I had a cleaning service in today to steam clean the carpets. I went up to my modeling room after they left and found this:

http://photos.hobbytalk.com/data/500/medium/IMG_2469.jpg

My 1/350 PL Refit is in 3 pieces, hanging together by the wiring, and some seams have popped...I haven't had the heart to inspect it closely yet to see what other damage has been done. Robby has a cracked faceplate.

I called the guy to ask what happened, and he said he "might" have backed into the dresser while he was working. This looks like it fell to the floor. I had left the Enterprise sitting upside down in the foam blocks, so it wasn't precariously perched on anything. The other works in progress that I had on my workbench in the same room appear to be okay.

At least he got the dog pee stains out of the carpet. Had I caught him when this happened, he would have had to get his own blood stains out of the carpet, too.

You have my sympathies. I have a 5 year old and a three year old, and a klutzy wife and have suffered many such tragedies.

I try to put a Buddhist face on this: attachment leads to suffering. (or is that a Jedi saying?)

Attachment especially leads to suffering when you attach yourself to something with SuperGlue.

Need a hitman? Lench mob? Exterminate! Let him meet his destiny!

Those businesses are usually bonded. I'd contact the head of the company and fill out the paperwork for compensation.

My deepest, deepest condolences. I know how you feel. The cleaning lady hasn't broken any of my models, but she's broken a few of my toys.

I hope they don't find the body, cause you Definatly have the motive.

Well that would be the last time I used that company.

First thing my wife and I agreed upon when we hired a cleaning service was that the "model room" was off-limits. It was my wife's idea actually. They do a very good job but they do tend to break things. Especially window blinds.

That's why I rent my own carpet cleaner. ;)

That's why I just vacuum and dust my own house.

Dang, man. I'm sorry to hear about that. I think that I'd only hire a bonded cleaning service that would pay you for broken items or do it myself.

Those businesses are usually bonded. I'd contact the head of the company and fill out the paperwork for compensation.
And if that don't work take them to court.

And if that don't work take them to court.
I would drag their CARLESS behinds back to your house and MAKE THEM EXPLAIN WHAT HAPPENED AND WHY !!! you DO have pictures of those models BEFORE they came in right ? did you sign anything that says they were not responsible for any damage they may do ? Me personally would find out what the person in charge and in the posistion to DO something about it, likes and holds dear to his heart and has put in the many hours of detailed work as you have and ask him man to man what he WOULD DO if that happened to HIM in his house ! These are not even my models and i am P$#$#$ed beyond words. good luck in your recovery. I would consider a police report to make it official for small claims court iLbasso

one more thing, did they handle the model ? if so their fingerprints will be on there to PROVE they may have handled your kits, and may have dropped them because they flew them through the air in their hands like a child. they must have picked them up and placed them back on your dresser. You were smart in keeping your model room OFF LIMITS but that did not stop them from going in there. Thats why you made it OFF LIMITS.

one more thing, did they handle the model ? if so their fingerprints will be on there to PROVE they may have handled your kits, and may have dropped them because they flew them through the air in their hands like a child. they must have picked them up and placed them back on your dresser. You were smart in keeping your model room OFF LIMITS but that did not stop them from going in there. Thats why you made it OFF LIMITS.

I don't see in his post where he made the room OFF LIMITS. I'm sure none of us have ever bumped into one of our own model kits before. Stuff happens folks. The guy who did it is probably making minimum wage and is now worried about losing his job. Fingerprints!? If it's a reputable cleaning company they'll offer some kind of compensation. If it's not and they don't, well ... tough noogies.
Life's tough sometimes.

I once tossed a leather belt across the living room in a dramatic gesture at a party (trying to be funny - you hadda be there), and it landed on a model shelf, completely smashing a 1/48 twin-engine Japanese fighter.

I had a cleaning service in today to steam clean the carpets. I went up to my modeling room after they left and found this:...

I'm very sorry to hear of this. All I can add to what has already been said, is that I hope you figure a fair amount for your construction time, when you make your claim for compensation. You shouldn't have to accept only the replacement cost of the kits.

I once tossed a leather belt across the living room in a dramatic gesture at a party (trying to be funny - you hadda be there), and it landed on a model shelf, completely smashing a 1/48 twin-engine Japanese fighter.
Thanks, for the flashbacks. :rolleyes: It seems the road to Hell passes by lots of comedy clubs. :wave:

I once tossed a leather belt across the living room in a dramatic gesture at a party (trying to be funny - you hadda be there), and it landed on a model shelf, completely smashing a 1/48 twin-engine Japanese fighter.

That's all right. You could recover well from something like that--as long as you didn't pick up the pieces, break down in tears and scream up at the heavens until after the guests left. :drunk:

sorry to hear about your loss, although i think that gettting anything like proper compensation for your models is going to be a lost cause in and of itself, and take more time and effort than its worth. theyre not going to take the value of your "toys" (how they will think of and label your models) seriously. (when i tell people just how much a certain collectable is worth, or how much a cusom mask costs, they look at me like i was insane.)

