Rug Works

Initial Business Response /* (1000, 6, 2015/11/10) */
Dear Ms. [redacted],
Thank you for this opportunity to respond to this allegation.
This client contacted me for two years, prior to our first service visit last October, for spotting advise(free of charge) on her textiles.I was happy to help her...

all I could, however, I was very clear that she should not be trying to spot the sisal area rugs in her home.
These products are very touchy, and require a professional approach to properly clean them,a skill we have refined over the twenty five years we have been of service to our clients.
On last years service visit, my team member tried to discuss the damage that was apparently being caused by in home spotting,PRIOR to cleaning.He noticed that these pieces were distorted,especially around the edges, and had white,bleached areas here and there.He pointed this out to her, and took pictures,however,she didn't seem to want to hear his best advise. We were called in again this fall to clean the same textiles, and upon inspection, saw that there was more damage from the spotters, and the distortion was worse.
Upon setting up the date this year, as in our initial conversation last year,I informed her that due to inconsistency in manufacturing, we could not offer any guarantee what so ever.I told her on the phone when she made the appointment, had the team explain everything thoroughly,and then hand write it in the qualifying section of our work order,and it is repeated in the body of our waiver, all which she read,and initialed, to indicate she agreed with the limitations, and signed the contract.Then she said we had never told her about the risks!
Again:on the phone EVERY time I spoke to her, by mouth from both my team members,both visits, in hand writing, and again in the waiver,she was warned about incorrect spotting measures and the damage that was occurring,and the limitations involved with cleaning these textiles.She then complained she was not made aware!!
Also, if we had damaged the rugs last year(which she never brought to my attention!!) why did she call back this year and have us come to clean the same pieces??
It was very clear, in the discussions overheard in the household, that she was very unhappy she spent so much on textiles, that were not easily maintained,for such high use areas as the dining and living rooms.
I told her that ,as is also very clearly stated on our invoice,our liability is limited to no more than the cost to clean the item,and even though I did not feel we were in ANY way responsible for the damage, I would refund her the cost of the dining room area rug cleaning;$495.00.This was not acceptable to her, and after she tried to blackmail me by saying she would damage my hard earned reputation of 25 years by slamming me on the internet,I rescinded the offer.She felt that the entire amount, for the cleaning of her entire house, should be refunded, and was inflexible on this.
I do not feel that this person should be compensated for her own bad choices. Both in her choice of textiles for their application, but especially not for the improper in house spotting that occurred,especially when I spent so much time with her, free of charge, for the past several years, giving her spotting advise.
She simply does not want to take responsibility for her actions,or those of her staff, and my company will not be unjustly bullied into giving her a refund.
We carry very expensive workmanship insurance,and had we caused this damage,it would only have cost me a $500.00 deductible, and some time to file a claim.We did NOT cause this damage, and I will not commit insurance fraud so this person does not have to take responsibility for her actions.
Thank you for your time in reviewing this matter, I have attached a copy of our invoice, so that you may see what was presented to her, in writing, prior to service. Please inform me of any further actions that may be due on my part.
Respectfully,
[redacted]
Owner
The Rug Works
XXX-XXX-XXXX
Initial Consumer Rebuttal /* (3000, 8, 2015/11/16) */
(The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
At the heart of this matter is a damaging and unfair business practice. [redacted] makes many verbal assurances over the phone about her staff's level of expertise and the quality of the work they will perform ("[redacted] is tricky, but don't worry because we can handle it..."), but as soon as there is a problem, she hides behind a blanket "No Guarantees" disclaimer.
The "No Guarantees" disclaimer is subjective and unfair to the consumer. I interpreted the "No Guarantees" disclaimer to be referring to the removal of stains. I accepted the possibility that The Rug Works would not be able to remove certain stains. However, I did not interpret or expect there to be "No Guarantees" that the rug would not be completely ruined due to their cleaning method. Had I thought there was the possibility of ruining my rug, I would not have hired them to clean it.
Based on [redacted]'s self-proclaimed expertise and years in business, I took her advice to clean the rug entirely (versus spot treating the border) and accepted her substitute cleaner when her main employee was out on medical leave. When the bleached spots appeared after cleaning, I expected The Rug Works to take responsibility for the permanent damage they did. Instead, The Rug Works accused me of:
1) Choosing to take a risk that I was not aware of. The cleaner who came to my house DID NOT inform me of any specific problem areas with the rug prior to cleaning. He barely spoke to me and did not communicate any issues. If [redacted] knew there were issues with the rug prior to cleaning, why did she accept the job? Why did she insist on cleaning the entire rug rather than the linen border? Why did she send a substitute cleaner with less experience?
2) Damaging the rug prior to The Rug Works cleaning it, which is absolutely not true. I did not spot clean or even stain the areas of the dining room rug that were bleached by The Rug Works. I am surprised by [redacted]'s response about there being many "known" issues with the rug because when she first followed up about the job her employee did, I told her there were bleach spots everywhere. She did not say anything about prior issues, but instead told me to wait a few days. When the spots did not go away and I inquired about potentially filing an insurance claim, she refused to come to my home to inspect her employee's work. She said she had personal matters to attend to and then stopped taking my phone calls.
I asked [redacted] to return the cleaning fee I paid to her company in order to partially cover the cost of a replacement rug since she would not file a claim with her insurance (assuming she has a policy) or reimburse me for the damaged rug. I believe this is a fair and reasonable request given that it is unlikely that the employee who spent a few hours at my home cleaning my rugs was paid even a small fraction of the $2,100 that I was charged. If The Rug Works can provide evidence of the cleaner's compensation for his labor, I would be willing to deduct this amount from my $2,100 claim.
Thank you again for addressing my concerns. I would not want another consumer to go through an experience like this.
Regards,
[redacted]