Daughter broken her new phone

[lexi873]

Hey,
So as the title says I bought my 11 year old daughter an iPhone for Christmas after a long time of nagging that eeeveryone else has got one, and today she has spilt a bloody drink on it and broken it!
I know accidents happen but I’m more angry that she’s hidden it and lied I asked her what had happened to the screen and she kept saying she didn’t know (the apps keep closing and the screen is swiping by itselflf) so more fool me thought it must be faulty and was going to take it back to the shop tomorrow before she confessed!
I know she’s only 11 and accidents happen but my AiBu is would you make her pay out of her own money for a repair or the cost? It’s on contract for £22 a month for 18 months and I’ve got to pay that and she’s only had the damn thing 3 weeks, I know I should have got insurance but the cost of the phone was enough and I could only afford a phone as a treat in the first place. I’m so angry, it’s her birthday on Friday and I’m meant to be taking her and a friend for a meal and sleepover but I don’t even feel like it now after she lied.
What would anyone else do? Thanks

What’s with the “everyone has one” business? You’re the parent. Say no.

If it’s been soaked, rice might work now but the water will cause damage to the circuits that will rust later on and it’ll suddenly stop in a few weeks.

Why didn’t it have a case or protector on it? I think there has been some valuable lessons learned here. I would also sit and discuss with your daughter that she was wrong to hide it. If she’s not responsible enough to own up to mistakes, she doesn’t get nice things. It’s one rule we have in our house. No lying. It’s always best to own up.

Check house insurance, chances are you’ll have to get a replacement. Get her a cheap android phone until she’s old enough to need one.

her contributing to the repair is fair and punishment enough

It’s very unlikely to be repairable. Water damage usually means a replacement phone in my experience.

Just bring it back and tell them it's stopped working properly

I assume you mean take it back?

They are not idiots.

Just bring it back and tell them it's stopped working properly
How??

And how would that even be fair??

@ChrisjenAvasarala insurance does cover water damage, depending on which one you have. I have Tesco's mobile insurance and it covers any type of water damage- even if it's your fault! (I accidentally dropped mine in the bath a few times and they've replaced it next working day every time). It's only £8pm insurance but you have to pay £75 insurance each time.

Just bring it back and tell them it's stopped working properly

After a few million people tried this on in the early days mobile phone makers started building in a water contact indicator that shows definitely if the phone has gotten wet.

www.wikihow.tech/Check-if-Your-iPhone-Has-Water-Damage

You bought an 11yo an expensive iPhone with no insurance.
11yo spills a drink on it.
Hello! That’s what 11yo’s do,they spill stuff
11yo lies because she is mortified and scared
You now expect 11yo to pay for damaged phone
You then feel you would be justified in NOT taking 11yo for a birthday meal with ONE friend and a sleepover.
Well
You really need to face up to your own mistakes here.
Dd is already devastated cos her phone is fucked now you are threatening to fuck her birthday and take her savings.
I know a careless child can be very frustrating, but ultimately YOU are responsible

Had similar with my 12 yo DS. Broke his phone, albeit after 6 months. Thankfully I knew he would so he had an old S6 and we had another spare to replace it. He is on a sim only plan for that reason too. After he also broke a tablet (which he needed for school) and was forced use a really crappy old one for 6 weeks, much to his embarrassment, whilst I saved up to replace it, he was at least honest when he broke his phone. But when passing carphone warehouse, I took him in briefly to show him how much a new phone would cost if he broke this one, he was suitably shocked. He currently thinks if he breaks this one he's getting my old Motorola Razr, not that I'd be that cruel - he'd get a very cheap smartphone, though I hope he's learned his lesson.

By all means, punish her for lying, but as a genuine accident I wouldn't be too harsh. There's no point in trying to lie your way into getting it fixed through warranty. Phones have a water damage indicator that will show instantly that it's water damaged. Perhaps make her go without for a short while whilst you "save", it certainly made my DS a lot more appreciative and I didnt look like an ogre when I calmly explained if he'd taken care of it in the first place he wouldn't be in this position.

Ps kept repeating 11yo
BECAUSE SHE IS ELEVEN YEARS OLD

I have an iphone SE it once got soaked while I was at work - not bother give it a couple of days and it should dry up and fix its self!

potatoscone Yes! Take it back! By Christ, this is one Americanism that needs to be stamped out immediately!

Please don't even think about trying to commit fraud of any kind or listen to anyone that suggests it

My take out concern here is the fact she was too scared to speak to you; it's bloody vital your kids feel they can come to you, please try and address that (& I suspect that's what PP was referring to vis 'your pattern of behaviour' as in you have a DD that was too scared to speak to you:/)

And yes, insane to get a phone you can't afford that you then can't even afford to insure, literally bonkers but even if you were going to forgo insurance could you genuinely not afford a waterproof cover? If answer is no, that all is that tight you genuinely couldn't afford even that then even more bonkers you got the phone.

