To ask them to pay to replace my phone screen?

[Housekeeperbatcocoa]

Today at work while walking the dogs, one of them knocked it out of my hand. The screen is totally smashed and my phone is unusable. (I don't normally have it out but was trying to answer a call from my GP). I'm a private Housekeeper and walking the dogs is part of my job.

It's not insured - I've never had a phone damaged and tbh since my partner passed, money has been so tight it was an expense I couldn't afford. It's going to be at least £140 to replace the screen. (Google Pixel 6) It had a good case and screen protector but landed on a brick path.

Wibu to ask the family to either pay or claim off their house insurance? I'm using an old one at the moment but it's 3g so can't make calls!

I'm fine with my support worker using her phone during work, as long as it doesn't get in the way of things, never been an issue.
We don't have dogs, but if it was their bad behaviour, I'd probably offer to pay half, or help her find somewhere cheaper to repair it, as don't want to lose a good worker over it.

Maybe mention it to your employers and see if they offer to contribute? I'd echo what another user said and take it to a phone shop/ even a market stall that repairs them and get it replaced. Sounds like unfortunate timing that the GP happened to ring at that time, I hope you get your medical issue sorted too x

Sorry to hear you've been having a hard time OP. Totally understandable that you needed to take the doctor's call during work hours but as others have said it was your responsibility to control the dogs at the time.

Rather than asking them to pay for the phone it might be worth looking at the bigger picture here re the dogs. If you can't control them maybe the family should be getting someone better able to handle them to do that part of the work or alternatively paying for a few sessions with a dog trainer so you can.

Also everyone saying how cheap it is to replace a screen. Depends on the damage and the phone. I smashed my phone and it was over £200 to repair. Still under the threshold to bother with insurance but a healthy wack. I got a new phone instead but that's not an option for OP due to cost.

I had a similar incident with a Google phone and they have two layers of glass, both of which were smashed on mine.
In my case I just had to replace it which I couldn't really afford.

It's not that I can't control the dogs - they're totally untrained - they won't even listen to their owner! They get taken out to the big lawn a few times a day and let loose to run about.

I'm not inexperienced with dogs - my own dog is gold level Canine Good Citizen and we (used to) regularly get good results in obedience and agility classes.

But with the dogs at work, they're just left to run wild and because I'm only in for a few hours a week with other stuff to do, trying to do any training is just like pissing in the wind.

I am not confident in getting the screen replaced by the local phone place. It's still under warranty and the local place doesn't have a good reputation at all.

@Housekeeperbatcocoa I think we've got a bit hung up on whose fault it was.

It wasn't really anyone's fault. It was an accident. A variety of events (out for a walk, doctors call, unruly dogs, your hand/phone in the wrong place at the wrong time) occurred and it's really unlucky that your phone went flying and broke.

That's life, sometimes bad things happen that aren't our fault, and we have to pay to fix them anyway.

I wouldn't ask your employer, it's not their fault or responsibility.

In its simplest form :-
Entirely your fault and problem.

Let's think about ot differently OP. I work on the NHS. I also have am offing medical issue that requires GP calls. Its stressful because they make 2 calls and if you miss them that's it and usually another 3 to 4 weeks for a call. My employer has no issues with me taking the call. So I take the call and another employee bangs into me completely by accident smashing my phone. Who is liable? I wouldn't go to the employer. You could argue the other employee is liable and I could ask them, but I couldn't force them as I'd have to take them to court to do it. If the other employee is nice, they should offer. But it may cause issues. In your scenario the dogs are the other employee. Now obviously they can't pay. So arguably the employer is at least partly responsible. But you won't be able to force them and it may cause issues. Only you can try to predict how they will react. I had am awful time finding a dog walker when I moved towns (I know you do more than that). My one more is amazing and goes above and beyond. If blue of my dogs knocked her phone I would at least contribute as I value her. But that's me. Only you know if this is likely yo end up with you or if a job and how you feel about it. I think you should approach with caution. But I do actually think they should contribute more I've thought about it, but be prepared for them not to agree.

Your employer is not liable and quite possibly will have an insurance excess in any case.

