To not pay for friend to get her phone fixed after I smashed it?

[katie3347]

Friday night me and my friend went out for drinks.
We were stood at the bar and I turned around quick and knocked my friends phone out of her hand,it hit the floor and smashed the screen.
It's still working but the screen is totally cracked.

She was a bit upset saying she didn't have insurance and couldn't afford to get it fixed.
I can't afford it either and shouldn't she have had insurance on such a expensive phone?
Anyway I haven't mentioned it since ..aibu to just not mention it again?
I know she probably expected me to pay to get it fixed but it was a accident and she was the one who let go once I hit her arm.

You can’t be that if you can go out for drinks. You broke it, you should pay to get it fixed

You should absolutely pay for the repair. Not just half, all of it. You knocked the phone out of her hand - yes it was an accident, as in it was unintentional and not done out of malice, but the damage was still caused by your action.

Yeah I agree that it's kind of silly for you to say you can't afford the 40, but you can afford to go out for drinks? If it were a good friend, I'd offer to pay for half because that's a terrible situation for your friend to deal with accident or not.

Most breakages happen by accident. Doesn’t mean no-one has responsibility. You caused the breakage. She’s your friend. Pay up.

I'm shocked someone would even need to ask.
Yes, YABU.
Yes, you should offer half.
This is how you treat your FRIENDS

So what if you tripped over with red wine in your hand and spilt it on her expensive designer suede handbag and ruined the contents as well? Do you think she should have had insurance for her handbag?

I think people with expensive suede handbags probably have content insurance that covers this?

You were out for drinks. You are not skint. Pay what you owe cheeky fucker.

Yes, you should pay. It was an accident, but caused by you.

If you knocked something in a shop and broke it, you'd be expected to pay. If you'd bumped your car into someone else, you'd have to pay.

Just because it was an accident, doesn't mean your forgo your responsibility

I really don't get this. Let's say I'm in your house, turn around and accidentally... Knock an 80£ vase down.

Would we blame the person for owning a vase?
Or would we hold the person who did the damage accountable?

Yes, it was an accident. Obviously. Most damages are accidents and not intentional acts of property damage!

I think it's different when someone genuinely can't afford it. I certainly wouldn't accept it if I knew that a friend of mine was in financial difficulties. And I would hope that a real friend would tell me (I would not want to be responsible for them having to go without electricity or food...).

But it would seriously harm the friendship (imo) if you just didn't offer to pay!

How much do you value your friendship? £40? £80? or not at all?

If you refuse point blank to pay for an accident that you caused, then you are putting your friendship in jeopardy.

Do the decent thing.

I am actually hoping this thread is just a wind up.

Didn’t she have one of those glass protectors which can protect the screen? I’d pay for the damage but then I’d insist she get a protective glass cover and case to protect it

@gordan

They aren't always available. Especially if she has an older model (which doesn't seem unlikely in this situation).

Pay up. You broke it. Accident or not. If it were a car you would have to pay. CF

@WhitefriarsDillyDuck

Perhaps, unless it’s not covered when not inside your house?

I wouldn’t insure it if it cost me £100 but could still get damaged in a red wine incident....

That's £40 I could use for other things.
^ This sounds like you just don't want to pay. You broke it, you should pay at least half. Yabu.

“You break it, you buy it.”

In this case, you broke it, you should pay for it.

You sound like a rubbish friend... you should pay!

If I broke something I would pay for it. You can afford to go out but you can’t afford £80? It doesn’t have to be right away, just say you will get it fixed as soon as you have put together the money for it - you will have to forego a few boozey nights out!!!

You should pay.......

I wouldn't be able to sleep at night without paying to have her phone repaired.

Go that extra mile, even if it means paying her in instalments or cutting back on a few things for a month or so.

You will feel better for it.

I’d definitely pay, it’s just what you do when you break things.
If I was skint I’d offer to go halves.

If you have to ask this then there's something wrong with your morality chip. Suck it up buttercup, you broke something, you pay for it. None of this half nonsense either, you knocked it out of her hand so it's your fault.

You broke it you pay. What if she'd broken your phone, would you expect her to say it was your fault for not insuring it and nothing to do with her knocking it out of your hand and you pay for,your own phone?

Legally I don’t think OP would be held responsible. Think other party would need to show OP acted negligently. But hey what do I know, only what I have seen on Judge Rinder, lol.

Think insurance doesn’t really apply as the excess means probably not worth claiming.

Morally I think should go halves if the phone was not protected. A decent screen protector and case might have meant that screen didn’t crack. For the sake of friendship.