Anonymous wrote:I still don't understand how a piece of mulch could have caused a hole in the seat. Sounds a bit crazy.

+1 I am really curious about this too.

So, if this happened in a car owned by the parents? Would the nanny then be responsible?

Yeah I agree this is a weird story, maybe I'm just not visualizing it correctly.

OP it sounds odd that a piece of mulch could do this much damage before you noticed, but if it did I do believe that falls under normal wear and tear which is covered by the IRS mileage rate. You need to be sure the children clean their shoes after going to the park.

The same goes for food and drink - if you allow it in your car and it's spilled, that's your responsibility.

Cases in which you should ask to be reimbursed: willful destruction or wildly unusual scenarios. A child throwing a rock at your car, scratching it (on purpose or while trying to help like PP described), something like that.

If you feel like there is too much damage being done too often for your liking, you need to renegotiate the terms of your car usage at your 6 or 12 month meeting.

I would be put off if our nanny asked us to pay for damage done to her car like the damage you described. A piece of mulch is not sharp enough to puncture a seat to the point where stuffing is coming out of a brand new car. I would be suspicious that something other than my children caused the damage and she was just trying to get money out of me. On the other hand, if it was caused by my children, why are they near something sharp enough to puncture the seat? Either way I would be very displeased

Isn't your car still under warranty?

I still don't understand how a piece of mulch could have caused a hole in the seat. Sounds a bit crazy.

I agree, this sounds a bit petty. I'm not sure I understand how a piece of mulch destroyed the seat of your car, but if that is the case then I don't see how you can ask the parents to pay since their child "probably maybe" tracked it in. you should have been paying attention to what was going in your car

signed, a nanny

I install the seats myself and get them checked by a cpst. It's you're responsibility as the driver to know they are installed properly. There is absolutely know way a piece of mulch could get under a properly installed seat.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm thinking the seat wasn't installed correctly if a piece of mulch got underneath it. This falls on op. Had the parents given a seat with a broken bottom or something sharp on it then I'd say it's on them

Actually, DB installed the seats when I got the car.

that doesn't mean they are correctly installed. 80% of car seats are incorrectly installe.

Anonymous wrote:You were negligent in not making sure your charge's shoes were clean. You also apparently are not good at keeping your new car clean if a piece of mulch goes unnoticed for so long it makes a hole in your seat. It's on you to take care of you car and the parents shouldn't have to pay for your negligence.

That said, they should pay the IRS rate to cover gas and wear and tear on your vehicle. As long as they do this, they are already covering part of your vehicle's upkeep.

I think negligent is a little harsh.

You were negligent in not making sure your charge's shoes were clean. You also apparently are not good at keeping your new car clean if a piece of mulch goes unnoticed for so long it makes a hole in your seat. It's on you to take care of you car and the parents shouldn't have to pay for your negligence.

That said, they should pay the IRS rate to cover gas and wear and tear on your vehicle. As long as they do this, they are already covering part of your vehicle's upkeep.

Anonymous wrote:I'm thinking the seat wasn't installed correctly if a piece of mulch got underneath it. This falls on op. Had the parents given a seat with a broken bottom or something sharp on it then I'd say it's on them

Actually, DB installed the seats when I got the car.

I'm thinking the seat wasn't installed correctly if a piece of mulch got underneath it. This falls on op. Had the parents given a seat with a broken bottom or something sharp on it then I'd say it's on them

Anonymous wrote:The parents didn't do it and had no way of preventing it. They weren't there, you were. This is why you don't install car seats w/o putting a towel or protective cover down first. Seems like you would have known that since it cost well over $20k and all.

A thin towel or receiving blanket is fine, but you should never use those protective covers they sell. They are known to mask bad car seat installs.

The parents didn't do it and had no way of preventing it. They weren't there, you were. This is why you don't install car seats w/o putting a towel or protective cover down first. Seems like you would have known that since it cost well over $20k and all.