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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

AIBU to think they should pay for a new TV?

126 replies

Bluemoon61 · 22/12/2019 17:04

Just over a year ago my very close friend gifted me a new smart tv, with a value of £250. A few months ago my DD's boyfriend got up in the middle of the night to plug in and play on his Xbox that he had brought to our house (he did ask DD's permission to do this). When I got up the next morning and turned on the tv there was a big interior crack on the screen, leaving white blurry marks across the screen, making it unwatchable. I asked them what had happened and her boyfriend said he didn't know anything about it, as he never actually turned the tv on because he couldn't find a socket to plug his Xbox into. He said he did move the tv around a little, but didn't think he'd been heavy handed.

Obviously I was very angry. DD's boyfriend said he would ask his mum if she would lend him the money (£250) to replace the tv as he didn't have any money at the time. His mum said she didn't have that kind of money (which i find hard to believe because she is always going away on holidays/concerts/weekends away and just bought a new cooker). Instead she said we could have the tv from her bedroom (a year older and smaller). I picked up the tv and brought it I've to my house and installed it and now a few months later it has started playing up (TV takes ages to turn on from standbye). I don't think I've done anything to break it, and DD's boyfriend's mum said it worked perfectly fine when she had it.

I still feel annoyed that my new Smart tv got broken and have now been left with a smaller, less valuable one that doesn't even work properly.

DD's boyfriend has apparently expressed annoyance that I didn't request the warranty details from my friend who bought me the tv, as it was still under warranty at the time he broke it. His thinking is that his mother shouldn't have had to give me a tv and that I should have asked for the warranty. The reasons I didn't ask for the warranty were a.) I felt embarrassed telling he that DD's boyfriend had broken the new TV she ad kindly bought us, and b.) I honestly don't think the warranty would have covered accidental breakage, as surely that classes as negligence? Boyfriend thinks this is a silly reason, as I shouldn't have been embarrassed and should have at least checked the warranty to see what it covered.

AIBU to think that if you break someone's tv, you either pay to replace it or buy a new one and the new TV should match the one you broke in value and size, even if this means that you yourself go without something (for example a new cooker). Or should I have just asked for the warranty?

OP posts:

FullOfJellyBeans · 22/12/2019 17:35

I think you should have got the warranty details from your friend. I don't see how it has anything to do with his mum and since you accepted the new TV I don't think there's anything you can do now it's playing up.

heartsonacake · 22/12/2019 17:35

YABU. If you weren’t happy with accepting a smaller, older TV you shouldn’t have done so.

You can’t turn around months later after accepting their offer of the TV and say “oh it’s not working for me anymore, you need to fix it in a better way”.

You should have checked the warranty. You didn’t. You shouldn’t have accepted the TV if you weren’t 100% happy doing so. But you did, and the matter of the broken tv was resolved. It shouldn’t be brought up again.

Raphael34 · 22/12/2019 17:36

*not their fault

SimonJT · 22/12/2019 17:37

If you chose not to use the warranty and chose not to take out insurance then you were accepting that any appliance repairs would be coming out of your own pocket.

Josette77 · 22/12/2019 17:38

And someone having more money than you does not mean they owe you anything. You see to think you are entitled to her telly because of her income. You don't even know if her son broke it! It could have been a defect. Do you still have it?

ThatssomebadhatHarry · 22/12/2019 17:38

I also don't have home/contents insurance because I'm on a very low income

You can get contents insurance for £5 a month. I’m sure there are less important things you could go without to cover this.

ScreamingValalalalahLalalalah · 22/12/2019 17:38

Then only way you could have forced the money out is through a small claims court who would have awarded you the money

I wouldn't be certain of that because there's no legal proof he broke it.

DeathStare · 22/12/2019 17:39

I agree with your DD's boyfriend - you should have asked for the warranty. If the warranty didn't cover it then I would have expected the boyfriend to offer to pay something towards it.

I also think you had some nerve expecting the parent of an adult to replace the TV and personally I'd have been mortified to accept DD's boyfriend's mother's TV. The fact that you keep going on about her income is cringe-worthy. She wasn't in your house. She didn't break your TV. The fact that another adult she is related to may have broken your TV has nothing whatsoever to do with her.

However you accepted the replacement TV, so that was the deal done. If you weren't happy with the deal at the time then you should have refused to accept it and asked the boyfriend for a contribution. Though in his shoes I would have asked you to go through the warranty first as it does sound like it could be a fault with the TV rather than a clear accident.

UndomesticHousewife · 22/12/2019 17:40

You were too embarrassed to ask for the warranty details for an accident it not too embarrassed to accept the tv in the first place nor too embarrassed to go after the 24 year olds mother and take her tv off her

Crystal87 · 22/12/2019 17:40

Yabu. His mum is under no obligation to give you a TV.

june2007 · 22/12/2019 17:42

Check the warenty.If you try that route and fail then ask him to replace the TV, or at least contribute to another one.

