I broke my flatmates laptop what should I do?

soundsdifferent on 24/02/2015 - 19:41
Last edited 26/02/2015 - 18:41

So basically i'll just write down all the facts here and can people give their honest opinions whether for or against me.

I spilt water on flatmates Mac book pro 2010 and destroyed it, i shouldn't have been using the computer and it was fully my fault it was broken. (And files, photos video lost etc)

3 computer repair people confirmed it is completely destroyed

I admitted to doing it and admit i am responsible for replacing laptop.

i have found similar models sell on Ebay from anywhere between $400 and $500

I offered to either

a) I buy her a replacement and give her $150 for the loss of a laptop for a couple of weeks and loss of files BUT i get to keep the broken laptop to sell for parts (Aprox worth $125 on ebay)

b) I buy the broken laptop off her for $600 and that covers everything (And she is responsible for buying another laptop or doing whatever she wants with the money)

c) i'll give her $500 up front, she keeps the laptop and sells it for parts or does whatever she wants with it.

Am i being unreasonable?

And I guess if you were in my situation or in the reverse what would you consider to be fair?

Cheers

EDIT: Hey for those who want to know we ended up talking it out and decided on something we were both happy with, and it was more then the above options. thanks for all the comments.

Computing

closed Comments

        • kingmw on 25/02/2015 - 21:23

          @soundsdifferent: Agreed, car insurance does not cover new for old after 2 years.

        • ozeebee on 26/02/2015 - 09:21
          +5

          @soundsdifferent:

          After reading your responses OP, best thing for you is to move back in with your parents and start re-learning about morals as well as what's wrong and right.

          Then maybe after you can live with others again.

      • Aneurism on 25/02/2015 - 19:26
        +2

        Yeah but you would be also expected to replace everything that was inside at the time that was damaged.

  • bluedufflecoat on 25/02/2015 - 12:28

    Is it covered under contents insurance? Some policies include personal effects, say up to $1000, with some amount of excess.

    I know you've resolved it with your housemate, but my 2 cents is, you should do what is right by her… You'd expect the same if, the roles were reversed.

  • bondy28 on 25/02/2015 - 12:47
    +3

    grogling hit the nail on the head. I am IT site support and agree with him completely. You do realize who she will be coming after if you replace with a 2nd hand equivalent and it has issues? I would think a refurbished MBA from the Apple store may suffice as it would be seen as a much superior model or a current year model new unit. Laptop's are something users become attached too. Let her be part of the process. A bit like picking a pet haha. Eat the cost and be a true gentleman. Don't forget to apologize 1,000,000 times over for invading her privacy. I see my laptop as others see their diary, a place of solitude. You really need to recover that data. Did she have photo's, her CV, saved email correspondence? You may have erased photos from a trip. Who knows. If you live on the east coast Data Recovery professionals should be cheaper as their is more competition. Get it done and if she bitches… Those around her will ask… What more could he have done? All the best. Let us all know how it goes. Hopefully you aren't using this thread as a means to justify providing her an inferior replacement.

      • bondy28 on 25/02/2015 - 18:35
        +18

        So she loses her data and has to go selling her old MBP on Ebay to recoup enough to finish paying for the refurb'd unit? I would be surprised if she is actually OK with that. She is plotting your demise buddy…

      • ozhunter on 25/02/2015 - 18:55
        +6

        Give her $750 and let her keep old laptop. Selling broken parts on ebay just adds to the inconvenience.

      • PVA on 25/02/2015 - 19:06
        +11

        honestly, she shouldnt have to sell or do anything. You should buy the $750 item and say sorry. She can then do what ever with the broken unit - you shouldnt factor in getting money for it.

        • kingmw on 25/02/2015 - 21:31
          -2

          She's only doing this because she doesn't have enough money.

  • ShatGPT on 25/02/2015 - 13:22
    +11

    Your three options are nonsensical. Show a bit of common sense and empathy and buy her a brand new MBP. It's the least you can do after you have lost her files and put her at inconvenience for this long.

    It astounds me that some people try to weasel their way out of their moral obligations by associating nonsensical concepts of actual property value when there is far more to consider in a situation like this.

  • akyeeeahdude on 25/02/2015 - 13:25
    +3

    Funny story, little one spilt a glass of water right on to the keyboard of my Asus laptop when it was turned on. I turned it off, turned it upside down for a day, opened it up, gave it a quick blast with the hair dryer to be safe, turned it on and nothing. Tried again a week later, nothing. So I gave up.

