HELP Disaster with polish & client's carpet

[Fab Freak]

On Saturday i was french polishing a clients toes in her lounge (as the kitchen had workmen in) and i dropped my white varnish which bounced of my stool and landed where there was no towell (bloody typical).

The client was very calm about it the accident but I really don't know what to do.

I didn't charge for the service which was two pedis and two manis and now I am not sure what steps to take.

Is it my responsibility?

Do they claim of their house insurance?

I got some of the colour out using varnish remover but its a very raised and unusual weave so I couldn't really get into the threads...

My friends opinion was they invited you into their hosue do this job and it was their choice to work in the lounge so she thinks it's for them to claim in insurance or pay for the cleaning is this right - what do you think.

Please can anyone offer me some advise as in two years i've never been put in this position, and i feel very bad about the whole situation and I am not sure what is expected or what is right. If money was no object i wouldn't worry about such a situation but its not.

 

[becki x]

Did you try to remove it at all ? oops just re read your post !

Worst case scenario is that your client will make a claim on your insurance x

 

[michelle monks]

Hi, do you have your own public liability insurance?

 

[Sassy Hassy]

Well I think your insurance will ask that you use a protective sheet whilst performing treatments to avoid such mishaps when mobile, but you many want to check.

Her insurance may cover her, although as it was a Professional treatment they may try and wriggle out of it. Probably best that she says she did it. Natalie once used neat 1001 on my brand new carpet and bleached a huge mark on it, my insurance company paid up with no questions asked.

But what a bummer, all that hard work and not getting paid, and I bet you feel really crap. :hug:

 

[Pink Tips]

Not sure what would happen, I presume they could just claim off your insurance, as if they claim of theirs they will have to pay a premium (you always have to pay the 1st £50 or something).

I've always dreaded that happening to me. Don't panic, your insurance will cover it (you do have insurance?) that's what its there for.

Good luck

 

[Marlise]

Hi,

This is just my opinion, but here goes.

Even though the client has invited you into their home, they would expect you to take reasonable precautions in order to prevent any damage to their property if something where to go wrong.

I always use towells and a plastic cover sheet in order to prevent any water going on the floor or if anything were to fall over, to catch the spills.

If they want to make a claim, the claim would probably go through your insurance as "you" caused the damage.

Has the client said anything to you ? How did she react to the situation ?



Marlise

 

[Fab Freak]

I always put towells down so precautions were taken but you can blanket the whole room and as you expect it found the area that had not got covering which was not where we were working.

She took it well and was quite good about it i was more upset than she was.

I'm never working in a lounge again, I really wished I walked out the door and not do the job in hindsight.

I did'nt realise the public liability was for this I thought it covered injury by treatement i best read my policy (what a dope)

 

[Urban Geek]

Since it wasn't your place of choice to carry out the treatments and it was at your clients request that you do the treatments in the lounge, I would let the client approach you re an insurance claim. Afterall, if I was wanting treatments, I would make sure it was in the most appropriate area of the house. It is not your fault that she had work being carried out and you took all reasonable precautions.

I understand why you are upset and blaming yourself but I would check out my insurance and then wait and see if the client pursues a claim.

 

[motherbird]

Aside from the advice re insurance etc.....................if its any help I once spilt red nail polish on our then cream floral suite ! Tried everything to remove and as a last ditch attempt bought a stain devil - the one for removing paint and tar- incredible result, it totally removed any trace of the polish ever having been there. It totally succeeded where polish remover, 1001, and a squillion other remedies had failed. Just a thought ! Best of luck.

 

[nailsbydesign]

I dropped nail enamel on a brand new carpet (man made fibre)that had been fitted only the day before...the carpet was white and the enamel was red I was in a panic as my hubby would have gone absolutely mad....so I tried enamel remover...forget that it just thins it down and spreads it further over the carpet...so I tried white spirit and it worked just great....took every last drop out of the carpet with no trace whatsoever...to this day hubby does not know that I spilt the red enamel...we had been decorating just prior to having the carpet fitted so he didnt think anything strange about the smell of the white spirit...your client will need to try it on a small area first to see if it affects the carpet fibre or not....but it is well worth getting your client to have a try at it. HTH

 

[Zuise.e]

I've used neat acetone to get polish from cream carpet - it does smear it at first but I kept going and it worked and didn't ruin the carpet also used it to get it off white jeans.

 

[nailsbydesign]

I've used neat acetone to get polish from cream carpet - it does smear it at first but I kept going and it worked and didn't ruin the carpet also used it to get it off white jeans.

If the carpet was man made fibre the acetone could have melted it as they are usually plastic based fibres

 

[Fab Freak]

Thanks for all the advise, you guys are great.:hug:

I might suggest to her she looks at trying white spirit as the polish remover did do a good job within reason but there was still a trace.

 

[pmason]

Hiya, I'm not sure whereabouts in Yorkshire you are but I have a fab carpet cleaner who did my cream carpet last week and managed to remove a huge red enamel stain that had been there for a year!! If it comes to it and If you're anywhere near me hun pm me i'll give you his contact details - he's very reasonably priced too!!

 

[Northern Nails]

I would say it would be your responsibility to have the carpet cleaned. try looking at it this way. Say you had decorators in and they splashed paint onto your suite would you expect them to have it cleaned would you say that it's not their responsibility. I know what i'd expect them to do.