Car Wash Fundraiser Issue

[cc2012]

Had a car wash fundraiser this past weekend. Everything was going great till this lady came and asked we only use sponges and nothing else to wash her SUV. The kids did a great job and a parent rinsed it off. She left and came back with a crack on her windsheild and claimed she heard the nozzle of the water hose hit the windshield and that it was a kid with a orange shirt who was holding the water hose. She said she was going next door to the dealership and getting an estimate and if we would pay cause it wasnt there when she drove up. None of the other parents remember seeing anything on the windshield when she drove up but one did see the crack when drying the SUV off. She left and called us to say it was 216 to replace and that she could meet us Monday to get the money to pay for the windshield. After explaining to her we dont have the money right now and to give us time she said ok and went on to say its not her car and on and on. She said she would call around to other places to get other quotes cause she wasnt after the boys to get money. Well she came back to get something in writing so we said just call the police to get a report done and we can go from there. Has anyone ever had this happen to them before. Cause she sounds shady. After the cop left and told her she had to go through her ins co she went to discount tire and was getting new tires. For a car that wasnt hers! Just want soome feed back. She hasnt called us since. Just curious. Sorry for the long story.

[nldscout]

My response would be to tell her we are not paying. She never said anything about it when she was there and left only to come back later, I think not.

 

It would take more that a hose touching a windshield to crack it.

 

Lastly, its not even her car.

 

 

[Stosh]

Go through the proper process.

 

Get her name/address/insurance company.

Call the police to get an official police report.

Give her the name of the troop and CC.

 

Once she has done all that her insurance company can come and ask for a settlement. After all she may have sufficient coverage that the windshield will be paid in full by the insurance company. Let them do their job.

 

Anyone not agreeing with following proper procedures should be eyed with a bit of suspicion.

 

Even if one of the boys did break the windshield, it is to be handled by the adults. If the boy is responsible, he can pay back the troop once all the dust has settled.

 

Stosh

[eisely]

Ask yourself how a commercial car wash would handle such a claim made under these circumstances. I think the question answers itself.

[CalicoPenn]

First: Never Admit Culpability. I know we are Boy Scouts and it might not jive with the Scout Law but Never Admit Fault - not verbally, not in writing - ever. If you do, even if insurance will fully cover a windshield replacement, it gives the insurance company a way to come back at you for their out of pocket because you admitted that you were at fault.

 

Call the police and make sure a report is filed. Exchange insurance information (if you happen to have yours - most people won't - at the very least, exchange name, addresses and phone numbers.

 

Never offer to pay for the replacement - anything could have broken that window and that crack could have been there when she pulled up. It may very well have happened at your car wash if the window was particularly hot and was hit by cold water but in that case, a strong case could be made that the reason the windshield cracked was because the windshield was defective. Again, leave it to the insurance company.

 

It's a smart idea to inform your CO or however holds your insurance policy just to give them a heads up.

 

Then clam up and don't talk about it to anyone until you have to.

 

BTW - Welcome to the forum

[JoeBob]

Curious,

 

If she HEARD the impact and SAW the boy in the orange shirt with the hose, why did she drive off without checking for a chip or crack first?

[boomerscout]

Don't give her any money. Tell her you will pay the glass shop directly for her (cheaper than a dealership glass). Once she drove off your lot the first time, it kind of lessened her claim. A chip could have already been there, and just decided to expand at that time.

In any case, work thru her insurance company if you can.

[RichardB]

http://www.scouting.org/filestore/pdf/680-016_fillable.pdf

[Basementdweller]

Nice

 

A link to a useless form.......

 

So is national gonna pay for the broken wind shield????

[nldscout]

You probably should tell your CO so if a claim is filed they would know.

 

Other than that you should do nothing. You shouldn't report it to the police, you definatly should not respond to her at all. Any coorospondence you receive give to your CO, but don't talk or communicate with her.

 

This is a civil matter, not a criminal matter for the police.

[Basementdweller]

At least Richard didn't tell you that the boys weren't allowed with in 5 feet of the bucket.....

 

You must be 14 and first class to handle a charged water hose no greater than 3/4 in diameter and no greater than 75psi.

[qwazse]

So is national gonna pay for the broken wind shield????

 

Whatever is not covered by insurance. It's an accident during a scouting activity, so maybe it would be worth the paper push. It can't hurt to try.

Anyway get your scout exec on the line. Probably should have been your first move.

[gsdad]

Was there anyone taking pictures of the event? If so, check for any pictures of the car. It looks to me like she is trying to scam a windshield.

[Gunny2862]

Agree with most of the above, what was the location and outside temp? If she left the lot and came back, I'd probably not entertain her claim at all, not sure if that's there or if I'm reading it in that she left and came back.

 

This kind of thing wasn't uncommon down in South Florida, most fundraisers I dealt with down there had a "At Own Risk" disclaimer, form, to be signed at the donation/payment table depending on what organization was doing it. Because the business owners who would let us do Washes on their lots had had enough of people coming after them.

 

Cold Water and REALLY hot glass don't mix. At least not as well as you might think.

 

If someone tried that here in the middle of flyover country though, I'd be much more inclined to let the Insurance folks play their games. If it's that hot, we probably are going swimming instead of washing cars here in the mid-states, so I've not seen that happen around here.

 

[frankpalazzi]

From what I read in the OP, definitely a scam. The owner's insurance company should handle everything. "Meet me on _____ so I can get the cash" is a red flag, IMO.