    Two years later when I'm cleaning out the house, I find the laptop. Plug it in and it works perfectly and is stable. WTF??

    • xyron on 25/02/2015 - 13:33
      +1

      Sometimes they just need a bit of time to dry out properly - if it was just water and you pulled power/battery straight away you've got a good chance of saving the laptop.

      To the OP - I thought your offers were reasonable to be honest - I've thought about this from the perspective of what I'd expect my housemates to do (although I've known both of my housemates for over a decade so might be a slightly different relationship).

      I've set up a 16TB NAS in our house though so I won't accept any heat for housemates not backing up their shit :)

      I recently replaced one housemate's totally bung XPS 15z with a Latitude e5540 which is a lot more powerful and cost him roughly a quarter of what his cost him back in 2011, so there's something to be said for incorporating your OzBargain spirit into wider life!

      • bondy28 on 25/02/2015 - 13:36

        What make/model NAS? :P
        Synology DS1511+ myself. Still running strong after 5 years or so. HDD's have nearly all failed though at some point.

        • xyron on 25/02/2015 - 14:37
          +1

          ReadyNAS NV+. Not the best but I got it cheap on OCAU and it does the trick!

        • xuqi on 26/02/2015 - 09:54

          @xyron:

          Had one of those. Even with the upgraded 1GB memory stick, it still performed like shit.
          Slow performance, even slower management interface.

          Next I bought a Thecus N4200 Pro (OCAU) for $50 more, and couldn't be more happier.

          There is chasm between the performance of the NV+, and the Thecus.

        • xyron on 26/02/2015 - 12:31

          @xuqi: Yeah, but I got it for $100. I gotta look into how to upgrade the memory - is it proprietary?

      • xuqi on 26/02/2015 - 09:51
        -1

        I would have either;

        • Bought a new replacement
        • Given her an agreed sum of $, and then sent the HDD to a professional recovery company
    • Serapis on 25/02/2015 - 20:30

      Reminds me of an old cursed laptop i had. Once / twice a year it would BSOD (good old XP)… if i turned it off and left it for a day, it would be perfectly fine for another year. Never discovered what caused it.

  • inittobinit on 25/02/2015 - 13:58
    +23

    You sound like a complete cheapskate to me.

    You seem to feel okay with simply equaling out her monetary loss from this accident.

    But its more than that, you've:

    a) Damaged her goods
    b) Wasted her time (which could be incredibly precious and invaluable)
    c) Inconvenienced her
    d) Lost her files which could be infinitely more valuable than any dollar figure.
    e) Proposed she now uses someones else's pre-used goods which could potentially have its own problems, aside from being someone elses filthy personal item (believe me phones/laptops can be disgusting).

    If I were you I'd be buying her a brand spanking new 'Sorry i (profanity) up' MacBook Pro and doing something nice as a proper apology (dinner etc).

    • boomramada on 25/02/2015 - 15:55
      +2

      hang on, so someone who is cheapskate asking ozbargainrs (other cheapskates) for possible cheap solution.

      • inittobinit on 25/02/2015 - 20:09
        +12

        Being a cheapskate when it comes to finding deals for ourselves is one thing.

        Being a cheap ass looking for the cheapest half-fix and trying to avoid blame for a no doubt devastating outcome is another.

    • cloudy on 25/02/2015 - 16:55

      Let's be honest, we're on ozbargain coz we are cheapskates. So hope ur not saying it in a derogatory tone.

      • BartholemewH on 26/02/2015 - 00:46
        +9

        There's a difference between a cheapskate and an ozbargain professional.

        • boomramada on 26/02/2015 - 14:20

          You are a owner of tons of Eneloops?

  • Lenneth on 25/02/2015 - 14:03
    +2

    It sounds like you offered those 3 things to her and she said no to all of them. The old addage 'you broke it, you fix it' comes to mind. You should be trying harder with a better fix/compensation package.

    You have destroyed someones treasured belongings which you will never be able to get back to her exactly the way that it was before (Even if you got her a new laptop shes still missing her important files). You should be going above and beyond 'reasonable' to ensure that she is happy with what you propose to compensate her for her losses. What we say here doesn't matter. It is what she thinks that does. You destroyed and made her lose important stuff so you should be trying as hard as you can to make sure she is happy again, not do what YOU think is just 'reasonable'.

