I had my carpets professionally cleaned by a company (name withheld so far) and paid handsomely for additional 'cover' which promised protection against accidental spills which caused stains, amongst other things. I have recently had cause to enter a claim, having used the supplied cleaning kit which was sent to me when initiating the claim.

The cleaning kit failed to remove even the most recent spills, which believe it or not were caused by our toddlers tap water leaking out of her beaker! Having tried and failed to remove the numerous black stains from the carpet with the supplied cleaning agent, I filled out the forms and sent them off.

I have today received a letter from Valspar Industries (UK) Ltd, the parent company of Guardsman Furniture Solutions refusing to honor the agreement stating some obscure rules hidden within the guarantee smallprint: namely as the staining has been ongoing, I should have reported each one as and when it occurred.

My complaint now is that they have rejected any responsibility for the claim, despite the fact they insured against this kind of thing. The carpet treatment is clearly faulty (if tap water is staining a beige carpet black) and are now attempting to wriggle out of their responsibilities. I will not accept this, and an email has been sent to them informing them of my intention to either see this carpet cleaned of the stains, or face further action. I will add further details as and when progress is made.