You broke something at a custys...

[-JB-]

a faucet

lamp

dinged a door

mirror blew of the wall


how do you handle it?

 

[bob vawter]

alright John...what you break....?

 

[John Olson]

Fix or replace. I wouldn't think this would be a question.

 

[Lyman]

Last week, the 2.5 hose took out a outdoor light. I took 30 off the bill, even when the customer said it was not neccesary.

 

[Art Kelley]

You take care of it either out of pocket or if it's too much, call your insurance adjuster. I've had maybe four insurance claims over the years and they take care of it for you. Doesn't seem to effect my preminums too much. Like Ozzy Osbourne said when a fan was suing him after being hit by something he threw into the crowd: "That's what insurance is for."

 

[John Watson]

JB, You did all that on one job????

1. Notify your office,
2. Tell the Client,
3. Tell the Client,
4. Call your Insurance Co.

A year or so back Helen and I broke a mirror, Client said no problem,
Sometimes nothing comes of it. If you don't tell them and they find out
10-20-times worse consequenses...

(Boy are we paying for it now)

 

[Dolly Llama]

I broke a faucet in a day care we clean
It was a weekend and no one is there, so I ran to the hardware store, bought another faucet and installed it.


The things we've broke in homes, I tell them about.

I was changing tools for steps once and large plant was next to me.
The vac hose got a "little too close" and stripped all the leaves off a branch.
I didn't say a word about that one

I've stripped a roll or two of toilet paper while changing tools to detail around the toilet.
I don't mention when that happens either

years ago, a young fellow named James worked with me.
James was good kid, but not very sharp.
We were cleaning a custys carpet and for some reason she put her parakeet in the carpeted bath room we were to clean.
James was in there cleaning, and I went out to the van for something.
I knew he was in the bath room and would be changing tools.
On my way to the van, I saw "something" coming through the vac hose coils :shock:

It was a wash rag......THANK GAWD


..L.T.A.

 

[Jim Martin]

some religious figure that was sitting on a shelf...I picked up a pin that had rolled off and the open flap at the top of my glove hit it...there was no gluing this one back together...probably going to burn in hell for this one

 

[-JB-]

Lemme re-word it.


What is your policy.

Hope that will clarify it

 

[steve g]

depends on if you think they will notice anyways the last deal for me was, there was a coffee table, I just barely started to put pressure on it to move it, and the thing self destructed, the legs totally about blew off it, I shoved them back under it and did not move it another inch, I thought the table was already like that, and truthfully it was, however a couple hours after I left the customer calls me wondering what happened to the table, says I cracked the whole top and sides, I was like, what, so I went back and sure enough it was cracked and looked pretty bad, upon closer look, the main problem is it had a platform near the floor that was supposed to have brackets screwed into it these would help hold the legs in place, none of the screws where in it, I pointed this out to the customer, as I felt if this would have been put together correctly it would not have happened, I felt like yeah I did the damage but my responsibility for doing the damage was diminished, I told my feelings to the customer and asked them how much they paid for the table she said $150 I said ok....................our bill is $250 and offered to give them the check back, she took it, I was kinda pissed as I didn't feel totally responsible for breaking it, and she never offered to write another check for $100, I felt kinda hosed, oh well, take your punches and move on.

 

[Dolly Llama]

Lemme re-word it.


What is your policy.

Hope that will clarify it

come-on..if you've ever seen a how fast a roll of TP SPINS, you get a kick out of it..

Our policy is to tell them if we broke sump'um.
99.9% of the time they've said,

"don't worry about it"


..L.T.A.

 

[Larry B]

Cleanen carpets for a guy when I was 17 I busted out a window with the wand. All the other windows in the house were open so I just slid the frame of this one up and left

 

[maker]

About 15 years ago I was pulling out one of biggest sectionals I have seen. While pulling it out I noticed a lamp on the table next to it was moving also. Came right off the table before I could stop and broke. The cord was wrapped around the legs a couple of times. After looking at the other legs I noticed there were cords from other things wrapped around quite a few them. Some cords were wrapped around three or four legs. Strange.

$75.00

 

[BradFenstermaker]

Apologize and take something off the bill.

Go to store that sells what broke and buy gift card. Send with Thankyou card.

This worked well with us when I broke a nice inexpensive vase.

Client was upset and called because we did that. We clean once a yr for the last 4 yrs.

 

[Becker]

I'd do my best to fix it or replace it.

Even if they tell you not to worry, Id still fix it.
I've taken a frame in to have new glass cut.
Replaces a cheap clay pot from the sidewalk.
Sent a gift card to a client for Nordstrom so he could buy a new tie. It was under the bed and got stuck in the wand. I'm sure with it cleaned and pressed out just fine.

I have always gone out of my way to make the client whole in the rare event something is broken.


RARE!

 

[esquireservicesinc]

1.) Tell the custy
2.) Fix or replace

About a year ago one of our techs broke a $2 night light. Told the customer right away. On follow up call customer wanted to speak to me. She was thoroughly impressed the tech had told her about it. She said most people would not have mentioned it to her. Said he offered to take something off the bill, but she said it was not necessary. Now we have a customer for life.

We have broken some other things like a glass top table. Just had the glass replaced and took care of it for the custy.

 

[Greenie]

a faucet
Depends, am I chewing gum, quick fix.

lamp
Is there a matching one somewhere else in the house, like the back room?

dinged a door
Brown or creme crayon?

mirror blew of the wall
That is my story, and I'm stickin' to it....it bleeeew off.

 

[Brian R]

I hit a sofa when trying to go underneath it and...oh wait...wrong thread.

