Am I liable ??

Bikerwife

Hi , myself and terminally ill husband recently stayed at a B and B , my husband had a nose bleed during his sleep which is a side effect to chemo he's undergoing - we told the B and B owner as soon as it happened and tried to clean it but they are saying we are liable for the £40 dry cleaning costs , is this correct ??  It was an accident and not intentional - some help to where we stand would be appreciated 

littleredhen

I am sorry to hear about your husband and although I can't answer your question I presume you told the B&B your situation - if not I would do so and see what they say because I can't believe someone would be so heartless especially as you told them as soon as it happened. Wishing you a positive outcome anyway 

MyRealNameToo

Bikerwife said:

Hi , myself and terminally ill husband recently stayed at a B and B , my husband had a nose bleed during his sleep which is a side effect to chemo he's undergoing - we told the B and B owner as soon as it happened and tried to clean it but they are saying we are liable for the £40 dry cleaning costs , is this correct ??  It was an accident and not intentional - some help to where we stand would be appreciated 

The fact it's a known side effect won't really help your cause. 

How much was your nights stay? If the stay was £60 then clearly the cost are going to take a disproportionate amount of the nightly rate, if you paid £400 for the night then there should be more fat to cover these sorts of things. 

There was another thread on here recently for someone who's period came whilst staying at an AirBnB and they were charged a couple of hundred so you came off comparatively lightly. 

Personally, would probably ask for a copy of the receipt from the dry cleaners and if they produce one then pay that. I suspect you have enough on your plate to deal with at the moment than a protracted argument over a relatively modest sum. 

flaneurs_lobster

You may wish to share the reason for the accidental damage to the B&B property with the owner and they might agree to waive what sounds to me a pretty reasonable charge for deep-cleaning bedding.

Are you liable? Somewhere you will have agreed to the B&Bs terms for your stay, there will probably be a clause in there about what you are liable for in terms of damage or cleaning. 

twopenny

How much bedding was affected?
While I have sympathy with your situation and certainly share that with the owners as part of your apology.
You were aware that this could happen and it is their property damaged

But having worked in hotels that could well be the cost for them to use it again or replace.
I'd suggest your own thick towel on the pillow over the sheets is most comfortable for sleeping as I've tried this successfully in the past. Easier to deal with.

My best wishes to you. It's very tough.

Ergates

Bikerwife said:

Hi , myself and terminally ill husband recently stayed at a B and B , my husband had a nose bleed during his sleep which is a side effect to chemo he's undergoing - we told the B and B owner as soon as it happened and tried to clean it but they are saying we are liable for the £40 dry cleaning costs , is this correct ??  It was an accident and not intentional - some help to where we stand would be appreciated 

Ultimately - yes.  Accidental or not, you caused the "damage" that the owner will need to rectify.   

But....the next question is:  are the costs they are claiming an accurate reflection of the costs they've incurred.  Presumably blood from the nosebleed go onto some bedding?  What bedding was it?  What was the actual cost of having this dry cleaned?  Was it necessary to get it dry cleaned?  I would have thought that most B&Bs would use bedding that can just go into a standard washing machine.

MyRealNameToo

Ergates said:

Bikerwife said:

Hi , myself and terminally ill husband recently stayed at a B and B , my husband had a nose bleed during his sleep which is a side effect to chemo he's undergoing - we told the B and B owner as soon as it happened and tried to clean it but they are saying we are liable for the £40 dry cleaning costs , is this correct ??  It was an accident and not intentional - some help to where we stand would be appreciated 

Ultimately - yes.  Accidental or not, you caused the "damage" that the owner will need to rectify.   

But....the next question is:  are the costs they are claiming an accurate reflection of the costs they've incurred.  Presumably blood from the nosebleed go onto some bedding?  What bedding was it?  What was the actual cost of having this dry cleaned?  Was it necessary to get it dry cleaned?  I would have thought that most B&Bs would use bedding that can just go into a standard washing machine.

Would imagine the pillow itself was bloodied which is more complex for home laundry, this is presumably a small B&B not a mini-hotel with commercial washing facilities etc

TELLIT01

The obvious reverse question is "Why should the B&B absorb the additional cost of cleaning?"

Ergates

MyRealNameToo said:

Ergates said:

Bikerwife said:

Hi , myself and terminally ill husband recently stayed at a B and B , my husband had a nose bleed during his sleep which is a side effect to chemo he's undergoing - we told the B and B owner as soon as it happened and tried to clean it but they are saying we are liable for the £40 dry cleaning costs , is this correct ??  It was an accident and not intentional - some help to where we stand would be appreciated 

Ultimately - yes.  Accidental or not, you caused the "damage" that the owner will need to rectify.   

