Clean It Up
UK Window Cleaning Forum => Window Cleaning Forum => Topic started by: Michael Peterson on August 07, 2014, 04:13:02 pm
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i broke a customer lamp on the inside of her house, which i ha have no problem replacing it, although it should have been moved, now they are saying i left dirty marks on the floor (didnt) want the carpet cleaned, the lamp marked the wall (walls painted and everything!) they want hundreds of pounds basically, trying a fast one ive not said anything yet, but they said if i havent responded by 14th they will get thier solicitor.
what can they do ? where do i stand ?
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get your public liability insurance to sort it out
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PL insurance or for what its going to cost, you might as well get the carpet cleaned. Then F em off!! making sure as many local window cleaners as you know get to hear about it.
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where do i stand ?
Not on the carpet again ;D
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i broke a customer lamp on the inside of her house, which i ha have no problem replacing it, although it should have been moved, now they are saying i left dirty marks on the floor (didnt) want the carpet cleaned, the lamp marked the wall (walls painted and everything!) they want hundreds of pounds basically, trying a fast one ive not said anything yet, but they said if i havent responded by 14th they will get thier solicitor.
what can they do ? where do i stand ?
i personally would call there bluff and tell them to get one then, would cost them more in money and hassle getting one
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i broke a customer lamp on the inside of her house, which i ha have no problem replacing it, although it should have been moved, now they are saying i left dirty marks on the floor (didnt) want the carpet cleaned, the lamp marked the wall (walls painted and everything!) they want hundreds of pounds basically, trying a fast one ive not said anything yet, but they said if i havent responded by 14th they will get thier solicitor.
what can they do ? where do i stand ?
Why haven't you said anything? I'd accept liability for the damage I'd caused and refuse liability for the damage I didn't.
I'd let them get their solicitor; I can't see how they'd prove it.
"Yes you did"
"No I didn't"
"Yes you did"
"No I didn't"
They'll end up wasting money on solicitors letters; you just reply to them yourself saying you didn't do the stuff you didn't do. Solicitors carry no weight in law and a court couldn't find you guilty without sufficient evidence.
They'll tire before you.
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but they said if i havent responded by 14th they will get thier solicitor.
what can they do ? where do i stand ?
They sound like bullies to me. I'd probably just walk away.
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I agree completely with p1w1. They sound like they are seeing dollarI'll get your windows cleaned tomorrow boss signs and belittling themselves by trying to fleece you! As was said " Call there bluff "and then warn all other window cleaners you know not to go near them!
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look at this
2. The service you afforded us when you cleaned the internal windows was poor and way below that which would be expected. As you know I have undergone major surgery and therefore unable to do a number of things and as such you advised you could clean my windows inside and out to the highest standards which is clearly the service and offerings you portray on your website. However the service was less than advertised and accordingly I should like to point out the following:
2.1 You left dirty water marks all over the whites of the windows and on the windowsills and in so doing you gave us additional work and in particular as I am very fastidious this upset me greatly as I was unable to do it due to my operation to fix the problem and as a consequence my husband who is away all week and who doesn’t need this kind of impediment or additional work at the weekends (his leisure time) had to pick it up
2.2 You left your muddy shoes on your feet resulting in mud being trampled through my dining hall. Any professional workman would have had blue shoe covers or would have removed outside footwear to prevent this happening. For H&S purposes you should have had internal shoes to change into
2.3 In addition to point 2.2 you very carelessly dropped dirty water in all other areas of the house including on my cream carpets and also down the cream walls in the conservatory. My husband has tried to clean all areas but regrettably this has proved null and void and as such the carpets need cleaning and the wall needs painting
2.4 There is a significant chip to the wall in the conservatory created whence you smashed the lamp so this needs filling and painting
2.5 Given the above we are at a significant loss as we need to purchase paint and have the carpets all cleaned
3. Notwithstanding ‘shoddy’ workmanship you also broke my glass ornate lamp which my husband and I had brought as a gift to each other for one of our wedding anniversaries. We were both really upset and although I was very calm about the accident as both Andrew and I accept accidents can happen I was astounded at your lack of humility and contriteness in fact you didn’t make any attempt to reconcile the matter so I asked you before you left what you intended doing
4. The landlord has confirmed he DOES NOT wish to take action on the damage to the windowsill
In consideration of the foregoing and notwithstanding that the Landlord doesn’t want to take individual action Andrew and I are looking for recompense.
Your offer to clean the windows for free for as long as the cost of a lamp is simply not acceptable to us. We would like you to take the following into consideration and then make an offer of compensation in full and final settlement of this claim.
