What to Do When Someone Returns Your Stuff Damaged

by Mary Ann Romans | More from this Blogger

24 Feb 2009 05:38 PM

Chances are pretty good that you have had this scenario. You've lent out something to someone and when it comes back, it is damaged. How do you address the issue without damaging your relationship with the person who borrowed your stuff?

When something you own comes back from being borrowed and it is damaged, the first thing you should do is determine whether or not the other person caused the damage. It could be that the item was already nearing its useful life. Perhaps your item was in storage too long and became easy to break or damage, or perhaps the damage already existed but you didn't notice.

Now that you are pretty sure that the person who borrowed your item, you can decide what to do. You can say nothing, and just repair or replace the item yourself and decide not to lend anything to this person again, or you can say something.

If you decide to address the issue, be specific and let the person know that you expect him or her to remedy the situation. It is possible that the other person didn't notice the damage. You can say something such as "The DVD appears to be scratched and no longer works. Would you mind replacing it?" or "I noticed that tire the bike is flat. Would you mind getting it fixed?"

So what if the shoe is on the other foot, and it is you who has damaged someone else's item? The best thing to do in this situation is to confess and offer to repair or replace the item. A nice touch is to send a note apologizing, along with a check for service needed. Things happen, so the damage may not have been your fault, but if it happened under your care, you'll want to do the right thing.

Mary Ann Romans writes about everything related to saving money in the Frugal Blog, creating a home in the Home Blog, caring for little ones in the Baby Blog and now relationships in the Marriage Blog. You can read more of her articles by clicking here or subscribe to the blog using the subscription box on the right.

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Learn more about Mary Ann Romans

Mary Ann Romans is a freelance writer, wife and mother of three children. She lives in Pennsylvania with her husband, the kids and a 16-pound cat.

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ruthann8 (6378) 25 Feb 2009 11:20 AM

Dec 2007 we had a really bad ice storm and had a lot of tree damage. My husbands coworker purchased a chain saw and when he finished he let us borrow it. It broke during the first cut! My husband offered to get it fixed but they didn't want him to. Luckily they were able to return it and get a replacement! My husband did go out and buy us one b/c he was not going to borrow one ever again!!

Mary Ann Romans (26886) 25 Feb 2009 12:57 PM

I can see how that would be traumatizing, but it looks like the fault was with the saw itself.