Spilt coffee at a salon - cleaning bill 7 October 2022 at 11:16AM in Insurance & life assurance 3 replies 296 views

PSmedley

Good morning, 

I am just seeking some advise. I had my nails done with a girl who works from home for a couple of years now. I accidently spilt a coffee on the carpet which she never told me not to bring upstairs in her beauty room. At the time I was mortified and so apologetic. I dabbed up all the coffee and asked if I can clean it for her. She reassured my it was fine, many people do this. 

Next day I asked if it had cleaned up OK and she said she haven't tried (been sat there for 12h plus) and that somebody else did same thing. She said it wasn't my problem. 

Week after she has told me I will be told how much to pay for cleaner as her carpet is mouldy. No images or proof sent from her. I don't think this is the case. Or it would have beeb resolved if she cleaned it in time or let me do it. 

I said to her that I am sorry and I can afford to pay the bill. I am sure home or business insurance should cover this for her. Apparently she said it doesn't.

Do I need to pay legally for the damage as a client? If I did thus by accident at a salon or restaurant I wouldn't not need to. She room upstairs is her place of work therefore I see it as the same. 

Please can you advise as I don't want her to become nasty and cause conflict. 

Thank you!!!

user1977

I don't think your liability is really an insurance question, though I would expect any damage to be well below whatever her excess is, so in practice she wouldn't be making a claim anyway.

I wouldn't worry about it anyway unless she goes legal, any sensible business would just write it off as one of those things.

dunstonh

I said to her that I am sorry and I can afford to pay the bill. I am sure home or business insurance should cover this for her. Apparently she said it doesn't.

There is a possibility that she hasn't declared that she is working from home and isn't insured.

Do I need to pay legally for the damage as a client?

She made you a drink.  So, there is an expectation that the drink could be spilt.  if she was worried about potential spillages, she shouldn't have served you a drink.  Or she should have had hard flooring.

Coffee could slightly stain but going mouldy means no effort was made to clear it up and for multiple days.  So, there was no mitigation of damage by her.

In reality, cleaning would be cheap, even if left for a week before cleaning it and needing a professional company. Maybe around £125.  she can claim that as a business expense and reduce her tax bill.  So, its closer to £100.   A figure that no business person would go chasing from clients.  Any liability on you is questionable to begin with and any attempt to obtain money from you via the small claims court would be high risk to her and come with costs that are greater than the amount being claimed.

I would politely refuse

Ditzy_Mitzy

dunstonh said:

I said to her that I am sorry and I can afford to pay the bill. I am sure home or business insurance should cover this for her. Apparently she said it doesn't.

There is a possibility that she hasn't declared that she is working from home and isn't insured.

Do I need to pay legally for the damage as a client?

She made you a drink.  So, there is an expectation that the drink could be spilt.  if she was worried about potential spillages, she shouldn't have served you a drink.  Or she should have had hard flooring.

Coffee could slightly stain but going mouldy means no effort was made to clear it up and for multiple days.  So, there was no mitigation of damage by her.

In reality, cleaning would be cheap, even if left for a week before cleaning it and needing a professional company. Maybe around £125.  she can claim that as a business expense and reduce her tax bill.  So, its closer to £100.   A figure that no business person would go chasing from clients.  Any liability on you is questionable to begin with and any attempt to obtain money from you via the small claims court would be high risk to her and come with costs that are greater than the amount being claimed.

I would politely refuse

A couple of things about the beautician's account seem fishy.  Firstly, it is extremely unlikely that mould growth will result from spilling a drink on to what is almost certainly going to be acrylic carpet.  The pile of such carpets is a plastic derivative and there is nothing in particular in coffee that will go mouldy, it's only water, coffee granules and milk after all.  The milk might go off if left, but I've been around enough carpeted offices with shoddy cleaning regimes to know that mould doesn't result from spilled drinks.  Secondly, no serious manicurist can afford to be precious about her floors.  Nail work results in spillages of all sorts of chemicals that are far nastier than coffee; floorcoverings are essentially sacrificial in salons.  The one I go to is carpeted, but the carpet gets ripped out every few years because it takes something of a battering.  

I wouldn't worry about it too much.  You may, however, have to find someone else for a manicure.