Professional cleaned ruined wooden floors

[Sunshinerainbowslollipops]

So, help! Aibu to think the professional cleaners who did a deep clean for me today need to sort out the damage caused to my wooden floors? The floors look very faded and patchy and there is a large patch where the colour has been taken out of the wood entirely. I've saved and spent all my Christmas money etc on this professional clean having been seriously injured 6 months ago and having got behind on cleaning. This was supposed to be a real treat for the children and myself, I'm really really upset. Any advice? The company have insurance. Thanks!

Have you spoken to them yet?

First talk, then letter, then legal.

You can take photos of the damage and contact them, but it will help if you have 'before' photos as well. If you don't get any joy contact Trading Standards.

Yes, I have. They were apologetic, said it had never happened before and they would think about whether to sand it / get in touch with insurance. I'm really worried their insurance won't pay or something. This is the last thing I need for a number of reasons.... feeling very sad about it right now.

I mean surely their insurance would pay for it to be repaired, isn't that the point of it?

If your floors had an old wax covering (instead of a proper varnish), then steam cleaning will take out the old wax and leave it patchy. I did that on my own floor!

They didn't steam it and I regularly steam clean but never had a problem.... they just messaged asking for my email address to hopefully it will get sorted!

I run a cleaning company. Do NOT let them do anything to your floor. Is it a genuine company or just someone who's self employed? They should have public liability insurance in place for these kind of issues.

Make sure you have some photos, before photos would be a huge help too. Did they give you an invoice/ receipt? Try and keep all correspondence in writing.

Hope it get it sorted quickly

Thank you. They are a small company who have insurance. Yes, I don't want them to sand it, I made that clear. In your experience will their insurance cover this? Thanks!

I didn't get a receipt but I have the booking details in writing.

Just get them to go through insurance.

I had a cleaner through an agency a while back and on her second visit to my house she spilt almost an entire bottle of blue cleaning liquid on my cream carpet. The agency wanted to arrange for the cleaner to come back and fix it but considering she hadn't managed to clean it up properly the first time I didn't want her coming back to try again and leave the blue there even longer. In the end they got a professional carpet cleaning company out to sort it via their insurance and I really think it was the best way. My carpet had only been in a week as wel! Typical!

Hello, quick one once you get this sorted, which I'm sure you will, don't steam wooden floors. I know, right? Our wooden floor specialist said only use a product called Bona (a spray mop with special wood floor cleaner in it). I didn't believe them thinking they were part of Bona until I heard it from several people in different building trades. Steam seriously ruins wood floors apparently.

@Sunshinerainbowslollipops yes their insurance should fix it. Like I said if you have any before photos that would be a huge plus!

As others have said, take pictures, wait for their insurance company to get in touch, don't let them try to remedy it themselves.

They should have all the necessary liability insurances, so don't worry, just wait a little while... and come back and get more of NewSingleMummy's advice if you need it.

Good luck

Thank you so so much everyone, I feel a lot better now. I'm hormonal (ivf) and emotional (just recovered from a major injury) so I was probably more upset than necessary. Hopefully they will sort out with their insurance quickly! Thanks again everyone (I will stop steaming them as well!)

Update - they have said as they don't know how it was caused they don't want to go through the insurers and have offered me 50 pounds. I have said this is absolutely not acceptable and that it needs to go through their insurance. I'm awaiting a reply.

Keep up the good fight. And try to keep it practical rather than emotional. You're more likely to win.

Cheeky buggers - hold your ground sunshine
I don't think they have a choice

They don’t ‘want to’ is not a good reason! What a ridiculous reply.

Thank you. I'm so upset and stressed as have loads going on (unrelated to this) so I just don't need It! I'm worried they have lied on their website etc and they don't have insurance. Still no reply yet. I cant believe they think it's ok to come in and completely ruin a whole wooden floor and not go through insurance?!

Never had a professional clean and never ever will again. They have great reviews and were expensive. I just can't believe they are even questioning not going through their insurance...

Don’t take any cash offer. This sounds like it could be a much bigger job. Definitely use insurance.

TKe a screen shot of the website where it says insurance.

Thank you. Good advice, I've done that. I mean surely isn't something like this exactly what insurance is for? They said they didn't want to make a dishonest insurance claim because they feel that's what it would be as they have no idea how it happened. The floor was perfect before and now it's ruined so they spilt something / used the wrong stuff etc.

No advice, sorry, but how is having your floor cleaned a real treat for your children?

Do you have legal aid as part of your household insurance? If so, consider getting in touch with them for advice.