floor damaged by (indesit) washing machine technician

Cool_Username

Hi Europa, I wouldn't put much stock in the 'is wooden flooring suitable for a kitchen' comments and the like, the fact is that is the type of flooring that is down in your kitchen and if a workman has not taken enough care and has damaged it, then obviously you're within your rights to want it repaired.

If a television repairman spills something on your carpet or damages your laminate flooring in your living room it's the same situation.

Fair enough the guy probably didn't intend to cause damage, but when all is said and done he came into your home to repair your washing machine and left you with damage to your kitchen floor.

Yes you have no video evidence of him damaging the floor, but the same would be true if the guy decided to knock over a vase on his way out - there would still be your word against his but clearly you couldn't let it stand.

Anyway, I'd take some photos of the damage to your floor and send them and a letter to the company who sent the repairman and the manufacturer of your washing machine, explaining what happened and requesting a response from them. See what happens.

europa

Cool_Username wrote: »

Hi Europa, I wouldn't put much stock in the 'is wooden flooring suitable for a kitchen' comments and the like, the fact is that is the type of flooring that is down in your kitchen and if a workman has not taken enough care and has damaged it, then obviously you're within your rights to want it repaired.

If a television repairman spills something on your carpet or damages your laminate flooring in your living room it's the same situation.

Fair enough the guy probably didn't intend to cause damage, but when all is said and done he came into your home to repair your washing machine and left you with damage to your kitchen floor.

Yes you have no video evidence of him damaging the floor, but the same would be true if the guy decided to knock over a vase on his way out - there would still be your word against his but clearly you couldn't let it stand.

Anyway, I'd take some photos of the damage to your floor and send them and a letter to the company who sent the repairman and the manufacturer of your washing machine, explaining what happened and requesting a response from them. See what happens.

thanks, this is exactly what i have done. i have sent them two emails and one letter. each time they appear to consult the technician who in turn denies responsibility. Indesit then simply replies by letter saying "engineer says he didn't cause the damage, so we are not responsible". obviously they are simply trying to sweep it under the carpet.

Cool_Username

Of course they are - unfortunately the first line of defence for companies is to essentially fob you off, since a lot of people will simply give up at this first stage and either put it down to experience or put up with basically being told to run along and not bother them.

I suppose I can't blame them in some ways since it saves a lot of effort dealing with complaints when you can get most customers to back off at this first stage.

That said give them a bit of grief - badger their customer services department a little and see where it gets you. Show them that you want a solution to the problem that was caused as a result of a workman coming out to repair their faulty product and aren't prepared to be fobbed off by them.

McKneff

europa wrote: »

if u re-read my post more carefully, you will notice i said "which i WISH i had thought of at the time".

also why is it that so many people these days naturally assume that capitals = shouting?

anyway, whilst i appreciate all replies, i know full-well who is to blame. the purpose of my thread is to understand what my rights are as a consumer and how i should proceed in respect to Indesit.

My apologies for not reading your post as carefully as i should have.

Its not an assumption about capitals being shouting, its a fact, otherwise what is the point of differentiating a particularl word. If you want to reinforce the meaning it should be in bold or underlined.

Back to the OP, have you tried to buff the scratches, my advice seens ot have got lost, it just may help and if you dont get any where is it possible to cover them with a kitchen mat.

Esqui

neilmcl wrote: »

If the repair was organised via the warranty then the engineer will be working on behalf of the manufacturer.

Well yes, my post was a bit vague. But I've always been told we have to deal with any queries about the repair process, which this would include.

europa

McKneff wrote: »

Its not an assumption about capitals being shouting, its a fact, otherwise what is the point of differentiating a particularl word. If you want to reinforce the meaning it should be in bold or underlined.

if i took offence everytime someone sent me an email/sms entirely in capital letters, i would be a nervous wreck by now. :eek: In my experience, most people do not regard capitals as shouting. But i guess we will just have to agree to disagree!

Back to the OP, have you tried to buff the scratches, my advice seens ot have got lost, it just may help and if you dont get any where is it possible to cover them with a kitchen mat.

thanks for the buffing tip. i'll give that a go at some point. :beer:

garyd

Are you able to obtain statements from friends and/or neighbours stating that the damage was not there prior to the Indesit visit?
All Indesit technicians are issued with perspex type sheeting to place down when undertaking 'major' repairs.
He obviously did not wifully cause the damage however it shows a distinct lack of care and consideration on his part (if he did do it) and it is not unlikely that this would not be the first complaint made against him. If it is the first then it will either not be the last or they will make sure he is re-instructed on how he should conduct his repair technique.
The area field supervisor should be calling out to you to inspect the damage. If not I would ask why not.
Please don't mess about with Indesit's customer care department 'cos they don't!
Go as high as you can and demand to know when the matter is going to be resolved. But make sure you have more than just your word against his as it will make for a smoother ride. And it will be a ride!.

Norant

I would be livid if this had happened to me,i know that the cost of this type of flooring can be very expensive and i find it difficult to believe that a tech: on seeing this did not take adaquate precautions to avoid damage.

There is some very good advice from some posters on here that i would take up if i was in that situation,firstly i would get people who knew before that there were no scratches and get them to make statements to that effect,then i would send them off to indesit customer relations department.

I would also try the buffering tip,aswell as placing something under the appliance just in case in future it needs to be moved again.

I can see that you may have a fight on your hands here because its your word against the Tech's word,but i wish you luck.

neilmcl

All I can add is if you are going to fight this then please don't try "buffing" or any type of repair to the floor, leave well alone until it any claim is concluded.

You could argue that the damage is only consistent with work being carried out on the machine without floor protection and not by normal wear & tear, which is something you can prove. Demand they send out an assesor to look at the damage. If they do take it seriously the chances are they'll pass it on to their insurers to deal with.

Cool_Username

neilmcl wrote: »

All I can add is if you are going to fight this then please don't try "buffing" or any type of repair to the floor, leave well alone until it any claim is concluded.

You could argue that the damage is only consistent with work being carried out on the machine without floor protection and not by normal wear & tear, which is something you can prove. Demand they send out an assesor to look at the damage. If they do take it seriously the chances are they'll pass it on to their insurers to deal with.

That's all good advice. Certainly don't start down the road of trying to cover up the damage done to your floor by a workman!

"Try buffing it out!?" What sort of advice is that when your property has been damaged by someone sent out to repair a faulty kitchen appliance!? As if the onus is on you to put the damage right!? Crazy.

"My car has a scratch across the bonnet made by an AA man who came to repair my car. Oh well, suppose I'll buy some touch up and repair it myself..." :rotfl: