£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.

My en suite shower partition shattered in the night. We thought a bomb had gone off. The noise was terrifying.

I am assuming that the CCTV isn’t actually IN the changing room but might be at the entrance to the changing area. So they could confirm no-one else was in the changing room based on entry/exits, but not what happened in that space.

They can't prove you broke it though?! They're just saying that because there were children present. Trying to shift the blame onto them.

Just say you didn't touch it and neither did your grandchildren and then block them.

Why not have Chat GPt write a legal sounding threatening letter in return? Your children could have been hurt. That shower door does not look fit for purpose in a public facility.

Because it'll sound like ChatGPT wrote it and it's likely to be full of legal errors.

They got CSI in?? I dont think so. That letter stinks

This is fecking perfect.

As this says @Showerexplosion ^ I would not want to carry on going to this place anyway. Horrible people.

I have learned one thing from this thread though, I will never EVER have a glass shower screen! Always had a shower curtain, in a shower over the bath, until we moved into this property some 11 years ago, that has a walk-in shower. No glass screens. Thankfully!

What are you going to do @Showerexplosion ??? I am hoping your silence on this thread this morning means you are busy speaking to a solicitor, or trading standards. You need a solicitor to write something very similar to this post I have quoted...

I'm not usually invested in threads (not many anyway!) but I really am hoping you kick these guys asses, and humiliate them, and get a grovelling, humble, apology! Because they ARE trying it on! Keep us updated, and all the best to you! 😘

My shower door exploded spontaneously a couple of years ago and I was cut to bits, I had 40 stitches. No way could your kids have smashed that and not have a mark on them.

I also agree with the posters saying don't get ChatGPT to write the letter for you. Whilst there is lots of helpful stuff on there, it does sometimes get things wrong!

Blimey that's awful.... I hope you're OK now.

This happened in our flat ... the oven door just shattered one day!

Glass Doors can shatter spontaneously without impact ... a quick Google and you have your answer.

DO NOT let them tell you otherwise ... they are chancing it!

CF!

And I would end the membership too as that was a pretty rude response from them.

Your update about one of the children has additional needs - I think they are using the shower as an excuse to discriminate and cancel your membership. Like you say to keep the peace with other members.

I would highlight the discrimination against a disability which I’m sure is illegal?

AI is actually pretty good at this. And you are just looking for something strongly worded, rather than lots of citations of case law. I had a spurious claim against me for an unpaid gas bill at a flat I sold 10 years ago. The gas company had sold the debt to a shark. I used AI as a stating point to send them a F@ck you letter. The spa can fairly obviously f.ck right off. And get your membership fee back. Its hard to believe they have the gall to make this demand. They should be begging you not to make a claim against them (maybe that is their goal, by blame shifting??)

The glass has exploded, you can tell because there is glass both sides of where the door was. If it was smashed there would only be glass in one direction.

Hello @Showerexplosion,

You have your reply as @financialcareerstuffhas totally nailed it!

Good Luck OP!

it absolutely should be safety glass (with a layer of plastic, like car windscreens) in premises like this to avoid glass shattering and injuring bystanders.

@traderbiff

The spa can fairly obviously f.ck right off. And get your membership fee back. Its hard to believe they have the gall to make this demand. They should be begging you not to make a claim against them (maybe that is their goal, by blame shifting??)

Exactly what I said further back - they have issued damage control. Trying to lay the blame on the OP/her family, and scare her into submission, and into paying up, in the hope she believes it's the fault of her mother, (and her children,) so she doesn't get any ideas about sueing them.

This is very likely all going to go very wrong for them. (And I hope it does. I hope they are made to apologise and give compensation!) They should have just apologised, bought her a £100 High Street voucher, and welcomed her back after Christmas. What they have done, and the way they have treated her (and her family) is vile.

.

It definitely can spontaneously explode.

No idea if anyone’s already mentioned it but if you use TikTok, user sydneymaycrouch posted a video only 4 days ago (it says vlogmas day 12 and has the caption “life is lifing at the minute” if anyone’s interested in seeing it for themselves) and towards the end of the video shows her bathroom covered in glass because her shower door spontaneously exploded whilst no one was in the bathroom.

Just for further info, unsure if it's been already addressed @Showerexplosion

I highly doubt CP would be going down the accusation route, it would be fairly reasonable therefore to surmise that your particular hotel pool is franchised.

"Crowne Plaza hotels, including their pools, aren't typically "independently owned" in the traditional sense; they are part of the global IHG (InterContinental Hotels Group) brand, but many individual locations are franchised or managed by separate operators, meaning the pool facilities' specifics and even ownership might vary per hotel, though they follow IHG standards

So it would be useful to call the hotel and find this out.

I would also strongly contest their point that;
"In addition, due to the seriousness of the incident, the safety implications, and the behaviour that led to the damage"

They cannot possibly "know" and it's "interesting" that they only cancelled the childrens' memberships and not your Mum's, even though she was supervising?

I'd trust your suspicions about this personally.

Try not to worry, they do not seem to have a legal leg to stand on, but their discrimination is abhorrent.

Do you have free legal advice on your home insurance? You could contact them for reassurance.

'Independent, professional specialising in glass safety and installation" Total tosh!

Ok, you need to tap it with a sharp point ...

Did you pay your membership fee by credit or debit card? Contact your card provder to see if you can do a chargeback because they are refusing to provide the service you paid for. That is something completely different from the exploding glass door.

Even if your kids had given the shower door some rough treatment - and I do believe your side of the story that they did not - it has got to be robust enough to stand up to that. If they had been injured by the exploding glass the hotel would have been liable. The hotel is completely in the wrong here and effectively lying to cover their own backs not to mention get you to pay for it.

OMG OP, when I saw your title I thought - huh, that isn't much compensation for what must have been a very scary and dangerous situation for your kids! That they want YOU to pay THEM is incredible. I would seriously consider talking to a lawyer about compensation for your children, given that the glass was obviously installed poorly and not maintained well. Good luck!