    Another thing, if her hard drive is destroyed then why do you want to keep it to sell on ebay? Just let her have it. She might want to try something else one day to retrieve her priceless data.

    • Wallace on 25/02/2015 - 14:55

      Regardless of what the Op and the flatmate end up doing, I too agree that the HDD should remain the property of your flatmate so that she could one day retrieve the data.

      The data is still there, it just needs the right tools and skills to be retrieved.

  • RoostersMan on 25/02/2015 - 14:19
    +4

    Is it just me or is everyone backing up their data after reading this?

    • bondy28 on 25/02/2015 - 14:40
      +3

      You can't get much more backed up than I am ;)

      • solar on 25/02/2015 - 16:55
        +6

        Too many Dominos deals with extra cheese?

        • bondy28 on 25/02/2015 - 18:32
          +1

          If only… This gluten free fella wouldn't dare or the outcome would be the exact opposite.

    • twocsies on 26/02/2015 - 00:54
      +1

      I agree. If someone totals your four year old car, they pay blue book value. If they burn down your 40 year old house, they pay you for damages. They don't buy you a brand new one nor is there a legal obligation to do so. That 2010 laptop is half a decade old and is nowhere near brand new.

      • This Guy on 26/02/2015 - 01:17

        How much is 1500 hours of your work worth? That's around an hour on her laptop every day for four years (people don't use their laptop every day so I ignored a year).

        Photos of my friends, family and vacations are priceless to me. Photos of people who have passed away may be impossible to replace.

        The value of a five year old, well-built kit car is still higher than the original price of the kit (kit cars have 100's of hours of work in them, like many laptops).

        I know people with 10 year old houses valued at $200k more than when built. These people have put 1000's of hours into maintenance and extensive landscaping, similar to what many people spend working on their laptops.

        • Marrk on 26/02/2015 - 13:44
          +1

          Not worth enough to back the data up?

  • zeomega on 25/02/2015 - 15:24
    +30

    You can afford a holiday https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/163663.

    But you can't "afford" to fix a major screw up.

    MAN UP and do the right thing. She's probably only agreed with you cause she knows what an ass you are and probably can't get you to be a proper decent human being. So she's cutting her losses early.

    • boomramada on 26/02/2015 - 14:24

      I up vote you for background search :)

    • tikei on 26/02/2015 - 14:49
      +1

      He can't really afford it https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/178967

      Op doesn't have money so it's hard to blame him being a cheapskate. If his cash flow was better I'm sure he wouldn't have wanted to be dodgy.

  • AG_ACT on 25/02/2015 - 16:05
    +1

    I'd be pretty pissed if you offered to replace something I had owned from new, and through no fault of my own, it broke, and someone offered to replace it with a second hand one. Doesn't matter what the equivalent is, me owning something for 2 years is not the same as someone else owning it for 2 years.

    Best example I can think of is buying a used car. LOADS of people buy used cars, but I definitely wouldn't consider purchasing a 2 year old car the same as me owning a brand new car for 2 years. The history etc all matters.

    I've never backed up my data (although I'm about to go buy an external drive after reading this thread), and it's probably way more important to me than my notebook… So not everyone is the same in that respect.

    • cloudy on 25/02/2015 - 16:53
      +1

      What if u bought ur new car 20 yrs ago, now someone like ur son crashedit. WWould you expect a brand new 2015 model car? That sounds ridiculous as well.

      The answer lies somewhere in between in my opinion.

      • tikei on 25/02/2015 - 20:47

        By "brand new" people here mean the same model but in new condition, not the newest model.

        • cloudy on 25/02/2015 - 22:17
          +1

          Fair point, but does apple still sell brand new 2010 laptops? I doubt it.

        • tikei on 26/02/2015 - 11:34

          @cloudy:
          That's why people have been saying get the same model (new) or a model of similar spec (new) or a newer model (can be second hand).

      • Hydevanity on 25/02/2015 - 21:53

        And if it's a vintage car, maintained well and primary kept in a garage and used without permission like the laptop in this thread? I'd expect something more than a "brand new 2015 model car".

        • cloudy on 25/02/2015 - 22:15
          +1

          WEll I doubt the laptop was a vintage model. So no to that. The laptop wasn't used with objection from housemate. Infact, it's regularly used by OP, so of course it is not expected he would be asking to use it every single time, since it's always used.
          Bit like a tv in a house, no one asks the owner before turning it on every single time. OP confirmed it was ok to use laptop.