(i) We have lost a lamp we both loved and will not be able to replace this as it is, neither can we replace the sentimental value. Lamps of this nature are expensive and as such we would like you to consider a figure above £100 as it will cost a significant amount to replace the one we lost. We do not wish to be unreasonable but we do need to be practicable. Once the sum has been agreed we will expect you to furnish us with the money prior to purchase. We will then provide you with a receipt of payment if you require this for your accountant
(ii) We have a carpet cleaner so can shampoo the carpets ourselves albeit this is extra work Andrew does not want and does not need. However we are reasonable people and are willing to shampoo the carpets ourselves if you fund us the cost of the Vax Shampoo at circa £10 a bottle. We can purchase it at Smails in Morpeth or you can purchase it yourself and deliver it to us
(iii) We have a small amount of cream paint left but possibly not enough to do a full coat and it may look very odd if the patch doesn’t tone to the rest of the conservatory and as such we shall need to purchase paint. We would therefore ask you to look at how you intend compensating us for time and money to fix the conservatory because although Mr Harley our landlord has said he is OK with the scratches to the windowsills he will most certainly not accept the damage to the walls when we move out the cost of which can be taken from our deposit which we are not prepared to accept. We suggest you make a reasonable offer in this regard
(iv) We are not looking for free window cleaning but if you believe this to be something you wish to offer then please let us know, however please be fully aware we WILL NOT accept window cleaning in lieu of any of the above only as additional compensation
In summation I apologise for the delay in sending this to you but I am (as you know) still recuperating from major surgery nevertheless Andrew and I are both very upset by this but wish to reassure you we have absolutely no desire to be unreasonable we simply wish to be fairly treated and even handedly reimbursed for our losses and inconvenience.
We will leave it with you for 5 working days to reply which we are confident you will do, if however we have not had a reply either by e-mail, in person or by recorded delivery letter by 5.00pm Thursday 14 th August 2014 we will have no alternative but to consider alternative action one of which will be to refer this matter to our solicitor Alasdair Mackie.
In closing we sincerely hope we can sort this out between us and as such Andrew and I look forward to hearing from you by return.
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thanks for those replys by the way
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Michael, pass it straight on to your insurers. I did it with a woman who claimed I'd damaged her block paving with the chemicals in my water. It becomes funny watching copies of the letters flowing backwards and forwards with your insurer repeateing "get lost" more and more clearly. It's like throwing a lamb to a wolf.
Vin
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Oh, and answer her with a letter that just says.
Thank you for your letter. I have passed the matter to my insurers who will be in contact. Please direct all correspondence related to this matter to them.
Vin
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Sounds like she needs Andrew to bend her over and give it her hard to me.
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Was this an end of tenancy clean? Did you wear shoes in the house?
Reading this has made me more than ever convinced that doing run of the mill internals are a mistake.
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agree with perfect windows straight to your insurer, thats what you pay them for.
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These seem like professional complainers to me, you can tell by the terminology they use.
I'm not sure what I'd do in your situation but as an absolute maximum I'd be looking to replace the cost of the lamp £100 if they show proof that the lamp cost that much. (Sentimental lamp lol)
Some people have no shame and want everything they can for free.
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These seem like professional complainers to me, you can tell by the terminology they use.
I'm not sure what I'd do in your situation but as an absolute maximum I'd be looking to replace the cost of the lamp £100 if they show proof that the lamp cost that much. (Sentimental lamp lol)
Some people have no shame and want everything they can for free.
As above. I'd ask for a receipt of the lamp and that's all I would do. If they don't have one then they can't prove it's £100. Sentimental lamp for goodness sake. No wonder 'Andrew' works long hours - can't stand being around her probably!