 

[R W]

I was cleaning at a Catholic Church rectory, and didn't see a couple "Crucifixes" on the edge of a buffet table. Next thing I know, Jesus was on the floor, with broken arms, and a foot missing. They were old pieces, and I figured valuable, so the heart starts racin'. The Priest wasn't in, so I took the Crucifixes into his office, laid them out on his desk, and wrote a simple note......"I broke Jesus". I offered to have them professionally repaired, and asked him to call me when he got back. Well, the call came when I was out, and I was hesitant to listen to the message. It went something like this......."Mr Hodge, (audible laughs), no need to worry. These were already damaged, and we were going to destroy them at our annual "religious article bonfire". (This is where they hold a bonfire to burn damaged religious articles, if you hadn't guessed).

No Hail Marys or Our Fathers.....I was good to go........


I did break a lamp glass on Friday at a house in which the custy wasn't home. (He is an IRS auditor). You wouldn't know that there was a glass bulb in the stem of the lamp....it looks just as good with or without....but I will call him and tell him. He'll probably tell me to forget it.

 

[-JB-]

Though I do like the good anecdotes, I was really hoping for someones written policy on how they, or their employees are authorized to handle these types of issues.

Ken? :roll:

 

[John Watson]

Does any of you great roll models, have a written procedure for when you or an employee damage something in a cleints home? If so may I have a copy??

Is this what you were asking??? Your accent is getting thicker!!!

It should be in every real companies procedure manual. All my stuff like that is on old computers hard drives that haven't been plugged in in about 10 yrs since we quit being a real company.

 

[steve r]

put a buffer through a wall. no hiding that one. sent the owner of company to hardware store for drywall mud and patched it before we left.

chemdry owners own damn fault for cleaning hallway carpeting that was wore through in spots. it came apart and wrapped around the pad driver and sent me into the wall.i told him we shouldnt try and clean it but the greedy bastard didnt have any sense.

since ive been on my own i havent broke anything i can think of but honesty is always the best policy.

 

[-JB-]

Does any of you great roll models, have a written procedure for when you or an employee damage something in a cleints home? If so may I have a copy??

Sutt'n like dat!

 

[-JB-]

Just realized I never really got the responces I was looking for, so here goes again.

Our policy is to tell them if we broke sump'um.

Close.

But what I'm saying is.
You/your crew put a hole in a luan door at a commercial acct.
Do you find a contractor to go in and replace/fix the door, or do you allow them to "handle " it and bill you?
I can tell you, FROM EXPERIENCE, that a $30 luan door, purchased, stained and hung by a factory employee costs about $350 when the bill comes.

This past summer I had an hard water encrusted aerator snap off on the inside of the faucet. Gold, late 80's era delta, no longer in production. So I tell the client what has happened, ask her if she has a plumber she uses? Yup, great guy down the road. Call him he shows her some sample faucets, she picks one installed days later, issue solved, decide to deduct the plumbers bill from my own... sort of. :shock:
My bill$173.
Plumbers bill -$234.
She STILL has a +61 credit

My point is IN WRITING

WHAT is your companies POLICY/PROCEDURE for handling such occurrences?

Looking for a responses from someone/a company that actually has such a policy/procedure in place, obviously, (I hope) we ALL fix the issues, looking for the best/most appropriate way to handle it IN WRITING.

This IS NOT about the money, that's what insurance is for. It's about procedure.

 

[Craig Lindquist]

Buck up and pay for the f#*k up.

 

[-JB-]

oye!

 

[Ron Werner]

how do you handle it?

I pick it up very carefully, so as not to cut myself, also because I'm po'd at breaking something, and I go show the client.
I's offers to fix, replace, or take some of the bill.

 

[B&BGaryC]

I had something in writing at one point. If it looks like it will be less than five hundred dollars in damages, you point it out to the customer, even if you don't even know if you broke it. (Like the door hitting the wall and you seeing a mark that maybe was already there.) You say, "I did this, or I think I might have done this, and I am very sorry, what would you like me to do about it? We can fix it, we can deduct such and such, we can give you a credit, we can give you cash to do it yourself. Stress that we will do anything to make it right.

If it looks like it's gonna be more than 500 dollars, you keep quiet as you can and call the manager or company owner to come out. If you engage in conversation with the customer don't take blame or shrug blame, remain ambiguous and mention that you have called owner or manager and that they are on the way to handle said issue or will be by at such and such a time to handle the issue.

I was working with a kid that had a problem with knocking crap over and breaking it. (at elite cleaning co) I remember one knick nack he knocked over in front of the customer... He said sorry, she said, "It's okay. I made that for my father when I was nine. After he passed away it's the only thing I got from his estate to remember him by."

I told her I understand it's priceless and irreplaceable, but asked if there was anything we can do. I told her for starters the whole cleaning was at no charge, and that's all that I had authority to do. Beyond that I was happy to bring the owner of the company out to resolve the issue.

She replied that it wasn't necessary, and it was a non-issue, then she continued to go on for several minutes about how she had nothing left to remember her father by and how happy he was when she made that knick nack for him.

She paid the full bill and we left.

 

[davegillfishing]

my policy is that everything go's to the benefit of the customer. you break it you stop what you are doing, get the customer explain what happened and ask for a value. if they say dont worry about apologize and dont keep bothering them about it, we will handle it internally. let me know what it was and i will deal with THE SAME DAY.
it is cheaper to keep a customer than to go get a new one..99% of the time it always go's to the customers benefit. i dont make the guys pay for things unles they have lots of breaks..then they get fired because they are being careless, we do have some breaks but not many.

 

[dealtimeman]

Post in your company manual to tell tech just be honest, man up to the mistake and to call you and tell you what they fooged up!