Argument over $15 (long)

handsome · #1 08-24-2005, 10:50 PM

Last semester in May, I needed a place to dump some of my stuff for the summer, so that it would be here when I moved back to college. I inquired about storage at storage centers and they gave me prices liek $30/mo, which comes out to $120. That is too much for storing winter clothes and a coffee table.

So I asked a friend "J" if I could leave my stuff at his vacant 1BR and he said sure. However, in a couple of weeks he'd have to move everything out of that 1BR into a 3BR apt nearby. So the couple of weeks pass by and he calls me up saying we had to move our stuff. I say no problem, and we plan to leave with one of his future housemates and a good friend of mine "H," who also has some clothes/books/chair there.

When we get to school, unbeknownst to myself and H, we have to move C's stuff as well. "C" is J's girlfriend and has a SH!TLOAD of stuff, very heavy and unorganized. Anyway, J lets us know he is renting a Uhaul truck for all his furniture, and while he's busy packing his clothes, H and I bring the Uhaul back and start loading. We'd later find out that the rental fee would be $45 and some change.

Both the former apartment and new apartment were on the 3rd floor, so there was a lot of hauling up and down stairs. It took about 10 hours of manual labor in 95 degree weather (humid) to pack/unpack everything. The stairs killed my legs, the lifting killed my arms and back, and needless to say my muscles were sore for a week.

J decides to treat us to sandwiches at Subway for helping him move his entire apartment. That was nice of him. Anyway, at the end of our trip, H asks me for $15, my share of the Uhaul. I politely refuse. We don't discuss it, maybe because we're all tired, and don't mention it for a few months.

July comes by, I send an IM to H to check up on things and he asks me for the $15 again. I explained to him that I shouldn't have to pay because J was the one who needed it, not me, and because there was never any discussion of me paying for it beforehand. Anyway, we both forget about it until today.

He asks me for the $15 again, obviously because he is short $15. He had contributed $15, J had contributed $15 and he was looking for my contribution. I don't feel like I owe that money.

On one hand, I feel I owe something because I was using their apartment for storage, which would have cost me $120, but on the other hand, I feel I helped J enough by moving his entire apartment as well as C's stuff. Had I known I had to spend an entire day moving stuff, I would have opted to pay the $120, since my hourly rate is higher than that. Anyway, I just wanted to see what you guys would do in my situation. All three of us are pretty well off in terms of money.

jakethebake · #2 08-24-2005, 10:53 PM

i didnt read a single word of this, but pay the $15.

spamuell · #3 08-24-2005, 10:55 PM

Pay him, it's not like he let you use his apartment with the intention of scamming you into helping him move his stuff and having you pay a third of the U-Haul costs, he was being generous and yeah it was good of you to help him carry stuff for a day, but it doesn't mean you are exempt from paying the money.

You could look at this tons of ways and it's very easy to argue that you have no obligation to pay him, but they guy let you store stuff in his apartment, don't be a douche, you're fairly well off, just pay him $15 and stop being such a tight wad.

HopeydaFish · #4 08-24-2005, 10:56 PM

I would have paid the $15 in the first place, but told him what a douche he is as I was handing over the money.

I couldn't imagine keeping friends who are this cheap.

durron597 · #5 08-25-2005, 12:07 AM

[ QUOTE ]
I would have paid the $15 in the first place, but told him what a douche he is as I was handing over the money.

I couldn't imagine keeping friends who are this cheap.

[/ QUOTE ]

Reef · #6 08-25-2005, 12:25 AM

[ QUOTE ]
I would have paid the $15 in the first place, but told him what a douche he is as I was handing over the money.

I couldn't imagine keeping friends who are this cheap.

[/ QUOTE ]

pay and then ask him for [10*(your hourly) - 120] in wages for helping him move.

jdl22 · #7 08-24-2005, 11:06 PM

my guess is you have money from playing [censored]. He probably doesn't until he gets his financial aid or whatever. Pay him his money.

handsome · #8 08-24-2005, 11:10 PM

[ QUOTE ]
my guess is you have money from playing [censored]. He probably doesn't until he gets his financial aid or whatever. Pay him his money.

[/ QUOTE ]

Naw, I said we are all well off financially. H kills shorthanded 100nl. You guys seriously would pay the $15 after the 10 hours of mexican labor?

spamuell · #9 08-24-2005, 11:12 PM

You guys seriously would pay the $15 after 10 hours of mexican labor?

He let you store stuff in his apartment, and it just seems such a silly thing to argue about.

Huskiez · #10 08-24-2005, 11:19 PM

I personally think you should not have to pay anything, and that J or H should put in because they will be the ones using the furniture so they should pay the cost for moving it.

Did you move any of your stuff in the UHaul by the way? If you did not, there is no way I would chip in for the UHaul.

Then again, it appears you were able to keep your stuff at J's for free, so maybe just treat the $15 like it was for storage.

Personally, I think you're getting the worst of this deal because helping people move is absolutely awful -- I hate it, a lot. Figure out a solution to this though. Don't put it off and have your friend have to remember again to ask.