Arguing about buying a phone

phone150

I told my 19yr old son I'd buy him a phone for 150 euro cos his one isn't great. He has now asked for a phone costing 180 and when I said 150 was the limit he wanted an explanation as to why I wouldn't spend an extra 30 on a phone that he wants and got very angry when I would'nt explain it to him. He said he'd pay back the 30 out of his money but I said he'd have to save the 30 himself then he could get the phone he wants. He went mad at that idea as well. Am I being unreasonable, I would have thought you could get a very good phone for that.

YbFocus

phone150 wrote: »

I told my 19yr old son I'd buy him a phone for 150 euro cos his one isn't great. He has now asked for a phone costing 180 and when I said 150 was the limit he wanted an explanation as to why I wouldn't spend an extra 30 on a phone that he wants and got very angry when I would'nt explain it to him. He said he'd pay back the 30 out of his money but I said he'd have to save the 30 himself then he could get the phone he wants. He went mad at that idea as well. Am I being unreasonable, I would have thought you could get a very good phone for that.

Let your son buy his own phone if he's going to kick up like that at 19. For God's sake! 19!

For you to offer any money towards a phone is more than fair, so you are being nothing but reasonable.

Driveby Dogboy

Just get him the phone and let him pay you back, he's 19

Esoteric_

Driveby Dogboy wrote: »

Just get him the phone and let him pay you back, he's 19

He's 19. He should be paying for the phone himself.

OP, you're being more than generous in offering him a 150 euro phone. Don't back down on this one.

Orion

Reduce your offer to 100 as a consequence of his attitude. If he wants a phone that expensive let him fork out the extra 30 80 himself. If he kicks up again give him nothing towards it.

tbh he sounds like he needs a lesson in need vs want. If he wants a better phone so badly then he can save up for it. If he needs a phone then he should take what's offered and say thank you.

hfallada

As a 20 year I know some many people who are handed everything by their parents, without their parents thinking twice. I know people who expect the lastest iPhone and get them no problem. Just give him the €150 and tell him to get the other €30. You can punish your son by giving him a lesser amount, but he won't gain anything. But you will just piss him off.

Tbh it sounds like he has no idea of the value of money. Its nothing got to do with you OP. I understand how hard my parents with for their money. But my brother who is 18 months younger has no idea. Cut your son off financially and let him get a job and support his lifestyle. If he sees how much work goes in earning a wage. He will probably look at money totally differently. But arguing over €30 isn't going to achieve anything. He needs to understand the value of a euro.

Penny Dreadful

Driveby Dogboy wrote: »

Just get him the phone and let him pay you back, he's 19

Indeed, a real adult and proper grown up at 19. So much so I'd say let him buy his own phone.

John Mason

he is an adult not a child.

Tell him legally your days of supporting him are over, and rescind the €150 offer.

He sounds like a spoilt little ****. tbh

RubyGirl

Op he need's to grow up, Celtic Tiger Child. Tell him how hard you have to work to earn €150. Even the €30 is 3 hours work.

endacl

Give him a month to come up with the difference. Tell him you'll knock a tenner off your extremely generous contribution every time he so much as mentions the topic between now and then. At the end of the month he can get whatever phone HE can afford.

LadyMayBelle

I thought you were going to be talkng about a teenager maybe aged 14; this person is an 19 year old adult. He sounds like he has be handed a lot of stuff on a plate, well he needs a lesson in real world living. I would stand my ground OP and dont give in; he should at 19 be able to manage his anger and lot better; heck a ten year old can reason better than that!

YbFocus

Actually op if you ever come back to this, sit him down and show him what people think, might wake him up a bit.

CommanderC

I'm in shock. You are being very very generous here.


Its not simply a case of handing over €30, which is a large amount of money in itself. It's €30 ON TOP of the €150 you already offered.

If it were me, I would rescind the offer entirely and I would never make another one. Let him throw a strop. He will only being doing it as he knows behaving in this way has gotten him what he wants in the past.

He is playing you and the longer you allow him to carry on disrespecting you in this way, the more risk there is of him never growing out of this kind of behavior in adult life.

Enright

Dont buy him ANY PHONE - cheek of him, at 19 he should be well capable of funding his own social life

Moonbeam

was it a reward for something?
Surely at 19 he is in college or has a job and can save for something that he wants.

Ham Sambo

Ah will ya stop, I would expect this from a 9 year old not a 19 year old, let him save up his own money for his own phone!!

LostInDharma

Whats the big deal, give the extra and let him pay you back. Really, why are you getting into it over 30 euro ? Now if you feel he is being disrespectful and ordering and demanding the extra , that's different.

Maybe you should expand a little on why you find it hard to give the extra.

dee_mc

Hopefully the whole thing is sorted now (seeing as the OP posted in September) but I totally see where he/she is coming from. The OP made a generous offer to the kid (adult really) and was treated to a selfish response- why should they cough up an extra 30 euro?! At 19 he should be well able to earn the 30 euro (or indeed the 180 euro) himself- his parent made a lovely gesture and had it thrown back in his/her face; to me that's reason enough to 'find it hard to give the extra'!

SparkySpitfire

phone150 wrote: »

I would have thought you could get a very good phone for that.

The fighting and the money aside... eh no. Speaking as someone with a €30 phone who has spent months trawling the internet to find anything half decent for less than €200.

That being said, let him get a fecking job.

titchy

SparkySpitfire wrote: »

The fighting and the money aside... eh no. Speaking as someone with a €30 phone who has spent months trawling the internet to find anything half decent for less than €200.

Off topic I know...I got an Iphone 4S for €180.00 perfect condition:D

Driveby Dogboy

aye, bet you wouldn't get it for €150 tho'

ShaShaBear

Jaysus at 19 I was living in my own place with my boyfriend at the time while attending college and I got a second hand tumbledrier as a Christmas present. Having warm, clean and dry clothes every day was much more awesome than being able to get a dual-core processor phone!

If I had asked my mother for a €150 phone she'd laugh in my face! But no more would I ask her! Once santie is a non issue, kids should be made realise that money does not grow on trees, and if this 19 year old cannot magic 30 quid our of his arse, how on earth does he expect you to do it with 180??