Repairman Damaged Our Property

[tRad]

California

Hi here, recently a repairman came into our apartment to fix various things, one of which was the shower head, during the repairs he dropped his wrench and chipped multiple spots of the bathtubs porcelain. He offered to paint over the chips, at no extra cost, but is not offering any sort of compensation for the value of the bathtub that has now been reduced since patchwork will always show through. Is there a case here, where we should be able to gain some sort of compensation such as no charge to the original repairs or something?

Thanks.

 

[quincy]

California

Hi here, recently a repairman came into our apartment to fix various things, one of which was the shower head, during the repairs he dropped his wrench and chipped multiple spots of the bathtubs porcelain. He offered to paint over the chips, at no extra cost, but is not offering any sort of compensation for the value of the bathtub that has now been reduced since patchwork will always show through. Is there a case here, where we should be able to gain some sort of compensation such as no charge to the original repairs or something?

Thanks.

Was the repairman licensed and insured?

 

[tranquility]

California

Hi here, recently a repairman came into our apartment to fix various things, one of which was the shower head, during the repairs he dropped his wrench and chipped multiple spots of the bathtubs porcelain. He offered to paint over the chips, at no extra cost, but is not offering any sort of compensation for the value of the bathtub that has now been reduced since patchwork will always show through. Is there a case here, where we should be able to gain some sort of compensation such as no charge to the original repairs or something?

Thanks.

How much, in money, do you think you were hurt?

 

[tRad]

The repairman was licensed, not sure if he was insured.
As for damages cost, not sure, but right now we were charged $250 for the cost of repairing everything else, he said he would cover the cost of the damaged tub, however to my knowledge the tub would never look the same, having random patch marks everywhere. The value of the unit will have gone down as well because of this. We would need to either get the tub replaced ($3000-4000), or at the very least not be charged for the visit. Because now we're left with a permanently damaged tub. They are refusing compensation outside of covering the cost of the repairs, and as for the repairs, it would take a week to accomplish and now I have to remain home on various days during the week waiting for them to constantly come in and do their repairs.
Just want to know if we are entitled for some sort of compensation for the permanent damages?

 

[quincy]

The repairman was licensed, not sure if he was insured.
As for damages cost, not sure, but right now we were charged $250 for the cost of repairing everything else, he said he would cover the cost of the damaged tub, however to my knowledge the tub would never look the same, having random patch marks everywhere. The value of the unit will have gone down as well because of this. We would need to either get the tub replaced ($3000-4000), or at the very least not be charged for the visit. Because now we're left with a permanently damaged tub. They are refusing compensation outside of covering the cost of the repairs, and as for the repairs, it would take a week to accomplish and now I have to remain home on various days during the week waiting for them to constantly come in and do their repairs.
Just want to know if we are entitled for some sort of compensation for the permanent damages?

You are entitled to compensation for the damages caused by the repairman when he dropped his wrench and chipped your tub, but it is highly unlikely you will get a full tub replacement.

Porcelain patching, when done properly, is durable and does not have to look like random patch marks. The key, however, is hiring someone who knows how to properly patch porcelain. If you don't believe the repairman is qualified, you can have someone who is qualified come out and give an estimate for repair, or you can get several estimates. A person who does old home renovations could have good skill in the art of porcelain repair. Present the estimate(s) to the repairman and negotiate from there.

Good luck.

 

[OHRoadwarrior]

You are not entitled to the value of a new tub. You are entitled to the value of a used tub. 10 years is about the longest the court stretches useful life. So if the tub is 11 years old, it has no value so repairman would owe nothing.