Am I Being Hard?

[HunieBunie]

Okay, here's the story...

On Saturday morning au pair goes out taking bike and leaves locked at train station bike park. She stays away for the entire weekend, but on her return the bike is gone, it has been stolen.

(Our au pair is a returnee, she has been with us before for 1yr)

Should I make her pay for the insurance excess?

I wouldn't but i've got teenage daughters so I tend to be quite sympathetic to any girl that age. I doubt she'll do it again and the excess might be a big bit of her pay. May be she could do an extra hour's babysitting if you want to make a point over it or get her to do the leg work to replace the bike.

Message withdrawn

Did she use/take the bike without asking? Did you know she planned to be away for the entire weekend?

Is it a really super dooper bike? To be honest i dont think I would bother claiming on my insurance for an ordinary bike.

I certainly wouldnt make her pay.

have the station not 'removed' it thinking it had been abandoned?

Okay, I let her off the hook then, she won't have to pay! Obviously, I am just mean, the bike was quite expensive (IMO) £250+ about 4 years ago. It was mine before I got a new one for my birthday, I used to carry the children on the back and with a child chariot, so I guess it had a snetimental value.

I should have been an au pair in my earlier days...