To not pay £480 to fix dd's friend's phone

[FarangGirl]

Dd (14 yo) was with her friends and accidentally hit a friend in the arm. He had his phone in his hand and dropped it. Apparently it will cost £480 to repair!!! His parents want us to pay this. I think this is ridiculous. First, friend dropped the phoen, it wasn't like dd was using it. Second. If you're going to give your kid a stupidly expensive phoen, you should insure it and have a bullet proof cover.
Aibu?

Just an accident. Don't pay anything. Hopefully that will prompt the parents to take out insurance next time!

YANBU. I wouldn't pay this. If they're going to allow your child to walk around with an expensive item they must either expect to pay insurance or risk losing it to breakage or theft. Hopefully they have got the message that the accident was nobody's fault. I'd definitely tell them to claim on their insurance - if they don't have any, lesson learned for them.

His phone, his responsibility. Why the hell does he have a stupidly expensive phone anyway? My kids have cheap, second hand phones for exactly this reason.

I wouldn’t pay. He must have been holding it very loosely if someone turning towards him and slightly knocking him caused him to drop it.

@Crimesean

I talk with my hands. I also talk very very fast. Very animated person. But I've never hit anyone whilst I've been talking. You just dont do that.

I wouldn't be offering to pay, a 14 year old shouldn't have such an expensive phone to start with, but if they do insurance and a bullet proof case is a must, a drop proof cases can be purchased for around £20 (I have small children so they are a must). Your daughter didn't have the phone at the time or intentionally knock the phone out his hand so it'd be a no. That repair bill is ridiculous anyway, even if the screen on an iPhone needed replacing it'd be nowhere near £500. Just ignore them and suggest they invest in some insurance if it isn't covered.

I wouldn’t pay.

It was an accident. Had your dd grabbed it and threw it against the wall then I could see their point.

But their kid was using it, he got knocked and dropped it.

I can see why the parents are asking though. Anyone who buys a bloody 14yo an expensive iPhone 12 must either be slightly unhinged or their precious dc is spoilt rotten. Spoilt child would explain why they are blaming your daughter and not their careless can do no wrong son who was walking while using it. He’s the one at fault here, if blame has to be put on someone , not your dd.

Legally, you aren't responsible for damage that your dd does. I wouldn't pay a penny. They should go to Tesco for a phone @ £15 pm

According to apple the iPhone 12 other repairs (other than screen repair) cost is £426.44, which I presume is their 'replace your broken phone with an apple refurbished one' price regardless of what the damage is.
So it does sound like they are chancing it a bit.

The most I can see you morally being responsible for would be half their insurance excess. If they haven't insured an expensive, easily damaged item given to a clumsy teenager then that's on them.

@UrsulaBursula

You wouldn’t walk into Harrods, try a top and rip it whist taking it off - then tell the cashier your not paying for it and claim it on their insurance would you?

Or go into John Lewis and crack an expensive mirror and blame them for having the mirror on show and tell them to pay for it?

Surely this is common sense. The nerve of some people

Well yes, you can. Shops can't make you pay for stuff if you break it, whether it be Harrods, John Lewis, Sainsbo's or Poundland. (I'll let you guess which ones I actually shop at.) Even the shops with the little signs saying you have to pay for damages.

Right up until it was clear that it wasnt in a proper case with screen protector I would have said to pay half but as it was totally unprotected, stuff them.

I had absolutely no sympathy when my boyfriend dropped his month old new phone and smashed the screen when he didnt keep it in a case or put the screen protector on that I offered him, as I had a pack of 2 and we had the same phone.

My (apparently) spoilt darlings have new iPhones but they are in military grade cases and insured through bank account.

YANBU I wouldn’t pay a cent.

@Bookworm20

I wouldn’t pay.

It was an accident. Had your dd grabbed it and threw it against the wall then I could see their point.

But their kid was using it, he got knocked and dropped it.

I can see why the parents are asking though. Anyone who buys a bloody 14yo an expensive iPhone 12 must either be slightly unhinged or their precious dc is spoilt rotten. Spoilt child would explain why they are blaming your daughter and not their careless can do no wrong son who was walking while using it. He’s the one at fault here, if blame has to be put on someone , not your dd.

Parents buying an expensive phone for their kids is 100% not relevant here, nor is having to insure the phone. Best to ocus a bit more on the details as the story does not seem to add up in my view.

1. You need to establish first that they indeed bought this phone abroad, by asking for proof of purchase. Also, ask to see the warranty information (which they claim is out of date).

It is very important you get this information, because for all you know it was a gift/2nd hand/knock off from somebody else and they did not pay a dime.

