I really need some advice please :(

[nalukaikamahine]

Long story short. I bought a massive steel cage [6'x4'x8.5'], sanded it, repainted it with naturally dyed paints [the edible, 100% natural kind]

It was too big for my house, so I put it up for trade or sale.

Someone offered to trade me another cage for it, we traded, everything seemed fine. I made sure they knew that it was hand painted, that the cage was used, but the bars were fine and the areas of rust where around the wheel bases and I had treated them with tea to stop the corrosion.

I got an email later that said the paint is all falling off the cage [like a day later] Turns out, they pressure washed the darn thing and all of the paint started coming off....now they wants me to pay to have it powder coated.

My lawyer friend said I'm not liable, that because they pressure washed it and altered it's original condition that it's their responsibility, but I feel like I am. It's going to cost over $1000 to powder coat it, and I don't have that kind of money laying around...if I did, I would have had it powder coated in the first place.

Am I wrong to tell them no? Or am I supposed to pay for this?

FYI: The cage I was traded for isn't in new condition either, it's all chipped on the bars where a bird has been chewing the powder coating off of it. I feel awful, but am I at fault here?

What would you do? I just need some opinions!
Thank you

[MissK]

I agree with your friend.

You disclosed that it was hand painted, and you probably told them what it was painted with. Did you make any claim or assertion about the durability of the paint job? The only way I could see you being responsible would be if you had made some claim that the paint job would last a certain amount of time or withstand a certain amount of abuse, and the cage did not live up to the claim.

You probably painted the cage in the way that you did for your own use, with every good faith expectation of it being serviceable and probably did not attempt to deceive your buyer in any way. You must absolutely NOT allow any admission or acknowledgement of responsibility escape your lips. It is sad that they were not smart enough to test a small area before blasting the cage, but that is not your fault.

Feel regret that your hard work was destroyed, if you must. Feel sorry for them, but don't feel responsible. This is not your problem.

-MissK

[nalukaikamahine]

Thanks so much. I did tell them, numerous times that it was hand painted and what I used to paint it. They mentioned the pressure washer and I told them that the only thing I used was a wire brush and the hose, that I hadn't pressure washed it, or even thought about pressure washing it.

They had me so sucked into the hysteria about it being destroyed that I started feeling responsible...

But yeah, they pressure washed it, my week long paint job is now destroyed, they're freaking high on crack if they think I'm paying to have it powder coated

[MissK]

Nalukaikamahine,

I am so glad you now have your situation well in hand!




-MissK