Fat friend breaks your furniture: What do you do?

a) Demand that they replace said item of furniture. Friend is mortified and you're embarrassed for them, but at the end of the day you really liked that chair and they broke it.
b) Casually mention that your favourite chair is broken and you wonder how it happened. This gives them the opportunity to turn themselves in and is less embarrassing than the first option, but there is the significant risk that they may not fess up.
c) Buy a new chair yourself and never mention the incident to Fat Friend at all. Friendship remains superficially intact but you'll always feel slightly bitter about the chair incident.
d) Buy a new chair and never invite Fat Friend to your house again.
e) Other

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LOL

I find your username particularly appropriate to this question, Fail Whale!

Reply 3

twoforjoy

c, no need to be rude. The nice thing to do is to preserve her embarrassment.

Reply 4

TheSownRose

E.

If it wasn't good enough to withstand a person, it obviously wasn't fit for purpose and my friend has done me a favour in preventing me from going through it at some stage in the future.

Reply 5

Miracle Day

I wouldn't blame them for not coming forward. They'd be mortified.

Reply 6

boba

I'd probably not demand they pay for it but I would mention it. The embaressment of them knowing I know would be enough to make me feel better. Although this isn't if its a very close friend if its a very close friend I wouldn't mention it

Reply 7

Octohedral

c. Unless it was an ultra-antique collectible chair made by oompa-loompas. In which case still c. I think the key word here is 'friend'.

Reply 8

ily_em

You missed out an option between a) and b) - Tell the friend outright that you know they broke it but don't demand any money (or wait for them to offer :p:

Reply 9

Jordan_1

I wouldn't have fat friends

Reply 10

winning11

send the bill to the nhs

Reply 11

Darth Stewie

Probably wouldn't say anything and would just replace it, really not worth causing someone terminal embarrassment because they broke a chair.

Also would depend if i gave them permission to sit down, if you did then some of the blame is on you because it should have clicked that a 20st person + chair with 15st weight limit = bad idea.

(edited 11 years ago)

Reply 12

Bellissima

erm what? strange question!

of course i'd just buy a new chair, never bring it up and feel the same as i always did about my friend! i'd hardly be a good friend/person otherwise. they'd be so embarassed...

Reply 13

Discouraged One

If you wanted them to replace the chair they broke, you wouldn't need to be like, "hey, you and your big, fat, lardy arse broke my chair. Replace it now, fatty!"

Personally, I'd just buy a new chair and try to prevent said 'fatty' from sitting on it.

Spoiler

(edited 11 years ago)

Reply 14

Joe-89

You know for sure it was this person who broke it?

If so, E.

A and D are a bit harsh but the others are just daft. I'd just mention it and maybe have a laugh (with them, not at them!) about it. If your friend knows that you know he/she may be willing to buy a new one anyway.

Not mentioning it at all would just be awkward. You know you'd just be staring at them each time they sit down at your house again :tongue:

Reply 15

BHS12

C. She will know she has broken it, and will already be very embarassed about it (I am a "larger" girl and although I have never broken an item of furniture I have always worried about it) and even if you don't make a fat crack, she will know what your insinuating.

As a PP said, the key tearm here is "friend".

Reply 16

KorbenDallas

It't not broken because they're fat, it broke under the weight. If a heavy body builder sat on it and it buckled what would you do then? Anyway, option A if it was me, or something to that. Embarrassment fades, you being bitter about a broken chair wont.