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Every Monday we get experts to answer your financial problems or consumer disputes. WhatsApp us yours here. Today’s question is…

I had half of my sofa covers cleaned by Johnsons, the cleaners. They were destroyed because the Belgian linen was hand washed and the care instructions were not followed. This happened in July. I contacted customer service, who ultimately agreed that half a sofa could not be reupholstered – and verbally said they would cover the entire suite. Last week I received an email from management who are now reneging on the offer and instead offering a small amount of money which my bank deems unsuitable for use as it does not cover a reupholstery or a new sofa. Where am I? Thank you.

Maureen

Megan Harwood-Baynes, cost of living specialist, writes…

You have sent me further details of your complaint, including photographs and your correspondence with Johnsons (the documents are in writing).

I can see from your email correspondence with Johnsons that they will not pay what you say it will take to reupholster the entire sofa. They say their liability to you only extends to the actual covers submitted for cleaning.

The original sofa cost you £2,400 eight years ago, and you also have a quote for a full reupholstery of it, which comes to £2,560. You state (correctly) that it is not really possible to reupholster half a sofa.

As for the verbal offer you say was made, says Helen Dewdney, a consumer expert at The complaining cow, says she always tells people to get everything in writing because there is no proof when you call. So keep this in mind in the future.

As for your rights now, your issue falls under the Consumer Rights Act 2005, she says.

“If the services are not carried out with reasonable skill and care and your belongings are damaged or lost, you have the right to claim compensation,” says Helen.

This may include claiming the cost of replacing a damaged or lost item, although a discount may apply for wear and tear on the original item.

Johnsons has already offered you compensation (£800). They claim the age of the sofa means it “has no residual value”, but offered 25% of the original price, an additional £200 as a goodwill gesture, and a refund of the original cleaning fee.

However, you are not happy about this, because you say that it is not enough to repair or replace your “ruined sofa”.

I contacted Johnsons and they didn’t reply, but you told me that two days after I emailed them they had almost doubled the amount of compensation offered (to £1,500).

You went back to them with a counter offer of £1,700, they agreed, and you can now finally close the saga (and get your sofa repaired).

If they didn’t agree, you could have considered these next steps…

Membership of the Textile Services Association is open to laundries, dry cleaners, textile rental companies and their suppliers, says Helen.

If the company you use is a member, the TSA offers an arbitration service. You may be asked to prove your claim and, on a loser-pays basis, use the association’s testing service. It also offers an arbitration service as the matter still cannot be resolved.”

However, if the company is not a member of the TSA – and it appears Johnsons is not – then you have the option of taking the matter to the small claims court – or equivalent in Scotland and Northern Ireland.

“If a company doesn’t provide any information about what to do if you have a complaint, that’s a red flag,” says Helen.

“If a company doesn’t recognize that mistakes happen and outline what it will do if a problem arises, it cares little about customer service or reputation.”

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