          So ur expectation of something more is…well it is what it is. I'll reserve comment.

  • Zondor on 25/02/2015 - 16:05
    +5

    Pull the hard drive out and get a $10 2.5 sata to usb adapter. I bet you that harddrive isn't dead.

  • Lr2785 on 25/02/2015 - 18:38
    +22

    I borrowed a mates camera once to take to a concert, took good care of it, but I managed to put a small crack in the LCD when I had it in my pocket on the way back to the car.

    I gave it back to him unaware it was cracked, he pulled it out and said "we have a problem here".

    I saw the crack, apologised and pulled out my wallet and bought him a brand new camera that day that was 2 years newer than the model he had, he let me keep the old one.

    Moral here is, it was working before you touched it, so replace it with a new working unit and write off any extra costs as karma and a lesson for next time.

  • srhardy on 25/02/2015 - 20:52

    What did she ask for after you made the offer(s)?

  • evangelion on 25/02/2015 - 22:45
    +1

    This is pretty silly and you dont need us or anyone else to tell you that.
    You ruined her laptop. End of story.
    All this side tracking about her files and what not is irrelevant and none of your business.
    If you have the money, cough up and buy her a brand new replacement and learn from this misadventure. This is what I would do even if I was tight on cash, since I would be responsible.
    But if not, pay her for it, if she'd prefer that rather than a 2nd hand replacement, and some extra for the hassle.
    Situation reversed, would you appreciate someone dicking you around?
    I for one would be mighty pissed to find my laptop damaged in any way let alone completely dead and everything on it lost! On top of that my room mate then trying to dick around by getting 3 different people in and then dictating terms to me or worse lecturing me?!!! I would expect a brand new replacement and thats me being nice and cordial.

  • xsacha on 25/02/2015 - 22:55
    +4

    Was it really just water spilt on to the laptop? If so, I really don't believe it's beyond repair. I definitely don't believe any of the data is lost — I've never heard of a splash of water killing a hard drive of either type.

    Repair shops are fairly bogus nowadays. I've been to some recently to see if they source rare parts for a certain laptop (they must be good for something right?). Heck, they don't even know how to open up a laptop and their 'tech knowledge' is well under par. Good luck getting any that know what a capacitor is, let alone replacing one.
    I'd try sourcing a techy friend instead. Probably more luck than a 'repair shop' that has its main business in solving simple issues that anyone could figure out.

    Assuming you can't find anyone who can get the data or fix it: I'd say cash is king and let them decide what to do with the cash. It'd be equivalent to whatever the laptop was currently worth before you destroyed it plus something to compensate for the loss of data.
    If you buy them a replacement, there's always the worry that they didn't want that specific laptop.

  • twocsies on 26/02/2015 - 00:48
    -7

    The number of people suggesting a five year old laptop should be replaced by a brand new one is ridiculous. Laptops have a 50% depreciation rate (ATO), two years, precisely because old laptops die extremely easily. Forget about getting a replacement. Pay the blue book value and be done with it. It is an extremely old computer.

    In my opinion, the only reason she is kicking up a fuss is that she knows how bad a 2010 model is compared to a new one.

    • Feeblely on 26/02/2015 - 01:03
      +3

      she had 5 years worth of data on there……….

      • Mokr on 26/02/2015 - 09:53
        -1

        the hd would have died by the 6-7 year

        • tikei on 26/02/2015 - 10:37

          Mine's 8, still fine.

      • cloudy on 26/02/2015 - 11:08
        +1

        Then work on a solution about the data. The amount of people saying buy her a new laptop and attacking OP for being a cheapskate for not isn't gonna help with the data issue.

      • Marrk on 26/02/2015 - 13:47
        +1

        Which was not important enough to back up…

  • RyanMK on 26/02/2015 - 01:11
    +3

    I for one, do not think the OP needs to compensate to the value of a new laptop.

    However, on top of the value of a current 2nd hand laptop, I am of a firm opinion that the OP should compensate for the inconvenience he has caused his housemate. And I'm not even referring to the lost of data here. A lot of us nowadays are quite reliant on technology for so many things such as work etc.

    Let's be honest here, if you were the housemate, how many of you here would be happy with the suggestions the OP has offered?

