Who pays for broken window

[isittimetogotobed]

So my 17 year old Son has just come to me upset. He went out to celebrate a friend turning 18. They went to a bar and got drunk, he said he got into an argument, the lad pushed him so he pushed back and a window got smashed. I know this is not great and we have had words believe me.
My issue is that a lad he knows who works there has said he has to pay £300 to the bar or they will report the incident to the police.
I don't know if this is right. I don't mind paying for a breakage if I have to but £300 seems steep and the threat has annoyed me.
They allowed a 17 year old into a bar and served him alcohol all night so I don't think they are in a position to make threats.
My son has said he will work to pay for the repairs and I'm fine with that but isn't this something that would be covered by the bars insurance?

No, insurance probably won't cover it because there is usually a pretty high excess on glass windows.

Do you really think they'll report an underage drinker to the police? Course they won't. Ignore them and focus on your ds behaviour while out.

Call their bluff. They’re not going to call the police on an incident where they were selling alcohol to someone underage. No way. And even if they did, the police won’t be very interested in a teen who pushed another teen I suspect.

And a broken window does not cost £300 to replace the glass unless you’re in London or it’s pretty special glass, like stained glass? In fact why does a pub have a window that can break when someone bangs into it, that doesn’t sound safe or able to keep out thieves??? Oh maybe it was an internal window 🤷‍♀️

And yes their insurance should cover it - altho perhaps they don’t want to claim as it might push up their premium.

That said your son was brawling in a pub and a window got smashed and he should, morally, pay something. Suggest you send a photo of the window to a local glazier and ask what a fair price to replace the glass is, or at least ask for written quote from the pub.

Commercial plate glass windows are expensive, that might be just the excess.

Thanks. Yeah I need to deal with my son, he is not a drinker or someone who goes out to pubs so this is not typical behaviour for him at all but i recognise it's not great. Thanks for the advice.