Clean It Up

UK General Cleaning Forum => General Cleaning Forum => Topic started by: windiewasher on October 27, 2010, 03:15:52 pm

Title: driveway cleaning complaints threat to sue.
Post by: windiewasher on October 27, 2010, 03:15:52 pm
I was cleaning a drive at weekend on detached property.got muddy water on next doors car and now says I have caused paint chips and wants to sue me
Title: Re: driveway cleaning complaints threat to sue.
Post by: windiewasher on October 27, 2010, 03:19:44 pm
What shall I do?
I offered to wash it at the time  or get a valeter but the 80 year old told me touch his car and he will kill me
Title: Re: driveway cleaning complaints threat to sue.
Post by: Neil kell on October 27, 2010, 03:43:38 pm
Were any photo's taken during the course of the job. He may just be an old crank angry that you got his car dirty. Wait to see if you get a solicitors letter, then worry. In the mean time. Would the person you did the job for i.e his neighbour not have a chat with him to let him know that over spray is unavoidable, an act of god so to speak. You should have been conscious of his wheels though mate and rinsed it down a bit for him.
Title: Re: driveway cleaning complaints threat to sue.
Post by: windiewasher on October 27, 2010, 03:55:53 pm
I was.gonna rinse.but he wpouldnt let me
Title: Re: driveway cleaning complaints threat to sue.
Post by: Neil kell on October 27, 2010, 04:50:35 pm
He's just chancing his arm. If you hear anymore from him, tell him you it would be best to let the judge decide on whats best. He's not gonna pay a solicitor out of his own pocket and waste his own time and money. It would take years to go to court any way. What age is he? He wants cash of you now, don't back down. If your sure you caused no damage to his paint work then call his bluff. What was the proximity to his car and where you were working? Ignore him politely.
Title: Re: driveway cleaning complaints threat to sue.
Post by: windiewasher on October 27, 2010, 04:58:47 pm
He was 6ft away.hardly any went on the car as.there was a 4 ft wall between that and the car and done my best to spray water away from his car.
The houseowners are.on my side but says the neighbour is a mardy old man
He's just chancing his arm. If you hear anymore from him, tell him you it would be best to let the judge decide on whats best. He's not gonna pay a solicitor out of his own pocket and waste his own time and money. It would take years to go to court any way. What age is he? He wants cash of you now, don't back down. If your sure you caused no damage to his paint work then call his bluff. What was the proximity to his car and where you were working? Ignore him politely.
Title: Re: driveway cleaning complaints threat to sue.
Post by: Alan McTernan on October 27, 2010, 06:17:28 pm
Ignore him!!! As long as your client is ok and understands the situation that is the main thing ;)

Next time just knock on the door as a courtesy and ask them to move the car!!!

Good Luck
Alan
Title: Re: driveway cleaning complaints threat to sue.
Post by: windiewasher on October 27, 2010, 06:23:17 pm
i shall do m8
the customers were very happy and tbh there drive wasnt really dirty and all it looked like was dirty rain on his car,i appologized and offered him lots of times to get his car cleaned by a valeter etc!
he was very unreasonable but his neighbours were saying he moans about anything and has the mardys with the customers because they have had a few jobs done on there house recently!
Ignore him!!! As long as your client is ok and understands the situation that is the main thing ;)

Next time just knock on the door as a courtesy and ask them to move the car!!!

Good Luck
Alan
Title: Re: driveway cleaning complaints threat to sue.
Post by: Andy Foster on October 28, 2010, 09:49:27 am
How did the car get dirty at all with a 4 ft wall between you and his car?  Were you using a turbo nozzle by any chance?

Anyway.
Go round and tell him you need to take some photos because your solicitor said you should.  Then just wait and see if he does anything about it.

If he is just chancing his arm then you will probably never hear from him again.
You need to be propared for him to follow it up though.
Title: Re: driveway cleaning complaints threat to sue.
Post by: windiewasher on October 28, 2010, 05:24:36 pm
What's the worst outcome?
I'll pay for someone to do paintwork?
Wouldn't cost much for a few stone chips?
How did the car get dirty at all with a 4 ft wall between you and his car?  Were you using a turbo nozzle by any chance?

Anyway.
Go round and tell him you need to take some photos because your solicitor said you should.  Then just wait and see if he does anything about it.

If he is just chancing his arm then you will probably never hear from him again.
You need to be propared for him to follow it up though.
Title: Re: driveway cleaning complaints threat to sue.
Post by: Griffus on October 28, 2010, 06:00:03 pm
Unless you know that you have been negligent then wait for him to take things further.

Write things down in timeline from your point of view. You may need this as a reference later.


You would have to be doing something very wrong for this to be possible.


If you know you have done nothing wrong then don't be a mug, fight your corner.

Title: Re: driveway cleaning complaints threat to sue.
Post by: windiewasher on October 28, 2010, 07:29:21 pm
cheers m8 ive just never had this b4,i know its not possible as all it was dirty water,no chems the drive wasn really dirty i cleaned,i just think he was being a idiot,i offered to have his car valeted which i think was the best thing i could do for him.
i just dont want him going around calling me etc!
Unless you know that you have been negligent then wait for him to take things further.

Write things down in timeline from your point of view. You may need this as a reference later.


You would have to be doing something very wrong for this to be possible.


If you know you have done nothing wrong then don't be a mug, fight your corner.


Title: Re: driveway cleaning complaints threat to sue.
Post by: Pristine Clean on October 28, 2010, 07:55:35 pm
You now have learnt a valuable lesson.

You need t protect other people property and work more professionally. By this I mean put up dust sheets to protect the other persons property. Or a board. I am sure you get the picture.


Yes take photos, but what you do is just say here is my insurance details and let your insurance deal with it.

Generally they don't go much further. But to be honest you should not have got the car splashed at all.


Best of luck


Dave
Title: Re: driveway cleaning complaints threat to sue.
Post by: A & J Owen Window Cleaning on October 29, 2010, 03:55:18 pm
if there is no pictures at the time i think you are clear mate ad that a few years ago same thing wouldnt let me clean the area on his car so i said if i cant survey the damage then see whats there is you have tried to dod this so have a few bevvies and forget the old codger