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!

rather than pay for an expensive repair, get a cheaper phone.

A screen replacement should be way cheaper than this OP

OP, I think you are getting some quire harsh answers on here, possibly in part because the site tends to have quite a right wing bias and not a huge amount of sympathy with the rights of workers. (Not saying this is why everybody is being harsh by the way - maybe some of the people being harsh are committed socialists - I cannot know....)

Anyway, it's totally irrelevant what all these people on here think - what really matters is what your employers think. Because I doubt they are legally obliged to pay you, but they are presumably wealthy (affording large dogs and a housekeeper). If I was in their position, and I knew my employee was struggling financially, and she broke her phone due to the behaviour of my dogs, I wouldn't hesitate to pay for it, yes.

Not because I was obliged to. But I would believe it was the kind, and therefore right, thing to do.

You may as well ask them. They may feel the same. Unless they are likely to take against you due to the request. Only you can judge that really - we don't know them.

Yabu

You can’t ask them, and all the gadget insurance policies I’ve had require the IMEI number of the phone to be added to the policy in advance of any claim being made.

A general household policy is highly unlikely to cover this, and even if it did, the excess would be more than the cost of the repair

Are you sure it will cost that much to repair? Is there a phone repair vape shop type place nearby? They are usually a lot cheaper than the official repair shops but still do a good job

Hahahahahaha another one of my favourite threads

OP: AIBU?

resounding yes.

OP: NO IM NOT!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hmm I think even though you say the phone had a cover and a screen protector they can’t have been very good - was it a glass screen protector? Anything other than that isn’t worth it.

I think unfortunately this is on you, OP, and you’re going to have to cover the costs yourself. One of my dogs is big and she nudges me for attention, not because she’s unruly but because she’s a dog fgs.

Yabu, you're being a chancer 😂

I would pay too, and in the past I have paid in a similar accidental situation. Not legally obliged to, but because OP is having a hard time.

Yes I agree with cheaper shops doing good jobs - I’ve had iPhone screens repaired cheaply when at uni lol.

Timpson also do it for cheaper than “official” Apple Stores so I imagine they do android too.

I'm sorry OP, things sound difficult at the moment.

I don't think this would be taken well by an employer. They're letting you use a phone during work hours, that doesn't mean they're taking responsibility or liability for it?

Good luck either way

You should have had a protective case

You should have had your own phone insurance!

The homeowners have absolutely no responsibility for your personal phone, the reality is you used it at your own risk in their home.

The fact you even think they should repair your phone speaks volumes about your entitlement and lack of responsibility is shocking tbh.

Sorry, but I think it sounds unreasonable to say your employer is responsible for you dropping your own phone while on a personal call. You were responsible for the dogs at the time, if they aren't under control then you shouldn't have taken a phonecall.

You can mention it to your employers though, in case they feel bad for you and decide to give you extra money towards it.

Ultimately you made the decision to answer your phone, it’s irrelevant who the caller was. You know that the dog is boisterous/badly trained. You couldn’t have been holding your phone securely enough. How is any of this your boss’s fault?

Are you serious?

No OP. You are the one who chose to have it out- yes it was for the GP but that's not the dog owners problem

The person responsible for the dogs' behaviour at that moment was you.

The dog was your responsibility. The phone was your responsibility. Taking them out for a walk and returning to the house unscathed is literally what they pay you to take responsibility for.

Ask for a pay rise, but don't mention your phone.

Sorry this is a pain but the reality is you were taking a personal call during a work activity - it’s not their fault their dog behaved like a dog. But that said you could mention it to them it happened and they might offer. Better to leave your phone around and they might ask why you’ve changed and then you can explain

Sorry for your loss and the situation you're in. I understand the frustrations. However, the dog probably jumped up because in that moment you were otherwise occupied. Had you not been, the dog would have been more controlled. It's an accident and it sucks but it's your responsibility.

Unless you have a massive drip feed that the dog is always like this and the owners do nothing but even then, it's just one of those things.

No, you can’t say the employee is liable, you could mention it and see if they offer, but otherwise I think you just have to accept it as the accident it was

Do you have house insurance? I know it has been mentioned below but I do think house insurance would cover this. My Apple Watch fell off my wrist and smashed and they covered it. I called them the other day to add a bike and all my phones are covered for theft and I assume same as my watch was. A

No unfortunately your phone, your responsibility🤷🏼‍♀️. You've asked peoples opinions and they've told you, and you've been really snappy with peoples responses... don't post if you aren't gonna like the responses!

You are being really rude to people who are answering your question

You sound unhappy

Please don't bite my head off for suggesting this but ;

When I was newly bereaved I sometimes focused all my over whelming negative emotions like frustration, anger hurt jealousy on situations like this

Ie not getting a refund in a shop when I should have, or the rude bus driver - I blew all these usually petty problems into massive blow outs which looking back was just me venting at "rude" strangers because I was so sad inside

It would be really nice if your employer replaced your phone screen for you as a acknowledgment of your hard work ( low wage) and their bad training of their dogs so I would mention to them what happened and let them know you no longer have a working phone in the hope they are decent people ...but..,in my experience of some rich people it would not cross their minds to be that kind or generous sometimes because they have no concept of money struggles - I hope your employer is decent and bungs you the money but don't go to them expecting it as a given right it will rub them up the wrong way .

I’d agree that it’s your problem not theirs, most of us would book time off work to speak to Gp. Although you could mention it. Dog bumped phone out of my hand and screen smashed. Do you have an old one I could use whilst at work?

cex for a cheap smart phone. If you do get it fixed a better case.

Shop around for screen replacement. I've recently had to get an iPad screen replaced and was quoted from £55 - £80 to replace. Hopefully you find somewhere cheaper