Ads I over analyze: AT&T ski lift commercial

I usually skip over cell phone commercials, but this following one got me laughing, and thinking.

The setup is two friends are on a ski lift, and one asks the other the tricky question, “Is it okay if I ask your ex-girlfriend out?”

Watch the commercial to see how it turns out:

Youtube video: AT&T Ski Lift commercial

Transcription of commercial

Steven: Hey, would you mind if I ask Sheila out?

Friend: Of course not. Steven frantically texts on his phone We broke up six months ago. But I don’t think she’d go for a guy like…

Steven: receives a text She said she’d love to. She can’t wait to see me. She’s wanted me to ask her out for over a year now. Steven nudges friend Ah, she just sent me a video.

Sheila’s voice: Hi Steven, I can’t wait for out date.

Friend: Hey, can I see that [the cell phone]?

Steven: Sure.

Friend: Takes the phone and chucks it into the mountain

Narrator: In the network, sparks fly faster. AT&T is getting faster with 4G. Rethink possible.

The commercial ends abruptly with the two friends uncomfortably stuck together on the chair lift.

What got me thinking was wondering what would happen after the ride was over. In particular, I had a question about the financial aspect of the story.

Over analyzing: who should pay for the replacement phone?

We can easily laugh off the commercial. It’s not our feelings that were hurt, and it’s not our cell phone that got thrown off a ski lift.

But in real life, this would be an awkward situation. Steven is going to need a new cell phone, and it’s not going to come for free.

Arguably, the enraged friend should pay for the entire cost. He’s the one that destroyed the cell phone without permission, in a petty act of jealousy and hurt feelings.

On the other hand, I think we can all agree Steven brought some of this on himself. He jumped on the chance to text Sheila while still on the chair lift. And once Sheila agreed, he kept rubbing it in by reading every word she said, nudging his friend, and even playing the video. Steven is either completely oblivious or insensitive not to realize his friend might get mad.

And don’t forget Sheila, who plays an important role in all of this. She said she wanted Steven to ask her out for a YEAR, though she only broke up with his friend SIX MONTHS ago. This is probably the detail that made the sparks fly. To hear your friend is going out with your ex hurts. To hear that your ex never wanted you in the first place is heart-breaking. Imagine how the story would change if Sheila knew Stephen was with her ex-boyfriend, and she wanted her ex to hear all of this. Yes, that’s a big stretch, but don’t pretend you’ve never met or read about people that manipulative.

So in a sense, all three contributed to the phone getting destroyed, and a case could be made for sharing the costs a bit.

Here is my split. What do you think?

From a legal perspective, the friend who chucked the phone should pay up. Hurt feelings are no excuse for damaging property. Perhaps he would admit to his guilt and offer to pay nicely. After all, Steven probably lost some photos, ring tones, and contacts as well, and he has to go through the hassle of getting a replacement phone. Paying the cost of the replacement phone is the least the friend could do

Of course, in friendship things do not always work in a strictly legal setting. Friends always owe each other favors, and perhaps Steven owes his friend for something else, like taking care of him one night when he had too much to drink. Steven has every right to insist his friend pays for the phone, and he would win legally. But it might ruin the friendship if the other person does not agree, and some friendships are worth more than a few hundred bucks.

So here is how I might resolve the costs:

Friend: 90 percent
Steven: 10 percent

The friend is at fault and should pay for at least 90 percent of the cost. If he offers to pay for 100 percent that would be nice and honorable, and a sign he’s a good friend who should probably take some anger management classes.

While I did say Sheila played a role by adding fuel to the fire, she was not physically present and she probably had no idea what was going on. I don’t think she owes a cent for the phone, and she is already in an awkward situation because Steven shared her feelings to her ex.

What’s your take on the situation? Has your friend ever broken your cell phone? How did that get resolved?