To withhold cleaning payment?

[LittleNickola]

Will keep this as short as I can! Basically I have a guilty conscience due to withholding payment from a cleaning agency for a bad job they did last week. Our regular cleaner was away and so we asked the agency to send someone as a one-off. She used the wrong cleaning products in our bathroom and has left big white streaks in the shower and around the basin. The cleaning products were provided by us (a vast array) and she basically selected the wrong item for the job (using a bleach product on delicate marble surfaces).
I contacted the agency and said we have to fix the damage, and hence I wasn't willing to pay for the clean. They have said they won't chase me for the payment "but" they have no reason to believe that their cleaner caused the damage and she is saying it was already there (!!!).... They have told me they will "leave the decision to me" on whether to pay them, but they will certainly pay her. It's making me feel like I'm bullying them even though I know she DID cause the damage and now we have to put it right...
If this all seems pedantic it's probably because im about to give birth any day!

Will it be expensive to fix the damage?

Not sure whether we can even fix it properly. I've already bought two specialist polishing products from a company who advised me over the phone, which cost more than the cost of the cleaner... And they haven't worked. Replacing the marble itself would probably cost three figures.

Well I'm very glad the cleaning company are paying her, you don't do cleaning jobs for fun. She made a mistake, don't the company have insurance for this sort of thing?

Yes, I would expect the company to have insurance to cover this kind of thing and would want them to rectify the damage.

I'd ask them to replace it on their insurance.

When we did our old bathroom I refused to have marble as it struck me that it would be very easy to damage. But if you employ a "specialist" cleaning company, they should be able to clean with appropriate products to not damage a relatively common bathroom material.

The cleaning company owner should come to your house in person to quote and to resolve problems.

They should have insurance, although it's a special level of insurance that specifically covers damage caused by materials. Not all companies do, even those who say they are insured. They usually mean public liability.

If this is an agency (the cleaners are technically self employed) then you shouldn't expect much customer care from management.

Marble in bathrooms is very tricky stuff and shouldn't be cleaned by someone who doesn't know what they're doing. I always ask about any surface that looks like stone. Most cleaning chemicals used in showers are acidic.

she basically selected the wrong item for the job

Did you or did you not pacifically specify which product should be used?

Oh and you can have it re-polished and sealed in situ.

I wouldn't have thought it necessary to be specific about which product can be used where.

I can't stop laughing about 'pacifically specify' even 'specifically specify' would have been ridiculous!

Bathrooms with marble are a risk. You might have a lime scale removal product to use on the shower, but marble and lime scale are effectively the same thing, so that product will also take the top shiny layer off your marble.

I still think that you should try to claim on their insurance. It is effectively accidental damage.

I have a broken arm and have to hunt and peck with my left hand. I make a lot of mistakes in my typing thewse days.

If you have a marble bathroom, and you employ a cleaner, you shouldn't assume that they will know what to use on every surface. Many people clean because it's a job that doesn't require qualifications.

I enjoy cleaning and have learned about the pH for different surfaces/soils, but not everyone does.

Oh! You weren't responding to me! I didn't say specifically pacify or anything.

sorry typing and not contrasting, glad to raise a smile(must learn to read before I post, never do,sorry)

Marble is very sensitive to some chemicals, even shampoos and products can ruin it, it might be hard to prove.

When we have cleaners in to some of high end properties(construction and property management), we are very careful to go through what can be used where (product and tool), as some finishes are very sensitive , as are septic tanks and klargester.

It can be fixed.

we label what product can be used where, and make sure that anyone on the property is aware of why, I try not to have damaging products in the properties, because there is always someone who thinks, flash, fairy or bleach is a good idea,

In future stick to ecover products when you have untrained people in the house.

It's very easy for someone who is use to using the harsher products to automatically use them, or use contaminated cloths/sponges.

I switched to a policy of not having harsh products in all the properties twelve years ago,and we haven't had any surfaces damaged since.

Did you specify which product to use in which area -would be very easy to select the wrong given "a vast array" of choice -unless you were specific with your instructions?