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A Moral Dilemma

OutThere

OutThere

macrumors 603
Original poster
Dec 19, 2002
5,730
3
NYC
Last night one of my closest friends tripped on my iBook's power cord, and sent it spinning off of a chair and onto a linoleum floor. Needless to say, the hard drive is fried, and the hinge is busted, so the monitor doesn't stay in position anymore. It still turns on, but that's about it. Luckily 95% of what was on it was backed up, so there are no major losses.

Now, my friend has offered to buy me a new iBook immediately, and has the money, so that is not a problem, but I feel kind of bad about spending his money like that. In any case, I can get an educational discount, so the prices are quite a bit lower than typical. I don't see the sense in repairing the computer, as it would probably cost more than $500, and the computer is already two years old. I don't have the money right now to get myself a new computer, and my parents will not pay for one for me.

Now, I've got a few options. I can let him pay in full for the computer, split some of the cost with him, or not let him help at all, and step back onto my iMac G3 until I can afford to get myself a laptop. I'd like to hear some opinions on what I should do...
 
Maybe split the cost. It's very generous of him to replace it in full -- some people I know would have blamed me for leaving the powercord out in such a hazardous fashion.
 
I think if the individual is a really good friend, and offered to pay for a new laptop, I would probably not accept.

Even though they are willing, this might still hinder the friendship down the road.

Which is more important?

--B.B.

(Of course if they aren't that good of friend, I'd probably make them buy the laptop, and a 30" display just for the inconvience):rolleyes:
 
I'd split the cost, and see what I could recoup from selling the broken iBook, or parting it out then selling it.

I almost did the same thing to my friend's new Toshiba laptop - nearly soiled myself, and I think he did soil himself. All was well though. :eek:

If I had broken it I would have felt obligated to replace it.
 
You could check eBay and other reputable sources to determine the current value of your iBook and have him give you that $$$. Whether you use it to buy an equivalent, used iBook, use it for repairing yours, or put the money towards buying a new Mac of your choosing, that's up to you.
 
If your friend offered, then take him up on that offer. It's not like you screamed and demanded that he pay you for the damage.

And definitely get the edu discount. That way, you both know you're looking out for one another. :)
 
go 50-50 cos neither of you are entirely blameless in this.

then 2 years down the line you can once again 'leave' your ibook in a precarious position for your unsuspecting friend to 'trip' over. half price ibook time again!
 
Lord Blackadder said:
I'd split the cost, and see what I could recoup from selling the broken iBook, or parting it out then selling it.
Click to expand...
I like this reasoning, and think it is fair. It's what I would do.
 
If I had done that to a friend's laptop (or, really, anyone's I suppose) then I'd feel obligated to pay current value for it. Especially for a 2-year old laptop, I wouldn't expect to buy a brand new box, but potentially an e-Bay or Apple refurb of similar value to present cost.

Splitting is a nice option, since it is a good friend.
 
Yeah, I'd offer to split it, as well. But if he insists on paying, I'd let him.

I would say that if I'd done that to someone and they wouldn't let me pay, the thing down the line that would break down the friendship is that I'd feel awful forever about it, every time I saw them. Then again, I do do guilt rather well. :eek:
 
Let him pay for the most cheap basic ibook with your education discount (should roughly match the capabilities of the one that got trashed). Anything you want beyond that, you pay for.
 
Splitting the cost is a fair solution, unless one of you clearly has more financial resources than the other so it would be a real burden for one of you.

I'm glad he offered to pay, which was the responsible thing to do. That's a good reason to go easy on him.

If it happened to me as an owner, I'd probably accept a token amount from the person who tripped, pay the rest myself, chalk it up to experience and bad luck, and remind myself to keep cords better protected from big-footed visitors in the future.
 
I agree, splitting the cost would be the most ethical thing to do. I mean, you s houldn't leave something plugged in where others COULD trip on it, so him willing to help on this is very kind. Split it, and get a new iBook, and be happy! :)
 
Split the cost of a new one, remember he will feel better if you let him do the right thing as well. Is good he is like that.
 
Take him up on the offer and pocket the edu-discount. Claim the cost on your home insurance. Repair and sell the old iBook and pocket the profit. Try and get him to break some other stuff and repeat.:D
 
Yes, I would also split the cost. I would pay at least half or as much as you can afford and let him chip in the rest. Also I would let that be his holiday gift to you.
 
If I were the one who broke it, I would absolutely insist that I pay for it entirely. That said, splitting the cost would be very nice of you and show that you are not ready to ring his/her neck. :p
 
Thanks for the input guys, I think that I'll let him pay for a part of it, and I'll cover the rest. With my edu discount a 12" powerbook costs the same as a decently geared 14" iBook, and I'd prefer a 12" computer, so looks like that's what I'll be going.

My reasoning for letting him pay some is that, if I had broken his computer, I'd feel obligated to pay for at least part of getting a new one.

In any case, it's a bit of an excuse for getting a new computer. :p
 
Have you checked to see if your parents' homeowners insurance covers any of this. It was an accident and a lot of accidents are covered. What would you do if the situation was reversed?

I like the idea of him buying the lowest price book with the education discount and then adding on any extras with your own funds.
 
OutThere said:
Thanks for the input guys, I think that I'll let him pay for a part of it, and I'll cover the rest. With my edu discount a 12" powerbook costs the same as a decently geared 14" iBook, and I'd prefer a 12" computer, so looks like that's what I'll be going.

My reasoning for letting him pay some is that, if I had broken his computer, I'd feel obligated to pay for at least part of getting a new one.

In any case, it's a bit of an excuse for getting a new computer. :p
Click to expand...

Glad you worked it out. The same thing happened to me with a big glass ball of my friends and i accidently rolled it off the table on to the floor afnd cracked it open. I payed for about 3/4 of it and he covered the rest.
 
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