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'Who pays for a housekeeper's accident?' A cleaning service claims it will cover any damages, but a reader is worried that it will come out of an underpaid women's pocket.  NEW YORK (Money) -- Question: One of the women who cleans our house broke an expensive platter. The service she works for advertises that it pays for broken items, and I think they should pay for this one. But I'm worried that if I report what happened, they'll pass along the replacement cost - about $200 - to the woman who broke it. That seems wrong to me, because although I pay the service $100 per cleaning (which takes three women an hour to do), I think Marta gets less than $10.00 an hour. What should I do?
Answer. Why is it that inexpensive things always survive earthquakes, hurricanes and overly-zealous maids, but the good stuff cracks if you just look at it? What you should do is report your broken platter to the service and insist that the money not be extracted from Marta's paycheck. Because you're absolutely right: The service should be paying for the breakage, not Marta. If she's a careless worker who routinely damages things, then she's in the wrong job, and the service should let her go. But just as the service pays for her cleaning supplies and the cost of her transportation to your home, they should cover the cost of any mishaps that occur when she gets there. It's part of what the gap between their fee and her wage is for. And what if Marta worked for you and not the cleaning service? Then replacing the platter would be your responsibility. Why? Because what you're paying her can't be so much that you - any more than the cleaning service - can reasonably expect accidents not to happen. Recent responses: Sibling rivalry: 'My brother is trying to stiff me' Does a fat cat's kid deserve special treatment? My kids' friends are breaking our bank My accountant recommends some aggressive deductions - is he going too far? I gambled away $7,500, must I tell dad? What to do about freeloading co-workers |
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