I would try the rice thing but for DAYS - I think it's unikely but I do know people it's worked for but only with a lot of rice patience and literally not touching it.

Don't try to switch it on until it's had at least 3 or 4 days somewhere warm and dry.
Or take it to a repair shop and they'll crack it open and remove any moisture before testing it.
Poor kid tho. I'd be devastated if I'd damaged my big present this soon after Christmas. Cut her a bit of slack

Insurance doesn't covet water damage anyway

Not true any more! I know where youve got that from as i remember watch dog doing a piece on insurance companies refusing to pay out because they were saying the phones moisture strip was saying water damage.

But ee's insurance, definately covers ALL DAMAGE, and even states that that INCLUDES WATER DAMAGE. Other phone companies will probably have the same.

You say she dropped water on it? I’m sorry but she’s not telling you the whole story

I asked what model it was because because I assumed it was the iPhone 6, iPhone 6 is actually water proof, it’s just not advertised as so, as it takes over 10 mins to soak through to the phone itself.

Was told this by apple when I got my battery renewed, as I had dropped it down the toilet for over 1 min, and had told them as they may have found some damage inside.

Aw bless her. She's probably devastated. Of course she lied. Because she knew you would go mental. She didn't do it deliberately ffs.

There are so many things you've done wrong here, I don't know where to start.

Others have said all my points.
We only have Ds2 Dh's old I phone, that had already been given to Ds1.
I dropped my old I phone in the 🛀 bath!! Accidents happen. Think through all the things you've done wrong.

She's only 11. She lied. You should talk to her about no lying though.

Personally I wouldn’t punish her. You chose a phone, which isn’t waterproof, a case, which wouldn’t protect it and not to get insurance. An 11 yo cannot choose any of these things.

I think you should take responsibility this time. It sounds as if she has punished herself enough. You want your dd to come to you and tell you things when the chips are down. This of course doesn’t mean enabling her or replacing a phone several times. But you want her to know you work together to sort stuff out. Perhaps as pps have said it will work again once thoroughly dried out.

I say this as someone with a dd of about the same age, who has an iPhone 6 with no insurance and protective case. We have rules about her phone. Not near water. Carried in a bag, not her pocket etc. She has a mini rucksack for this. She’s really careful with her stuff but I know not all kids are the same. When she dropped her old phone in the stream, it was fine and she learnt a lesson from this.

If she does break it we will decide at the time if we ask her for a contribution to compensation because she owns up to her mistakes and she has a lot of savings, which we gave her. I definitely wouldn’t if she didn’t because learning to be kind to yourself is far more important. But additionally this wasn’t a present and she was involved in the purchase and she knew we wouldn’t insure it due to the high cost. The choice was cheaper phone or uninsured iPhone.

As others have said, put it in a bag of rice. I've fixed many a wet phone that way (including my own ). Ideally you should have done it straight away and not left it on. But give it a try, it won't do any harm.

Are you mad. IPhone for an 11 year old. ? Too young.... what can she access too irresponsible. You should spend 22 quid s month on a sport activity.. sorry you are so wrong here.
Setting her up for a life of tech addiction

DD is 11 and got my old iPhone 5, we drew up a contact where we outlined our respective responsibilities. Essentially, I pay the contract and she takes care of it and sticks to rules regarding sharing passwords, charging it in the living room etc. It’s on my home content insurance and if there’s a claim she’s agreed to pay the excess.

She understands that the phone is a privilege and not a right and that ‘but all my friends blah blah’ is an argument that I’m never going to buy into.

I understand why you are angry but buying an expensive phone for an 11 year old comes with risks.

I dropped my phone in the bath but didn't realise and so it was there for 10 minutes. I turned it off, put it on rice and then the rice and phone in the airing cupboard. I left it there for a week. A year on and I am still using that iPhone.

Why are 11 year olds being given phones? Wtf do they need a phone for?

I work in the mobile phone industry.
Putting it in a bag of rice won't do anything, you might be lucky that the liquid has only effected the screen or if it's got into the phone it can destroy the chips.
Put it in the airing cupboard for 48 hours, do not turn it on it is off, do not put the charger into it.
After 48 hours try turning it on if the screen looks a bit funny or the touch is not working a new one fitted will cost you around £30.
My son spilt hot chocolate on his brand new laptop about an hour after getting it. It's how they learn to be careful with their possessions.