NationStates Jolt Archive

So I moved in with this group of people at the beginning of last year. And one of my roommates had us each pay for a quarter of the price of having her couch recovered, a quarter of the vacuum, a quarter of the microwave, a quarter of the bar fridge, et c.

However, we're all moving out and going our separate ways and I'm not going to be using her couch, vacuum or microwave. So I want my money back. I paid (~$150 cdn, which is a fair chunck to me)

How do I approach this subject with her?

I mean, for one thing, I had a couch I could have brought too, the only reason I didn't was because she had one already, she didn't mention it needed recovered...
I had a vacuum and a microwave as well, but she had to go out and buy new shit and make us pay for it. Well, I want my money back, damnit.

Good luck. I don't see you getting the full ammount back.

This is quite the dilemma.

Maybe if you gave just a bit more info, I could tell you what to do.

Well, I wouldn't expect the full amount.
$100 or so would probably be alright, I don't think I've done much damage at all to anything and some of the money was for cleaning products... though I have also purchased cleaning products for the house.

I hardly used the couch, I think I stored things in the bar fridge once, and I'm not the one who exploded spaghetti sauce all over the inside of the microwave.

Well, I wouldn't expect the full amount.
$100 or so would probably be alright, I don't think I've done much damage at all to anything and some of the money was for cleaning products... though I have also purchased cleaning products for the house.

I hardly used the couch, I think I stored things in the bar fridge once, and I'm not the one who exploded spaghetti sauce all over the inside of the microwave.


Ah, I see now. You should definately get some of your money back. Just ask, and you shall (probably) receive.

Maybe if you gave just a bit more info, I could tell you what to do.
Like what?

I currently live with 4 people and one of them charged us all for crap.

I volunteered to bring a couch from home but was told we already had one. I wasn't told it had to be recovered. She went out and got all this crap we don't need for the bathroom and living room (rugs, drapes et c) and then charges us for it.
I had a vacuum cleaner at home and a spare microwave and volunteered them both, instead she went out and bought one new ones and charged us all for them.

She and the others suggested moving out and told me last about it, so it's not like I'm leaving them or something, they were leaving me.

It's very simple. Buy a gun:

"Look buddy, I'm nice and am giving you a chice. Either you gimme those smackers I LENt you, or I'll put a cap in your head. I want the answer now."

Always works.

Ah, I see now. You should definately get some of your money back. Just ask, and you shall (probably) receive.
Do you think I should put this off until after exams or at least until we're most of the way done school so I don't have to deal with her long if she deceides to get bitchy about it?

Do you think I should put this off until after exams or at least until we're most of the way done school so I don't have to deal with her long if she deceides to get bitchy about it?


That would be a good idea. It's best not to piss somebody off if you need something from them :D.

That would be a good idea. It's best not to piss somebody off if you need something from them :D.
That's how you survive in life.

I just don't need someone being unpleasant to me when I live under the same roof.

If she doesn't pay me back, we have mutual friends and I can tell them about this, I'm sure they'll think it's stupid that she charged us in the first place and will probably support her giving money back. Perhaps peer pressure will do it.

I just don't need someone being unpleasant to me when I live under the same roof.

If she doesn't pay me back, we have mutual friends and I can tell them about this, I'm sure they'll think it's stupid that she charged us in the first place and will probably support her giving money back. Perhaps peer pressure will do it.
Sue.

It's very simple. Buy a gun:

"Look buddy, I'm nice and am giving you a chice. Either you gimme those smackers I LENt you, or I'll put a cap in your head. I want the answer now."

Always works.
youre giving them a chice?

how generous

youre giving them a chice?

how generous
I know. I'm so kind. Either he's :) or :mp5:

In all honesty, you really shouldn't have agreed to pay for those things in the first place. But what's been done is done. So you should tell your roommate that you want your money's worth out of this. Either she lets you have 1/4 of the things you all bought together, which is probably impossible, or she pays you a reasonable sum of money to relenquish your claim. Because, since you paid a share for those three things, you do have as much right to them as any of the other roommates. I'm sure she won't be unreasonable so long as you aren't.

Sdaeriji is right. Ask her for a portion of the money back. If not, tell her you want one of the four things you helped pay for -- after all, she can't keep something you all paid for.

If she's a pain in the tail about it, mention small claims court. It's set up for just this sort of thing.

How I'd do it is claim that you want to sell all the items as a group and split the money between you. If she allows this then at least you get some of your money back. If she doesn't then you can more easily convince her to give you back some of your money, in essence 'buying you out'.
That's what we did last year with a PS2 and games that we bought shared between us; one of us took the PS2 and sold it and should have sent us our share. (He still hasn't done it though I think that's more due to extreme disorganisation rather than actually trying to swindle us.) Also because of him we missed the chance to see the great Derek Jacobi playing Don Carlos in the Guilgud, but that's another story entirely.

In all honesty, you really shouldn't have agreed to pay for those things in the first place. But what's been done is done. So you should tell your roommate that you want your money's worth out of this. Either she lets you have 1/4 of the things you all bought together, which is probably impossible, or she pays you a reasonable sum of money to relenquish your claim. Because, since you paid a share for those three things, you do have as much right to them as any of the other roommates. I'm sure she won't be unreasonable so long as you aren't.
No, I shouldn't have paid her for anything, but we were just moving in and I didnt' want to start things off on the wrong foot. Plus she put up this whole bit about how her parents needed the money and all that.

