If somebody leaves their phone out where it doesn’t belong at work and it gets damaged, who’s responsible for the cost?
That’s the question Jessie (@prablums) posed to viewers after her co-worker tried to charge her $800 for an old iPhone that got dunked in water.
According to the TikToker, another employee’s phone was inside a large wallet that she had left on a shelf filled with cleaning supplies in the back of the restaurant where they both work. When Jessie went to grab some soap, it knocked the wallet into a large bucket of soapy water underneath.
Not realizing there was a phone inside, she dried off the wallet, let her manager know what had happened, and didn’t think about it again until the manager later informed her about the phone. Corporate said the two employees had to work it out themselves, and in the mind of the woman whose phone was ruined, that meant Jessie owed her the full price of a new phone.
“I went into work today and she told me it’s gonna be $800,” she said, holding up an iPhone that looked like it had already incurred quite a lot of damage that had nothing to do with water. “Please tell me what I should do. This is not worth $800. I don’t know if I should go to court, or what.”
@prablums Please tell me what to do 🤧 #serverlife #iphone12 #court #legaladvice #advice #coworkers #money #resturant #backofhouse ♬ original sound – Jessie
Many restaurants have policies for employees regarding phone usage or where they are allowed to keep their things. While Jessie didn’t specifically call out any rules, she did mention in the comments that they have “designated areas” for their phones—which one can infer is not a random shelf of cleaning supplies.
With this in mind, many viewers felt strongly that she shouldn’t be responsible for the damages, as her co-worker was the one who left her phone unattended and in a bad place.
“Nope! Not your fault!!” wrote @mywickedcauldron. “That’s why they say no cellular devices or personal belongings with you.”
“she should have had her phone on her or in her bag or something. it’s not your fault girlie,”@adventuresoftree agreed, while another viewer pointed out that Jessie hadn’t actually touched the phone.
Several people did suggest a compromise—finding out what the phone itself was worth or buying the co-worker a used one of a similar model online for around $200, but the TikToker said the other woman already bought a brand new phone, complicating matters slightly.
“Girl do not pay her any money and tell her if she wants you to pay for that she can take you to court,” @k8ecobain declared.
The TikToker mentions that this matter may head to small claims court. And while random TikTok commenters may not be the best source of legal advice, they did have one useful suggestion directed at the co-worker or anyone else who might need to hear it—if you’re going to leave your phone lying around, get insurance.
The Daily Dot has reached out to @prablums via TikTok comment.
