FBO Waiver

drizzt76

drizzt76

Pre-takeoff checklist
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Jul 9, 2007
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290
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Cedar Falls, IA
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Display name:
Scott M.
Would anyone sign a hold harmless waiver before they received fuel at a FBO you visit regularly? I was told that this was a new policy and before they come near your aircraft you have to sign a document that says you release them of any and all liability for any reason including their negligence.

My first thought was it was unprofessional because you expect some accountability. Then I thought most hold harmless don't mean much if something did happen and they were at fault. I'm not a lawyer and this was most definitely written by one.

We didn't sign it until our company's legal looked at it. Until we get approval from legal we stopped getting fuel from that FBO. After a week absence I called them and let them know it still might take awhile and they might say no. They made the smart move and said we didn't need to sign it they would love to have us come back.

 
Just because someone says "I am in charge. SIGN THIS!" doesn't mean that you have to or should sign it. Doesn't mean he is in charge either. When it comes to MY plane, I am "in charge".

A good reply is to take the piece of paper, fold it up and put it away and say "I am going to have to have this reviewed by our legal department and get back to you because I am not authorized to sign this sort of document". Then if it comes up again say "Our legal department is investigating it".
 
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Signature had a similar document...they let us line through the part about their negligence.
 
This seems to be a Signature thing.
 
About 5 minutes after I sign that, some punk kid on a tug is gonna smoke the wingtip with it. I wouldn't sign it.
 
Speaking of tugs. Someone got the bright idea that they should put a pole with a red flag and a flashing light sticking above the tug. Sure enough, guy drove under a wing and wrecked the wing by banging the pole on the wing.
 
LOL. A waiver of release for them to do their job, provide good fuel and not crash into your plane. Where did they get their legal team from, University of Phoenix?
 
coloradobluesky said:
Guess thats why they call themselves "Signature".
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I thought FBOs wanted to have fuel sales. I wouldn't sign that on principle alone. Kind of a slap in the face IMO.
 
wouldnt even consider it. Have a hard enough time with some FBOs service and personnel as it is.
 
drizzt76 said:
They made the smart move and said we didn't need to sign it they would love to have us come back.
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I'm sure they would, along with all the other customers they chased away with that. I can't imagine anyone signing something like that, while also putting their expensive aircraft into their care.
 
coloradobluesky said:
Speaking of tugs. Someone got the bright idea that they should put a pole with a red flag and a flashing light sticking above the tug. Sure enough, guy drove under a wing and wrecked the wing by banging the pole on the wing.
Click to expand...
Seen that happen at the FBO I worked at but it was a ZTR mower with a really tall roll bar the manager decided to leave up. Sure enough my buddy drove under the wing of a Twin Commander and...you can imagine what happened.
 
Our county FBO wants similar with its hangar lease contracts. Many have walked in lieu of signing. I would counter with a contract requiring full replacement and labor for anything damaged, including minor paint scratches, plus 50% for inconvenience. If they don't want to sign it, take your business elsewhere. Businesses sometimes forget they are partners, not masters, in any transaction. Remind them that you can still eat without the transaction and they can't.
 
As we all know Signature is a European company. They don't like our sue culture in the USofA. At least that's what it seems like. I would definitely not sign that kind of document and I would take any future business across the field if I saw such a document.
 
This is something that some flight schools do. It's called Covenant Not to Sue. I've had lawyers tell me that these simply do not hold up in court.
 
Sign? Sure. Oh, I have one of those too; here is my liability waiver - please sign here. Fair is fair.
 
No, when offered, I have always refused to sign it. And no one has ever refused my refusal.
 
drizzt76 said:
Would anyone sign a hold harmless waiver before they received fuel at a FBO you visit regularly? I was told that this was a new policy and before they come near your aircraft you have to sign a document that says you release them of any and all liability for any reason including their negligence.

My first thought was it was unprofessional because you expect some accountability. Then I thought most hold harmless don't mean much if something did happen and they were at fault. I'm not a lawyer and this was most definitely written by one.

We didn't sign it until our company's legal looked at it. Until we get approval from legal we stopped getting fuel from that FBO. After a week absence I called them and let them know it still might take awhile and they might say no. They made the smart move and said we didn't need to sign it they would love to have us come back.
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Morons who deserve to go Chapter 11.
 
Simply by the fact that they toss it to you and make you sign it on the wing is enough to get it tossed out in court. Regardless, I wouldn't sign it.
 
Back in the 80s, when mechanical Bulls were all the rage, they had a waiver that you had to sign before you could ride.

Sure, I'd sign it...

With...

Thomas Jefferson...

Abraham Lincoln...

John Lennon...

Paul Revere...

Martin Luther King...

Edgar Allen Poe...

Etc...

Never once was I questioned...

I'd do the same at Signature.

If they questioned my signature, I'd walk! :)
 
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