She wouldn't sell the stuff and I wouldn't really want any of the stuff (the house I'm moving into next year has central vac, a fridge and a microwave already, not that I'm allowed to bring any new appliances as per my lease agreement) and the couch is from the 70s and her parents so she's not going to be selling or giving that away, i may try to claim one set of cushions and 1/4 of the pillows though.

You could try extorting her. Is your lease one big one or 5 seperate ones? If it's one big one, you could just threaten to not pay your share until you get your money back, I think she'd buckle.

Like what?

I currently live with 4 people and one of them charged us all for crap.

I volunteered to bring a couch from home but was told we already had one. I wasn't told it had to be recovered. She went out and got all this crap we don't need for the bathroom and living room (rugs, drapes et c) and then charges us for it.
I had a vacuum cleaner at home and a spare microwave and volunteered them both, instead she went out and bought one new ones and charged us all for them.

She and the others suggested moving out and told me last about it, so it's not like I'm leaving them or something, they were leaving me.

thats very kind of you to give her money then... Simple thing is.. if she bought the stuff without consulting you.. you weren't really obligated to give her a cent, I know i wouldn't have

So I moved in with this group of people at the beginning of last year. And one of my roommates had us each pay for a quarter of the price of having her couch recovered, a quarter of the vacuum, a quarter of the microwave, a quarter of the bar fridge, et c.

However, we're all moving out and going our separate ways and I'm not going to be using her couch, vacuum or microwave. So I want my money back. I paid (~$150 cdn, which is a fair chunck to me)

How do I approach this subject with her?

I mean, for one thing, I had a couch I could have brought too, the only reason I didn't was because she had one already, she didn't mention it needed recovered...
I had a vacuum and a microwave as well, but she had to go out and buy new shit and make us pay for it. Well, I want my money back, damnit.


I hate this shit. I recently moved out of a flat, and we settled all our financial differences, but then she moved out before me. So when I get there I find that things that were definitely MINE were missing, like most of my cutlery (she contributed some dirty old mismatched pieces- I brought a brand new matched set) and heaps of my little kitchen bits, frying pan, knife set etc. And the pertinent point here is that she can't and WON'T cook. These things add up when you're a poor student.

I had to pay her back for the last bills or something recently, and I felt like deducting the cost of all the stuff she'd taken, but I couldn't really...

Ugh.

Edit: And when we were living together I was the only one who contributed. I bought crockery, cushions, a rug etc and didn't charge her for them. I just wanted to make it seem lke more of a home, which she obviously had zero interst in, since she just shut herself in her room all day.

I just don't need someone being unpleasant to me when I live under the same roof.

If she doesn't pay me back, we have mutual friends and I can tell them about this, I'm sure they'll think it's stupid that she charged us in the first place and will probably support her giving money back. Perhaps peer pressure will do it.

You seriously need to consider suing her in small claims court if she wont give your money back. You have a basis for a case. Normally its about $50 to file a case. Depends on your jurisdiction. You should have never paid in the first place without some type of written agreement. Anyway thats a tough nut. Good luck with it.

No, I shouldn't have paid her for anything, but we were just moving in and I didnt' want to start things off on the wrong foot. Plus she put up this whole bit about how her parents needed the money and all that.

She wouldn't sell the stuff and I wouldn't really want any of the stuff (the house I'm moving into next year has central vac, a fridge and a microwave already, not that I'm allowed to bring any new appliances as per my lease agreement) and the couch is from the 70s and her parents so she's not going to be selling or giving that away, i may try to claim one set of cushions and 1/4 of the pillows though.

If that's what you're looking for, then that's fine. But I can't imagine she'll refuse to give you some kind of worth for the money you paid for things she's keeping.

Just talk to her about it, she will most likely understand.

Besides if she can't pay you back with cash, women have *other* ways. :fluffle: :rolleyes:

Just talk to her about it, she will most likely understand.

Besides if she can't pay you back with cash, women have *other* ways. :fluffle: :rolleyes:

I'm pretty sure Dakini is completely straight. Although I may be wrong.

How I'd do it is claim that you want to sell all the items as a group and split the money between you. If she allows this then at least you get some of your money back. If she doesn't then you can more easily convince her to give you back some of your money, in essence 'buying you out'.
That's what we did last year with a PS2 and games that we bought shared between us; one of us took the PS2 and sold it and should have sent us our share. (He still hasn't done it though I think that's more due to extreme disorganisation rather than actually trying to swindle us.) Also because of him we missed the chance to see the great Derek Jacobi playing Don Carlos in the Guilgud, but that's another story entirely.
I think this is your winner. Though you really should have spoke up on somethings earlier, like that you already had a microwave and you all didn't need to buy one. Once recovering the couch came up you should have offered to bring your couch in instead. The only time I've ever gone in on something with roommates was a fridge, washer and dryer that we all pretty much planned to leave behind anyway. After a year or so I just counted those as a loss when I moved out. Thanks to a fruggle roommate who was the Evil Ninja Master of bargain shopping we didn't pay that much for them anyway.

Of course NONE of what I just said is of any use to you unless you have a Way Back Machine. So, uh, yeah-what the person I quoted said. Thats the way to go. Sorry, got carried away...

The pooch has already been screwed.
Now you've learned one of life's more tragic facts:

Nobody owns 25% of a television or fridge.