chandalier disaster - TilersForums.co.uk | Tile Forums

JOHNNYCLARKE · 22-02-2008

Had a disaster few weeks ago.
DAY 1.
One of my tilers was told not to turn a light switch on that lit chandalier in entry hall coz client had covered it with a dust sheet to stop it getting dusty when we dug a stone floor up!
DAY 2.
My foreman turns up and turns light switch for chandalier on having not been told by my tiler from day one that he should not do it.
Chandalier catches alight in 20seconds and ruined.
Foreman tells client that anyone could come in at any moment and do what he did and client should have disconnected that switch/or taped it over and put notice to say dont switch on.
He doesnt apologize . Client seriously pi***d off coz he thinks my company was warned and foreman very rude for not even saying sorry.
Chandalier comes from Harrods .Ouch £3200.00 !!!
Who do you think is to blame or should I take some blame and costs?
I thought to offer their excess if went through their home insurance and any increase for next years insurance coz of claim.
Dont think my public liability would cover this would it if chandalier was a fire hazard as soon as client put dust sheet over it.

How much blame should I take if any?

johnny

tiler tom · 22-02-2008

If you offer excess you are admitting guilt. Who is to blame the person who placed the dust sheet on the light or the person unknowingly swiched the light on. Ask any electrician if you do not want power to something you isolate. This you do yourself to make sure. As you said in your post the swich should have been isolated. You cannot tell a tiler not to do something and leave the responsibility with them to inform everyone else. Tell him to swivel.

**Dave** · 22-02-2008

I agree with tom...not your problem......pass it onto your liability and they will just laff at the customer and tell them where to go....you should have legal advice with your liability..so they will tell what to do.....

**Fekin** · 22-02-2008

A funny one really.

In all fairness the customer had warned not to use the light and in your foreman using it he really is to blame, and as your his boss, your to blame really, though if I had been the customer I would have tapped over the switch at a minimum so no mistakes could happen.

But really, I'd be looking at standing the entire cost for my foreman causing the damage, as the customer had warned not to use it, though he only warned one of the tilers.... I don't know.. it's a funny one.

If the tiler says he was told not to use it and didn't pass on this information to the foreman, then it would have to go to legal advise I guess really.

GazTech · 22-02-2008

[quote=tiler tom;57656]If you offer excess you are admitting guilt. Who is to blame the person who placed the dust sheet on the light or the person unknowingly swiched the light on. Ask any electrician if you do not want power to something you isolate. This you do yourself to make sure. As you said in your post the swich should have been isolated. You cannot tell a tiler not to do something and leave the responsibility with them to inform everyone else. Tell him to swivel. :thumbsup:[/quote]This is the customers negligence for not taking appropriate precations himself, or for not issuing clear instructions to others to prevent such an event....Gaz:lol:

Yorkie · 22-02-2008

Is it me or does an episode of only fools and horses spring to mind

I agree with post above

**Raja** · 22-02-2008

If it was me in ur place i would say the ENTIRE blame lied with me. Sorry if a bit harsh but just my opinion.

Business should be run by an iron fist and as for ur foreman maybe he should of said sorry rather than tell the customer she need to put sign up. Sorry is a word consisting only of 5 letters but goes a long way.

Sadly we live in a society where i have witnessed first hand though the time i got knocked off my motorbike last year by a 18 year old blonde girl in a renault clio that at the road side she was very apolagetic and sorry said she wud pay for the damage but soon as i rang her with the bill she said am not paying that not my fault can i have ur insurance details here are mine. I got my money in the end without my insurance being affected but MORAL of story is Some times it is best to accept fault.

My philosophy is mistakes do happen but the man at the top has to b responsible for his men. Best of luck hope my words dont upset u sleep on it and think how u wud feel it it was ur chandalier. Best of luck

**Holohana** · 22-02-2008

Sorry Johhny but i have to say i agree with Don Vally.

Turn it round and if it was yours you would

a, be gutted

b, peed off that the tradesmen that you'd employed didnt give a ****e

c, thought that by asking the tradesman not to do something and him not saying, well disconnect it, then it would have been communicated to all his other wokers and threfore nowt to worry about

How would you feel?

Your already feeling your slightly guilty cos youre thinking about offereing excess etc, thats the right thing to do although its an expensive pain in the arse if they dont go for it and want it all. Just need to see how far you need to go with em.

Hindsight eh matey.

As Din says sleep on it and see how you feel. Good luck.

JOHNNYCLARKE · 22-02-2008

don

I agree with you that accidents do happen and my main gripe with my guys is that he should have said sorry and maybe this problem would not have got to this.
I have a responsibility as employer to take blame for my employees whatever happens. Was on holiday so missed it all but im not missing now so have to deal with it .
I personally think there is a degree of responsibility to be borne by both parties
and I hoped to make an offer to show goodwill but do not want to implicate myself as being soley to blame.

Johnny

Turkish · 22-02-2008

Def go down the route of legal advice first i reckon. Admission of guilt no matter how small could be costly

Turkish

**Raja** · 23-02-2008

Quote:

Originally Posted by JOHNNYCLARKE

don

I agree with you that accidents do happen and my main gripe with my guys is that he should have said sorry and maybe this problem would not have got to this.
I have a responsibility as employer to take blame for my employees whatever happens. Was on holiday so missed it all but im not missing now so have to deal with it .
I personally think there is a degree of responsibility to be borne by both parties
and I hoped to make an offer to show goodwill but do not want to implicate myself as being soley to blame.

Johnny

Jonny thank you for understanding what i always think to my self if i was him how would i feel and to what length would i go to make him pay. People who can afford £3200 chandaliers r only 2 types of people
1, Honest pople who are law abiding
2, Dishonest people who are not.......................
Personally i would offer the excess like u said and take it from there.
It must be just my face attract trouble but will give u another example i recently bought an electric garage door and the cowboys suposidly a reputable company came to fit it and it had scratches all over it they knew but didnt say anything they just fitted it i had already paid the £1200 so they looked at me and thought wots he going to do apart from umm and ahh.
Once they fitted it and i noticed the scratches and confronted them about it and they smiled and said we r only fitters ring the director so i did He turned round and said in these exact words " mr. Raja I will offer you £50 discount but there is no way that door is coming off"
i replied " Mr. bleep bleep wont say name that door will b outside ur house bleep bleep wont say the address within 24 hours if not replaced. I think he understood and a new door is due to arrive a week thursay.
I am not trying to bore you with my long epic incidents just want to make u fully aware the society were if the owner of the company had been right iwth me i would have been right with him. If i had to claim on my insurance because of any one u could bet ur life on it his would b going up 1 way or another. best of luck mate u seem to have right attitude

tiler tom · 23-02-2008

Come on guys I don't believe some posts. This was a light the customer put the flammable sheet on for christs sake.
If you guys were replacing a kitchen light would you:

A) Isolate at the fuse box and remove the fuse and post a warning or
B) Tell the wife not to turn the light on and hope she informs everyone else.

If the answer was A and you still manage to get electricuted then you are extremley unlucky as somebody must have found the fuse, replaced ignored the notice and switched the power on.

If the answer is B then you are an idiot and it is your fault.

Tell him to swivel.