1. If (1) checks out and the warranty is indeed out of date.

Then you absolutely do not have to go to the Apple Store to get the phone fixed. They only make you go to the store so that you do not invalidate your warranty. If the warranty has expired, this is moot.

And yes, it can cost £200 to £300 to replace a screen for a higher end phone via the Apple Store. I have had to do this once for a family member.

But worth repeating:

You do not have to get it fixed via the Apple Store if the phone is passed the warranty period. If you take it to a smaller independent shop the repair cost will be a lot lower.

If I were you OP, I'd be telling them

''Accidents happen, and we'll be happy to pay for 50% of your insurance excess, once we see the relevant paperwork, as the cheapest way to get it fixed will be claiming on your insurance. However we're not going to be paying £480 if even the most basic of protection measures weren't taken to ensure such an expensive phone wasn't damaged in an accidental drop i.e a decently robust phone case etc''

If they say it's not insured, then maybe check your own insurance policies, as you can sometimes be covered for accidental damage caused my yourselves etc.

If no joy with the insurance, then you may have to just have to accept it, as it WAS your DD's fault. He didn't drop it himself, she KNOCKED it out of his hand ! (And if that's just 'how she talks', then I'd be telling her she's going to need to change that, pronto, cos the NEXT person she accidentally does it to may well be a lot less 'understanding' than her pal !)

@BambinaJAS Why should the OP have to pay to get the phone fixed anywhere?

I'm inclined to think if his parents are rich and dopey enough to buy a 14 year old a £££ phone, and then take it to school with him, they're rich enough to either ensure it or suck up the cost of the repair themselves for accidental - and predictable - damage.

That said, I'd probably offer some kind of contribution.

If no joy with the insurance, then you may have to just have to accept it, as it WAS your DD's fault.

But if the OP doesn’t accept fault, what recourse do the owner’s family have?

Oh my goodness. What is wrong with everyone? OP, do NOT pay anything to those parents! Do not even offer a contribution! You’re right, it sounds incredibly DODGY!

They are kids! She did not do anything with malice! The situation sounds like a pure accident, but mainly on their son’s behalf. He should have been holding it properly or put it away. He lost his grip and dropped it, your dd didn’t! She nudged him by accident (as most people do when they’re close to each other and moving/talking, especially kids!), but in no way is she responsible! He is responsible for his own property. His parents decided to buy him a brand new iPhone and knew the risks when they did so, teenagers are stupid. There was little to no protection on it, and not covered by insurance or somehow even warranty. Anyone would do this for something so valuable. ESPECIALLY when given to a child!

I would not be surprised if;

1. They are lying about the model of the phone
2. The extent of the damage (possibly had problems before)
3. 100% lying about it being new as it would be covered by Apple no matter what!
4. They just wanted the money to get him a new one or just some extra cash!

@FarangGirl Please do not pay a penny. Unless they can prove it was suitably protected from accidents and covered by insurance etc. Since they didn’t, they clearly were not worried about it breaking. NBU!!! Ignore them or tell them no, simple as that. If they push, get the school involved. Good luck to you

Also, let us know what happens please

[quote Dimensions3]@BambinaJAS Why should the OP have to pay to get the phone fixed anywhere?[/quote]
Especially if I was the owner of the phone and someone else admitted it was their fault and would pay for the damage I wouldn't want it fixed by a non-authorised repairer possibly using non-original parts.

This is just bonkers. I recently bought my 14 yo DN an expensive laptop for studying. I bought a case, talked through the keeping it clean and protected, not having drinks on the desk next to it etc etc. I also pay a couple of quid a month for insurance for accidental damage because I would be surprised if DN or one of DN's friends drops it or knocks a drink over it. It is absolutely not your responsibility to pay for repairs to someone else's phone following an accident.

would NOT be surprised

Who on earth are these parents buying their children phones that cost thousands of pounds? It simply beggars belief.

OP, it was clearly an accident. I'd offer to pay the excess on the insurance as a gesture to avoid a falling out, but if they're stupid enough to give a teenager an expensive phone without insurance they can feck off

This.

People have insurance. FGS claim on it. Yes your premiums will go up - but the point of insurance is in case you need it! Not to blame everyone else.

@AlwaysMumming
3. 100% lying about it being new as it would be covered by Apple no matter what!

The same as Ford are not going to entertain your warranty claim for a new bumper because you reversed into a bollard, apple are not going to entertain a warranty claim for a dropped and broken phone.
Manufacturers warranties cover manufacturing defects (and are usually just them complying with your consumer rights in a way that makes them look like they are giving you something). Insurance is what covers accidental damage.