I hate having neighbors

[blueiis99]

I know she didn't ask to have her window hit and I know I have to pay for it but I feel I should have seen the estimates since I'm paying for it.

She only has the right to be made whole. Not get expensive windows
You have the right to see the bill and pay the company or see her cancelled check or paid bill and reimburse for depreciated value
You are definitely being the bigger person for just paying what she asked

 

[bettymae1121]

I don't think she should have gotten additional estimates. But I do think she should have shown you a copy of the receipt saying it was in fact $450. I'm sure she's being honest since $450 sounds reasonable but still she should have offered, not just to show the price but that infact the work was done.

I'd also pay by check as proof of payment so she can't later claim you stiffed her. Again I'm sure she's honest but better safe than sorry later.

 

[TiggerTails57]

Be glad it wasn't a hospital bill with someones eye shot out!

 

[usnuzuloose]

Even in the court systems, they ask for a few estimates. The kids need to be held accountable. The windows need to be paid for. But she is entitled to see a few estimates and see the damage. The kids need to apologize to the neighbor as well.

 

[mickeyboat]

Your neigbor should have worked with you to come up with the most reasonable option to make herself whole.

Did they replace the entire window or just the broken glass? It is possible in some cases to just replace the glass, depending on the type of window.

That being said. My children would have been in mucho troube for using their bb guns in such a reckless manner. And I am quite surprised that you allow them to use bb guns without supervision.

 

[Tuffcookie]

She only has the right to be made whole. Not get expensive windows
You have the right to see the bill and pay the company or see her cancelled check or paid bill and reimburse for depreciated valueYou are definitely being the bigger person for just paying what she asked

The OP stated in her first post the neighbor came over with the bill.

"reimburse for depreciated value"? You've got to be kidding?

TC

 

[Princess Dolly]

It is the neighbor's right to hire who she wants to repair/replace the windows. It shouldn't be her concern to try to save you a few bucks if your kids did shoot out her windows.

TC

Exactly.

I can't believe some of the posts here. I'm sure the responses to this thread would be waaaay different if the OP posted the other side of the story...neighbors kid broke my window with a BB gun. She said she would pay for it, but got all upset when I gave her the bill. The nerve!

 

[Pea-n-Me]

I think you could have been more proactive by having conversations with your neighbor rather than leaving notes in the mailbox. I don't blame her from taking matters into her own hands. Hopefully this is a lesson for your boys in responsibility with those guns.

 

[LisaR]

Your kids were shooting a BB gun at a neighbors house, broke not one, not two, but three of their windows and you are mad at your neighbor?

You want to be allowed to pick the contractor? If it is MY house, I get to pick who I want to do the job not my neighbor.

You want to save money on the repairs your kids caused by having your husband install the windows? You may think your husband is a great window installer but unless that is his occupation, no way would I let him do that to my home. What if the windows leak or have other issues?

If your kids are going to continue shooting BB guns around the neighborhood, you may want to look living in the country sooner rather than later. Or, here's a thought, take their guns away because you live in an area where it isn't conducive to shooting them off.

 

[mickeyboat]

Exactly.

I can't believe some of the posts here. I'm sure the responses to this thread would be waaaay different if the OP posted the other side of the story...neighbors kid broke my window with a BB gun. She said she would pay for it, but got all upset when I gave her the bill. The nerve!

Point taken. But it would also be appropriate for the neighbor to make a reasonable attempt to keep the cost to a minimum. For example she should not get brand new Anderson windows if there was a reasonable alternative to fix or replace the window. And the OP tried to touch base with the neighbor, but she did not respond.

Edited to clarify since people are still quoting this post 9 pages later. The neighbor should not get brand new Anderson windows to replace cheap vinyl replacement windows.

I am aware that $450 would not cover the cost of three new Anderson windows.

That being said, I still think that the neighbor should have touched base with the OP so that both are satisfied with the repairs and the cost of those repairs. I also don't think the OP should have had control over who did the repairs. But the OP should not have been surprised after the fact about the bill.

 

[footballmouse]

All she had to do is CALL a couple of other window companies like I did. I gave them the measurements and guess what, they gave me an estimate. It took a total of 15 minutes to call 2 places. It was an accident, not like my kids were going around shooting people's windows. The glass wasn't shattered so it wasn' like she didn't have windows in her house. I offered so pay for it, I was going to set up the companies coming over to INSTALL THEM. I asked for some info to get things started and she ignores me but then can come over to hand me a bill. Would you be pissed, yes you would.

