I really hate compensation culture

[synaesthesia]

Especially when it feeds morons like this:

 

Flaming work laptop toasts cottage ? The Register

 

I have a host of words to describe this former teacher and none of them are suitable for a public forum. Why blame OFSTED or her employer? Did they personally come and strike a match?

 

She pays more for her insurance anyway, being in a high fire risk property and also with it being grade 2 listed. She is already aware her house is more likely to burn down than an average town house.

 

I sympathise slightly when she was told by "tech support" whoever that was, said to leave it on for the fan to operate. How would she or they know the fan was even working correctly?

 

Needs to take it up with the laptop supplier if anything.

All I can think of otherwise is stones, glass houses.

[jamesb]

On the other hand she's not going for any damages for emotional distress, or anything else along those lines - she's simply trying to get the extra to cover repairs. I've got a lot of sympathy for her, although I agree the laptop supplier should be the target rather than OFSTED.

[Rydra]

I have machines ranging from a few months old to 12 years old, and I can say quite happily that none of them are likely to set themselves on fire.

 

This is either a fault with the laptop, or the stupidity of the user. I'd be curious to know where she stored the laptop to cause it to burn down her house in an hour... I've had laptops so hot you could cook off them, being stored in a laptop bag surrounded by paper, and never spontaneously combusted.

 

Either way, I just cannot see how an employer can be responsible for this unless they ordered her to store it in a pile of combustible material and wait..

[creese]

Isn't there a clue in the word 'retired'. Why hadn't she returned the government owned laptop?

[Rydra]

retired teacher, working for ofsted as an assessor of some sorts i read it as.

[Martin]

"The blaze, which investigators believe was caused by an electrical fault" - no mention of a laptop there? Or maybe Eileen Visser is more cleverer than a fire investigator (so much cleverer that she decided to go for an hour's walk leaving a hot, problematic electrical device plugged in and operating)!

 

mb

[creese]

retired teacher, working for ofsted as an assessor of some sorts i read it as.

 

Quote 'A retired schools inspector is suing her former employer'

 

Unless she retired after the fire.

[Rydra]

Well, if you'd just sued your employer, would you hang around for much longer?

[featured_spectre]

NOBODY is liable apart from the laptop manufacturers, and that is ONLY if they IMPLICITELY KNEW that the laptop was prone to combusting. Otherwise, nobody is at fault.

[creese]

Well, if you'd just sued your employer, would you hang around for much longer?

 

Not the point, but yeh, too right I would. It's what unions are for.

[difinity]

Perhaps she should have checked that her insurance would cover her fully, regardless of what caused the damage ?

[creese]

Perhaps she should have checked that her insurance would cover her fully, regardless of what caused the damage ?

 

100 grand shortfall would suggest she was underinsured.

[penfold]

The fire happened in 2007 I assume she retired since then. But the only way she can make a blame on someone else is due to being told to leave the laptop powered on to cool down which as a result caused the fire. But lets be honest it was no ones fault (ok maybe a lack of common sense) but I'm not quite sure why the insurance would not cover the full cost of damages.

 

Edit: As she is only claiming the deficit it would suggest that she doesn't think the problem was caused by her former employer otherwise she would have sued for FULL compensation surely?

[CHR1S]

The £350k laptop: Schools inspector sues Ofsted after computer fire burns down cottage | Mail Online

 

As reported in the Daily Fail!

Take with large pinch of favourite condiment!

Sensationalist to the extreeeeeeme!!!

[Thefuturesbright]

Some people will go to any lenths

[jlucas]

the Daily Mail reports

 

I stopped reading after that point.

[skunk]

OFSTED may be held accountable? Well there is always a first!