Here on our 51st sit and hit by a likely financial disaster: the induction cooktop cracked! While using a pan (which was in the drawer along with all the others), I heard a noise, picked up the pan, and saw the crack along with some glass flakes stuck to the pot.
Discovered too late that the pan didn’t have a completely flat bottom, which apparently is important. Otherwise, I have no idea how this happened. Full replacement is likely essential costs $3K - $5K … this is soooo beyond our capabilities!
Please let me know how you would handle this—thanks in advance!
If it’s helpful to know: the HO didn’t talk about the stove at any point or indicate what pans to use or not.
They should have home insurance that would cover it. I would tell them straight away and offer to pay the excess. Mine is £250 on any claim, but the amount varies. There should have been instructions in the Welcome guide for anything unusual but people are so used to their own things they often don’t think about writing it down
Let the hosts know so they can claim against their insurance coverage. What you described can happen to various folks, including the hosts.
Did they tell you about how to use it? We have induction in our latest home and will be letting guests know, because induction isn’t widespread enough for everyone to know how to use it. Likewise in our RV.
So I always find it astonishing that people who spend any significant amount of time in residential complexes of any kind don’t have cheap personal liability insurance, especially since a lot can happen when you’re not familiar with the physical surroundings.
Moreover, I think you can’t just scream at every little thing: but you didn’t show me how to use it. Obviously, you knew right away where the problem was, and therefore to say, we haven’t talked about it before, I find somewhat shoddy.
Induction stoves are really widespread, and I assume that even if you had talked about it, it would have happened anyway?
In my opinion, one must take responsibility for damages caused to other people’s property. I know, some of you see it differently, that’s ok. Personal liability insurance costs us 60 euros a year, family rate.
In the UK we wouldn’t have personal liability insurance for house sitting. People have home and contents cover for just this sort of thing and that usually includes accidental damage which this would come under.
Induction isn’t that popular in the U.S. yet. I haven’t come across one in any of my U.S. sits as an American.
And our insurance industry has many issues. Liability coverage isn’t necessarily affordable or widely available when it comes to causing damage in other folks’ homes.
I must say, your response is not very empathetic. As @Maggie8K says, this could have happened to the hosts. It may be that the induction hob is very old (I hate them as don’t find them as controllable as gas hobs).
I really feel for you but, as @Cuttlefish suggests, do tell the hosts straight away what has happened. They may well surprise you and be understanding. Perhaps the hob is old. I’ve never heard of one cracking like that, but know they have to have special pans. I dislike them personally. Hopefully they have accidental insurance cover.
Well, it was my intention to write what I feel and not to be empathetic. I think the PS triggered me a bit. I find induction much better than gas hobs, but obviously I use it a lot more and have more practice with it than with gas.
This is true. But if the damaged was caused as a direct result of THEIR faulty equipment, the sitter shouldn’t be responsible, IMO. If the HO is keeping pans that shouldn’t be used on the hob, they need to either store them elsewhere or let the sitter know not to use them.
[quote=“Fatamorgana, post:11, topic:55798”]
Well, it was my intention to write what I feel and not to be empathetic. [/quote]
OUCH! Go easy! This forum is supposed to be a helpful place, not a critical or judgemental one. It’s designed to help those that have a problem, to give them solutions, not to make them feel bad. I can see you haven’t been a member of the forum for long, so you probably didn’t realise it’s a much friendlier place than other forums.
In such an international community as ours, I really don’t understand these sweeping comments “that some things are “widespread, insurance is cheap”, etc, etc.
A stovetop is made for the use intended. A glass stove top, with or without induction, should not break from an uneven pot. The consequence of such a pot is that it will not be warm, or be warm very slowly. If it breaks it has probably reached its due date.
«While glass top stoves are not complicated to replace, the cracking and breaking of the glass could be an indicator that it is time to replace your stove and oven entirely. Most ovens and stovetops are made to last between 15 to 20 years . Some will last longer, and some won’t last as long.»
How old is the top/ kitchen?
If it is broken, unless you did something reckless (I know one of those broke as a grown man stood on it with boots. Not me. ) it was due to happen most likely. Nobodys fault.
If it is quite new covered by warranty, somewhat older maybe insurance, near due date probably nothing.
Take some photos, tell the host it is broken, if you want, say «it could be covered by warranty or insurance if it is not too old» .
I wouldn’t ask a sitter or anyone to cover if it didn’t qualify for warranty/ home insurance and wouldn’t offer. If you offer - the correct amount would cover the remaining expected life span. NOT a new one.
Induction cooktops are supposed to last about 10 years on average, we were told when we went with one during a remodel. Of course, each maker has different quality, so there’s variance. And there might be recalls or a pattern of problems with a certain model, which is worth checking online. Like we googled for ones to avoid.
I think the PS triggered me a bit. I find induction much better than gas hobs, but obviously I use it a lot more and have more practice with it than with gas.
) it was due to happen most likely. Nobodys fault.