What should I do to my fellow worker?

jonomc4

OK because I am using my posh bike to cycle to work on dry summer days (so not that often) I don't like leaving it in the secure underground parking we have (yes I know I am paranoid). So, because I can, I have my bike parked in a row of empty desks behind me.

Now a fellow worker decided to do some work at these desks and knocked my bike over in the process - this lead to the rear mech hanger bending and me having to go and buy a rear mech aligner for £50, I didn't fancy taking the bike to a bike shop as I only last had it straightened 2 months ago and I figure this is just to regular even in my life. So should I?

1) Thank the guy for giving me an excuse to buy a new tool.
2) Charge him the £50
3) Kick him in the nuts so he learns to be more careful next time

Or is there some better advice?

Tom Butcher

Was he very apologetic - if so I'd leave it - if not then all three.

jonomc4

No not really - I dropped subtle hints about the cost of the tool - all he asked was "what's it called" - like he was going to check to make sure I was telling porkies about the price! Think that riled me more than anything - apart from the fact he hurt my "baby"

GiantMike

What would Jesus do? At times of turmoil I always ask the eternal saviour. I'll ask him.

peat

I'd let it go.

Your bike shouldn't really have been there, so if he were to get a bit sh1tty, you could be at fault by proxy.

GiantMike

GiantMike wrote:

What would Jesus do? At times of turmoil I always ask the eternal saviour. I'll ask him.

Jesus says you should take guidance from Corinthians 12:3. Wait till he's in the toilet and take the money from his wallet. Or, use his credit card to buy the tool.

Jesus also said you should stop taking his name in vain. And, as he has a lot to do, what with being second in line to the cloudy throne and having to make sure that all the misfortune and misery in the World is properly distributed, please could we limit our requests to serious questions. He also said that Tiger Woods will win the Open this year and that you would do well to stick a monkey on him while the odds are still good.

jonomc4

GiantMike wrote:

GiantMike wrote:

What would Jesus do? At times of turmoil I always ask the eternal saviour. I'll ask him.

Jesus says you should take guidance from Corinthians 12:3. Wait till he's in the toilet and take the money from his wallet. Or, use his credit card to buy the tool.

Jesus also said you should stop taking his name in vain. And, as he has a lot to do, what with being second in line to the cloudy throne and having to make sure that all the misfortune and misery in the World is properly distributed, please could we limit our requests to serious questions. He also said that Tiger Woods will win the Open this year and that you would do well to stick a monkey on him while the odds are still good.

Ok I just checked Corinthians 12:3 (And I knew this man, if in a body or if without the body, I do not know, God himself knows) - you told a porky!

Anyway - nicking his Credit Card seems like a good idea!
Can you get the skinny on Cavendish in this years Olympics?

GiantMike

jonomc4 wrote:

Ok I just checked Corinthians 12:3 (And I knew this man, if in a body or if without the body, I do not know, God himself knows) - you told a porky!

Everybody knows there's a lot of latitude in interpreting the dubious translations of the sacred words. Had bikes, credit cards and wallets been invented in the olden days, I'm sure there'd be something relating to your predicament.

Jesus says Cavendish will finish in the pack, 2 minutes behind the breakaway. It will rain in the morning but brighten up for the afternoon, with a light breeze.

BillyMansell

jonomc4 wrote:

Now a fellow worker decided to do some work at these desks and knocked my bike over in the process - this lead to the rear mech hanger bending and me having to go and buy a rear mech aligner for £50

£50 for a rear mech aligner? Can I sell you some magic beans?

raymondo60

I'd shoot the c***

team47b

Raymondo60 wrote:

I'd shoot the c***

...full of insulin

Yossie

Sleep with his burd then post piccies of her norks on here.

If he hasn't got a burd then his mum will do, with the same pictures please.

Or kick every panel on his car in using some old motocross boots then when he complains shove the rear mech tool up his backside and calmly inform him that the tool won't help much with his bodywork either but at least you feel better now.

capt_slog

GiantMike wrote:

What would Jesus do? At times of turmoil I always ask the eternal saviour. I'll ask him.

Whilst you're on the god-phone, wish him happy birthday for next Christmas, and tell him to keep his head down at Easter.

rhext

You shouldn't really have had your bike there, so you can hardly blame him. And £50 for a tool? If you're planning on starting a bike shop maybe, but how much is a spare mech hanger? Last one I bought was £11, although that was for a mountain bike, because I've never, ever, in 40 years of cycling, managed to bend one on a road bike. If he was going to compensate you at all, I'd have said the best you couldexpect would be a replacement hanger.

nunowoolmez

He has technically committed the offence of criminal damage. He has been wreckless which means you are entitled to make a complaint. In reality this kind of thing doesn't get reported, it would be more of a civil matter.

Have you discussed the matter with your colleagues or boss?

MattC59

Peat wrote:

I'd let it go.

Your bike shouldn't really have been there, so if he were to get a bit sh1tty, you could be at fault by proxy.

How do you know ? Do you work at the same place as jonomc4 ?

