What would you do?

Question

This happened last summer but the subject came up and I'm curious what others think. My neighbours were having a fire next door and a spark/ash flew in the wind and put a hole in my parents pool (it was the big inflatable intext pool). I thought insurance would cover something like this. Anyway my parents are pretty well off and my neighbour lives alone and barely makes ends meet. I know it's her fault but she's also been really good to us. She's given us a lot of baby things and gifts. My parents told her to pay for a new pool up front. I personally thought that was hasty, awkward and inappropriate...what would you guys have done? It was an accident..personally I wouldn't have done anything, to me it's not a big deal.

Answer

Replace it? There isn't a way to patch it? I would have offered to give some money personally, but replacing it is strange.

Answer

If my neighbor wasn't well off and I was, I would just pay for a new pool and move on. It's not anyone's fault. Wind happens.

Answer

Lol "her fault"?? More like freak accident. It's not her fault at all. That's a risk of having a plastic pool. If a sharp leaf landed on it are they gonna charge the tree?? That makes me sad that they did that.

Answer

It's a pool and she didnt do it on purpose... i'd let that balloon go.

Answer

Let me make sure I'm getting this

Your neighbor had a fire (like a BBQ?) the wind blew and some of the sparks landed on your parents inflatable pool, so your parents are holding her at fault for the wind blowing and causing the flames to land on their stuff and put a hole in? And they want her to pay for it?
 
So if the wind blows and a tree branch from another yard got knocked into their pool and caused a hole would they still want to hold that neighbor at fault!?

Do they have proof that it came from the neighbor fire?

Answer

Your parents can't try to go through their insurance? I don't know how any of that works but maybe they can try that avenue.

Answer

If it was something more expensive than an inflatable pool then I would say pay for it. Like the gravel of our neighbor's house breaking our windows in the last wind storm.

I would say, let it be and just go buy another pool.

Answer

It's an inflatable intex pool... Its not like she knocked out a retaining wall and cracked the concrete in an underground pool. Stick a patch over that crap and be done with it. If it can't be patched then your parents need to either cut their losses on the pool and just get rid of it. Which would save them thousands in homeowners insurance by the way.... Or if they want a new one they can buy one themselves. High winds, a twig, a decent storm, a hook or button on a swimsuit or pool toy, ANYTHING could have done the same thing. That's the risk you take when you invest in cheap inflatable products. They arent meant to last forever.

Answer

Were they there when it happened? How do they know it came from her or are they just assuming? Also if she's been good to you in the past I'd go speak to her and apologise for your parents behaviour and let her know you don't agree with what they're trying to do. If your parents are that adamant she should be paying for it then they should take her to small claims and watch as the judge laughs at them for behaving stupidly.

Answer

Your neighbor isn't at fault because the wind blew an ember and it put a hole in the pool.
Sometimes these things just happen.

What would you do?

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