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look at this
2. The service you afforded us when you cleaned the internal windows was poor and way below that which would be expected. As you know I have undergone major surgery and therefore unable to do a number of things and as such you advised you could clean my windows inside and out to the highest standards which is clearly the service and offerings you portray on your website. However the service was less than advertised and accordingly I should like to point out the following:
2.1 You left dirty water marks all over the whites of the windows and on the windowsills and in so doing you gave us additional work and in particular as I am very fastidious this upset me greatly as I was unable to do it due to my operation to fix the problem and as a consequence my husband who is away all week and who doesn’t need this kind of impediment or additional work at the weekends (his leisure time) had to pick it up
2.2 You left your muddy shoes on your feet resulting in mud being trampled through my dining hall. Any professional workman would have had blue shoe covers or would have removed outside footwear to prevent this happening. For H&S purposes you should have had internal shoes to change into
2.3 In addition to point 2.2 you very carelessly dropped dirty water in all other areas of the house including on my cream carpets and also down the cream walls in the conservatory. My husband has tried to clean all areas but regrettably this has proved null and void and as such the carpets need cleaning and the wall needs painting
2.4 There is a significant chip to the wall in the conservatory created whence you smashed the lamp so this needs filling and painting
2.5 Given the above we are at a significant loss as we need to purchase paint and have the carpets all cleaned
3. Notwithstanding ‘shoddy’ workmanship you also broke my glass ornate lamp which my husband and I had brought as a gift to each other for one of our wedding anniversaries. We were both really upset and although I was very calm about the accident as both Andrew and I accept accidents can happen I was astounded at your lack of humility and contriteness in fact you didn’t make any attempt to reconcile the matter so I asked you before you left what you intended doing
4. The landlord has confirmed he DOES NOT wish to take action on the damage to the windowsill
In consideration of the foregoing and notwithstanding that the Landlord doesn’t want to take individual action Andrew and I are looking for recompense.
Your offer to clean the windows for free for as long as the cost of a lamp is simply not acceptable to us. We would like you to take the following into consideration and then make an offer of compensation in full and final settlement of this claim.
(i) We have lost a lamp we both loved and will not be able to replace this as it is, neither can we replace the sentimental value. Lamps of this nature are expensive and as such we would like you to consider a figure above £100 as it will cost a significant amount to replace the one we lost. We do not wish to be unreasonable but we do need to be practicable. Once the sum has been agreed we will expect you to furnish us with the money prior to purchase. We will then provide you with a receipt of payment if you require this for your accountant
(ii) We have a carpet cleaner so can shampoo the carpets ourselves albeit this is extra work Andrew does not want and does not need. However we are reasonable people and are willing to shampoo the carpets ourselves if you fund us the cost of the Vax Shampoo at circa £10 a bottle. We can purchase it at Smails in Morpeth or you can purchase it yourself and deliver it to us
(iii) We have a small amount of cream paint left but possibly not enough to do a full coat and it may look very odd if the patch doesn’t tone to the rest of the conservatory and as such we shall need to purchase paint. We would therefore ask you to look at how you intend compensating us for time and money to fix the conservatory because although Mr Harley our landlord has said he is OK with the scratches to the windowsills he will most certainly not accept the damage to the walls when we move out the cost of which can be taken from our deposit which we are not prepared to accept. We suggest you make a reasonable offer in this regard
(iv) We are not looking for free window cleaning but if you believe this to be something you wish to offer then please let us know, however please be fully aware we WILL NOT accept window cleaning in lieu of any of the above only as additional compensation
In summation I apologise for the delay in sending this to you but I am (as you know) still recuperating from major surgery nevertheless Andrew and I are both very upset by this but wish to reassure you we have absolutely no desire to be unreasonable we simply wish to be fairly treated and even handedly reimbursed for our losses and inconvenience.
We will leave it with you for 5 working days to reply which we are confident you will do, if however we have not had a reply either by e-mail, in person or by recorded delivery letter by 5.00pm Thursday 14 th August 2014 we will have no alternative but to consider alternative action one of which will be to refer this matter to our solicitor Alasdair Mackie.
In closing we sincerely hope we can sort this out between us and as such Andrew and I look forward to hearing from you by return.
Holy ####!
Sounds like the ultimate pain in the backside.
Who on earth buys a lamp for their wedding anniversary lmao!
This house should be flagged and put on a window cleaners blacklist for all eternity.
And have you ever seen the Andrew in question as I find it hard to believe that any man would tolerate a woman this special?
I'd pay for the lamp and get the hell out of there!
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These seem like professional complainers to me, you can tell by the terminology they use.
I'd agree, the way she has bullet pointed it all. This bit is a worry though.....
you didn’t make any attempt to reconcile the matter so I asked you before you left what you intended doing
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Your offer to clean the windows for free for as long as the cost of a lamp is simply not acceptable to us.
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she sounds like a proper bitch!a bit like the woman who sacked me cos i refused to clean her inside windows on the trad v wfp thread.i had a hunch she would complain as shes a real moaner.never happy!i feel sorry for her husband who is a decent chap!
re. cleaning insides.i do relent on a few posh houses but the customers are ok.i ALWAYS wear blue shoe covers and make sure i dont leave dirty water lying about on sills/framework.i never take my bucket inside a customers house either.
as for what you should do id replace the lamp and dump her.never to return!! ;)
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Its a rented house, that limits them big style. They wont have a receipt for the lamp, as it was a gift. Ask for a makers stamp and picture, for valuation purposes. Start with an offer for the lamp. Except no liability, These people make a living out of doing this.