JKScot4 · 22/12/2019 17:42

I thought he’d be 16/17!! Why is he not working at 24? Sounds like he treats your home how he pleases.

CakeAndGin · 22/12/2019 17:44

For most TVs I have bought (and other electrical items) the warranty is in the box. If you have an extended warranty, then it’s usually on the receipt. So you should have at least the one year warranty anyway.

New TVs can and do break. If you don’t have the warranty, I’d be wary about your friend got it from. Their gift might not have been generous as they led you to believe. It doesn’t matter how much you think his mother has, this isn’t her problem to solve. If your DDs boyfriend can’t pay for it, then it’s your DD’s problem as she gave him permission to use the TV in the first place. You’ve already taken a TV from his mother, so you not think you’ve had enough from her?

SandAndSea · 22/12/2019 17:45

I don't think you're unreasonable to be feeling upset about this but I think the time to deal with it has probably passed.

I agree with PPs that it's not down to his mum to reimburse you. I think I would have considered working out some kind of payment plan with him. Or perhaps he could have worked off the debt by cleaning or decorating?

Tbh, I would think twice about continuing to welcome him into my home. I might be unfair but I don't like the sound of his attitude.

Look on fb/freecycle to see if you can find a better TV.

YappityYapYap · 22/12/2019 17:46

I think you're very lucky that the mum gave you a TV given that it's nothing to do with her and didn't tell you to fuck off.

A £250 smart TV isn't going to last long and isn't going to be of great quality either. Things break so check the warranty

EmmiJay · 22/12/2019 17:50

I agree with KittyKat. He wouldn't be allowed back into my house with his heavy handed arsed self. Cheek of it all.

BoomBoomsCousin · 22/12/2019 17:52

A warranty doesn’t cover someone carelessly cracking the screen. It covers defects in the production of the item that stop it from working properly for as long as it ought to, not accidents. That’s a futile suggestion.

OP it’s a horrible situation to be in but you can’t hold his mother responsible even if she’s well off. You need to hold him responsible. It’s been six months he could probably have got a job even if only temporary or casual. He could have been paying you a couple of quid a week even on benefits in that time and be at least building up to enough to buy a second hand one. I’ll bet he isn’t paying for anything much out of his benefit money is he? He’s sleeping at your house or his mum’s and probably eating your food, using your heating? Is that close to the mark? If he won’t take any responsibility then limit his access to your home so he cant wreck anything else that you will then have to do without.

doritosdip · 22/12/2019 17:52

His mum hasn't done anything wrong- it's not her fault that the replacement tv broke after a few months. Tbh I'm surprised that she would give you the second hand tv and suspect that she's not coughing up as he's an adult man who probably has a track record of doing this kind of thing. Maybe she's thinking that if she was going to pay £250 it would be for stuff that made him more employable.

A £250 tv wasn't going to last years. Smart TVs only have a limited shelf life so a normal tv with a Firestick or similar to make it smart would have been a better investment.

Yabu to not get the warranty details and the bf is a CF having his mum pay and breaking the tv.

Straycatstrut · 22/12/2019 17:55

How is the 24 year old supporting himself? I think it was him who broke it and he needs to pay you back in instalments. Also with him lying, not having a job, expecting his mummy to sort it out... not exactly great boyfriend material for your DD is it?

Start saving for your own TV. You're on a very low income, so am I, people like us can't afford smart TVs, we can save for a basic one. I have a blurry Sharp one from 2011.

Waxonwaxoff0 · 22/12/2019 17:58

I'm on a low income also and I have contents insurance, it costs me £6 a month. It's hardly expensive.

His mum isn't responsible for getting you a new TV, regardless of her income. Her son is an adult, not a child. It's unfortunate but it's your DD's boyfriend to replace when he has the money to.

I'd ban him from your house to be honest!

NewPapaGuinea · 22/12/2019 18:02

Warranty wouldn’t cover the screen being cracked. I’d get onto the local selling groups and look for second hand one. You’ll be able to pick one up fairly reasonably this time of year as so many people upgrade at xmas.

selmabear · 22/12/2019 18:05

YABVU letting his mother give you a new TV. She's not responsible for the actions of her adult son. You really need to take out a content insurance so you're not in this situation again and taking property from individuals who have done absolutely nothing wrong.

EKGEMS · 22/12/2019 18:06

I think your DAUGHTER and BF should replace the tv

Pilot12 · 22/12/2019 18:07

You should have checked the warranty first.

Secondly did you call out an engineer or take it to a shop to see if it could be repaired?

Could you get the second TV looked at. Put a message out on Facebay to see if anyone can fix it.

At 24 your DD's boyfriend is a fully fledged adult and this is nothing to do with his Mother. You need to sort this out with your DD and her boyfriend.

BoomBoomsCousin · 22/12/2019 18:09

Contents insurance is unlikely to be much help for a £250 TV is it? I would have thought the increase in premiums and the deductible would make a claim like that hardly worthwhile.

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