  • mirridon on 26/02/2015 - 01:39

    Could you buy her like a Surface or something? I'm sure there's some good deals on OZ

  • icecream on 26/02/2015 - 02:48

    Laptop can worth more than just its functional parts, when it is your birthday present, first laptop, etc.

    I understand you could find it hard to afford a brand new laptop for remedy, but you should take the responsibility and be a descent nice person instead of a tight ass.

    If you have no intention to keep the friendship then you can do whatever you think is reasonable, without asking for anybody's opinion.

    It depends on your financial position and how high you stand ethically. I would avoid being selfish and make the world better.

  • xabiso on 26/02/2015 - 03:10
    +1

    I say ask her what she thinks is fair or discuss with her the options. The thing about money is - yes, it is hard to fork them out now - but I'm sure with hard work, you will be able to earn it all back in the NEAR future. This is a rather expensive lesson but one will always learn and grow from experience. Chin up, heads up, stay strong, take the responsibility, our community is behind you in saving some bucks elsewhere.

  • [Deactivated] on 26/02/2015 - 03:45
    +1

    I wonder how you would react if the situation was reversed.
    You're not really in a position to barter / haggle on what is a suitable replacement.
    If I was you're housemate, I'd go and smash your car or something valuable to you and offer you a bonut

  • DrStinge on 26/02/2015 - 07:47
    -3

    I wish more of you worked in car insurance -

    "no i will not accept this car of unknown quality! My car was superior, it deserves to be replaced brand new!"

    "Yes! I agree, as you are Sir"
    gives money for brand new car

    • ozhunter on 26/02/2015 - 07:57
      +2

      This isn't about a car…

  • j05h on 26/02/2015 - 08:37

    Here's an idea for you, instead of sitting on OzBargain asking whether or not it is reasonable to buy a second hand laptop, go and get a job and buy her a new one!

    $1000 for an apple refurb macbook air http://store.apple.com/au/product/GD760X/B/refurbished-macbo…

  • jdesign on 26/02/2015 - 09:06

    buy her a newer model with bigger ram in good condition (second hand) will hopefully make her happy and compensate the loss of files. so probably 2011 or 2012 model? the newer the better. your at fault so don't try to save $, making her happy is more important.

  • Mokr on 26/02/2015 - 09:47

    a 2010 macbook pro uses a intel core 2 duo processor, its score benchmark is 1400,

    its intersting they sell celeron 2830 that bench mark around 1000 for 400, in a new pc.

    of course packaging and desgin is worlds apart.

    For example my plastic shit laptop is an i5 and benches at around 3500, for around 500 mark

  • centrelink on 26/02/2015 - 10:29

    Just say, you are great in bed and offer her that once in a life time pleasure. Or you can buy a brand you laptop for her to replace it. Depdning on the files how important are they. If you did that to my macbook (ie: files that help me make money passively) then hell yeah I'll be pissed. But its ok I back up my files now, so hopefully I'm safe.

  • inittobinit on 26/02/2015 - 10:43
    +15

    Wow I can't believe she agreed to $600 + selling her own damaged goods.

    You really are a terrible person.

  • cno81 on 26/02/2015 - 11:06

    I'm with the consensus here, those three options suck - haggling for part exchange/ownership of the damaged goods is just weird and if you tried to do that to me you'd immediately get my back up - that's my immediate thoughts and opinion.

    I can see the point of view of trying to negotiate a current market value for a 4/5 year old laptop which obviously isn't anywhere near $1500 for a new MBP but for the sake of preserving the relationship, someone you live with, I'd say that's worth the 'extra' $1000 for the inconvenience factor and as a proper apology. It's possible such a gesture will be well received and she ends up negotiating you down and if not you can draw a line under the matter knowing you have done the honourable thing.

    • tikei on 26/02/2015 - 11:42
      +3

      Sounds reasonable but op sounds like he's in financial difficulty. Op should pay a certain amt that he could afford upfront, like $600 then repay another $300 or so in monthly repayments.

  • neonlight on 26/02/2015 - 12:42
    +5

    This topic shouldn't even exist on OzBargain for one reason, being cheapstake to something you did wrong and try to get away with minimum compensation.

    This is morally wrong. It doesn't fit to be an Ozbargain thread. Literally getting "Professionals" to tell you what's the best way out cheapest possible, with minimum impact on your finances having all those suggestions.

    If you are feeling responsbile then just negotiate with the flatmate and work out things. You can't assume she will rip you off or I'm paying too much.

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