£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.

I know three people who’s oven doors have just randomly exploded!

Yes, watch it either my own eyes, on cctv of course, it can just explode x

This is absolutely outrageous I would be bloody fuming. How dare they? Glass panels explode all the time. My mother’s shower panel exploded in the middle of the night and she was terrified someone was breaking it. There is absolutely no way Dave the window guy “an expert” could possibly determine from broken pieces of glass or was broken due to misuse. Ridiculous. I would be sending a very stern email back, threatening legal action myself and I would do a charge back through your bank for the membership costs. Also share what they’ve done on social media. Name and shame.

Yes tempered glass does

https://www.toughglaze.com/why-does-toughened-glass-shatter-into-small-pieces

It is an interesting point that the only proof they could have is if they were filming my 6 year old in the shower.

Is it a big chain?

https://www.crowneplaza.com/hotels/gb/en/reservation?fromRedirect=true&qSrt=sBR&setPMCookies=true&dp=true&gbraid=0AAAAAD4keY__1B9LwqdQe7_h64LQB3cEb&mktgvar=go_cmp-19665603722_adg-145966369597_ad-669873188541_kwd-101722244_dev-m_ext-&gclid=Cj0KCQiAo4TKBhDRARIsAGW29beQ5Gz2qbJ6MQ2gIohB0EYC3VQ5j0JINdJ3cnU3gB413HKU_UQHlVkaApHJEALw_wcB&cm_mmc=PDSEA--G_F-EUR_FS-EUR_H-EUR_HS-GBR_CP_BSF_EXM_CORE-CROWNE--PLAZA_EN&srb_u=1

yes a big chain

This has happened to me before! The glass showed door literally just shattered and crumpled to the floor

You need to call their bluff!

If someone breaks glass on purpose there are a few shards in one direction. It doesn’t send the whole door into tiny pieces into every corner covering the whole shower floor inside and out.

One of our glass show cases in the office exploded once - no one was near it but it woke everyone up.

They are really trying their luck! Deny liability. If they want to pay they will need to take it to court

hmm Yes crowne plaza is a big chain but I’ll bet that hotel is franchised and so it’s the owners trying it on.

And glass absolutely does just shatter. I watched my glass coffee table do just that!

I don’t have time right now to give you any detailed advice, but you need to go on the offensive, hard.

Demand an apology and reinstatement of your children’s memberships. If this is not forthcoming you will seek damages for distress and breach of contract. You will take your photographs and your story to social media and local press. You will escalate a complaint to the highest echelons of xxx fancy spa. Etc etc etc.

Go REALLY hard and they will back down, because they ain’t got shit.

I would go in strong with the risk to my children from an exploding tempered glass door.

I had this with an oven door and a light bulb that was on, I was walking under it and it just shattered, I caught the shards in the hood of my dressing gown and the element burned the wooden table!
Are they a chain or independent? Complain take it to the papers it’s ridiculous.

I agree with others. Id respond stating the door breaking had nothing to do with your mum or the kids, that the company is lucky that no one was hurt with the spontaneous explosion of glass and that you'd like to raise a complaint about the shoddy facilities, fright your children got and report it as a 'near miss' to the Health and Safety Exec. You could even ask how they intend to compensate you for the distress or ask for all your fees to date to be refunded.
Id keep it brief and end the letter with something like 'I trust this brings an end to this matter' and just leave it there. You'll probably never hear from the again and hopefully get your refund.
Alternatively you could go in all guns blazing and cause a scene about the rubbish facilities, health and safety/ risks etc and blaming you without evidence and they'll probably say anything to get rid of you.

Our glass garden table exploded with no explanation. I saw it happen from inside. Nobody was in the garden.
Glass can break like this.
They are trying it on.

Years ago our patio door randomly shattered AND it happened to the oven door (wasn't even hot/in use at the time) So, I'd say it isn't that unusual for a glass door to shatter.
I would request to see the CCTV footage, if I were you.

When ‘shatterproof’ pint glasses were first a thing (break into small chunks rather than big pointy shards), they used to get stressed from the cold drinks and the hot dishwasher and go off randomly on the shelves like bombs.

The pub I worked in started with 20
and had one left by the end of the month, we didn’t order any more!

Glass randomly shattering from temperature changes is absolutely a thing.

Wow! They should be claiming on business insurance and grateful no injuries

A large window of ours spontaneously shattered earlier this year, so yes it does happen.

This. Particularly to suggest it was broken by small children implies it was unsafe in the first place. Imo they are being very foolish. I would have thought they'd want to keep you sweet in case you decided to get litigious!

They should have risk assessments for the glass doors in a shower area, it should foresee risk of things like people slipping in the slippy shower area and colliding with the doors. What are they actually proposing your children did whilst supervised well (1 adult to 2 children) that could cause their presumably risk assessed and well maintained doors to explode shattering glass in all directions?

Another one here whose oven door randomly exploded. ChatGPT it OP. Don’t pay them a penny and ask for a full refund of the cancelled membership.

We had a glass patio table top explode when no one was in the garden. In flats near us on a hot day a glass balcony panel exploded. My sister in law’s oven door exploded. It definitely happens!