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Stuff breaks, that's a fact of life. Not owning up to it while not the right thing to do is understandable, especially if there is no clear policy or even the r
by owlmirror 9y ago
Stuff breaks, that's a fact of life. Not owning up to it while not the right thing to do is understandable, especially if there is no clear policy or even the risk of having to replace it out of your own pocket.
At our maker space we tell people that they should not worry if they break stuff, unless it's done on purpose we pay for it. Because broken stuff is not the problem. Having broken equipment and not knowing about it is. It's frustrating when you discover that a important machine does not work on Saturday evening and can not use it the whole weekend.
- colanderman 9y agoYes stuff breaks, but more often inconsiderate people tend to break stuff they don't own or care about. As another commenter pointed out, I have certain close family members I don't even lend things to, because the items are likely to come back broken or missing. Even with an explanation, it still means I have to pay to replace it. I hate to be so negative about this, because I would love to just be able to share things with neighbors/friends.
- erikpukinskis 9y agoHow would you react if your child broke the things you are remembering? Could you apply that strategy with these people? If not are there other parenting strategies that are more appropriate to use with adults?
- beambot 9y agoNow expand that to 200 "children" who coexist in a makerspace...? Doesn't work.
- erikpukinskis 9y agoSure it does. Schools are great at managing 200 children. What won't work is an organization full of adults who think they are never children. You need at least a couple of adults who realize we're all children sometimes for things to run smoothly.
- colanderman 9y agoIf I had children, I would not lend them expensive/delicate items. At least not until they have demonstrated a level of care and responsibility with items of lesser value, which is a process of trust-building that literally takes years. Which is exactly the point: these friends/family members have demonstrated the opposite. Relevant aside: in Boston, there is a community boating organization. They own the boats, and members (who pay a fixed monthly fee) can take out any boat at any time… IF they have passed the requisite training courses and exams, both of which are administered by knowledgable staff. Again, this is a process which literally takes years, to work up to the more expensive/dangerous boats.
- late2part 9y agoSame assertions hold true for libraries, and yet most people return books and in good condition.
- devoply 9y agoLibraries make you pay for damaging or losing books usually. I am generally of the privatized camp, where when you pay for something and it's yours you take good care of it, and if you do something to it you bear the full consequences. If you borrow, then it should be with the explicit agreement to return in original form. In fact put it in writing and have a contract made, take a picture of it. As now you are in the lending business... even if the price you are charing is $0. And if it comes back damaged and they are not willing to pay for it, or if they lose it, then don't lend to them anymore and remind them if they ever ask you as to why. Maybe you will lose friends, but then you should probably not be mixing business with pleasure.
- novia 9y agoPeople in the lending business usually place a hold on your credit card for the full value of the item being rented until it is returned undamaged. The charge never actually hits the card unless something goes wrong.
- NickNameNick 9y agoI can't put a hold on someone's credit card for the full replacement value of a chainsaw, let alone an excavator or a truck. When I worked at a hire company, we put a hold on the card for a fixed value for some smaller items - hand tools, things like lawnmowers that we were doing a deal on, or an extra days rent for larger items.
- novia 9y agoI worked at a company that rented out boats and jet skis. That's how they did it. If your card didn't have enough credit, tough luck. Although actually, the confidence I'm displaying above may be unwarranted. Maybe the hold value was actually a fraction of the full value and then a portion of the rental price went towards insurance. Not sure.
- karmelapple 9y agoGood friends pay, or help pay, for things they break. I imagine the people you're talking about don't. Have you asked directly, though? Making it clear that you expect them to pay - and will ask - may help them avoid asking to borrow something and breaking it next time.
- sillysaurus3 9y agoWhat if they can't afford it?
- ReverseCold 9y agoIf one can't afford an item, and is irresponsible to the point of breaking things every time, then they shouldn't be borrowing the item.
- abraae 9y agoWhen my first child was born, we were in a hospital in the UK. Peeling paint on the walls, flickering fluoros, harried staff. He had trouble extricating himself, his heart beat started fluctuating, and so the staff rushed out to get the Ventouse (think a plumber's plunger, used to extract the baby with a suction to the head). They yanked it out of a cupboard and blimey - it was broken. The doctor yelled and ranted, people ran hither and thither, and eventually they managed the job using forceps instead. That was all stressful enough. But what really astonished me was that they chucked the broken Ventouse machine back into the cupboard - and no doubt the same scene played out again later on, for some other unlucky people. Its the same deal as people who try the whiteboard markers, find that they're not working, then put them right back on the board for the next person.