When is doing something nice for someone wrong?
@PointlessQuestions (15397)
United States
July 3, 2012 8:47pm CST
Okay.. this discussion is about doing something that is really sweet and nice for someone, but when it is the wrong thing to do. One of my offline friends bought a new battery for her husband’s cell phone. She bought it from Amazon and the price is really too cheap. It’s only about $8 and some cents… she ordered it in overnight shipping and it will be delivered tomorrow.. the shipping cost nearly twice what the battery did.
That in itself, isn’t wrong. What I think is wrong is that her husband is really tight on money and he really needs every dollar he makes. Her hubby makes fairly decent money, but it is still hard when he has a wife that is a stay at home mom and 3 kids to feed and clothe.
My friend called me tonight to give me the low down. She said her hubby was furious at first, but couldn’t help but get over it since she did it for him. On the other hand he doesn’t think the battery will be any good for just $8. Time tends to kill a battery. What if the battery has been in a warehouse somewhere for months or even years? The battery won’t be worth a flip.. and with shipping that $8 batter is over $25.
Your thoughts?
7 responses
@prashu228 (37526)
• India
7 Jul 12
she would have thought wiser, and its her responsibility to be so, the online sold products are not at all/fully reliable , poor husband has to accept it as there is no other way, anyways ,from next onwards she should learn to be wise in making decisions. i am sure a friend like you will her her to do so
2 people like this
@PointlessQuestions (15397)
• United States
7 Jul 12
As it turned out, the battery is good and her husband had her order another one. He really objected to her usung the overnight shipping which cost a lot more than the battery did.
1 person likes this
@courtknee525 (3742)
• United States
4 Jul 12
I know she was only trying to do the right thing and he really shouldn't be mad at her. But usually, you get what you pay for. I don't think I would trust a battery from Amazon that only costs 8 bucks. I know you can get a lot of good deals sometimes, but it's not worth the risk if you're tight on money. She probably would've been better off getting a battery from an actual store or just getting a cheap replacement phone. Hopefully it works out for her
1 person likes this
@PointlessQuestions (15397)
• United States
4 Jul 12
She said it came and his cell phone powered right up.. but still.. how long will it last? I would rather go to Radio Shack to get a battery.. .yes it costs more but they have a smaller stock to turn around, and being on the shelf for an extended period of time will kill a battery.
@courtknee525 (3742)
• United States
4 Jul 12
Oh wow, I'm glad it worked. Hopefully it'll last long enough and be worth the money she spent
@mentalward (14691)
• United States
4 Jul 12
I'd have to say it's too soon to be getting upset. It might be a terrific buy, they won't know until it gets there and he uses it for awhile.
I can see why she did it but since it did cost that much maybe she should have talked it over with him first. If it was her money, that's one thing but, if she's using the money he earns and it is so tight there, it should have been discussed first.
I hope there's a refund/return policy with Amazon or the company using Amazon to ship the battery, I mean, if it doesn't work from the start. Hopefully, it will prove to be an excellent buy and she lucked into something incredible and make her husband a happy man.
1 person likes this
@PointlessQuestions (15397)
• United States
4 Jul 12
Hi MW! She said it came as promised.. and he put it in his blackberry and it powered right up. He says he will be satisfied if it lasts for 6 months even... he has doubts, but he is over being mad about it. He knows her heart was in the right place. Yes, she should have waited for him.. she told him she would just bookmark it and let him see it, but then she went ahead and bought it with his debit card... it's his money that is theirs together, of course.. but they have to discuss stuff.. that's what upsets him.. he doesn't want to go into bounce protection... he had to borrow money to get gas and have enough money to pay a bill with.. so he was upset. 
@wilsongoddard (7291)
• United States
7 Jul 12
I wouldn't have bought it on Amazon (I'm assuming through a third-party seller), but that is just me. It's a small amount of money--certainly not enough to warrant getting so upset about.
She should have some of her own money even if she is a SAHM. There are plenty of ways to pick up a few dollars here-and-there (sites such as myLot are good for a bit of spending money) that she should have her own little stash so that she doesn't have to worry about whether her husband will get upset about her spending $25 on something.
1 person likes this
@suzzy3 (8342)
•
5 Jul 12
What a shame about the battery.Your friend was trying to help out with saving money.I feel really sorry for her.I can understand her husband as well.It is a dreadful time for money.one mistake and half your shopping money is lost.Every penny counts.I would never attempt to buy anything like that without asking my son first ,he will tell me the right thing to buy.Or he would say leave it mum.He would take over the purchase then at least we would get something usable.I always say if it looks to good to be true it is a mistake.I really do feel sorry for your friend.
@PointlessQuestions (15397)
• United States
7 Jul 12
So farso good. The blackberry powered right up. He had her order another one in standard mail though, so he can have another one on hand. He was so ticked off because the shipping cost way mire than the battery.
@much2say (53959)
• Los Angeles, California
4 Aug 12
Well, in this case, one has to see the "intent". Your friend obviously had good intentions. But perhaps she just wasn't knowledgable about quality batteries and thought she was getting an excellent deal. If he makes a decent amount of money, I would think $25 (even if it is a waste) shouldn't be that big of a deal. But yah, I know some people are real tight about their money.
I'm just wondering why she bought a cell phone battery for him, of all things (I say that because my hubby is the one who takes care of these things . . . I wouldn't even know what battery to buy my own phone - ha ha).
@saundyl (9783)
• Canada
2 Aug 12
I think that the thought counts. I also think when money is tight people need to be very careful with what they purchase.
I think that sometimes people over react when it comes to money...or over spend. That unless its going to cause them to starve for a few days then 25 dollars wasnt worth flipping out over.
Hopefully the battery is good!
