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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

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

580 replies

FarangGirl · 19/02/2022 14:17

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?

OP posts:
CaptainNelson · 19/02/2022 19:06

The thing is, teenagers phones are pretty much routinely damaged. All my kids, all my nephews and nieces, they all wandered around with cracked screens, bits not working, etc, because they DON'T take care of them and if you fix them, they just break them again. Half the time you buy them a case and they take it off because it doesn't look as cool. They remove screen protectors because they say the touchscreen doesn't respond as well.
I guess this is relevant for this case because the friend needs to learn to look after his stuff better, particularly valuable stuff. And no, OP, don't pay; offer a contribution if you can afford it, that would be nice.

JuergenSchwarzwald · 19/02/2022 19:06

Also - teens have a nasty habit of not putting their phones in their cases. I have one! He dropped it and scratched the screen. Then he learnt his lesson, ordered a case and kept it in it. Fortunately for him, the screen had a protective film on it, so it wasn't badly damaged.

If a teen doesn't put their phone in a case, any damage is on them.

DeerMyDear · 19/02/2022 19:07

Hard no.

JuergenSchwarzwald · 19/02/2022 19:07

Half the time you buy them a case and they take it off because it doesn't look as cool cross post!

BreadInCaptivity · 19/02/2022 19:09

If you look online you can get a refurbished iPhone 12 for the cost they are asking to repair it.

Whatever is wrong with it aside from a cracked screen means that it's uneconomic to repair it by Apple at least.

Also if it's not under warranty as the mother claims then there is NO reason to pay premium repair prices from Apple as there is no warranty to invalidate.

I wouldn't pay for it on the grounds that it was their responsibility to insure such an expensive item and this was simply an accident.

However, if you want to show some goodwill you could offer to take the phone to a local repair centre (many offer their own guarantees on the repair) and get a quotation and based on that suggest you might be willing to offer some contribution to the repair.

As is it's ridiculous to hand over nearly £500 without knowing what the actual damage is (and confirming all of it is related to the accident) especially paying Apple for a phone with no warranty.

PyongyangKipperbang · 19/02/2022 19:12

It isnt relevant that he may have chosen to remove a case or screen protector, or whether there wasnt one on there at all. The fact is that if it had been protected then this damage either wouldnt have happened or if it had, it wouldnt have been so bad.

AlwaysMumming · 19/02/2022 19:31

I agree completely, just OP stated the parents claim the very new phone is not under any warranty because it was purchased abroad. I agree they would still have to pay the cost of repair through Apple, however my problem is with their claim that the new phone is not under any warranty at all. Just a bit suspicious imo.

AlwaysMumming · 19/02/2022 19:32

@user1471447863 that was meant for you, sorry.

nitsandwormsdodger · 19/02/2022 19:40

I would check the story
They clearly think the amount and fault Is 💯 with you so that have been told a different story

Depending on truth of situation I would ask to be given phone and get my own quotes but make it clear they haven’t taken precautions so unless my daughter grabbed and threw it I’d only be going 50/50

CourtRand · 19/02/2022 19:46

I wouldn't pay a penny. Their phone, in his hand, their insurance, their financial responsibility.

Your daughter is allowed to accidentally knock someone's arm. They're being chancers.

whynotwhatknot · 19/02/2022 19:46

Bought aborad so not under warranty? doesnt sound right but anyway its their fault for not gtting adequate phone holder and insurance

noones going to pay 400 to fix it

user6573 · 19/02/2022 19:48

Why is everyone talking about warranty? Warranty doesn't cover accidental damage.

mjf981 · 19/02/2022 19:48

This falls in to the category of ‘shit happens.’ It’s a shame. But your daughter didn’t deliberately damage his phone. He’s the one who let go of it. I wouldn’t pay a penny personally.

hellithurt · 19/02/2022 19:51

@mjf981

This falls in to the category of ‘shit happens.’ It’s a shame. But your daughter didn’t deliberately damage his phone. He’s the one who let go of it. I wouldn’t pay a penny personally.
This!
BowiesJumper · 19/02/2022 19:52

I would offer to pay the excess on the insurance. If they come back and say they don’t have instances, more fool them! It just highlights that that decision is on them.

Hankunamatata · 19/02/2022 19:56

I wouldn't be paying any and I wouldn't have had the cheek to ask another parents in situation you have described. Totally different if she threw the phone etc but this was an accident. My dc all have insurance and armour cases with full screen protectors for just this reason

DisforDarkChocolate · 19/02/2022 20:05

If I was giving a teenager a phone that could potentially cost £480 to repair it would be covered by insurance. My only offer would be to pay the excess.

cookiemon666 · 19/02/2022 20:12

My youngest son had a Samsung A70 on contract, he dropped it in the toilet. He then had to put up with a payg phone until his contract ended. It wasn't worth claiming for it on insurance as wasn't an expensive phone, plus it taught him a lesson

MsMumsie · 19/02/2022 20:13

Absolutely do not pay.
How ridiculous!
He dropped his phone! 🤦 Even if she were wrestling him, if he was holding his phone and dropped it it's not her fault!
They should insure it. Their loss.

PyongyangKipperbang · 19/02/2022 20:16

@user6573

Why is everyone talking about warranty? Warranty doesn't cover accidental damage.
I have never bothered but my sister always pays extra for accidental damage on her phone warranty as she spends ££££ on top of the range handsets so sees the extra cost as worth it.

Most places do offer this top up on the warranty, they are a nice little earner for the companies.

Kitkat151 · 19/02/2022 20:21

I wouldn’t pay a penny

Kteeb1 · 19/02/2022 20:31

My 13 yo has dropped her new phone 3 bloody times now and each time it's cost 107 to repair. So unless it was dropped into a river I don't see how it would cost that much. The phone has an expensive case and she still manages to break it the idiot so that doesn't necessarily mean anything but don't see how it would be that much. And actually unless the child took it and deliberately broke it or was deliberately wreckers I wouldn't be asking for any money for it from anyone else. I would message back saying 'wow that's a lot. Sounds like an insurance job. I would have paid a Contribution had it been the usual repair price of £100' and then just leave it.

ChristinaXYZ · 19/02/2022 20:32

@RishiRich

I'd offer to cover the excess on their insurance but only if I was feeling extremely generous.
I might offer to pay half the excess on their insurance. Not the full thing. Not unless your child was being really wilfully stupid when the accident happened.
WiddlinDiddlin · 19/02/2022 20:42

@AlmostAJillSandwich

YABU, The phone would not be broken if your DD didn't knock it out of his hand. "Accident" doesn't mean "not responsible".

Expensive for sure, but it was her fault, you should pay.

But equally, the phone would not be broken if he'd not been walking and looking at his phone.

I don't walk and look at my phone (well ok, I don't walk at all.. but I don't drive and look at my phone or I'll crash, drop phone, fall out, run over phone etc etc)... because I wish to see where I am going and not drop my phone.

Walking and looking at something OTHER than where you are going is a stupid risk, and a known risk.

Toucan123 · 19/02/2022 20:43

I'm amazed anyone is suggested you should contribute anything towards this. They should have taken out insurance for such an expensive item. And if they haven't got insurance and can't afford to pay for the repair/replacement themselves then that's their stupid fault. Ridiculous not to have a case too. I've dropped my phones loads of times in the 28 years or so since I first owned one and it's never broken.

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