To have asked colleague to pay for my coat?

[GreenSnot]

Office based job. Colleague was flying around the office on a wheeled chair on Monday, I’d asked her to stop twice but she carried on. Then she ended up wheeling over my coat which was on the back of my chair (but partly on the floor). The coat got tangled in the wheels and ripped. It was a Barbour coat so not cheap but not massively expensive either. I said “you should pay something towards me getting a new one” and she said “oh chill out, it shouldn’t have been on the floor”. I said “you shouldn’t be flying around on the office on the chair!” Anyway another colleague charmed in and said she’d knocked a dent into the filing cabinet last week after crashing into it and she should offer to pay for that too.

Now a number of colleagues have taken her side and have started taking the piss like dropping a tea bag and shouting “someone needs to pay for that” etc etc

Was I unreasonable to ask her to pay towards my coat?

Are we sitting comfortably - then I’ll begin. (Seeing as how we are making things up to add to the story)

Once upon a time, OP went to work. She went to work and settled in for a BUSY day. She hung her Barbour on the back of her chair - it doesn’t do to be MESSY - and it was IMPOSSIBLE to hang it up on a hook because, you know, Covid. She thought it wise to wear a sensible coat because it was forecast for SNOW.

Her day was going well. OP was HAPPY. She got on with her work and was QUIET and efficient. She didn’t get herself in a MUDDLE and was CLEVER enough to make the best of her time. No one could accuse her of being LAZY. OP was not guilty of slipping into a DAYDREAM.

Then all of a sudden she felt a BUMP. A colleague was being very SILLY , whizzing about on an office chair with SMALL wheels and getting very DIZZY indeed.

OP told the colleague to stop getting up to MISCHIEF but was accused of getting UPPITY. The colleague was NOISY and it was no longer FUNNY.

Everyone thought OP was GRUMPY when she said be careful. And then the colleague rattled near the OP’s chair with a big BOUNCE. There was every need to WORRY as OP’s coat was damaged due to the colleague’s NONSENSE.

The OP did not think this was on as it was due to the colleague being deliberately CLUMSY. The OP was not WRONG.

The colleague got others involved. They thought OP was being FUSSY. A MEAN colleague was being a bit GREEDY in the canteen and took too many teabags out. They dropped to the floor. A snidey CHATTERBOX said ‘someone needs to pay for that’. It did not TICKLE OP.

She tried to be strong but she was upset that her coat was damaged and most chose to be FORGETFUL of that fact.

The world is TOPSY TURVY when people forgive waltzering knobbers for damaging things.

I know this version of events may seem a bit contrived but I was too SLOW to RTFT clearly. Perhaps if I was more NOSEY, I would not be so SLOW on the uptake and realise it was not a thing to be SNEEZEd at.

And here ends the story. I’ll have to stop now as my fingers are sore and quivering like a JELLY.

Good night. Sleep tight.

Waltzilla.

Chorlton.

And here ends the story. I’ll have to stop now as my fingers are sore and quivering like a JELLY.

Good night. Sleep tight. Yawwwwwwwwwwwwwwwn
I love a bedtime story...night

She’s unreasonable but yeah, you also shouldn’t leave your coat on the floor.

Barbour threads:

1. www.mumsnet.com/Talk/am_i_being_unreasonable/3729185-Massive-weird-row-with-friend
2. www.mumsnet.com/Talk/am_i_being_unreasonable/3729998-CoatZilla-and-the-Barbour-Boy-The-Second-Saga

Was there ever a resolve to snipgate? I can’t remember reading one..

🤣🤣🤣🤣 Late to this thread but thanks for making me smile 😃

Fooled

Whizzing around. Let’s be honest, whizzing around (hate typing that) is only possible if another colleague is properly shoving them to spin. Otherwise they are slowly twisting round, being pushed and that’s it. If that damaged your coat, and your coat was so far on the floor her wheels could touch it yet you didn’t collide then you’re also an issue. Don’t complain about stuff if you’re causing a hazard yourself.

@CatNameChange101

Whizzing around. Let’s be honest, whizzing around (hate typing that) is only possible if another colleague is properly shoving them to spin. Otherwise they are slowly twisting round, being pushed and that’s it. If that damaged your coat, and your coat was so far on the floor her wheels could touch it yet you didn’t collide then you’re also an issue. Don’t complain about stuff if you’re causing a hazard yourself.

I fondly remember whizzing about on wheelie chairs in my training room - about 6 of us playing "football" with some scrunched up paper after a staff party. No third parties needed to push us, just a good shove with the heels and we were whizzing about all over the place. The difference being that it wasn't during working hours and we didn't damage anything. People should be able to hang their coat on the back of their chair and reasonably expect that it won't be damaged by someone playing in a wheeled chair. Why? Because it's the workplace where people are supposed to be working. The company has to provide a safe working environment as well, and getting your seat bashed by someone flying around in a chair isn't safe is it? Years back when I had a coat on the back of my chair damaged at work I took it to my manager and the company paid for it to be replaced.

Are you Mr Tickle with that reach?

Retort of the week. Love it 😄😄

I think Gemma is the Chair Whizzer

She shouldn’t have been speeding about on her chair, you should have hung up your coat.

@CounsellorTroi

She shouldn’t have been speeding about on her chair, you should have hung up your coat.

Exactly where should she have hung up her coat? (Hint - no coat stands in her office)

Go to management and let them sort it out, I'd be well fucked off

Barbourgate is more recent than I thought. Although Covid has messed with my timeline.

Where are you meant to put your Coats ? Are hooks provided ?
I'd go to HR/ office mgmt if there is nowhere to hang your coat, a. It's a trip hazard and b. It's led to x amount of damage because of some dickhead whizzing around like a child.

We have coat stands around the office and coat hooks in cupboards, but lots of people put their coats on the backs of their chairs. It's not the OP's fault her coat got damaged. That was due entirely to the stupid behaviour of her colleague, who could have hurt someone.

CounsellorTroi
She shouldn’t have been speeding about on her chair, you should have hung up your coat.
Exactly where should she have hung up her coat?
(Hint - no coat stands in her office)

I’m sure she could have folded it somehow so it wasn’t trailing on the floor. Someone could have trodden dirt into it, OP could have ripped it herself moving her own chair.

@CounsellorTroi

CounsellorTroi She shouldn’t have been speeding about on her chair, you should have hung up your coat. Exactly where should she have hung up her coat? (Hint - no coat stands in her office)

I’m sure she could have folded it somehow so it wasn’t trailing on the floor. Someone could have trodden dirt into it, OP could have ripped it herself moving her own chair.

But OP didn’t damage her own coat.

There are an infinite number of of “what ifs” and victim blaming around the possibility of folding coat etc but the fact is the arse of a colleague ripped the coat because she was being an arse and playing waltzers on an office chair.

The coat was a grip hazard- I would expect someone to trip over it, or at least walk on it if I left it draped on the floor, so I don't think you can ask her to pay anything. Would you pay somebody compensation if they tripped over your cost and hurt themselves?

She should be asked not to wheel around the office, and also be told she should need to be asked not to wheel around the office as she's not 13. I'd drop it about the coat though, unless you don't want to get in with your colleagues.

Why would anyone want to get on with colleagues who behave like characters from The Office? They sound vile.

Claim on your home contents insurance.

If I was her I would pay for your coat.