DD damaged her laptop by being careless - wwyd?

[Earlybird]

DD (15) had her laptop in her bathroom (oddly), and accidentally dripped a bit of water on the keyboard - she claims 5 or 6 small drops. Now, half a dozen keys are not responding on the keyboard.

I know it was an accident, but I am grumpy with her for being careless with an expensive item. And why she had her laptop in the bathroom is beyond me.

We will take it in for repairs tomorrow, and hopefully will find it is an easy / inexpensive fix. But what if it isn't?

I am thinking ahead and wondering what, if any, consequences would be appropriate. FWIW, she needs the laptop for schoolwork - uses it all day, every day - so it must be repaired, or replaced if ruined. I want to be fair with her if there is a problem, so am trying to think ahead, so I can react rationally. But, I feel quite angry with her about this.

Any advice appreciated.

I'd make her pay for the repair or at least half of it out of her allowance, birthday money

If it was just water, it might be worth putting it somewhere warm, like an airing cupboard, to see if drying it out will make it start working again.

Make her pay for repairs or if it's too expensive she can just buy a cheap usb key board will be less practical but that's her problem until she can afford the repair (my dp broke our keyboard a year OK the usb keyboard is working fine with it)

She already blasted it with the hairdryer for a few minutes, but that didn't work.

Id be more worried about why she a. had it in the bathroom b. doesnt know the effect water has on electronic devices

Id make her pay for the full repair actions have consequences

I don't think a cheap replacement isn't an option as her school mandates the make/model of laptop each student must have - the school loads course/school specific software on each laptop. We were even told where to order the laptop from.

she can just buy a cheap usb key board will be less practical but that's her problem until she can afford the repair

^^ This

I agree - laptop in the bathroom is bad judgement. She is typically very careful with her possessions, but a few years ago ruined an i-pod that somehow was left sitting in a 'puddle' next to the sink in her bathroom. Especially given that experience, it is unfathomable that she'd not be more careful with a laptop.

Make her pay for the repair or a % of it if it's loads. Or she could do chores to the value? It's worth putting it somewhere warm for at least a few hours (not directly on a hot radiator!!) as a blast with a hairdryer probably isn't enough.

If she's carried on using it after the spill, you'll need to replace the entire keyboard unfortunately (I know this from experience - thanks cat for knocking a drink all over the laptop!). Depending on the age of the laptop, a new one may be cheaper than the cost/hassle of replacing the keyboard.

The drying out thing only works if you've shut off the device immediately and unplugged it, to stop water getting further into the motherboard.

I splashed water on my Mac, a tiny splash, maybe a couple of drops, but it was enough! - I managed to replace the trackpad myself (a special screwdriver and a youtube video) for £25 - Apple were offering to help me for £150!! Actually they also suggested replacing the keyboard and the screen - bargain at over £500!!!! I'd have replaced the keyboard myself too if it were needed. Check out youtube...the videos are so helpful.

We ask our kids to pay 25% of the replacement cost/repair - the first time....50% the second time. It hurts enough for them to take care.

Stop other treats to cover cost of stupidity in taking laptop into bathroom.

Each DC was given a 1 strike buy when it came to laptops. DD1 shut her laptop with a pen in the hinge so neatly breaking the screen plus both hinges. The upset she felt was punishment enough.

Everyone does stupid things sometimes. Is knowing that you are really cross consequence enough?

This happened to me & I took it to an independent little shop, think it cost me about £70 or there abouts. So if it helps at all it shouldn't be an absolutely massive cost, I wouldn't worry too much about that. Still understand your frustration at it being broken in the first place though!

I'd want to know exactly why it was in the bathroom. I hate to say this and risk frightening you, but an underage teen who ended living under my roof used to take his into the bathroom because it was the only room in the house with a lock. He was getting his cock out on cam for men who were willing to pay him in electronic "tokens".

Put it in the airing cupboatd

Thanks for your responses.

She had the laptop in the bathroom because she was watching a show while in the bath (I guess that is this generation's version of reading a book in the bath ). The laptop was sitting on top of the toilet (lid down!), while she was in the bath. She got out of the bath, said she dried her hands, but a few drops of water dripped down her arm onto the keyboard.

So silly. So unnecessary. I really am very unhappy with her about this.

If it can't be repaired, I would get the cheapest second hand one available and tell her that she will need to do extra chores, save her birthday money etc... to help toward buying a nicer one.

Thanks for all of your feedback. Turns out that the keyboard needed to be replaced, but there was no serious damage.

DD got lucky, and hopefully has learned a lesson.