Groundsman at work damaged my rear rotor
Tigger con carne
Posts: 181
Last week I noticed one of the (contracted) groundsman at the hospital I work at clattered my bike that was locked to some railings outside my building. I lock it here because it's visible from my office and from the various other points in the building, after having a bike nicked from the area behind the building last year, and I'm always twitchy when I hear the lawns being cut because of exactly this sort of incident. I didn't think it looked serious but when I came to ride home that evening, I found the rear disc was catching in the caliper. I've since managed to put that right, but I reported the incident to the company that administer the hospital site (it's a PFI build). This afternoon I got a reply back from the company to say that because the bike was parked in a non-designated cycle stand, it is done entirely at my own risk and they are essentially washing their hands of the incident but have offered to give me the details of the gardening contractor to take it up with them. I'm now not sure what to do about this as I don't want it to happen again and feel that the company could have at least offer some assurance that it won't. Anyone any advice on this?
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Comments
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So because you parked in a "non-designated cycle stand" that gives them the right to go smashing into your property?
Makes it sound like a deliberate act doesn't it?0 -
Time to start parking your bike next to your desk then.0
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Is this a serious question?
The company has given you the right answer, how can they tell you it will not happen again when you park your bike away from the designated parking area? I doubt very much that the groundsmen use their machinery in the designated bike parking area.
I doubt very much that it was done deliberately and as you watched it happen you had the option of going and speaking to the groundsman but chose not to because it "didn't look serious".
Straightening a rotor isn't a very difficult task and I suggest you park your bike where it is supposed to be in future then you should not get any problems.0 -
Interesting reply with more than a hint of Daily Mail reader righteous indignation about it.
Where I lock my bike is my responsibility, but I shouldn't expect people working (at least by proxy) for the same organisation as I do to damage it through negligence. I know that bikes have been stolen from the designated bike parks and the CCTV they are supposed to have is likely to be useless since the footage of my bike being stolen last year was unavailable because it was "corrupted". My current choice of place to lock my bike is not in the way (not even of gardeners cutting grass) and is visible to myself and to other people I work with so is less likely to be stolen
Whether it was deliberate or not (and I'm sure it wasn't), negligence has nothing to do with intent. You're right, it wasn't a difficult repair to make, but next time this individual brandishes a large piece of machinery with gay abandon it may be a piece of patient's property or the patient themselves that might be the one damaged.0 -
It's the same as parking a car, done so at own liability. If someone prangs it, you need to be able to prove they did. Same with the bike.
Unless you can prove the gardening contractor pranged it, then they aren't going to respond. As you've fixed it, I wouldn't worry too much.0 -
You say it wasn't in the way but you were worried whenever you heard the lawns being mown that it was at risk. Is the contractor known for damaging things?0
