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?

They sound like horrible people to work with. Unprofessional. I would complain upwards and to HR. They won’t relent in their unhilarious ‘bants’. Don’t put up with it. And yes she/he should pay for coat repair or help with replacement.

She clearly needs to grow the hell up. And she should definitely pay for repairs at least

@grapehyacinthisactuallyblue - it's the colleague's fault for acting like an utter dick, not the OP's.

@SheldonesqueTheBstard

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.

Wonderful 😂 I particularly liked the use of "waltzering knobbers" !

YANBU OP.

Use the Barbour mending service and pay half each.

It shouldn't have been on the floor, it's dangerous AND tempting fate (you could have rolled your own chair's wheels over it and ripped it) but she shouldn't have been playing the fool, hence you're both as responsible as each other but it doesn't sound as though it warrants a replacement coat.

I can imagine that 'live-wire wheelie- chair girl' would have sued the company for compensation had she got your coat caught in the chair wheels and accidently tipped the chair and flinging her out on to the floor, potentially injuring herself and being off work for weeks with PTSD!

She sounds like a d!ck

Haven’t read all of the comments but at the least she should apologise and offer to pay for the repair.

What was your manager doing about this?