How to request a friend to return something that he/she borrowed a while ago
From ArticleWorld
To Request a Friend to Return Something That He/She Borrowed a While Ago may require tact as well as tenacity. People are quick to borrow and tardy to return – especially books and DVDs. Most people are not very particular about possessions, and hence do not give them the respect that they deserve. Such people are also typically those who forget to return books or DVDs which they borrow from their friends. Ninety percent of the time it is unintentional, it is just the way they are. To get back things that they have borrowed without hurting their feelings requires sensitive handling. The following steps are generally helpful.
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Suggestions
- Keep a list of things that you have leant out, with names of the people to whom you have leant them alongside. This way you can keep track of your stuff and it has less chance of getting lost.
- If you find that your friend has no intention of returning a book that he borrowed ages ago – and in all probability has forgotten that you ever leant it to him – you need to jog his memory.
- The best way is to invite yourself over to his/ her house and then bring the talk around to books or DVDs (whichever they have borrowed) without arousing their suspicion.
- Then talk about the particular book that they have borrowed and innocently let fall that you once had a copy but now seem to have misplaced it.
- Tell them that they looked every where and have now reached the conclusion that you have leant it to someone.
- In most cases, your friend will remember that you had leant the book to them and return it.
- If they still do not remember and the book is important to you, you can go ahead and ask them straight out.
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Do’s
- Be sure that you have your facts right about having leant the book to that particular friend or you may not have a friend at all.
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Don’ts
- Don’t ask for the book or DVD back if you are not sentimentally attached to it and it is easily replaced; the issue is not worth risking your friend’s friendship.