£1670 for exploding shower door at pool- please help

[Showerexplosion]

My children attended a hotel swimming pool with my mum where they all have membership. A few weeks ago a shower door exploded while they were in the changing rooms. My mother maintains that my children did not touch the door and that it simply exploded.

Neither of my children were hit by the broken glass despite both being in only swimming costumes.

Today she received an email stating:

At approximately 16:10, the glass shower door in the ladies’ changing room was found shattered. Photographic evidence is attached. You reported the damage to Reception at that time, but no explanation was provided. Given the seriousness of the situation and the safety risks posed to other guests, we immediately initiated a full and detailed investigation.

As part of this investigation, we commissioned an independent professional specialising in glass safety and installation to assess the damaged door. Their expert conclusion was clear: the door did not fail due to a defect or spontaneous breakage. The shattering was consistent with improper handling or misuse, and not with normal or appropriate use of the facility.

We also reviewed our CCTV footage covering the Spa and Wellness area. The footage confirms that only yourself, xxxxxx and xxxxxx were present in the changing facilities during the time the damage occurred. No other individuals entered the area before or during the incident. This evidence, combined with the professional assessment, leaves no doubt that the door was broken due to inappropriate use while your grandsons were in the changing room.

The cost of replacing the door is £1,674.00. A detailed breakdown of the replacement cost is attached for your review and we request that you notify your insurers of this cost as we are seeking reimbursement of the replacement of this shower door caused by your actions.

In addition, due to the seriousness of the incident, the safety implications, and the behaviour that led to the damage, we have taken the decision to cancel both xxxxx and xxxxx memberships with immediate effect.

Are we liable for this cost? Are we entitled to a refund for the cancelled memberships - we have only used one month of a 3 month membership for both of them.

I include the pictures they sent me. Any help with how to respond greatly appreciated.

Yes. We went to our holiday home last year only to find bits of glass everywhere. The shower door had exploded. Most likely explanation is that a shift in the door frame exerted too much pressure on the glass.

I have been the victim of a spontaneously combusting shower screen.

I was showering in my bath with a shower screen and it went bang. Did not touch it. Water barely even touching it. Just exploded with zero warning. I have a photo with my footprints in the shattered glass and pink blood stains around it. It cut my legs and feet with the force.

It is perfectly possible they were doing nothing and it genuinely just went bang and shattered. In a way I'm pleased it happened to me and not the DC because obviously it was me that got hurt rather than them but also I knew for 100% certain I wasn't touching it when it exploded.

I'm actually fuming on your behalf op.
Honestly, go to town on the chancers.

What @FindingMenosays.

Yes my dining table did once - luckily I had just finished feeding baby at the time so was on the other side of the room. Have not bought glass furniture since!

OP if I was your mum I would write them a letter before action for the cost of your membership and let them know you are seeking legal advice about seeking compensation for the distress caused by their lack of maintenance of the glass door which put her and her grandkids at risk of serious injury

Cancelling two 6 year olds memberships too!! What is the swimming pool?

I am now genuinely thinking this might be a ploy to cancel my children’s memberships. I suspect they don’t want the £1670 but just want to stop one of my 6 year olds being a member. He is autistic and makes repetitive sounds when distressed. Not loud but the same word over and over. I suspect that their spa clients do not want a child like this near them, spoiling the peace of their jacuzzi and saunas.

They are absolutely trying it on. They’ve no cctv and no expert report. As per other posters counter claim, get free legal advice from your house insurance if you can and tell them you want compensation for the trauma, and it is trauma, from exploding glass

my glass explosion story. I got a Stella gift set and glass. That night out of the box the glass exploded in the kitchen with a massive bang waking everyone up. It was really scary. I was finding bits of glass in the kitchen for months afterwards

I find it really hard to see how an “expert” has concluded the glass didn’t spontaneously shatter because to my (non expert) eye the shattered glass looks very consistent with an explosive shattering of a closed shower door given the significant spread of glass in both directions.

A shower door should also be able to withstand force, given that people can easily slip and fall heavily into a door. It’s hard to imagine any misuse by a 6yo causing more force than a heavy adult falling against the door. Unless they’re alleging they came at it with a hammer or something ridiculous (and even then, a shower door shouldn’t just explode!)

The only “evidence” I can see to suggest anything other than a spontaneous shattering. Is the damage to the frame, but even that seems more consistent with the force of spontaneous glass explosion, rather than the damage that with be caused by a 6 year old.

We were going to go to the Civil War Museum several years ago, but it was closed because a display case had spontaneity exploded just before it opened. Definitely happens.

Yes, my parent's shower screen did.

Wow, just googled "shower door exploding", HUGE number of results!

The most likely scenario (in my opinion) is that the door had suffered some damage a time ago, they don't carry out regular inspections, and the door failing was inevitable.

It's on them - their fault.

I'd be considering suing them for endangering their clients through poor maintenance. Asking when the door was last inspected, what was the inspection schedule etc.

Happened in the last office I worked in! Glass door just shattered (to one of the meeting rooms).

I have had both a glass oven door and a glass topped table spontaneously explode

Then you may have a discrimination claim also. Definitely ask them under which terms they are cancelling your membership.

Dont admit any liability- and ask them to provide copies of the report they are relying on. If they want to take their accusations further they will need to prove that the damage was not caused by their negligence/ an accident and instead caused by the children (which they cannot prove). So the important thing is getting your membership money back. I imagine they can’t claim on the insurance so they are trying to get cover the costs of the new door by threatening you/ using your membership money.

Yes it does. And there is no way they would have been able to tell, from analysing minute fragments, that there wasn't an inherent fault or tiny damage that led to it shattering like this.

OP, they're trying it on. Refuse and see how far you get - I would bet that they're unable to actually prove it was down to your children. Glass is strange stuff.

Get a solicitor to send them a cease and desist.

It happened to me. A toughened glass window just shattered and fell to bits while I was standing in front of it. No apparent reason. Nothing fell on it or banged into it.

It was mine so I had to pay for it.

But surely it should be laminated safety glass so that it would not shatter across the room.

It’s happened to me at home. The hinges started to sag without my knowledge and one day the shower door was closed and it shattered like an explosion. It was really scary

I wouldn't ask to see it. I would just continue to deny any part of it and let them take you to court if they want.

Yes I have been in a building where glass has shattered. No one was near it at the time, luckily. It was deemed faulty by the glass manufacturer as no other explanation was found. It was replaced by wood in the end.

That was my initial instinct about the emoji. I personally would go with laughing crying rolling emoji
The whole thing is circumstantial evidence if that. They can jog on. They also should probably buy better quality items next time.

If a shower screen is shattering when hit by a 6 year old then it was dangerous to begin with.

Counter sue for trauma , libel and breach of contract