Cleaner ironed a massive hole in my new dress!

[angeltattoo]

Hi People,
I bought a new dress last week because I am going on an annual trip with family to the races next Saturday and depressingly, none of my other dresses fit :-(

Am a bit skint so bought a cheap dress (£32) and left it for my cleaner, who visits every 2 weeks, to iron, BUT the is a massive iron-shaped hole in the left boob bit now!

Her manager rang me and left me a voice mail to apologise, saying that the cleaner (she has a name of course but won't use it here just incase) was very sorry and would replace the dress is I wanted her to.

I'm sure it was an honest mistake and it could just as easily have been me, but I'm really gutted beacuse it is brand new (I literally took the tag off it this morning and hung it up for ironing) and I acually really NEED the dress for the races next week!

Have been online to order another, but they are sold out in my new, massive size. :-(

The bloody iron is ruined too.

What would you do? The cleaner only costs £60 a month and is my only treat - I have two jobs - so it's not a case of 'well you have a cleaner so can afford a new dress' and actually, her cleaning isn't that great (I pay for three hrs, but she is never here that long as it's a small one-bed flat. I truly don't mind her not staying 3 hrs, but I would like the place to be cleaner, i.e. if a door is open, she doesn't clean behind it and this drives me mad!)

My heart is telling me to say 'please don't worry, it was a mistake' but I really do not know what to do about a dress for the races now?!

:) One thing, I would never go through an agency. I pay my cleaner £10 an hour direct, so feel as though I know she's getting a reasonable amount of money. She is happy with that amount, so seems to want to do a good job. I never know with an agency what the cleaner is getting, and therefore worry they're being shafted. Are you in London?

I'm just outside London and I pay her £10 ph direct, which i assume she keeps, I used an agency before and paid them £2 ph and paid £8 to the cleaner and would much prefer to give someone £10 direct.

Just had a shower (excuse the TMI!) and it's sparkling, she mostly does a good job but it's the things she doesn't do that I notice so I think i'll try to make a time to be here when she arives one day and go over things. Like I say, I don't think she understands my notes!

Draw pictures

Personally I'd take the hit on the dress, clearly she wouldn't have done it on purpose.

On the iron front, you need this it's fantastic, I always have it at home, cleans irons amazingly

The cleaning company should refund the money for the dress not the cleaner herself.

Are you sure you're not just picking fault because you resent having to pay her for 3 hours. Leave her more ironing or get her to change the beds if you want your money's worth.

Get a replacement dress from a charity shop for a fiver if you're that skint.

If the cleaner has a manager, they are a company, and have insurance. So ask for money to cover that dress, but only the £32 pounds that it cost. Also, ask for a new cleaner. If you are not happy with her, then get one who does make you happy.

What dress is it and where's it from? Maybe another branch has it.

scuzy beat me too it with the 'burn the other boob' idea.

If she's a shit less than brilliant cleaner then it isn't really a treat is it.

Get a new cleaner and have her use the dress as a polishing cloth!!

Cleaning company should pay for losses, that's what their insurance is for.

beat me 'to' it not 'too'. Damn you vile autocorrect!!!

Get them to replace it. I actually think they are playing you a bit - they should have said "we will replace it" not "would you like us to replace it". Cheeky!

Get rid of the cleaner, use the money you save to buy a new dress, and in future clean your own home and iron your own clothes. problem solved.

OP, I don't understand, you say you are paying the cleaner £10 per hour direct but then talk about her manager calling you. Is she through an agency or not? Also, I can't understand what she is doing with her time spending 6 hours cleaning and ironing in a one-bed flat every month, particularly if she is not even doing it all well! Although I appreciate that is a side issue to your current question about what to do with the ruined dress.

Imagine...on the website Cleanernet

"I scorched a client's dress - well ok I burned a hole in it, but it was only a cheap viscose thing - now she's kicking up a stink!"

Leave the bastard!

Asking her to change the bed is a bloody good idea, thank you.

[Grin] @ olgaga!

I just can't get my head around someone whi is skint paying for 3 hours cleaning for a small one bedroom flat...

I don't understand why the cleaner has a manager if they are clearly not managing her and you are paying direct