But....the next question is:  are the costs they are claiming an accurate reflection of the costs they've incurred.  Presumably blood from the nosebleed go onto some bedding?  What bedding was it?  What was the actual cost of having this dry cleaned?  Was it necessary to get it dry cleaned?  I would have thought that most B&Bs would use bedding that can just go into a standard washing machine.

Would imagine the pillow itself was bloodied which is more complex for home laundry, this is presumably a small B&B not a mini-hotel with commercial washing facilities etc

Most pillows can go into a washing machine, and the cost to try clean a pillow is (from a quick google) £10-£12.  Cotton/polyester pillow cases can definitely go into a washing machine and the cost to dry clean them would be less than £5.

Which would make the additional cleaning costs for a bloodied pillow & pillowcases somewhere between £0 and £15.  So where did the £40 come from?   Maybe the staining was significantly more extensive than just a pillow - I think it would certainly be reasonable for the OP to request a breakdown of the costs.

Like I said - the OP would be liable for any additional (beyond what would normally be required after a stay) cleaning costs, but as per the other similar thread - the business can't just make up a number, it has to reflect the *actual* costs it has incurred.

user1977

Ergates said:

MyRealNameToo said:

Ergates said:

Bikerwife said:

Hi , myself and terminally ill husband recently stayed at a B and B , my husband had a nose bleed during his sleep which is a side effect to chemo he's undergoing - we told the B and B owner as soon as it happened and tried to clean it but they are saying we are liable for the £40 dry cleaning costs , is this correct ??  It was an accident and not intentional - some help to where we stand would be appreciated 

Ultimately - yes.  Accidental or not, you caused the "damage" that the owner will need to rectify.   

But....the next question is:  are the costs they are claiming an accurate reflection of the costs they've incurred.  Presumably blood from the nosebleed go onto some bedding?  What bedding was it?  What was the actual cost of having this dry cleaned?  Was it necessary to get it dry cleaned?  I would have thought that most B&Bs would use bedding that can just go into a standard washing machine.

Would imagine the pillow itself was bloodied which is more complex for home laundry, this is presumably a small B&B not a mini-hotel with commercial washing facilities etc

Which would make the additional cleaning costs for a bloodied pillow & pillowcases somewhere between £0 and £15.  So where did the £40 come from?   

Some cost for their time in arranging the additional cleaning (and also recovering the cost from the OP) would seem reasonable.

PHK

Ergates said:

MyRealNameToo said:

Ergates said:

Bikerwife said:

Hi , myself and terminally ill husband recently stayed at a B and B , my husband had a nose bleed during his sleep which is a side effect to chemo he's undergoing - we told the B and B owner as soon as it happened and tried to clean it but they are saying we are liable for the £40 dry cleaning costs , is this correct ??  It was an accident and not intentional - some help to where we stand would be appreciated 

Ultimately - yes.  Accidental or not, you caused the "damage" that the owner will need to rectify.   

But....the next question is:  are the costs they are claiming an accurate reflection of the costs they've incurred.  Presumably blood from the nosebleed go onto some bedding?  What bedding was it?  What was the actual cost of having this dry cleaned?  Was it necessary to get it dry cleaned?  I would have thought that most B&Bs would use bedding that can just go into a standard washing machine.

Would imagine the pillow itself was bloodied which is more complex for home laundry, this is presumably a small B&B not a mini-hotel with commercial washing facilities etc

Most pillows can go into a washing machine, and the cost to try clean a pillow is (from a quick google) £10-£12.  Cotton/polyester pillow cases can definitely go into a washing machine and the cost to dry clean them would be less than £5.

Which would make the additional cleaning costs for a bloodied pillow & pillowcases somewhere between £0 and £15.  So where did the £40 come from?   Maybe the staining was significantly more extensive than just a pillow - I think it would certainly be reasonable for the OP to request a breakdown of the costs.

Like I said - the OP would be liable for any additional (beyond what would normally be required after a stay) cleaning costs, but as per the other similar thread - the business can't just make up a number, it has to reflect the *actual* costs it has incurred.

In my experience your costs are a little optimistic  and also excludes the cost of time or collection/delivery. If it's a quality feather pillow, then it would easily be £50.