Gear Breakage Policy

The VUCC committee believes that to encourage reasonable care of club gear, those responsible for its loss or damage should contribute towards the cost of repair or replacement. The amount of the contribution will be determined by the committee in accordance with this policy, taking into account the circumstances of the loss or damage and the value of the item(s) concerned.

The committee acknowledges that in certain circumstances partial responsibility for loss or damage should be bourne by the club (for example: if gear is lost by a beginner on a beginners course). In such circumstances any monetary contribution required from the person responsible will not exceed 50% of the total cost of repair or replacement.

The club will only accept partial responsibility if the following conditions are met.

The loss or damage occurred on a ``club trip''. A club trip is one which
- had the approval of at least two club committee members (all trips publicised in the club trip list implicitly have such approval); and
- was run in accordance to the club's safety policy.
Note: If a trip that doesn't meet these requirements is misrepresented by its organiser as being a ``club trip'', the committee may make the organiser liable for some portion of the cost of replacement or repair regardless of who was actually responsible for the loss or damage.
The loss or damage was caused by a club member.
The loss or damage was not the result of irresponsible or careless behaviour (such as, but not limited to, mislaying gear before or after a river trip, taking unnecessary risks on a river, using the equipment for a purpose for which it was not intended).

If the committee determines that any of the above conditions were not met, depending on the exact circumstances of the loss or damage, the contribution required may be up to the full cost of replacement or repair.

In all cases, those responsible for a loss or damage will have an opportunity to explain the circumstances to the committee. The committee will decide the extent to which the club accepts responsibility for the occurence. It also has the discretion to reduce the contribution required from the maximum levels detailed above, if it feels that circumstances warrant this.

A person responsible for loss or damage may elect to:

Repair the damage (contributing to the cost of any materials required). The repair must be carried out to the satisfaction of (and within the time period specified by) the committee.
Organise for the repair to be carried out by somebody else (professional or otherwise) and contribute towards the cost (labour and materials) of having this done. The repair must be carried out to the satisfaction of and within the time period specified by the committee. If the club incurs costs that the committee has determined should be met by the person responsible, the club must be reimbursed as soon as practicable.
Contribute to the cost of replacing the item(s) with second hand equipment in similar condition. The cost of replacement will be the amount listed for the item(s) to be replaced in the current valuation of club gear. The current valuations are reviewed from time to time by the committee and are available from the committee on request. If the committee decides to replace the item with new equipment the amount of the contribution required will still be that from the current valuation. The contribution must be paid as soon as possible after the amount has been determined even if the committee chooses to defer purchase of replacement gear.