No, I would never accept compensation for the mailbox she knocked over while working for you in our home.

Your homeowners insurance should cover it anyway.

Anonymous wrote:No, of course not. It is a bad way to start a relationship with someone who is caring for your children!!

It's a babysitter, you have no duty to continue using her.

Also based on her incompetence I would not continue to use her anyway. God forbid she ever had to drive the children somewhere in an emergency....

Where was it in relationship to your driveway? Was it dark or light colored? Did it have some type of reflector on it? These would contribute to whether she should pay. This could be your fault if it were in a hazardous spot and not illuminated in some way (reflector attached). If you can afford a sitter you have deeper pockets and shouldn't expect her to pay. You'll likely never see her again if you do.

Anonymous wrote:To those who don't want the babysitter to pay for it - what's the logic? If I knock over something I expect i have to pay to fix it. Same applies to others.

Right? Maybe if it were a teenage babysitter, like 16-18 and in high school I'd make sure they only paid a portion because kids don't have tons of money and they're a new driver. But if it were an adult, damn straight they should pay for it.

Anonymous wrote:No, of course not. It is a bad way to start a relationship with someone who is caring for your children!!

But it's a good way for an employee to start a relationship by ruining something with her car?

To those who don't want the babysitter to pay for it - what's the logic? If I knock over something I expect i have to pay to fix it. Same applies to others.

I'd let her pay for half the cost.

MB here. I'd take the high road and not have her pay for it. I'd also keep it in mind and evaluate her driving skills extra carefully if she'll be driving my kids.

Hopefully this will be an anomaly and you'll have a long relationship w/ an otherwise wonderful nanny and you can all laugh about this someday.

I'm sure she feels awful OP and is probably pretty anxious - so be gracious and generous and it may pay huge dividends for your relationship going forward. (And if you're anywhere in the DC area the ground isn't all that frozen anyway - it's not really THAT big a deal.)

Anonymous wrote:She backed into it last night while backing up. She came back and knocked my door and apologized and asked me where to put it. I told her not to worry about it but she texted me later asking me to " let her compensate me." I could tell she felt terrible about it... I am not sure if she wants to pay for it out of pocket or through her insurance.

The mailbox was installed a few months ago so it very new... It's going to be very inconveniencing picking my mail weekly from the post office since I can't have a new one installed when the ground is still frozen

Shit happens. It was her first time backing out of the driveway. It's part of the risk you take when you have someone working in your home.
OP-don't have her pay for it.

Was it magically visible at night?

Anonymous wrote:She backed into it last night while backing up. She came back and knocked my door and apologized and asked me where to put it. I told her not to worry about it but she texted me later asking me to " let her compensate me." I could tell she felt terrible about it... I am not sure if she wants to pay for it out of pocket or through her insurance.

The mailbox was installed a few months ago so it very new... It's going to be very inconveniencing picking my mail weekly from the post office since I can't have a new one installed when the ground is still frozen

I hope she doesn't have a job driving your kids around! If its a regular babysitter (or a neighbor who you have to live with) I would let it go but otherwise considering the expense and inconvenient, I would tell her the amount for new one and installation.

She backed into it last night while backing up. She came back and knocked my door and apologized and asked me where to put it. I told her not to worry about it but she texted me later asking me to " let her compensate me." I could tell she felt terrible about it... I am not sure if she wants to pay for it out of pocket or through her insurance.

The mailbox was installed a few months ago so it very new... It's going to be very inconveniencing picking my mail weekly from the post office since I can't have a new one installed when the ground is still frozen

No, of course not. It is a bad way to start a relationship with someone who is caring for your children!!

How about if one of your neighbors did it?
It depends on many details, doesn't it?

If babysitter backed to your mailbox on her first day of work and damaged it completely would you ask/accept compensation?