Rigga

Just take a dump in his snapbox.

cougie

Wouldn't it only be criminal damage if he did it on purpose ?
I'm not sure a bike should be in the office. I would never get it allowed at my place -mainly in case it got in the way of any fire evacuation.
What are you doing to it to have bent the hanger once already ? It seems quite an accident prone bike ? Is it to do with the way you park it ?

roryboy

I used to take my bike in to the office but wheels off and hung up on a shelf before anybody arrived so no one would either touch it or complain about it being there. One morning, running late after puncturing the velo was left aside my desk and by the time i came out the washroom there was the office manager with her big floaty burberry coat complete with chain ring mark to complement the wee tartany bit..... oops.

nunowoolmez

No no, criminal damage can be committed via an intentional act to cause criminal damage, or where the suspect knew there would be a risk of damage through the action he or she took & did not take care to avoid it.

so by an act of malice or by being a total arse basically...sounds like the latter really!

sorry to be so pedantic, being a cop i thought i should just clear that one up!

essjaydee

Sh*t happens....get over it

Understand your paranoia, but you have secure parking but chose not to use it. Unfortunate your bike got damaged though

The site I work on is secure, and company provides bike parking shelters, but still some people park there bikes under stairs etc in the buildings. If one was to get knocked or damaged, then that's their problem, as they haven't used the designated parking areas provided.

cougie

nunowoolmez wrote:

No no, criminal damage can be committed via an intentional act to cause criminal damage, or where the suspect knew there would be a risk of damage through the action he or she took & did not take care to avoid it.

so by an act of malice or by being a total ars* basically...sounds like the latter really!

sorry to be so pedantic, being a cop i thought i should just clear that one up!

That reads to me that he intended to damage the bike ? I doubt this is the case - would anyone expect a bike to be balanced against a desk in the office ? Maybe he didnt see it, or realised that whatever he did or moved would cause the bike to topple. I cant imagine any of my work mates deliberately damaging my bike.

rolf_f

nunowoolmez wrote:

He has technically committed the offence of criminal damage. He has been wreckless which means you are entitled to make a complaint. In reality this kind of thing doesn't get reported, it would be more of a civil matter.

Have you discussed the matter with your colleagues or boss?

So if I took my collection of priceless Ming vases into work and made an impressive tower of them and some accidentally hit them with the post trolley they would be commiting a criminal offence as well?

If you are going to take your bike into the office, I think most reasonable people will think it is your responsibility to put it somewhere where it will be safe without any allowance having to be made for it. Nobody should be expected to behave differently because you put a Ming vase on your desk nor should they be expected to behave differently if you leave nice bikes lying around.

PS if the colleague had been 'wreckless' then there wouldn't have been a problem in the first place!

john-e-big-guns

jonomc4 wrote:

OK because I am using my posh bike to cycle to work on dry summer days (so not that often) I don't like leaving it in the secure underground parking we have (yes I know I am paranoid). So, because I can, I have my bike parked in a row of empty desks behind me.

Now a fellow worker decided to do some work at these desks and knocked my bike over in the process - this lead to the rear mech hanger bending and me having to go and buy a rear mech aligner for £50, I didn't fancy taking the bike to a bike shop as I only last had it straightened 2 months ago and I figure this is just to regular even in my life. So should I?

1) Thank the guy for giving me an excuse to buy a new tool.
2) Charge him the £50
3) Kick him in the nuts so he learns to be more careful next time
Or is there some better advice?

Ya should have bent him over the 'said' desk ..stuck the tool where the 'sun don't shine' and re alined his nuts from that angle

jonomc4

Thanks for the responses - I have been away for a few days!

To answer a couple of points - the bike is in the office - but it sits against a desk - amongst two rows of desks where no one sits - the office is only half full with redundancies. So that's why I put it there.

Got to admit I have never bent a mech hanger before - but my one came delivered bent - apparently it is common with De Rosa as they never pack them well enough - so the guy told me at the repair shop anyway. When the bike got knocked over it landed on the rear mech so it bent the hanger again.

Anyway I like having tools for a job so having things like mech hangers is always needed This month I am getting a bearing press - what can I say I built the bike myself and I like to maintain it myself, I get pleasure out of fixing and maintaining the bike myself. Once I have the bearing press I think I will have just about all the main tools I need.

I got the park tool rear mech aligner - I am guessing I have just bought the most expensive and should have searched around - like I did with the bearing press and I got good alternatives recommended here.

Anyway - as usual I wimped out and let the guy off - he is a fellow cyclist anyway

nunowoolmez

Rolf F, if you made an impressive tower of Ming vases I'd just laugh at you & call you a pretentious knob.

siamon

It's also a criminal offence under section 1 of the 1997 protection from harassment Act, to send a communication (electronic or otherwise) that sender knows or ought to know may cause harassment or distress.

Your behaviour makes me think you are probably in the Met?

nunowoolmez

If he's upset i'll buy him a box of tissues. As you clearly know the legislation, for that offence to be complete it requires 2 incidents which would equate to harrassment. I don't think a jokey comment on a bicyle forum can be thought of harrassment, do you? more like banter really. Blimey, i was only trying to offer the original OP some constructive advice, which someone has clearly taken issue with. I did also state that it is more like a civil matter. Oh well, can't please everyone. Glad the OP has it all sorted.

And yes, i am in the Met. Have a nice day.

siamon

Chill, I was just being a pretentious knob!

I've got a lot of respect for the fuzz.

Le Commentateur

Got to admit I have never bent a mech hanger before - but my one came delivered bent - apparently it is common with De Rosa as they never pack them well enough - so the guy told me at the repair shop anyway.

You just put me off buying a De Rosa in future. What do they make the hangers from – lead?

jonomc4

Le Commentateur wrote:

Got to admit I have never bent a mech hanger before - but my one came delivered bent - apparently it is common with De Rosa as they never pack them well enough - so the guy told me at the repair shop anyway.

You just put me off buying a De Rosa in future. What do they make the hangers from – lead?

Dunno - it seems the same as the other mech hangers I have - the bike got dropped fairly heavily - rear mech first. As for the packaging problem - not a biggy if you know to check for it - mine was a self build but I am sure if you buy a complete one they would check it before building it.