Choices:
Suck it up
Explain thr situation to your employer, ask for overtime opportunities? Dog training?
Explain the situation, that you can’t afford to replace your phone and that it’s time they got a proper dog walker. Risk losing the job
Forget about the phone and just ask for a
payrise

I’m sorry, this sounds really unfortunate and very annoying. But unfortunately as everyone else has said, there is no way that your employer should pay for this. I don’t agree with some of the other comments that you should be allowed to take phone calls from your GP during work time. There are hundreds of jobs where you practically wouldn’t be able to do this (school teachers, shop cashiers, factory workers, frontline NHS staff) would all have to book time off work, or arrange someone to cover for a telephone appointment.
I’ve had my phone screen replaced a few times at high street phone shops. It costs around £30-50 and they’ve always done a great Job. Hopefully you manage to get it sorted x

Have you checked to see whether it's covered under your home insurance policy?
My son had his 3 day old phone stolen and it was covered under my household contents policy - it would be worth checking yours

I would mention it to them in a nice way and see what they say so at the very least they know it’s happened. If they are not interested in paying you have got your answer and know where you stand.

I don't have home contents insurance.

Maybe time to get home contents insurance anyway. Should you be telling your clients to walk their own dogs if they are not trained.

I've read all your posts and answers, and I still think YABU to expect your employers to pay for your phone screen.

Walking the dogs is, I assume, one of your duties as a a housekeeper, regardless of whether they're well-behaved dogs or not. The fact that you feel the dogs are 'spoilt' and over-boisterous doesn't change the fact that walking them is part of the job you're paid to do, and that taking a phone call is not.

I appreciate that your employers are happy for you to take personal phone calls while you're working, but unfortunately that doesn't mean that they're responsible for any mishaps that happen as a result. Of course sometimes we all need to take a phone call at work, but it's something you do at your own risk.

Tread carefully OP, you are in a position of trust, working within the family home and walking the family dogs. If you even attempt to get a new phone out of your employers in these circumstances they may no longer trust you to work within thier home. While it's shitty for you that your phone has broken, it is in no way your employer's fault.

I don't know that it's your employer's responsibility really, even if their dogs are poorly behaved and the reason it happened. I wouldn't be asking if I were in your position and it could jeopardize your job if they don't take it well or refuse. You could drop what happened into conversation somehow and see how they react to it maybe.

However, my 70 year old dad, who can barely string more than two words together in a text message or figure out how to use the sky remote, managed to replace the screen on his phone using a you tube video and a diy kit he probably got off eBay for like £20 or something. This was a few years ago now so probably more expensive but certainly not £140 expensive. But if he can do it, you definitely can.

I don't think you can realistically ask your employer to replace your broken phone but you could probably buy a cheaper one second hand. I broke my phone a couple of years ago because dh decided to place a bowl of water under the serving hatch and when I placed my phone on the hatch it slipped in the water. I was totally lost without it but decided in the end to get a renewed phone for less than £100 and paid on my credit card.

Most jobs make an exception nowadays if the call is for medical reasons. I work in a warehouse which is strictly no mobiles on the work floor but they are allowed if waiting for a gp's call. If they ring back you are then allowed to answer the call and then go into the canteen to take it.

How can it still be under warranty if you got it free from a friend who was upgrading?

your story keeps changing to suit whatever people respond with. Gone from “I was walking the dogs” and one “bumped its head into my hand” to “the dogs were running free” and “one LEAPT at me”

it’s no wonder you’re not getting much sympathy here.

if the slot was between 9 and 12, that’s only 3 hours. Walk the dogs before and after the slot.

Ultimately it’s a freak accident, you chose to get your phone out at that point and it didn’t work out for you. It happens to us all.

Because she upgraded early?

The story isn't changing! My very first post says the dog knocked it out of my hand - which is what happened! How would you describe walking the dogs then?

@mumofboys8787
🤣🤣🤣

I know you aren't a dog walker as such, but actual dog walkers are insured, so maybe you should look into getting some kind of insurance for the future.

to be honest it doesn’t even sound like you were waking them - you were just with them whilst they ran on the land which the homeowners own, so basically like in their garden. In which case you do have to question why that couldn’t have just waited until after the call had happened.