its a real headache for me and could cost a couple of hundred at least if I ever find somewhere willing to do it. I've had to measure and re-measure all its angles, email them off, search the internet and so on. Friend has done nothing and is avoiding me. A relatively new friend but part of the same friendship group.

She drove over it or she broke a piece off trying to fit it?

Do you have a local blacksmith? They might be able to fix it.

Which was it,did it break it by fiddling with it or by reversing their car into it?

What an odd item. Maybe they did you a favour breaking it by hand. Wouldn't have been good if it broke whilst you were driving eh?

I don't know how they broke it. It has a safety feature of a spring loaded pin which locks into place, which they broke either by reversing into it when it was still attached or forcing it because they didn't know how to undo it (and couldn't wait a couple of moments for me to show them). I've used it safely since I got it and I honestly cannot understand what they managed to do to break it so quickly. Its manufacturer approved.

So now I can use it but without the safety feature, and it has a dangling spring loaded pin which can't lock into place and a sharp edge where they broke the thing it goes into.

Hmm I'd ask them for a new one in return for keeping the one they borrowed from you.

Well if there is confusion as to whether one of them was there fiddling with it,or the other one was reversing into it,they obviously weren't reversing (if they even were) at any speed,or they would have demolished whatever person was behind it.Without you realising it,that thing was way too flimsy to be reliable.