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WWYD: maids and home damage
Here's the deal: we were away on vacation. The maids came as they normally do. They apparently turned on the range-top grill accidentally. This caused the grill cover handle to melt off, the main level of the house to fill with smoke, the fire department to come (thankfully a neighbor stopped them with a house key as they were about to axe our door down), and the ignitor switch for the whole range to go bad.
We are VERY lucky that it was just smoke, and no damage to the house and the cats were OK. The only financial issue is the $150 for replacement parts. My husband could do the labor, so we saved a bundle there.
We pay $75 every 2 weeks for the maids. It is a woman and her cousin(?), so not an actual company.
I'm not sure what to do here. I don't need to fire the maids. It was an accident. But I don't think they are completely off the hook.
What would you do?
And just a PSA: the fact that our smoke detector is hooked up to the alarm company is what saved us from heaven knows what. They called the fire department before there was ANY smoke visible outside the home (which would normally lead someone to call 911.) I'm eternally grateful we have the service. It's just something to consider.
Re: WWYD: maids and home damage
Sorry that happened, but yay for the alarm company! (helps me rationalize why we pay for ADT, which sometimes I think "is it worth it?").
I would just ask them to pay for all or some of damage. I mean, I'd expect them to offer to pay for it - right? My cleaning lady - also an individual, not a service - broke my ceramic Neti pot once and paid for it. I told her don't worry, but she said she felt better paying for it.
Maybe approach the cleaning lady with the amount - $150 - and if she starts to beg off, or just honestly cannot pay that (or clean your place for free the next two times), then maybe you can tell her you'll split it with her? They are SERIOUSLY lucky that's all that happened. $150 instead of paying for major smoke or even fire damage.
You're a more forgiving person than I am, I understand that it is a mistake that they hit the range, but things like that should be checked and double checked before they leave if they're working around dangerous things like your stove.
So, I'd pick option c) Ask maids to pay for the damage and fire them because of their negligence because next time you may not be so lucky.
Stand up for something you believe in.
I wonder if this sort of thing with the stove knobs happens frequently. Our cleaning lady was cleaning our cooktop and broke the exhaust fan button and now it won't turn off. (Thankfully, it is something separate that we can just unplug.)
I personally would make them pay for the damage. When our prior cleaning service broke a light fixture, we asked them to pay for it. It was an accident, but it still needed to be replaced.
Pretty much this.
Holy sh!t i'd be fvcking piiiiissssssed.
We make the rockin' world go 'round.
I'd ask her to pay for the damage. If she does a good job for you, I wouldn't fire her, but I would put her on serious notice. Be business-like and firm in your discussion with her. This is a huge, potentially costly mistake. Any professional should be extremely apologetic and offer ways to ensure this doesn't happen again.
If you don't see an understanding of the gravity of the situation and if she doesn't offer to pay for it, I would look elsewhere.
Our neighbor, who also uses them, called them immediately to confirm that they were indeed in the house earlier.
Honestly, she didn't seem particulary apologetic. Which irks me. She said things like, "I guess since we were in the house we are responsible." She didn't offer restitution, but I told her she had 2 choices: pay me, or 2 free visits. She didn't sound that gung ho about either. She did pick the latter.
BUT, this is the 4-5 maid service we've tried. They are by far the most reliable we've found. Our neighbor has used them for years, and now another does as well. Both are very happy with them. And other than this, we were very happy with them, too.
I trust them more than some other random company I'd hire, so I guess that's why I forgive them.
I would tell them they owe you $150 or 2 free cleanings.
I would get a new maid as well. I'm big on accountability and I think they need to be held responsible, after all they were the only people in your home while you were gone. You seem really calm about all of this, you're a much better person than I am, they would be hearing me in their head for DAYS...In regards to asking them to pay, I would ask yourself, what would you do if they actually (accidently) burnt your house down?? Lets face it, it was going down that road quick and someone would have to be accountable. Sounds as though it would be you and your insurance and I doubt they have any type of liability coverage...
Also, having never had a cleaning service, do 'official' cleaning services have coverage for liabilities like this? I would think they would have to?
I agree. You are very lucky your house and pets were not seriously damaged. Paying for the parts is one thing, but there' sno way she'd ever be able to cover the loss of the home. And I know you have insurance for that, but their negligence should not be at your cost.
"What is a week-end?"
This. It would royally tick me off that she seems so nonchalant about it. Wonder what else may/HAS? happened that they just blew off thinking it wasn't a big deal?
I would be furious. And they would know.
First of all, there should be no question that they should pay you the $150. In fact, I would have expected to come home to a message (since your neighbors called them) that they were so sorry and that they would be bringing money by when you returned.
And I would fire them.
Uh... is your house the taj mahal because how do you not notice the stove on, smoke, etc??? did they do one last wipe down on your stove and then bolt??
seriously, I would fire them and expect payment for damages. No cleaning service is worth a burned down house. I would make sure the next cleaning service has insurance.
The grill was covered, and that's what they turned on. It was on low. It took a while to heat up enough to melt the handle and cause the smoke.
I totally get that so many folks can't see why we don't fire them. I guess I'm just so relieved that everything is OK, that I'm not in a mad place. We couldn't really flip out properly b/c we didn't find out about it until we read our email 22 hours after it happened. We felt helpless, but by that point, everything was OK. We didn't know until returning that the fire department confirmed that the knob was on (as opposed to it being faulty wiring.) So we had a few days of not being mad at anyone. Again, just glad that the cats were OK.
I've just had such bad experiences with service people (and their lack of concern for their mistakes) that I am numb to it, I guess. From the pet sitter who just didn't show up, to the maids that left broken glass in the pet water bowl, to other stuff that my brain just won't let me remember.
I just don't have the energy to freak out anymore. That, and the fact that I'd have to clean my own house for at least a few weeks, and I don't wanna.
I understand that you like and trust your housekeepers, but the fact is this could have been a lot worse.
My sister is a housekeeper, just her, no company, and she went through the process to get insurance and licensed and bonded to do that. Even if your housekeepers don't work for a company, they should have the same coverage, and thus should be more than able to pay you for the damages.
I'd expect them to be falling all over themselves apologizing. You weren't home, they were the only ones there and it's been proven that the stove was on. Clearly, they did it.
Before you decided if you're going to keep them on, I'd find out if they're insured. If they're not, then I'd fire them immediately. Next time you might not be so lucky and if they can't/won't pay $150 to repair your stove, how are they going to compensate you if they do something that causes more extensive damage?