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Big point being missed here. WTF are they doing putting their own carpets down and painting a rented house? Surely, that is the landlords domain?
Kick her in the back, the cow.
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Pass it on to your insurance company and advise customer to deal with insurance company only as it's out of your hands now
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i broke a customer lamp on the inside of her house, which i ha have no problem replacing it, although it should have been moved, now they are saying i left dirty marks on the floor (didnt) want the carpet cleaned, the lamp marked the wall (walls painted and everything!) they want hundreds of pounds basically, trying a fast one ive not said anything yet, but they said if i havent responded by 14th they will get thier solicitor.
what can they do ? where do i stand ?
ok,here's what they can do..............
They can ask you for recompense for anything you damaged. They can ask you for recompense for anything you soiled etc...
They have already done that.
You need to respond.
By your own admission .......... trying a fast one ive not said anything yet,
, although it transpires you have agreed to clean for free until the cost of the lamp is met.
If the customer gets no joy from you they could (and probably will) take you to court for their losses. You will in either case need to provide a version of events. Either to your Insurance company or the courts.
Of course this matter could be sorted easily by (depending upon your own financial circumstances) agreeing to the claim,and telling the claimant of your financial hardship and agreeing to repay the amount by a direct debit of £1 per week.*
Of course i realise your initial instinct is going to be "no way, i'm not paying a penny, i never done anything". But weigh up the rest of what you said, sleep on it and think how a judge might see it and then make your executive descision.
Of course if you're Insured this is moot, just let them deal with it if you're not then the offer * will keep you out of court. Or of course, you could also pay what they're asking.
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I would not respond directly as already said contact your insurer ASAP and let them advise you as to what steps to take , Looks like they are going to try and fleece you this could spiral out of control let the pros take over and sort it out .
Good Luck mate hope it all gets sorted . Mike
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What's up with you lot , go put her windows through ,sorted
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Hi they are coming on a bit strong but to be fair Michael you did make some pretty dreadful mistakes there.
What are you playing at walking about on light coloured carpets with muddy shoes on?
Leaving dirty marks on window sills, scratching walls etc...
You should gracefully accept your part of the blame for the situation ending up like this.
Unlike rain Blame never falls to the ground, it always lands on someone!!!!
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Big point being missed here. WTF are they doing putting their own carpets down and painting a rented house? Surely, that is the landlords domain?
I would of thought they are contractually liable to maintain the condition of the property as it was when they moved in.
Which is no scrapes or dents in the walls and un-soiled carpets.
Not wholly understandable is it?
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We will leave it with you for 5 working days to reply which we are confident you will do, if however we have not had a reply either by e-mail, in person or by recorded delivery letter by 5.00pm Thursday 14 th August 2014 we will have no alternative but to consider alternative action one of which will be to refer this matter to our solicitor Alasdair Mackie.
im curious Michael......did this get resolved?
tony
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Totally agree with the women, you should have removed your muddy shoes or put over shoes on, what idiot would walk muddy shoes through someone's house is do my nut if a workmen did that.
As for water dripping from the applicator any window cleaner knows dirty water drops from the edges of the applicator, you should always hold a cloth or srim on the edge of the applicator when moving through rooms
A good lesson learnt now PAY UP and get the carpets cleaned !!!! I'm surprised you didn't have dirty water running down the wall beside the window when you squeegeed off !!!!! You should know better !!!!
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the only thing i actually did was break the lamp, shoes were taken off there were no marks left etc :-)
i hope your having a great weekend and all the best, Michael
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it is resolved, i have agreed to pay the cost of the lamp, the woman sent a six page letter (after we accepted no liability for all of the other things which quite simply put were false) saying not much of anything really, she actually asked me to carry on cleaning the windows, said they would clean the carpets etc (I HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH THE DIRTYING OF THEM) i'm going to put a cheque in the post tomorrow end of it i think .
asking me to continue cleaning the windows !!! seems just weird to me :-)
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Best thing you can do is pay whatever you feel you need to and make a good excuse NOT to clean the windows anymore or either she will fleece you by running up a window cleaning bill or there will be bad feelings between both parties....best just walking away from customer....find another one to replace her and good riddance if you can see the logic in not keeping her as a customer, better to keep your good reputation then give her the opportunity to spread gossip amongst her friends and family