Friend broke laptop. Advice?

[SuperGroove]

Things just led up to this moment. Things that I should have decided not to do led to this moment.

In short, my friend broke my nearly new laptop. He's a college student and has a somewhat poor financial background. We both come from poor final backgrounds.

Here's what happened:
I got an amplifier. I put the speakers which were too large for my desktop bookshelf, a top the bookshelf so that it was safe enough to place things on top the speaker. It was secure enough to accidentally bump into the desk and prevent the speakers from falling. However, I have a spare mattress right next to the speaker that fell on my laptop. It acted as more stability. I laid in bed while my friend tried to remove the mattress from behind me, which rocked the speaker enough to make the speaker come crashing onto my laptop. I forgot about the speaker. I told him to take the mattress out.

The laptop needs a new display. $900+ easy. The laptop also has a ruined chassis because I dropped it while trying to check if the computer still working by plugging it into an external monitor. It didn't needless to say, and that will cost nearly $500 to replace.

I paid $2300 for the laptop. Well I didn't pay for it. My parents bought it for me. He wants to pay in increments. I told him half the damage is fine, but really I can't swing any money. I want to be fair so I'll end up paying half. Finals are coming up, and papers are needed to be written.

Advice? Please?

Thanks,
Paul

 

[BornStar]

I'm confused. You told him to move the mattress, which he did, but he inadvertently knocked the speaker off the shelf which landed on the laptop? So, you told him to do something, he did it, and now you want him to pay for your mistake? If I'm way off, let me know.

 

[Muadib]

He was doing you a favor by taking out your extra mattress, and by doing so hit your speaker which may or may not have been stable. He's a better man than me by wanting to pay for it. Split the cost with him, and be happy.

 

[kranky]

No one did anything wrong, it was just an accident. If he's willing to pay half, I think you made out pretty good. I don't know that I could ask him to pay anything in that situation.

 

[Jerboy]

<< I got an amplifier. I put the speakers which were too large for my desktop bookshelf, a top the bookshelf so that it was safe enough to place things on top the speaker. It was secure enough to accidentally bump into the desk and prevent the speakers from falling. >>



Can you re-explain this? I'm really not getting what you're saying and I'm confused.


$900 display repair

Well things were placed shoddy and you failed to think of consequence of removing the mattress. Your friend couldn't know about your setup as much as you do and he just did what you told him to. I believe you should cover 70% for careless commanding and careless placement.

Your friend should pay 30% for negligent property damage.



$500 chasis= you pay 100%.. you dropped it..

Total;

you: $1,130
him: $270
----------------

grand total: $1400

 

[BornStar]

Well, assuming I got it right in my first post, your roommate has no responsibility to pay for it, IMO. I think the cost rests solely on your shoulders.

edit: typo

 

[hans007]

i dont know if you should even bother buying a new one. i bought t23 in fs/ft last month for $1600. and you can get new p4 compaq machines (yeah i know its not an ibm) for $1700 or so with radeon 7500s. i think he should pay maybe $500 to 600.

i'd try and get a new machine, and salvage what i can from this one (like the tualatin cpu worth $160, the ram, the 48 gig hard drive $300 or so etc, the ultra bay drives which should be worth $250 or so). at least it wont be so bad. i dont know, but its a bad situation either way. if he's a really good friend man that would suck even more.

 

[Jerboy]

<< No one did anything wrong, it was just an accident. If he's willing to pay half, I think you made out pretty good. I don't know that I could ask him to pay anything in that situation. >>



Which raises a cause.

Who pays for accidental property damage upon private property?

A good example is when you're at a store and break their stuff. I saw some guy break a light bulb(one of those expensive reflector bulb) at Lowe's, but I don't think he was asked to pay for it. Does Lowe's have the right to make him pay though?


I broke some huge jars of pickles at a grocery store last year or something. I was with a friend. The middle of shelf surface was left empty. Pickle jars were shelved along the edges of shelf to maximize visibility. Not a smart way to arrange fragile glass containers. Some kids were running around the stores. Kid almost bumper into my friend and she bumped into me while attempting to avoid the kids. She caused me to bump into pickle jars and a few fell off and shattered on the floor.

I don't know who really was responsible and stores would rather absorb small loss like this than develop bitterness with customers.

The fault could have been:

kid's parents for failing to supervise them

Store for arranging item in such stupid way

Me for actually bumping into jars

my friend for bumping into me

 

[bizmark]

I agree with Jerboy. Your account of what happened is really confusing. I'll try to clarify exactly where I'm confused.



<< I got an amplifier. I put the speakers which were too large for my desktop bookshelf >>



What's a desktop bookshelf?



<< a top the bookshelf >>



Is this a different bookshelf or the same one?



<< so that it was safe enough to place things on top the speaker. >>



Is the issue here, placing stuff on top of the speaker or placing the speaker on top of stuff, or both?



<< It was secure enough to accidentally bump into the desk and prevent the speakers from falling. >>



My interpretation of this statement: It was secure enough that one could accidentally bump into the desk, and the speakers were not in danger of falling because they were securely placed?



<< However, I have a spare mattress right next to the speaker that fell on my laptop. It acted as more stability. >>



So the mattress was leaning up against the speaker, which was in turn on top of a shelf? Was the shelf in danger of falling over as well? What about the second speaker, was it on the same bookshelf? Was there something leaning against it too?



<< I laid in bed while my friend tried to remove the mattress from behind me, which rocked the speaker enough to make the speaker come crashing onto my laptop. I forgot about the speaker. I told him to take the mattress out. >>



Where was the laptop laying? On your desk, on the shelf, on the floor? Why did you want your friend to remove the mattress? Why were you laying in bed instead of getting the mattress yourself? How was the mattress behind you, if it was standing up leaning against the bookshelf (if this is in fact a correct interpretation of how things were set up)?

Well I know that this sounds a bit mean of me to pester you like that, but please know that I feel sorry for you because I have a laptop too and I would hate it if anything bad happened to it. However, at the same time, I feel bad for your friend, who was just doing what you told him to do, and you were the one who had so precariously placed your speakers in the first place that they were positioned above your laptop and were not secured well. As the story stands, I don't think that your friend should pay for the damage.

 

[Jerboy]

<< i dont know if you should even bother buying a new one. i bought t23 in fs/ft last month for $1600. and you can get new p4 compaq machines (yeah i know its not an ibm) for $1700 or so with radeon 7500s. i think he should pay maybe $500 to 600.

i'd try and get a new machine, and salvage what i can from this one (like the tualatin cpu worth $160, the ram, the 48 gig hard drive $300 or so etc, the ultra bay drives which should be worth $250 or so). at least it wont be so bad. i dont know, but its a bad situation either way. if he's a really good friend man that would suck even more. >>




Yeah I wouldn't fix it.. I managed to total out a Gateway Solo laptop when I had a temper at school.. I was at my locker after having had really nasty altercation. I grabbed whatever it was in there and slammed everything down on the floor. Oops. My laptop was in there with books..

 

[vi edit]

I'd check with your insurance company. The laptop *may* be covered under your home owners insurance. If so, the $250 or $500 deductable may work out to be the cheapest thing to do.

 

[subflava]

This is probably a long shot, but might check with your parents to see if they bought the laptop on a CC. I'm remembering those CC commercials from a few years ago where they showed people breaking their stuff (some kid dropping their toy or something) and basically saying that the CC would get it replaced. Not sure of the $$ limits on these replacement policies, but it's worth a look.

 

[Geekbabe]

where was your laptop ? if it wasn't packed securely in it's case while you had someone were moving furniture nearby I'd say your friend is being very generous in offering to pay you half.

$900 is a lot of money for a display replacement, you could probably score yourself one helluva replacement laptop here on the For sale/trade board.. and for less money.

 

[Viper GTS]

He doesn't owe you anything. Pay for the replacement yourself.

Viper GTS

 

[geekender]

Must'nt be a really good friend if you are asking him to pay damages for what appears to be your mistake imo.

 

[kt]

Sounds like an accident to me.. which your friend has no control over. He's being a better man to offer to pay half of the damage.

 

[apoppin]

Unless you explain yourself better, it appears that the "accident" was 100% preventable and YOUR fault.

 

[SuperGroove]

<< Unless you explain yourself better, it appears that the "accident" was 100% preventable and YOUR fault. >>



I was in my bed. The way my room is setup, behind my bed (my head), is the spare bed. He wanted to sleep over, and asked to borrow the mattress while I was sleeping. I told him he could pull it out. This is my fault really

I was confused

 

[apoppin]

<< I told him he could pull it out. This is my fault really >>



Thought so.

Sorry to be so harsh, but WHY are you asking your friend for money when it's self-admittedly your fault?

 

[SuperGroove]

<<

<< I told him he could pull it out. This is my fault really >>



Thought so.

Sorry to be so harsh, but WHY are you asking your friend for money when it's self-admittedly your fault? >>



I didn't ask for money. He offered.

 

[apoppin]

<< I didn't ask for money. He offered. >>


That is one good friend. Now it's your turn to be the friend and tellm him to forget it.

As much as it may hurt financially, a good friendship is worth more than the material loss. If it is really your fault, you should be 100% responsible.

Check into homeowner's insurance and the credit card company's insurance. Check with your parents (and don't blame it on your friend).

The best news I can offer - The laptops that cost $2300 last year are available for nearly $1000 less right now - and no doubt some of the old drives may be reused.

 

[TuffGuy]

<<

<<

<< I told him he could pull it out. This is my fault really >>



Thought so.

Sorry to be so harsh, but WHY are you asking your friend for money when it's self-admittedly your fault? >>



I didn't ask for money. He offered. >>


refuse the money. YOU put the speakers in an unstable position. YOU asked him to move the mattress. YOU forgot about the speaker. it's nice of him to offer, but it's not really his fault. let him buy you dinner or a game or something.