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.

[ThroughThickAndThin01]

Of course you should contribute.

If it wasn’t for you, her phone would still be intact.

[Floaty2018]

You should definitely pay! Your action directly lead to the phone hitting the floor and smashing. If you hadn't touched her, the phone wouldn't have been dropped!

Let it be a lesson to you to be more mindful on future. YY to a PP who said you should forego a night out to pay for the repair. It's called being an adult and taking responsibility for your actions.

[Sunflowersforever]

Not sure @Twotailed Is understanding insurance.

You cause the accident, you pay - either from your insurance or your own funds.

You accidentally hit another car, your insurance pays not the car owners.

You accidentally spill a drink over someone's dress, you pay for the dry cleaning.

... and so on.

Insurance works to cover the person who causes the accident

[C0untDucku1a]

You didnt smash the screen! You werent using the phone, she was and she dropped it.

[OliviaStabler]

You should at the very least offer half the cost but you clearly won't so why bother asking.

[TwoBlueShoes]

I wonder how the people saying "shouldn't have to pay" would react if someone damaged their car and then said "I won't pay - you ought to have fully comprehensive insurance?

It depends on the circumstances of the damage.

If someone deliberately damaged my car, they should pay.

If someone was acting in a reckless manner where it was foreseeable to damage my car, they should pay.

If I drive around the corner and hit someone who was crossing the road, then I would not expect them to pay for the damage to my car.

[deenagh]

Accident or not, you caused the damage and it would be only decent of you to offer to pay.

Imagine if someone hit your car and said "Oh it was an accident, so I'm not going to pay for repairs". Obviously it was an accident, but it's your fault. Don't be lousy. Save up for the repair if you have to.

[C0untDucku1a]

The insurance might expect yer to pay £50 excess anyway, if she had it. Ridiculous to have an expensive phone and no insurance.

[WeBuiltThisBuffetOnSausageRoll]

I can't afford it either and shouldn't she have had insurance on such a expensive phone?

That's exactly how a lot of thieves and burglars justify their actions to themselves. "Well, they'll be insured anyway - and if they aren't, they were stupid not to have insurance. Whichever way I look at it, my decision to take their property is their responsibility/fault, and there's no way that I'm to blame in any way"

[TheNoodlesIncident]

You contributed to the damage to your friend's phone so morally you should offer a contribution towards its repair.

It's up to your friend if she wants to accept your offer or suggest an alternative amount or just say No need but thanks.

But you definitely should offer and it seems extraordinary that anyone thinks you needn't. You contributed to the accident. It would be appalling to shrug that off with lame excuses.

[m00rfarm]

Gosh - I can imagine next time I want my phone screen replaced I will make sure my friend knocks into me so I can drop it and she can pay for the new screen. Sorry, but it could have been a total stranger who knocked into the phone. And I do not believe that that the phone has no insurance. I believe it is more likely that there is an excess. Banks, credit cards and house insurance all over phone coverage. She dropped her phone - so she should pay for it.

[EK36]

Yes i do think you should offer to pay half. If she had done it to you would you want her to offer half?

[specialsubject]

rubbish phone - decent portable kit should not smash when dropped. (Yes, I know all brickphones disintegrate when sneezed on, another reason not to have one).

not your problem your mate falls for marketing. apologise but that's it.

[glintandglide]

People talking about insurance- many don’t cover accidental damage to the screen and as others have said, even when they do it’s typically £50 excess which is close to the cost of fixing it yourself. I think the insurance is a moot point tbh.

OP I think if you can you should offer half- If you can’t you should tell her that’s why you’re not offering, because you just can’t afford to

[huggybear]

I definitely think you should pay. Not sure why others are staying you shouldn't tbh.

[CaMePlaitPas]

20 quid this month, 20 the next.

[HollowTalk]

How much did you spend on drinks AFTER the screen was broken?

[Rigamorph]

Regardless of what the object is or whether it is something that 'should' have insurance, or 'should' have better build quality the issue for me would be the friendship and the 'moral' dilemma.

I was brought up to replace/pay for anything I damage.

If you care about your friendship you will offer at least half.

Any friend of mine that didn't would go in the 'flakey' category right away.

[NutElla5x]

I have less money to play with than even you by the sounds of it,but I like my friends so would definitely do the right thing and pay half.How would you feel if the shoe was on the other foot?

[Failingat40]

Your a tight barsteward CF!

It always amazes me how people so selfish have any friends.

Pay up!!

Her phone would still be in one piece if you hadn't knocked into her!

If you knocked into a shelving unit in a shop and broke items on display you would be expected to pay wouldn't you!??
It certainly wouldn't be a case of 'they should have insurance'!!

Sigh

[WeBuiltThisBuffetOnSausageRoll]

It's still working but the screen is totally cracked.

My car's still working - the engine has totally blown up but four people can still sit in it whenever they want to. If we're talking a small scratch in the top corner, that's one thing; but if the screen is totally cracked, then it isn't working. What use is it if the phone is able to render the information perfectly well if the owner can't actually see it properly?

I can't afford half's either tbh.
It's about £80 for a new screen.
That's £40 I could use for other things.

So which is it: can you not afford it or would you just rather not have to pay for the damage you caused? Should insurance companies work on the same basis, having taken your premiums - if you singe your carpet, they'll pay for a new one, but if your whole house burns down after being hit by lightning, you're on your own there because it's too much money for them to want to pay - money that they'd rather spend on other things?

Have you thought that, just maybe, SHE can't afford to pay £40 or £80 to repair something that was smashed owing to the carelessness of a 'friend' - or maybe she could afford it but still thinks that it's £40/£80 that she could spend on other things?

Do you have a similar-spec phone handset? Why don't you ask if she'd like to swap with you, with no money needing to change hands? She shouldn't have to live with a smashed screen that she wasn't responsible for, but if "it's still working" then you'll be absolutely fine with it, won't you?

[Starlighter]

YABU!!

You are legally (and morally!) at fault!

Do the right thing and pay for her phone to be fixed!

[WeBuiltThisBuffetOnSausageRoll]

In fact, thinking about how entitled you seem to be and how you've worded your OP, I'm wondering if this is a reverse?

[runbeerrunbeer]

When a stranger bumped into me in a bar and threw my red wine over me, she apologised and offered to pay dry cleaning/replacement. It did ruin my brand new top and I had to chuck it out.
Of course i didn't take the money off her, but I was thankful of the offer.

However we have in the past borrowed a case, that yes, got damaged in transit, some garden equipment, that blew up, a hat for a wedding, that got bird shit on it.... Yes replaced all of the above for the owners which has lead to me now not borrow anything off anyone as I'd rather just stump up the cost for my own than risk buying kit for someone else that we'll never see again!

So in conclusion, I think the answer is if you're responsible, the right thing would be to offer to pay: Hope she doesn't accept and If she does, save up and chalk it up to experience.

[givemesteel]

No. I wouldn't pay.

I have a big ugly rubber case on my phone because shit happens and I'm not paying stupid money to fix a cracked screen.

Phones are ridiculously breakable, it's their biggest design flaw.

You need a case or insurance.

If she doesn't have either it's not your problem.