# Lovely - Damage!



## JFon101231 (Dec 5, 2008)

Well, my first time plowing the driveway of someone that I hadn't seen without snow, roughly 12" of snow on the ground. Driveway down a small hill, garage is straight ahead, turning left to bring the snow to the pile, and I see the door move. Sh*t, knocked it off the tracks. Finish up the rest, shovel in front, and tell the owner. Was charging her $70, so told her to keep it and we'd settle up after she had someone come look at it. That was Thursday evening.

So today I get a call to come over. She informs me that there is damage to the corner of the house (siding trim edging cracked) and there is a gash in the door. I take a look, and I'll own the siding trim. But, I can't believe I didn't see the gash, since I looked at the door and shoveled in front of it after I knocked it off the tracks. I feel kinda screwed but with no picture I'm not sure what else to do. This person was referred to me by a friend who says she wouldn't try to screw someone but I feel I have no out. She had someone with a backhoe come and move some snow piles back, so how do I know it wasn't there back scoop that did it? The gash seems to be at an odd angle... thoughts?


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## k5PlowGuy (Feb 4, 2009)

I think you're at a loss here, document damage in the future to cover yourself and be careful next time. :salute:


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## Mr.Markus (Jan 7, 2010)

The way you handle yourself will dictate wether you get to make the money back in the future off this client. Own your damage, settle up, make her happy and move forward. Put yourself in their shoes $*** happens.


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## The PuSher MaN (Jan 14, 2009)

You hit the door and dinged the panels, they should be replaced anyway. the gash is irrelevant in my opinion.


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## FordFisherman (Dec 5, 2007)

What size door? They are not that expensive (the panels). Will your insurance cover it?


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## loudcav (Jan 24, 2011)

The PuSher MaN;1223024 said:


> You hit the door and dinged the panels, they should be replaced anyway. the gash is irrelevant in my opinion.


very true you hit the door and it needs replaced so man up who cares if someone else hit a pannel that was already trashed


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## JFon101231 (Dec 5, 2008)

I'm not trying to escape any liability, or looking to avoid "manning up", just looking for thoughts. When I shoveled that area AFTER the snow I was pushing knocked the guide wheels off the door, I didn't see a dent nor a gash. If I knew it was dented before I left and not that both the dent & gash were done by someone else, I wouldn't be complaining about the gash. Now is it possible that there was some snow packed on there, sure, just seems like i would have seen this. In all likelihood it was me, as the chance of someone else hitting it hard enough to gash either before it was put back on the tracks or after and them redoing it again, is pretty low. 

Standard size door. I planned to pay out of pocket as I assume it won't be more than a couple hundred bucks and my insurance would likely go up more than that. I took pics tonight to make sure nothing new showed up, and as said, chalk this up to another lesson. Starting to accumulate an awful lot of those... 

She still wants me to clean her driveway, so I guess I have the opportunity to make things right.


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## loudcav (Jan 24, 2011)

if you hit it hard enough to knock it out of the track then you hit it hard enough to dent it


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## JFon101231 (Dec 5, 2008)

The mental issue I was having was that I hit the door with snow, not my blade (as far as I saw). It is possible that the force was spread across a large enough portion of the door to push it off the track but not impact one specific area. The location and angle of that gash could only have happened when backing up and raising the blade - I hit the door while pushing. It appears perhaps the blade swung slightly and the end made the vertical dent and the edge made the gash. Oh well, its mine now, and I consider it a dead topic.


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## jjklongisland (Nov 13, 2006)

I think you are doing the right thing. Most likely was a chunk of previously frozen snow. Remember, you make one person happy, they tell a few people. You piss one person off they tell tons of people.

An honorable contractor who mans up will always stay busy.


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## the new boss 92 (Nov 29, 2008)

i havent been in your shoes but the guy i work for has, we still have the costomer today and we actually got 3 more driveways out of her. man up, make it right and more work will come your way!


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## MBB (Oct 29, 2005)

had a similar incident a few years back, slid down Hill of ice in front of garage door ( was backing up to push out ) I had stopped way short of the door then felt truck sliding, $400 to repair door single size alum. Oh and the worst part this was a Favor


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## Dissociative (Feb 28, 2007)

please don't be like the lazy ******* SOBs that do my driveway and ran their tank track driven Ariens into the panel in my door leaving a nice Ariens orange paint transfer.........and when i showed the boss they denied it and blamed it on my wester red plow sitting on my truck..:realmad::realmad:

own up


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## Schnabel Plowin (Feb 14, 2010)

Why not plow your own drive? ^


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