[Mrs Nicholls]

Hi
What do you do when u know that u havent caused any damage but the customer is accusing you of doing it? Its my word against his and he is quite aggressive. Im popping back to take alook today but where do i go from there? This customer cant understand why a family member has a cleaner who does 4hrs a week and charges 30 quid. They arent a business. And how can i charge 25 quid for 2hrs. He said why should he pay 4 my overheads! He decided to cancel yesterday then called to say theres a chip in the bath!
What should i do?
Thanks
Lisa

[The Great One]

Hi

You are a business and therefore have overheads, you also have to take a profit.

I just handed back keys this morning on an office as the profit was minimal and it simply wasn't work keeping it on.

As for the chip in the bath, what have you used on the bath?

If it is just cloths & cleaner then ask the ex customer how you are supposed to have chipped the bath using a cloth?

Take a camera, take your own pictures in case of a claim.

Regards

Martin

[Allied Insurance]

Lisa,

This maybe something that I can help you with.

The first and most obvious question is have you been working on the bath recently and if so were you using any products that COULD have caused this (I say this not because I doubt your word at all, cos I come across this situation quite a lot, but because if you can demonstrate that your product CANNOT chip the bath, then it will clearly help your cause)

It may always be worth providing all clients with a method statement and details of the products you will use to clean their house. This may seem over the top, but helps in situations like this.

Remember in all this YOU are the professional with the expert knowledge - the client isnt.

By all means visit the client and inspect the damage. It will be clear to you whether it is a recent or long term chip. I suspect it will be a long term one. If this is the case then you can tell him this and suggest he gets an independent company to verify it.

The last course of action would be to invite him to submit a claim to your insurers (assuming of course you have "property worked upon" cover). I would only ever suggest this as a last alternative and even then, it has to be in a situation where you feel you may have caused the damage.

I hope this helps in some way.

Regards
Martin

[*Chris Browne]

Tricky one, i would go and have a look, then look at your insurance policy, some things arent worth the hassle, although i would doubt you could have chipped it unless you had a hammer or maybe dropped something heavy etc.. ...one off the reasons we dont do domestics anymore...

Chris

[chosker]

He said why should he pay 4 my overheads!

Ermmm... so if you're paying your overheads and he just pays the cleaner then effectively you're paying to provide him with a service... his logic seems pretty strange!!

In regards to the insurance, as others have said, by all means, go and have a look, then just write to the insurance company with your version and ask your client to do the same, it is up to the insurance company to decide, and, well, lets be honest,  insurance companies never pay out unless they have to, so if you're saying you didn't do it i'm sure they'll back you up! Let them do the work, it's what they're there for.

G'luck!

[BDCS]

I assume he cancelled then said about the chip, I'd say he did it after he ceased to use your service and did it himself, tell him to go 4th etc

[Robert Parry]

Hi Lisa,

As a pointer for the future, you should consider noting any damage to any item that you are going to clean.

This note should then be on the paperwork that you submit to the client for them to sign, that way both you and the client are aware of any damage, before any problems arise.

Also your staff should be aware of the need to check all items due for cleaning for obvious signs of damage/missing bit and bobs etc, which is another reason to ensure that the client recieves the same cleaner each visit etc.

Any thing else, like Allied, hope you didnt skimp on the insurance and included the relevant cover!

Regards,

Rob

[sherco]

I'm a tiler, walls and floor etc and what i have to do is before i tile a bathroom i get the customer in there to check all the sanitary ware for marks and chips etc and get them to sign a form...otherwise some people will try it on. I know you cant do this but some people just want to claim off you....

[turneylogan]

If anything happens in a house its always the cleaners fault. If you are sure that you did not cause it, go and take a look, take a photograph, deny responsibility, and walk away. If he pursues you, then you have to go down the insurance route.

[C.C.S.]

try it on customers make me sick, if you know that you did'nt it then tell him, if its your word against his, then i can't see what grounds he's got, allied insurance advice is very helpful though. failing that, ask this customer to make a sentance out of this "stuffed & get!!" C.C.S. 

[Prestige1]

 Lisa
if your sure it was not you which you are, end it there, go see it write a letter explainig that it was not you who caused this, then thats it, let him do the chasing, I would not get insurance involved why should you, who ever cleaned it interview her and write down everything she did and used, pin this to the letter. if he gets persistant just send him a letter explaing again it was not you, he will drop it after a while trust me, but dont get insurance involved why should you pay the fist £250 or so? I have just dealt with one the other day, we unplugged his freezer for the vac and did not plug it back in, he phoned and said we have caused him to throw away £350 of food, I said can I have a look? he said he has trown it all in the large bin outside his flat, I went down there emptied the bin and laid out all the frozen produced photographed it and added it up £26! pure twats, Phil

[Paul Kettless]

try it on customers make me sick, if you know that you did'nt it then tell him, if its your word against his, then i can't see what grounds he's got, allied insurance advice is very helpful though. failing that, ask this customer to make a sentance out of this "stuffed & get!!" C.C.S.

Could not agree more with this statement, only I would be a bit more diplomatic about how I told him to go forth and multiply

The amount of times that I have needed to explain to people that I run a cleaning company and that I am not just a cleaner is beyond belief.  Trust me, these are not the kinds of customers that you need.  better off without him.

[Mrs Nicholls]

hi everyone,

thank you for the advise.

i went to see him, took a look and guess what a chip that had been there since before we started cleaning back in january!

I just assumed he already knew about it as i had spoken to the other cleaners who have cleaned there and they all say it has always been there, it looks like the correct area from where the shower head has fallen and bounced on the corner and made an indent, very smooth chip aswell.

he did ask what he could do about it, so i remained professional and advised that an enamel repair kit would be useful here. (my years working at focus diy paid off here) lol.

He has now decided to drop the complaint, but i now have to chase him for non payment of services, so the saga continues.....

i will be enforcing what was said above about asking customers to sign a declaration to establish that we all know 'the worktop' 'tap' or 'bath panel' already had existing damage before we start any cleaning service on a property. seems the right way to go to cover ourselves.

We do have insurance by the way. touch woood - never had to claim on it.

you have all be most helpful.
thanks

[steve doyle]

Dont forget to add your "consultation fee" for advising him on how to repair his bath.



It works both ways with difficult customers!

steve

[Mrs Nicholls]

Does anyone have a template or an idea of what my declaration and existing damage report should say or look like?

Thanks
Lisa

[julia]

Hi Lisa
Pleased to read that you have resolved the bath situation and not at your expense. 
Julia

[Perry]

i will be enforcing what was said above about asking customers to sign a declaration to establish that we all know 'the worktop' 'tap' or 'bath panel' already had existing damage before we start any cleaning service on a property. seems the right way to go to cover ourselves.

Just remember that if you go that way you will be open for all damages you could not spot when signing the document...

[Mrs Nicholls]

and perhaps all damages since aswell.....

Anyone have a solution to this?