Lost Customer Key: IT Service Provider Causes 1.400 Euros in Damage
When we talk about damage events in the IT sector, it’s usually about security gaps, incorrect programming or typos. But the IT service provider in this damage event had a completely different problem: He lost the key to his client’s office – and to make matters worse, it was on a private night out with friends at the pub...
When Handling Customer Property, Separate Work and Private Life
But let’s start from the beginning: The IT service provider was entrusted with the maintenance of a company’s IT equipment – which was supposed to be done outside of opening hours. So the client gave him the keys to the company building. Up to this point everything was going smoothly, but then the IT expert wanted to get in the mood for his upcoming holiday and went out for a few drinks... with the key in his pocket. Unfortunately he lost his jacket during his night out. When he noticed it, he searched everywhere, but to no avail.
In addition to the annoyance about the missing jacket, he had the frightening realisation that his client’s key was in the pocket.
After searching the pub again and looking at the local lost and found he still didn’t have any success: The key was gone! The company – the client of the IT service provider – therefore had to replace its entire locking system. What was the consequence of this fatal mixing of work and private life? The company demanded almost 1.400 euros in compensation from the service provider for the damage caused.
Tip:
IT mishaps happen both on and off screen. In this article, a tiny typo caused damage in the five-digit range – Mixed-Up Numbers: IT Expert Causes Damage Amounting to 14.000 Euros. Not only customers, but also IT experts themselves can suffer from professional neglect. This happened, for example, to a service provider who lost important work documents on his own hard drive.
Mistakes On the Job – Covered As a Self-Employed Person
Mishaps can happen quickly in everyday working life. And if the victim is not your own business but your customer, you can face expensive claims for compensation. This is where the Professional Indemnity Insurance for Digital Professions from exali is at your side. The insurer checks the admissibility of claims raised against you and settles legitimate claims. It also does this if the mishap not happens to you, but to one of your employees: Because employee errors are also covered by the Professional lndemnity Insurance.
In this story with the IT service provider, the insurer also jumped in to save the day. Because the scope of the concluded Professional Indemnity Insurance includes general and personal liability - which also covers the loss of third-party keys and code cards. The insurer covered the costs for replacing the locking system, so the affected IT expert wasn’t left out in the cold when facing the damages.
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Vivien Gebhardt is an online editor at exali. She creates content on topics that are of interest to self-employed people, freelancers and entrepreneurs. Her specialties are risks in e-commerce, legal topics and claims that have happened to exali insured freelancers.
She has been a freelance copywriter herself since 2021 and therefore knows from experience what the target group is concerned about.
