Classmate Spilled Coffee On My Laptop - Broken

[waterdrifter]

My classmate and I were studying this morning for our final in nursing theory. She accidentally spilled her coffee on my laptop and now it is broken (fried, won't start). Is she responsible? I tried to talk to her and she feels like she doesn't owe me anything.

I get that it was an accident but at the same time, I am out a 650 dollar laptop because of her clumsiness. She removed the lid of the coffee and then accidentally bumped it which caused it to spill all over my laptop. I lost my files and assignments which were saved on the laptop and it will not turn on now.

I was trying to not make a big deal of it because we both had to take a final exam. To be honest, I wasn't mad at the time as I realize stuff happens. She at first offered to pay for the laptop but after the final stated that she cannot pay for it and mentioned that she had a child and lived in a one-income household. I am not sure how to proceed. I have texted her and have not received a response back. Do I take her to small claims court or what?

I cannot personally afford to purchase another laptop at this time. Advice?

[Serhilda, ADN, RN]

She should be held accountable for her actions, accident or not. The comparisons other posters are making to a fender bender are great, in my opinion. Sure, it was your choice to own a laptop and bring it to class just as it's our choice to own a vehicle and drive down the street. Neither hold us accountable for the accidental damage inflicted on our property by others. How unreasonable to suggest simply owning an item makes you responsible for other people's actions toward it.

That being said, I would demand the cost of the item be reimbursed and I would not offer to pay for half since I am not half responsible for her mistake. In the meantime, perhaps consider purchasing a refurbished tablet. Lots of great deals out there. Don't be afraid to cut off a "friend" that would leave you out $650 for their own mistake.

In the future, I'd recommend requesting people keep their drinks away from your laptop/tablet, even if a top is currently on it. Always have to be paranoid about those clumsy coffee drinkers. :)

Best of luck OP.

[Ruby Vee, BSN]

I think the attitude you present in your above post is clearly unneeded. God forbid that a student asks for advice. I think this person's question was fair and is not deserving of such a harsh and condescending response. He/she is obviously a little frustrated with the situation and if the tides were turned and this happened to you, I am sure you would be too. He never insinuated calling the police or following a person home. These are all hypothetical situations you used just to try and get your lack of point across.

Aren't we as nurses supposed to empower each other? You really didn't offer any advice. Perhaps you should reevaluate your reason in responding to this post in the first place. Or maybe address your anger issues? I suggest that if you have nothing positive or of substance to offer this young student, then you should probably withhold from replying in the first place. Just my two cents. Also, I personally, think that scrubs are a bad comparison in this situation. Scrubs are a uniform which doesn't cost nearly as much as a laptop. We wear scrubs because we know they will get dirty, hence their name - scrubs. And who do you know that would call the sue over a pair of scrubs?? Ridiculous.

Castigating another poster because you don't like their post is a futile and ultimately nonproductive thing to do. You don't like the opinion and/or the way it was presented. I get that. But it's a valid opinion. And because it's a valid opinion you -- or the OP or some of the folks who are reading this thread -- may get some benefit from it.

This forum is fabulous for asking questions and getting advice. It is not a support group. If all you're looking for is virtual hugs and posts that agree with your opinion, you probably will not derive much benefit from this forum. But if you're open to opinions that you don't necessarily agree with and advice from those with experience in the field, this place is a gold mine.

[nurseluckett, MSN]

Have you checked to see if this is covered under your or her home owners policy? This might be an option. I'd then offer to split the deductible with her to save the relationship. It was an accident and if you were both studying and didn't set ground rules it could have been the other way around.

[RyzenRN, ASN, BSN, MSN]

One could say that it was up to you to make sure nothing happened to your laptop. You knew the coffee was there but did you move the coffee or your laptop to prevent an accident? Did you take any measures at all to protect it?

The appropriate thing would be for your classmate to help pay for damages. But if your classmate is as broke as you, good luck in getting that money. Are you willing to go to court? ... The most likely scenario is that you alone will have to cover this. Pick your battles and spend your energy wisely. You already have enough to worry about with school.

[Extra Pickles]

I've read through all the responses and I just don't understand the position some people have that since it was not an intentional spill but rather an accident that the person who spilled the coffee is somehow absolved of all responsibility for that accident.

If you were to bump another person's car in the parking lot and cause a dent, do you believe that you shouldn't have to pay for repairs because you didn't "mean to" cause the damage? Do you think the police would come to the scene and say "oh, you didn't mean to dent her car, I don't know why we are here, you shouldn't have to pay a dime to fix the car"? It isn't like having a car in a parking lot means that you should expect someone might damage it and NOT be held accountable if they are right there. Some of you seem to think that having a nice car means people bumping into it should just be expected and therefore ok. I don't get that.

Property was damaged, it IS the responsibility of the person who caused the damage to pay for the repair, make the owner of the item "whole" again. That does NOT mean that she needs to buy a brand new computer for the guy OR that she has to pay the full value of the computer when it was new. She would be responsible for the cost of the repair, or if not reparable, the cost of the computer at the time it was totaled.