 

[Princess Dolly]

All she had to do is CALL a couple of other window companies like I did. I gave them the measurements and guess what, they gave me an estimate. It took a total of 15 minutes to call 2 places. It was an accident, not like my kids were going around shooting people's windows. The glass wasn't shattered so it wasn' like she didn't have windows in her house. I offered so pay for it, I was going to set up the companies coming over to INSTALL THEM. I asked for some info to get things started and she ignores me but then can come over to hand me a bill. Would you be pissed, yes you would.

Sorry but I wouldn't want someone picking out my window. And I don't believe in always going with the lowest estimate. You broke it, you bought it.

 

[cabanafrau]

$450 for 3 windows? Incredible deal.

No way on earth I would have accepted the word of the neighbor whose kids shot out windows in my house that he is qualified to do the repair and I sure as heck wouldn't jeopardize the lifetime warranty on my windows to mitigate your liability either.

If you think the $450 is too much, thank your kids. You got off incredibly easy & are darned lucky you & your kids aren't in the juvenile court system for causing injury to someone. Ralphie's mom was right to worry about shooting someone's eye out.

 

[sam_gordon]

Did I miss it somewhere? Did the OP ever say the kids didn't get in trouble? That the kids didn't have to give up the gun? That she wasn't mad at the kids? That they weren't "working off" the expense?

Oh wait, this is the DIS where unless stated otherwise everyone needs to assume the worst about a poster.

OP, IMO, it would have been nice for the neighbor to get quotes from other repair places, but was that truly an option? Were they custom windows or something that only the installer could repair? While the way she handled it would be frustrating, I don't see it as a "hill to die on".

 

[sam_gordon]

All she had to do is CALL a couple of other window companies like I did. I gave them the measurements and guess what, they gave me an estimate. It took a total of 15 minutes to call 2 places. It was an accident, not like my kids were going around shooting people's windows. The glass wasn't shattered so it wasn' like she didn't have windows in her house. I offered so pay for it, I was going to set up the companies coming over to INSTALL THEM. I asked for some info to get things started and she ignores me but then can come over to hand me a bill. Would you be pissed, yes you would.

I'm curious. How did the estimates you got compare to the $450 final bill?

 

[RitaE]

sell the bb guns to pay for the windows.

 

[usnuzuloose]

There is nothing wrong for a few estimates, as long as it for the same type of window.

 

[TiggerTails57]

sell the bb guns to pay for the windows.

 

[TheIncredibles!]

Why was the kid allowed free access to a BB gun in a congested area to begin with? We live on 4 acres bordering a state park. My sons have BB guns and air rifles that can be shot without even coming close to our own house let alone somebody else's house yet they are not allowed to just play with them. They can only use them if my husband is with them and they are at the shooting range we have created on the back half of our property.

Lessons to be learned not just for the kid but for the parents as well.....

 

[mdsoccermom]

Point taken. But it would also be appropriate for the neighbor to make a reasonable attempt to keep the cost to a minimum. For example she should not get brand new Anderson windows if there was a reasonable alternative to fix or replace the window. And the OP tried to touch base with the neighbor, but she did not respond.

The neighbor should get at a minimum what she had. If she had good Anderson windows, then that's what she should get. She shouldn't settle for less because her neighbor's kids are irresponsible.

The OP said she kept leaving notes. Did it ever occur to her that the neighbor never received the notes? I think most people would have actually gone over and rang the bell. And if the neighbor wasn't home, she'd keep trying until she reached her.

All she had to do is CALL a couple of other window companies like I did. I gave them the measurements and guess what, they gave me an estimate. It took a total of 15 minutes to call 2 places. It was an accident, not like my kids were going around shooting people's windows. The glass wasn't shattered so it wasn' like she didn't have windows in her house. I offered so pay for it, I was going to set up the companies coming over to INSTALL THEM. I asked for some info to get things started and she ignores me but then can come over to hand me a bill. Would you be pissed, yes you would.

If your kids did damage to my property, there is no way on earth I would allow you to determine who installed the windows and what kind. My idea of quality could be very different from yours.

Your kids did the damage, now you guys have to suffer the consequences. Frankly, I think $450.00 for 3 windows sounds like a freaking bargain.