I don't see in his post where he made the room OFF LIMITS. I'm sure none of us have ever bumped into one of our own model kits before. Stuff happens folks. The guy who did it is probably making minimum wage and is now worried about losing his job. Fingerprints!? If it's a reputable cleaning company they'll offer some kind of compensation. If it's not and they don't, well ... tough noogies.
Life's tough sometimes.
That does NOT excuse the person being careless.
Also people don't forget all the extra money he put into the refit to light it up.

He should copy these posts and print them, just to show them what these models ARE, and how much time and $$$ are invested in them. Had this been a "build up " business and these models were for a client, then there would be a "causation" of damage.

Ilbasso,
You have my deepest sympathies; that devestation reminds me of the contents of my cottage after the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake; I found it very "theraputic" putting all the pieces back together. :(
Lesson learned; in the future, post a "Keep Out/Off Limits" on the door (and a door lock) and rent your own steam cleaner. ;)
Good luck,
-Seaview

Grrrr!! Cleaning GOOD! Breakage BAD!!!!!

Unfortunately I couldn't make that room off limits, as one of my dogs had peed in there last year and I was trying to get the stains out of the carpet. (That was before it became my modeling inner sanctum - now she keeps me company in there, and since it's part of her "den" now she doesn't feel it's appropriate to pee there any more.) I thought these things were safe since they were on a dresser, a very stable platform, in a stable configuration. I hadn't counted on the guy sweeping the whole thing off the top. He must have caught the corner of the foam board that the E was sitting on. I was much more worried about the drafting table that I use for my bench, but he didn't touch that.

Inasmuch as I'm getting a grandchild next year, I will eventually have to childproof the place anyway. Lockable glass cabinets or shelves are high on my list.

Inasmuch as I'm getting a grandchild next year, I will eventually have to childproof the place anyway. Lockable glass cabinets or shelves are high on my list.

Yeah, this was going to be my suggestion, as this is clearly undisputable proof of why one needs a large, lockable, glass display case! And, to be further safe, you could use pelxiglass sheets instead of glass (just don't want to see any lill ones breaking glass to get to the really cool toys.

Josh

Sorry about what happened to your models.

I agree with the 'rent and do it your self' mentality.

Why pay for someone to clean your house...

People, clean your own house.

Why pay someone to mow your lawn....

People, mow your own lawn.

What is this country coming to?


I absolutly HATE letting anyone in my house to do anything.

This is simply proof to the level of service that you get from people who are only there to collect a paycheck.

I shoot in houses all the time, moving lights and C-stands and Fisher 10's all around.
I even had a 12 x 12 frame up in a living room one time. I've been doing this for (geez) 17 years and am pleased to say I've never seriously damaged anything. There is really no excuse for this damage.

Why pay for someone to clean your house...

People, clean your own house.

Why pay someone to mow your lawn....

People, mow your own lawn.

What is this country coming to?


What is this country coming to!? Americans generally have less "time" than they've ever had and they manage it the best they can. That requires prioritizing and it has very little to do with "laziness". We pay for people to clean our house because it's worth it to us. We live on a very busy schedule - my wife and I both work easily 50 to 60 hours per week, parenthood (school, after-school, homework, gymnastics, ballet) elderly parents (we pay for the same cleaning service to do their house), graduate courses, volunteer work, etc., etc., etc. And guess what I'm doing almost every frikkin' Saturday and Sunday from March through November (after a typically exhausting work-week)? We live on a half acre lot full of trees and the yardwork itself is almost a full-time job. I'd hire somebody to do that too if I thought I could afford it. Like I say, some of us have to prioritize how and where we spend our "time". Our cleaning service does a professional job at a reasonable price with much more efficiency than we could provide ourselves. And it's not like there were no cleaning services back in "the good old days".

Amen, Zorro! If I enjoyed cleaning - or was good at it - I would not have hired a cleaning service, and my allergies prevent me from working in the yard much any more. Especially when I started working for myself and looked at what I was charging my clients for an hour of my time, compared to what it cost to have someone mow my yard or scrub my toilets, it was a no-brainer to go with "outsourcing". And besides, that frees up a couple of extra hours each week (theoretically) for model building.

Both my wife and I run our own businesses, so we have a service clean our house. Basically vacuuming, some dusting, and kitchen and bathrooms. We based our choice on personal recommendation, and it's gone very well. Probably because the service likes regular clients. Don't we all.

Now if it was a one-shot carpet cleaner person, believe me, I'd move the breakables and my wife or I would be onsite during the clean.
And like lbasso, an hour of my time is worth more than an hour of theirs, so there you go. :)

You have my sympathies. I have a 5 year old and a three year old, and a klutzy wife and have suffered many such tragedies.

Thats why my office is "off limits" and its the only place in the house that I specifically do the cleaning.