Laptop computers, all computerized gadgetry have a pretty short life span when it comes to value, unless the OP's laptop was still within the warranty period, and it obviously was long past it by the time this happened.

It's unfortunate for both parties in that while the computer probably had little actual value it was working adequately before it was damaged and now the OP is out a working piece of equipment AND the friend is responsible to pay for the repair or similarly-used replacement.

It sucks, accidents happen, but that doesn't make it either "no one's" fault or the fault of the person who got their property broken. The justification that people who own nice things should have to expect others will break them is ridiculous to me. At worst, a person who owns a nice thing can expect some jealousy thrown his way, but should never expect that it'd be ok to have the thing ruined because, hey, it was just SITTING there. Really?

The next step is up to the OP and there are lots of suggestions on the table. Small claims court was designed specifically for a "small" sum such as $650 so it's not ridiculous to take someone to court for that. HOWEVER, it might very well not be worth the OP's time and further investment in court fees (even if he prevails eventually). Courts suck up time and energy and are anything but quick resolutions.

Getting a new computer on the friend's dime isn't fair, I wouldn't be asking for a new computer. I would be asking for the cost to either repair this one or a used/refurbished replacement if the cost of repair outweighs the cost to replace. The OP's responsibility in this is to do the legwork to find out the cost of repair and/or replacement. The friend's responsibility is to pay up.

If you can afford a payment plan of sorts and trust her to do that I'd do that first. If she won't pay anything at all you can't force her unless you go to court (and might not be worth it in the end). Ultimately you'll have to size up the situation and go with what you think the best move is. I wouldn't be concerned about "losing a friend" since a friend wouldn't have broken your stuff and left you the bill! I hope it works out for you and that you can recover your files.

[crazydoglady89]

Yikes.

Unfortunately, we see that your classmate has no intention (at least, in my opinion) of footing the bill. She has shown poor character. Being a single mother is tough, but it is no excuse to not fulfill a basic decent human obligation (again, my opinion).

I would be fully prepared to pay for repairs/a new laptop. I would present her with the bill for said laptop. If she wants to/feels obligated, she will pay.

Could you take her to court for this? Maybe. Is it worth it? Probably not.

This reminds me of why we have insurance. For example, my husband was cut off in traffic by another vehicle that didn't clear him before they decided to merge into another lane. They scraped the front of his vehicle (thankfully my husband was fine and able to correct and avoid a serious accident). My husband followed the vehicle, anticipating them to pull over, and the car just drove away. My husband contacted the police. Since there was no "proof" (unfortunately no traffic cameras), we were left with the hefty bill. COMPLETELY unfair (and illegal to be honest), but thankfully we had insurance on our vehicle and anticipated that things like these do happen, and had an emergency savings fund.

Hopefully your computer is able to be fixed and doesn't need complete replacing. I'm sure you will be backing up your work next time. I also agree that we take our electronics out into the world and inherently accept some risk in doing so.

If it were me, I would tell her what it cost to repair/replace and leave it at that. At this point, it wouldn't be worth it financially or emotionally to take her to court. I would remember this though, and question trusting this classmates integrity in the future.

[Ruby Vee, BSN]

One could say that it was up to you to make sure nothing happened to your laptop. You knew the coffee was there but did you move the coffee or your laptop to prevent an accident? Did you take any measures at all to protect it?

The appropriate thing would be for your classmate to help pay for damages. But if your classmate is as broke as you, good luck in getting that money. Are you willing to go to court? ... The most likely scenario is that you alone will have to cover this. Pick your battles and spend your energy wisely. You already have enough to worry about with school.

I wondered about this myself. I don't allow open drinks on the table at home where I work with my laptop -- if someone sets an open drink down, I move it or I move the computer. In a coffee shop, with a classmate I would be even more vigilent.

[waterdrifter]

Update!!

My classmate came to me yesterday and offered half of the cost of the laptop and paid me in cash. I am overjoyed. I did not discuss it further with her after the incident. Now I can buy a new laptop for school. :)

Thank you for all the differing viewpoints guys. I do appreciate them.

[Extra Pickles]

Update!!

My classmate came to me yesterday and offered half of the cost of the laptop and paid me in cash. I am overjoyed. I did not discuss it further with her after the incident. Now I can buy a new laptop for school. :)

Thank you for all the differing viewpoints guys. I do appreciate them.

That's great! Maybe she reads the forums here

Good luck to you.

[MiladyMalarkey, ASN, BSN]

Update!!

My classmate came to me yesterday and offered half of the cost of the laptop and paid me in cash. I am overjoyed. I did not discuss it further with her after the incident. Now I can buy a new laptop for school. :)

Thank you for all the differing viewpoints guys. I do appreciate them.

Awesome! She took responsibility & sounds like she is your friend after all!

[NicuGal, MSN, RN]

That is good news. Still take it see if they can retrieve your info. And buy a warranty and extended warranty. Also look to have it covered on your homeowners or rental insurance.

[Ruby Vee, BSN]

That is good news. Still take it see if they can retrieve your info. And buy a warranty and extended warranty. Also look to have it covered on your homeowners or rental insurance.

And be more protective of it next time -- no coffee near your laptop. Or liquid of any kind!