£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.

One pane of my double glazed Bi-folds shattered. It was so strange though as the outer glass was impacted by a small ladder falling against it in heavy winds making a loud bang, but no obvious damage (I looked up to see). However 3 x days later the 'inner' pane shattered (not the outer one). As a result the inspector couldn't claim on storm damage as expected, but instead on accidental damage, similar to a valuable falling vase instead. They paid out £1750 without quibble and I had a new double glazed unit replaced thank goodness.

You reply stating that the door spontaneously shattered and that it is extremely fortunate that xxx and xxxx suffered no physical damage. That the pictures suggest that the door was not properly installed or maintained and that while you do not wish to risk being harmed by any such failures in future you expect a full refund of the membership fees. Should they wish to take this further you will sue for the emotional damage to those present at the time and for defaming your family.

I remember being on the escalator in a high street shop one Friday evening going down when the glass on the opposite stairs spontaneously cracked. There was no one on that escalator at the time. I just reported it to one of the sales assistants. It was safety glass and it just cracked!

Yes it does @KilkennyCats! My shower door exploded. I wasn’t even in the bathroom and it had been installed by the previous owners (so it had been there for a few years).
So it can happen, and I can’t see how they would be able to tell how it was broken if it is completely shattered. In my case it had a lifetime guarantee and they sent me a new one no questions asked.
I would have assumed they can’t prove mishandling of the door and their insurance would cover it. Read their t&cs about cancelling your contract to see if they should pay you the remainder of your membership.

I was once in a glass pod at work. I was on a Teams meeting and the door just cracked and the exploded and glass went everywhere. I was sitting at a desk and had not misused it.
it does happen.
they can’t make you responsible unless they have complete proof I.e a witness or cctv that says the children were messing around with the door

@ThreeDeafMice burst or shatter violently and noisily as a result of rapid combustion, decomposition, excessive internal pressure, or other process, typically scattering fragments widely.

It doesn't burst.

It shatters and falls on the ground.

An explosion is when something blows apart in all directions. Shattered glass just falls straight down to the ground.

My friend's conservatory glass roof spontaneously exploded. Noone was in there at the time. They have no evidence that your grandsons were responsible for the damage. They're just trying it on. And why are they not showing any concern that anyone might have been injured? I don't think any court would find you liable.

I haven't read all the posts, but just your posts OP. This happened in a hotel we stayed at recently. Not sure what happened at the time, but when my daughter took my grand daughter swimming, they were handing out slippers to wear in the changing room. My daughter came out, put her boot on and a shard of glass cut her foot...the hotel were initially fairly casual about the entire thing, and said they had intended to pay for her meal that evening, but we had already settled the bill. She had to be most insistent on check-out (her room was horrendous with a huge hole in the floor, that she tripped on...it was not the best experience) and the manager got involved, apologised profusely and refunded her night's stay.

I think I recall them saying the glass had just shattered earlier - the showers were dated and in need of a refresh IMO and they obviously hadn't cleaned up properly afterwards, so it does happen.

Also, my late Mum was sitting in her living room one day and she heard an almighty noise, went through to the bathroom and her shower screen had completely shattered. No one was anywhere near it, she lived alone. So, it does happen.

I would send a reply saying utterly ridiculous notion, your children could have been hurt...ask to see their evidence. Why are they recording children and adults for that matter in showers? Are they saying they have evidence of them actually breaking the door? Seems to be very odd. Or are they concluding because your autistic son was shouting out in the pool area, that his behaviour "could" have led to him messing with the shower door? That is a huge leap and frankly I would shut that down immediately. Maybe consult a solicitor or threaten them with a counter claim if they do not take back their invoice and reimburse your membership fully?

Best of luck

Firstly yes glass can explode spontaneously, I’ve had it happen twice, front door panel and oven door.

Secondly my first thought was that they are doing this to deflect any claim you have towards them. If you haven’t gone down this route in your response then I’d recommend you ‘mention’ it…

They are chancers, My mother's glass shower door shattered one night, no one was anywhere near it. I wasn't even the bathroom that was used very often. It happens more than you'd think.

The shattering is the safety aspect. It’s to prevent shards cutting people.

Agreed. They're getting their 'defence' in first.

Exactly this and they certainly shouldn't be seeking to blame their guests without proper proof and evidence.
They're lucky that the Health and Safety Executive aren't involved.

Yes, it can happen. I had a display table with an inch thick glass on the top. One morning when I opened my shop the glass was everywhere. It literally exploded at some point over night.
They are trying their luck, unless they have a firm evidence that it caused by your children. I hope you will get it sorted in your favour

I would be taking legal action against them for endangering my children. I wouldn’t panic, they have insurance for things like this and it’s their word against yours. They are obviously trying to recover losses from having to pay an excess. Tell them your kids have PTSD from the incident and you will be claiming on their public liability insurance for compensation. I would also not be dealing with this place ever again, fucking chancers.

I used to deal with public liability claims at an insurance company a long long time ago. We had loads of claims over the years for people being injured by exploding shower doors etc. we always had claims for distress / injuries. It was accepted that they can be faulty usually and no foul play suspected on the part of the premises users. I do wonder if you need advice from a solicitor. Ultimately it is for them to prove and pursue you. Your mum might need to give evidence in court potentially.

It shatters and falls on the ground.

I don't think that matches most people's experience of this kind of event.

It's quite violent, as many people in this thread will confirm. The word explode, explosion or variations on it has been used more than 400 times in this thread so far.

One poster reported needing multiple stitches after being lacerated by an exploding piece of toughened glass.

Safety glass can definitely spontaneously explode, we had it with a garden table and looked it up. They can't sue you, but do you still want to be a member?

I have worked with bathrooms for 20+ uears. This has happened to many shower doors supplied by different brands. They can shatter due to Thermal shock, manufacturing processes can cause defects which is common, and a slight bang or improper installation can weaken the glass. Plus with high traffic can result in the glass becoming weaker over time and exploding. There is no way a specialist can 100 percent be certain how damage can occur. They can only assume

It certainly can burst, it can also shatter and fall to the floor. In some cases glass which is damaged with physical contact shatters and falls.

glass which has built up pressure from thermal shock, a defect within the glass or installation mishandling. Will explode and burst outwards in all directions. And can physically harm anyone nearby. Personal opinions are respected but not always valid.

Ok, so I'm no glass expert, but surely if the kids had been mucking about and some how pulled that door off the hinges, surely the glasses wouldn't be going in 2 different directions like that? And they'd have been covered in glass/cuts!? There would be blood from their feet? It definitely looks more like an explosion than 2 kids messing around. I'd Speak to a solicitor and get a letter drafted.

There's some very silly advice here about threatening to sue the venue for emotional trauma/distress etc...one poster even suggested OP lying about her children having PTSD!

You cannot sue someone because something made you upset. You can indeed sue for emotional distress, but the bar is extremely high - there has to be a medically diagnosed psychiatric illness impacting your life and you have to evidence that it exists as a direct result of the other party's negligence.

A single door shattering would be extremely unlikely to qualify as an act of negligence, unless the venue were aware of an issue with those particular doors and installed them anyway, or they did not meet UK safety regulations.

Personally I think if the children had broken it they would probably have been hurt as it takes a lot to break that sort of glass. As there was also 2 6 year olds their stories would not match if they were lying either.

Most do seem to just fall, but the ones I have heard that actually explode outwards seem to have a heat factor involved such as a table in the sun or oven doors.

Silleyseason's letter, except change the word unfounded to unreasonable. They're definitely asking you for the money, it's their conclusion that is unfounded.