shared family beach house - issue with damaged item

[Anonymous]

If you can afford $275 for a boogie board you can afford to take it home with you if you’re going to be this petty. You get the use of a free beach house, please show some gratitude for the fortunes you have.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You and your husband are cheap and petty. Be glad you have a beach house someone lets you use and move on with your life.

+1000

+1

[Anonymous]

So the cousin broke something he was not supposed to touch and only offered to pay 1/2. After reluctantly agreeing to pay up, ran off to his mommy complaining to get you in trouble because he did not get his own way.

[Anonymous]

Why post this story here if you are going to just be defensive and re-explain every time we tell you you are wrong?

[Anonymous]

I would have been fine with his offer to pay half for a replacement.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So the cousin broke something he was not supposed to touch and only offered to pay 1/2. After reluctantly agreeing to pay up, ran off to his mommy complaining to get you in trouble because he did not get his own way.

Bingo. Cousin sucks. But, OP and her husband are also petty probably short sighted. Will the 3 siblings who own this house pass it down to their children? So OP's DH will eventually co-own this house with the cousin and all the others are going to hate OP nuclear family bc the aunt and cousin will make sure to spread the word around that OP and her DH are cheapskates. Truth doesn't matter here, sadly.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So the cousin broke something he was not supposed to touch and only offered to pay 1/2. After reluctantly agreeing to pay up, ran off to his mommy complaining to get you in trouble because he did not get his own way.

Cousin didn’t break anything. Cousin’s friend’s kid broke it and cousin conveyed what the friend was willing to pay. Then OP is a jerk to cousin who did nothing wrong. I can see why cousin complained to mom.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So the cousin broke something he was not supposed to touch and only offered to pay 1/2. After reluctantly agreeing to pay up, ran off to his mommy complaining to get you in trouble because he did not get his own way.

Bingo. Cousin sucks. But, OP and her husband are also petty probably short sighted. Will the 3 siblings who own this house pass it down to their children? So OP's DH will eventually co-own this house with the cousin and all the others are going to hate OP nuclear family bc the aunt and cousin will make sure to spread the word around that OP and her DH are cheapskates. Truth doesn't matter here, sadly.

When you are the beneficiary of such a nice situation, it pays to get along and graciously overlook annoyances like this.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why post this story here if you are going to just be defensive and re-explain every time we tell you you are wrong?

+2 you sound ridiculous. You are the story now not the sacred divine boogie board.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It was not in the for common use by all shed. It was in the do not use if you don't own it shed. They decided to ignore the family beach house rules. They should pay to replace.

I think everyone agrees the cousin should have paid (or better yet, followed house rules in the first place). The issue is, since the cousin didn’t do the right thing, should the DH have had an argument with him about it, to the point where one of the generous owners gets involved? It turns a relatively small thing into a Big Thing.

+1

OP - I get it. Not only was it broken, it was broken by someone's guest who was abusing it. I think your cousin should have offered to replace it, BUT I also think you should have taken the offer to replace at 50%. Now your DH (and you) look like the bad guys, over $140 bucks. You really have to look at the long game here.

[Anonymous]

How awkward that the aunt got involved. Just let it go.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So the cousin broke something he was not supposed to touch and only offered to pay 1/2. After reluctantly agreeing to pay up, ran off to his mommy complaining to get you in trouble because he did not get his own way.

Cousin didn’t break anything. Cousin’s friend’s kid broke it and cousin conveyed what the friend was willing to pay. Then OP is a jerk to cousin who did nothing wrong. I can see why cousin complained to mom.

Have you read the entire thread? Cousin used the boogie board when he wasn't allowed to (it was in the special shed. Not the "everyone can share these items" shed. And one of his friend's kids broke the boogie board.

How do we know the rest of the family isn't talking about the cousin and how cheap THEY are and not respectful of the rules?

When you are the beneficiary of such a nice situation, it pays to get along and graciously overlook annoyances like this.

When you are the beneficiary of such a nice situation, it pays to follow the rules and not borrow items you know are not to be borrowed. If you break the rules and the item gets broken while in your care, you offer to pay full amount for item. Cousin had a free week at a beach house too. They can replace the boogie board at full cost.

Especially, don't go running to Mommy and complain. Should OP's DH now run to his Daddy and complain?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:One of the owners is my husband's father. The other 2 owners are the dads brother and sister (cousin's mom).
The boogie board was $275.
The child that broke the board wasn't staying at the house, but they were all at the beach at the same time.
We have other things at the house that we allow others to use and these are in the main shed or in the house. I disagree with some of you about just letting this go. The rules of the house were clear. We have not had issues in the past 12 years that we have been using it. If it was me who damaged something, I'd replace it, and we did this once when we bought a new beach umbrella when the old one another cousin contributed broke as I was opening it.
Glad the cousin finally agreed to compensate us and annoyed his mom is getting in the middle.

If this family is like most families, they will all talk about you guys and how ungrateful and cheap you were. I hope the $137.50 was worth it.

Right? Freebie moocher vacation and you’re haggling over $137?

You know, this applies to cousin as well. Cousin is also a freebie moocher vacationer, broke something and won't even pay the full amount.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So the cousin broke something he was not supposed to touch and only offered to pay 1/2. After reluctantly agreeing to pay up, ran off to his mommy complaining to get you in trouble because he did not get his own way.

Cousin didn’t break anything. Cousin’s friend’s kid broke it and cousin conveyed what the friend was willing to pay. Then OP is a jerk to cousin who did nothing wrong. I can see why cousin complained to mom.

Sorry, but if I let my friend use something that didn’t even belong to me and his kid broke it, and then my friend said he would only pay for half the reimbursement cost? I’d apologize profusely to my cousin, pay the rest myself, and never invite that friend again. “Cousin did nothing wrong” except let his friends use OP’s stuff, break it, and expect them to suck it up.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So the cousin broke something he was not supposed to touch and only offered to pay 1/2. After reluctantly agreeing to pay up, ran off to his mommy complaining to get you in trouble because he did not get his own way.

Cousin didn’t break anything. Cousin’s friend’s kid broke it and cousin conveyed what the friend was willing to pay. Then OP is a jerk to cousin who did nothing wrong. I can see why cousin complained to mom.

The cousin's guest broke it when it wasn't for "house use", which actually makes this worse. I think OP should have taken the 50%, but I also think cousin should have offered full replacement value.