UK Man Gifted Girlfriend a £2,500 Gaming PC; She Broke Up With Him the Next Day

A Reddit post on r/LegalAdviceUK saw a man describe spending nearly £2,500 on a gaming PC for his girlfriend of three years. She broke up with him the day after receiving it.

The 21-year-old original poster said he had since received screenshots from mutual friends in which his ex-girlfriend (aged 29) admitted she had been planning to end the relationship for months and deliberately delayed the breakup until after she received the gift. "I wouldn't have wanted it back if the relationship had ended naturally," he wrote. "It's just the premeditated plan to get this one final item off me — which she'd been begging for — that really annoys me."

Under English law, however, a gift is a gift — once given, it belongs to the recipient. 

According to UK law, once a gift is given, the recipient owns it. In Pitt v. Holt, a 2011 Court of Appeal ruling, it was addressed how, if at all, a gift can be taken back. It said that in such a case, the donor must have mistaken the legality of the gift or a fact that was fundamental to the transaction. Commenters noted that even under that standard, a civil claim would face significant hurdles.

One commenter suggested the man could pursue a fraud claim under Section 2 of the Fraud Act 2006. The Act defines the offense as making a false representation with the intent to make a gain, like how the ex-girlfriend made it seem like she wanted to be in the relationship while knowing she planned to leave.

However, commenters said that police are unlikely to pursue such a case, and the legal costs may exceed those of the PC.

Another commenter said, "While legally a gift is a gift, there was definitely deception involved." So they cited the UK's Money Claim Online service, saying they had successfully used the service twice. They suggested sending a formal letter before action, including printed screenshots as evidence, and outlining the claim that the gift was given under a false implied representation of an ongoing relationship. If the defendant ignores the process, a default judgment may be possible.

Several commenters suggested the poster's most powerful recourse may not be legal at all. "She's entitled to keep it," wrote one user. "You're entitled to tell her friends and family what kind of person she is." (The Daily Dot is not a legal advice service; readers should consult a qualified solicitor.)

Another noted under UK consumer rights law, the warranty and any purchase protections are tied to the buyer. So if the PC breaks down, his ex-girlfriend will need to come back to him to exercise any rights she might have under the guarantee.

For now, the poster has learned an "expensive lesson."

The Daily Dot could not independently verify the claims described in the Reddit post. The identities of those involved have not been confirmed.