Cleaner damaged much-loved furniture

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Forum -> Household Management

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amother

Thu, Oct 10 2019, 2:27 pm

https://imgur.com/a/0d6hwim
I've had a cleaner for two months, referred by someone from my shul.
Last week she badly damaged a table made by a member of my family. The table is 40 years old, but was in very good condition.
The cleaner said she "didn't notice anything."
My feeling is just to let her go. DH suggested having her back and asking her to reimburse the cost of restoring the furniture. I haven't even begun to get estimates - I have a feeling it will be a big, expensive job. I also don't want her back; I don't know what else she will damage, and I feel very bad about the table.
Will be grateful for any thoughts from imas.

ra_mom

Thu, Oct 10 2019, 4:13 pm

If this isn't the first time she's damaged something, let her go. I've had such cleaners and they give agmas nefesh every week with their roughness.
Buy a special wood marker and color in the damage until you are ready to have somebody come repair it.

Rutabaga

Thu, Oct 10 2019, 4:16 pm

If you ask her to work essentially for free to pay you back for the damage then she's just going to quit.

Are you sure she is the one who damaged the table and not a child?

amother

Thu, Oct 10 2019, 4:18 pm

Absolutely sure it was the cleaner. No children were home at the time.

amother

Thu, Oct 10 2019, 4:20 pm

ra_mom wrote:

agmas nefesh .

Thank you ra_mom. That's exactly what this was. She'd made dings on other surfaces, but this one hurt.

studying_torah

Thu, Oct 10 2019, 4:21 pm

I'm so sorry that happened. I highly doubt you will get paid back; I had a worker years back from an agency who broke an expensive piece of crystal. I complained to the agency & said they should pay or the worker should- the agency pretty much laughed in my face.

amother

Lemon

Thu, Oct 10 2019, 4:21 pm

I would fire her she obviously isn’t careful. I had a cleaning lady that broke a crystal from the light fixture in my room. And she didn’t tell me and then I found glass in my bed!

amother

Thu, Oct 10 2019, 4:23 pm

amother [ Lemon ] wrote:

I had a cleaning lady that broke a crystal from the light fixture in my room. And she didn’t tell me and then I found glass in my bed!

Oh, no. Hope you weren't hurt by the glass . . . ?

tichellady

Thu, Oct 10 2019, 4:23 pm

I’m sorry. I don’t think you should ask her to reimburse you. If you don’t feel comfortable with her then her let her go.

amother

Thu, Oct 10 2019, 4:26 pm

tichellady wrote:

If you don’t feel comfortable with her then her let her go.

No, I'm not comfortable. This was pretty bad. There was nothing at all on the table - I clear everything off for dusting. I think she dropped something heavy on it.

amother

Thu, Oct 10 2019, 4:28 pm

studying_torah wrote:

I had a worker years back from an agency who broke an expensive piece of crystal. I complained to the agency & said they should pay or the worker should- the agency pretty much laughed in my face.

How awful. I thought agencies had insurance for that kind of thing - I guess not.

amother

Fuchsia

Thu, Oct 10 2019, 5:06 pm

It's upsetting but I know this is the price to pay for not being able to clean myself. Every single cleaning lady that I've had has ruined or broken things every couple of weeks.

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