Who should pay ...

[Pilot]

One of my best friends dropped and broke my brand new digital camera Saturday night at a bar.

We were kind of passing the thing around all night — pretty much exactly what I bought it for — and I asked him to take a picture of me and some people. He took it, didn't lose it in the handoff, and then dropped it. Once it was obvious it was done for, he further beat it (trying to make it work, ya know).

He offered to pay for it from the get go, but I feel a little bad asking him for $200 for it. It seems a little silly that in grabbing the camera from me he was also taking $200 worth of responsibility. At other times in the night he asked for it to take a picture. This time I asked him.

I also don't much want to fork over $200 of my own to buy a new one.

I was thinking I might as for half of whatever the replacement cost is — if I got cheap and online, I think I can get one for about $150 or so, so $75 or $80.

I was also wondering if I asked him to help pay, am I required to buy the exact same camera? This one was new, but there is already an upgrade that doesn't cost too much more, and another brand I'm looking at. I wouldn't ask for half of whichever one I buy, just half of the cheapest price of the one I had. Still, I think it'd look a little cheap of me if I ask him to help pay and show up with a totally different camera.

Oh, he's not a sports journalist, by the way. He's a nurse anesthesiologist, meaning he makes more than I'll make in any five year period. So, no guilt on that end!

 

[pressboxramblings07]

If he offered, take it. He knows what kind of work you're in.

 

[Inky_Wretch]

I think you should split the cost down the middle.

He dropped it, but then again you took it to a bar for party pics where a drunkard might fumble it.

 

[Flash]

Split it.

 

[Chi City 81]

Split it.

 

[Sxysprtswrtr]

it

oh, and you mine as well upgrade while you're at it.

 

[The Big Ragu]

If it was me, I'd eat it. He's my friend. And he didn't do it negligently or with intent. To me that is the same thing as me accidentally dropping it. If you are concerned about him accidentally breaking it in advance, you shouldn't be allowing him to use it--or at least you should state up front, "if you break it, you own it," which let's face it, is not the way most people treat their friends. But to hand it to him to take pictures, and then hold him responsible when he accidentally breaks it, doesn't seem right to me.

 

[txsportsscribe]

break something of his of equal value

 

[zeke12]

Comet bomb him and call it even.

 

[qtlaw]

I think that when you pass the camera out and ask others to use it, you are taking responsibility for it being damaged.

If your buddy asked to use it for his own purposes, then he's taking responsibility for it. Here it appears that you asked him to take a picture for you and its not right to stick him for any part of the bill because he was doing you a favor.

 

[Frank_Ridgeway]

If the friendship is worth more than the camera, don't accept the money, but tell him it was very decent of him to offer.

 

[joe]

Dude, you took it to a bar. What did you think would happen, that it would stay in bubble wrap all night? Here's a tip: Don't take a camera to a bar, especially one worth a couple hundred. It ain't like your buddy busted it on purpose. Take responsibility (a novel concept) and pay for a new one yourself.

 

[slappy4428]

Comet bomb him and call it even.

?

 

[playthrough]

Joe put it more bluntly, but that was what I was thinking. You asked him to take the picture; if he grabbed it and started drunk-clicking everyone in sight, that might be different.

 

[westcoastvol]

Pay for the camera entirely and then give him the memory card full of pics of you banging his girlfriend.

 

[mike311gd]

I vote for splitting it. If he was real persistent, then he won't be insulted when you bring up the idea.

 

[Pilot]

It wouldn't ruin our friendship if I asked him to pay, I don't think.

I don't think I'll ask him, though. If he brings it up again, I'll let him pay half. He mentioned it about 50 times that night, then again the next day — hell, he tracked one down at a local Target the next day and called me with their price ($180). If he really feels slighted by having to pay, he won't ask again and I won't have any problem not mentioning it again.

His girlfriend was there too, by the way. I'm pretty good friends with her too, so he'd probably be cool with me banging the **** out of her. Ok, maybe not ...

Thanks for the help.