Which wallet are you using, they each work a bit differently, so your question can't be accurately answered without this information:
- Armory
- Bitcoin-Qt
- MultiBit
- Electrum
- https://blockchain.info/wallet
Blockchain.info
Sorry about that. I see that now. I don't know how I missed it.
That's really odd. You may need to contact Piuk (our local blockchain.info expert). Send him a PM.
If it isn't a bug at the blockchain.info website then the only reason I can think of that a blockchain.info wallet wouldn't display a transaction that had received a confirmation would be if your friend somehow accidentally sent to the wrong address.