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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

Or is the bloke I spilt my latte on

262 replies

Rowanhart · 24/05/2016 17:55

Getting on train today, when someone bumps me on their way past. I dropped my costa coffee (latte, 10 mins old) on table and some split on man's paper, sleeve of jumper and one splash on trousers

Me: oh god I'm very sorry'
Man: 'for Godsake'
Me: so sorry, are your hurt'
Man: 'No I'm messy'

Train bloke with trolley comes over with napkins.

Me: 'so sorry (takes napkins, starts cleaning up.'
Man: 'Can do it myself, stupid cow'
Me: 'okay, well I am sorry'

10 minutes later trolley man comes over and asks for mobile number, name and address as man has put incident in accident book. I ask if details will be passed to man and he says not sure so I refuse.

Then coffee man comes over and demands details. I still refuse. Pretend to get off at next stop and get back on 2 carriages down.

Trolley man comes down, spots me and again asks for details. I refuse and he says transport police may be called. They are not and I get off at destination.

Should I have given my details?

OP posts:
AugustaFinkNottle · 25/05/2016 16:48

Emotions, given that I specifically referred to someone accidentally putting their foot on the accelerator rather than the brake, I'm not sure why you're going to so much trouble to tell me that that would be an accident. I referred to that in the context of people suggesting that accidents will never have legal consequences or liability - and, as you accept, they can.

AugustaFinkNottle · 25/05/2016 16:56

Most consider taking luke-warm coffee on a train to be reasonable behaviour and a reasonable risk, people do it day in, day out.

Yes, it is a reasonable risk. But the point is that it's their risk, not the risk of other passengers who may get coffee spilt on their stuff. If you take coffee on a train and spill it and ruin someone's phone, expect to have to pay for it. Even if the phone owner isn't particularly nice about it.

SapphireStrange · 25/05/2016 16:59

A ruined phone isn't the same as some washable items of clothing.

emotionsecho · 25/05/2016 17:02

Agree Lilac, I've had stuff dropped on me, spilt on me, etc., and people have always apologised profusely and my response has been same as yours - accidents happen.

MunchCrunch01 · 25/05/2016 17:14

I wouldn't ask for their name and address though, what for, to claim he's been viciously burned later? Or claims he needed a new designer jumper and a new pair of £200 G-Star jeans, I shouldn't wonder.

53rdAndBird · 25/05/2016 17:15

I had someone spray sparkling water all the way down my back on a train once. Crowded train, we were standing, she obviously didn't realise the bottle had got shaken up. Was a bit unimpressed, but somehow managed not to call anyone a silly cow or stomp off to File An Incident Report with the train staff.

storminabuttercup · 25/05/2016 17:31

Laughing at all these people saying we shouldn't take coffee on a train as its a risk, does that mean we shouldn't carry they cups around town? What about from the counter to table? Where do we stand on eating icecream walking along the prom?
Jeez

OP, he was a twat, the trolley guy shouldn't have asked for your details unless essential and for the companies records only.

The world is going mad!

FuriousFate · 25/05/2016 17:34

Well apparently Village was there and knows better than all of us what happened Hmm Or maybe he/she is the spillee?!

Not sure if it's the same in the UK, I live in the US, but in Starbucks here they have little green coffee stirrers that fit into the hole in the lid to stop exactly this kind of thing happening. (They also refuse to sell you anything above lukewarm, such is the risk of lawsuits about burns, unless you ask for extra hot, in which case you might just get a drink that's hot enough to be labelled hot.)

AHellOfABird · 25/05/2016 17:49

Pret has them, FF.

AugustaFinkNottle · 25/05/2016 18:44

A ruined phone isn't the same as some washable items of clothing.

I didn't say it was. In fact I've said consistently that there's no realistic claim in OP's case. I was answering the specific point as to who liable if someone takes coffee onto a train and it spills. RTFT.

Laughing at all these people saying we shouldn't take coffee on a train as its a risk

I don't think anyone is saying that. What they are saying is that, if you do take coffee on the train, you are taking a risk of spilling it and causing damage, and that you would be liable for that damage.

Looly71 · 25/05/2016 19:09

This might be a classic yetWink

mari652 · 25/05/2016 19:14

Accidents will happen, but you should have immediately offered to pay for his dry cleaning. He is going to have to go into work with a milky stain on his jumper and trousers - not much to your eyes but a yukky start to his day.

NewYearNewToads · 25/05/2016 19:26

Dry cleaning for jeans and a jumper? Really mari? And what makes you so sure he was going to work?

TheVillageTaxpayer · 25/05/2016 19:32

No one has said not to take coffee, only to take responsibility for it if you choose to do so.

The OP clearly sees herself as some sort of victim instead of acknowledging that her choices created the situation in the first place.

NewYearNewToads · 25/05/2016 19:37

You seem a bit over invested Village. Are you okay?

FuriousFate · 25/05/2016 19:38

Nope, still not buying your argument Village. The person who crashed into the OP caused this chain of events, in the same way that if you crash into someone and force them into the back of the car in front of them, the fault lies with the person at the back of the pile up. If it had been me, I'd have been making just as big a song and dance about the person who'd bumped into me, thus causing me to lurch and the coffee to be spilt. I certainly wouldn't have been paying for dry cleaning that wasn't as a result of my own actions.

isitginoclock · 25/05/2016 20:11

YABU.... Not to have reported horrid sweary man who was pestering you for details and sending trolley man after you to the British transport police yourself.

Hope you're ok OP xx

funkky · 25/05/2016 20:40

It is unreasonable to carry coffee esp on a crowded train/ rush hour. I love my coffee but for the exact reason I might spill it on someone I don't buy before getting on train. Man was rude and not op fault someone bumped into her but if she wasn't carrying coffee, it wouldn't have spilled.

a1poshpaws · 25/05/2016 20:41

Bloomin' heck, no you are not being unreasonable. I'm darn sure I wouldn't let an aggressive *anker like that have any way to trace me.

JigokuShojou · 25/05/2016 20:54

Be grateful he wasn't seriously burned, that would have been much more dire.

PottyMouthed · 25/05/2016 21:14

For goodness sakes, are we still arguing about this? You're never going to agree or find common ground! even op has got bored and buggered off!

ShelaghTurner · 25/05/2016 21:25

Still chuckling over the earlier assumptions that because this was A Man, he was obviously going into a high level meeting in an eye wateringly expensive suit...

AHellOfABird · 25/05/2016 21:53

< juggles coffee cups to lighten the mood>

Gohackyourself · 25/05/2016 21:58

Sorry- disagree here-
I don't think hot drinks should be allowed on any moving transport at all unless you are drinking it seated.
I work in transport an was witness to an incident just as you described where someone got knocked.... Except scalding hot tea dropped all over a child in a buggy.
If you were to witness this am sure you would kinda agree.

Original poster
Rowanhart · 25/05/2016 22:08

I don't see myself as any kind of victim thanks Village.

I asked the question was I unreasonable for rufusing to give man who called me stupid cow my details. He did not ask for any money for cleaning. He said he wasn't hurt.

I'm wondering why you are projecting so much on me VillageTaxPayer/Sharknado? Did I spill my latte on you? If so, here have a biscuit to go with it...Biscuit

OP posts: