What to Do?

[Adrenaline Junkie]

Hey everyone,

Not posted in a while but i had a bit of a cock up/disaster today and i'm still not sure what to do about it.

Basically i went bowling with my ICT class and my new mate asked me to take his camera and film him and his other mate playing this game in the arcade which was just at the side of the bowling place. When he got up i handed it back to him, not sure what happened but basically i thought his hand was under the camera so i let go, but it dropped onto the corner of this chair and landed on the floor. As soon as i thought this i thought "shit!". I hoped it was okay and at first it was fine. He picked it up and then the lens wasn't working, it was completely screwed, when he turned off the camera the lens would not receed into the camera, so he loaded it again and it said "LENS ERROR" when he turned it on.

He tried fixing it by pushing it back in and hopefully resetting it but it did not work. Now heres my problem, this camera cost his parents £150 and he doesn't know if its still under warranty. I did offer to pay damages but i don't know if i can afford it considering that i get given no money at all. Parents are not helpful either, my dad would just have a go at me. It was an accident but if his camera isn't under warranty i am screwed. Its even worse because i am trying my best to make friends and i have already screwed this one up quite a bit.

I won't find out until tomorrow whether it is under warranty and i whether i have to pay for damages or not, can anyone offer any advice?

[Goldney]

Tell your mother but not your father. Plead with her not to discuss it with him. It won't be pretty but hopefully you'll get away with the money and your father not knowing. As long as you explain it was an accident and nobody could have done anything about it, just one of those things etc. then I don't see how any rational person could get angry.

If you're really worried about it ask for a loan from your parents and then offer to get a part-time job and pay them back in installments (that is if you're 16 and can get a job).

[Michael]

First of all, I'm jealous that you don't have a job, how do you get money at all?

Second... how old are you?

Third, this is your responsibility not your parents, like goldney hinted that it was.
You need to find a way to pay back your "friend", that is if he wants you to.

It's as simple as that. If he's a good person and not an asshole, he wont mind much and at most just want money for it, and maybe not even the full price. If this dude was me, I wouldn't even make you pay for it, since it was an accident and oyu feel bad enough as it is.

Even though it is your responsibility, it can't hurt trying to get some of the money from your parents hehe. I've been in hundreds of these situations, there isn't much to do but go with the flow. And hopefully you keep your friend.

[Adrenaline Junkie]

Okay, well i am 16, and the funny thing is that the past week or so i have taken serious consideration into getting a part time job to save up for my trip to the US. I have actually found a job at a supermarket (Asda) down the road from college so i got an application form after being picked up from bowling and i'm filling it in now. Sorting out some referals for my application tomorrow and handing it in on friday and hopefully i'll start my job in the next month or two. I will take full responsibility for my actions, he was supposed to be coming on MSN to tell me but he hasn't been online. I will find out tomorrow though whether it is okay or not. I am lucky however in a few respects. I actually did some online work recently for this guy i know and he still needs to pay me what he owes me which is about £50-£70 so as soon as i get that which will be in the next few days i can transfer it to my bank and sort things out, if worst comes to worst that is.

Thanks for the help and advice, it annoys me though how it is so sudden because it was only an accident. I will try my best to get the money asap if i do have to pay. But it annoys me that the money i earned is wasted because of an accident i made. I hope that its still under warranty for him though. His parents seem a bit upper class and i'm worried he will demand the money straight away and quick for a replacement. I'll just have to see how things go eh.

[Clairity]

LS, I sincerely hope the camera is under warranty (but the sad truth is that the warranty might not cover damages from being "dropped").

If the camera isn't under warranty, and if you value this guy's friendship, you already know that you have to replace it (or at least give him money to have it repaired). If you are sincere in your offer to make things right.. he should be ok about giving you time to do so.

Let us know what he tells you.

[Adrenaline Junkie]

I met him in college today and he doesn't know much yet, he said it may not be under warranty however he may be able to get a replacement under the house insurance apparantly. But i don't know the full details yet, i really don't want to dish out all that money though, all because of an accident. I feel so bad about it aswell, and all my parents will say is "you should be more careful", but it was an accident, accidents happen.