Help!!!! Newbie Here.... Do you charge for ruined towels/ duvets?

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Casa Carby

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Hello,
I am a relatively new B&V (bed & venue), what is your thoughts on damaged towels? What about damaged duvet covers? I am referring to stains that will not come out therefore rendering my duvet cover/ towels unusable? Can I charge the guests for this?
Also, upon check-out are you forward in your question whether anything has been broken or damaged? I've had a couple of guests recently who have not told me about breaking glasses/cups, I only stumbled upon them later. I didn't ask... I assume people are honest and tell me (some have)... Also, do you charge for broken cups/wine glasses or again is this something that is chalked up to being a B&B?
Thank you so much for any information on this topic... I truly appreciate it.
N
www.casacarby.com
 
There have been several threads on this topic of late, you could search here to find many of the views of our members. Here is one from last month which is on the very same topic.
Starting with the glasses, etc. That is just part of doing business... every business has these things happen... Think of a restaurant, what would you do if you were charged for a broken glass?
The most important thing to remember is that if you charge a credit card for damages and the owner disputes the charge, you will loose, credit card companies will side with the card holder.
Do you know that type of stain it is on the bedding? Many stains can come out with the right compound. See the thread mentioned above for some ideas.
Good luck and WELCOME!!
 
Honestly it depends. Is it part of business and is it accidental? If it is simply part of doing business, then no, I don't charge. Is it substantial, if not, I don't charge. I just write it off as the cost of business.
As for glasses, dollar store and IKEA make them an affordable loss. But maybe you should look at where you store them that they find it easy to break. And maybe things like tissues and make-up wipes will lower the problem to a managable rate.
 
I have roofers on the roof right now, we had roof shingles torn off in the derecho. The insurance company is paying for the roof minus depreciation.
So all that to say, it if was an old duvet cover, then that might impact the price you charge these guests, or not at all. Replacement cost will always be more, which is unfortunate. Attitude plays a major part in what I charge or don't charge. If they are cocky about it, then I feel I want them to pay in full, if they really were sorry, it was an accident, then I am more lenient.
#1) take photos of the damage
#2) what is the replacement cost
#3) is this one of those battle you are up to fighting, or just give up and replace the damaged items
 
For myself I don't buy expensive glasses - just feel it is an accident waiting to happen. The last ones I bought were from a charity shop at 10p each (20 cents) so if they break im not worried the same with mugs. I would say however the last time one broke (mug that is) the lady insisted on paying though it was only about 50 (1$) new! it is also why I have plastic glasses in the bathrooms if they drop them in the sink I am more bothered abotu the sink which is a lot more expensive than a glass!
 
Always try a dry cleaners before you give up. We have had numerous sheets that we thought were ruined even after washing them with every cleaning method recommended on this forum. We've had numerous sets saved this way.
We also chose to raise our weekly rate to the same as our weekend rate. This more than offest the expense of extra cleaning or replacement. No one seemed to blink when we did this.
 
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