We called a local cleaning company to come and clean the apartment this afternoon (when we were absent). When we returned this evening we found a lamp is broken and they left a note to say sorry.
The price of the lamp was 60 francs and it seems irreparable. Now what is the correct way to solve this? Asking them to simply remove 60 francs from the bill?
Do they (as a cleaning company, albeit local and small) have some insurance for this kind of accidents?

Yes and yes

They have an insurance (or at least should have) but the deductible should be above 60,- So insurance should not be involved. Just to call them and have the bill lowered should be most easy for everybody.

Document everything with photos which reflect the date.

Well, you know very well that if you wanted to sell that lamp yesterday you wouldn't have gotten the same price for it as when you purchased it as new. 60 Fr. seems unrealistic to me, if not a bit well, dishonest. However, you should let the company know about your loss and ask them for some form of compensation.

But she doesn't want to sell it. She wants to use it. I presume she would like to replace it with a similar one. Why should she be out of pocket because the cleaning lady breaks her lamp?

Maybe the proviso should be that if she replaces it with a cheaper lamp, only this sum will be reimbursed and if with a more expensive one, only the Fr.60.- will be given.

I know insurances often pay out the 'present worth', but it can be pretty brutal.

We are lucky enough to have a cleaning lady come every week. She's been with us for 4 years now. In that time we've had a few losses for things she's broken, some have been quite valuable. But I figure its no more than I'd break myself - accidents will happen! This may be different given she's a regular in our lives rather than a contractor. Personally, I'd let the company know, ask for a small discount, and be happy that they at least had the courtesy to leave a note!

It's neither unreasonable, nor unheard of to ask a company which damages something in your home to replace it or reimburse you with, in this case, a lamp similar in appearance and value.

If they damaged something which was more valuable and it was done via their insurance, this is how they would compensate the breakage.

Dishonest would be asking for reimbursement of a replacement lamp which cost significantly more than the original.

Even if I broke something in a friend's house I would immediately offer to replace it or give them the money to buy a new and equivalent.

But the point of insurance is to put you back to the position in which you would have been before the incident.. Sure maybe you could only sell the lamp for 20 chf.. That doesn't mean you could replace it for 20chf.

Still .. I think i would evaluate the other stuff too.. It was just an accident, it's only 60chf, she left a note, you are happy with the service generally.. etc..

So you can afford a cleaner but you're not prepared to write off 60 CHFs for an accident?

If it was expensive then I can understand it, but 60 CHFs?

Bear in mind the OP is using a cleaning company.

I would expect a company to carry insurance against such situations, and thus would expect them to compensate their clients for employee breakage. Limiting my liability is one reason why I would pay the higher fees a professional services company charges.

I would likely swallow the cost of breakage if the cleaner were my employee, but not in this case, where the OP has hired a company.

And then they knock over a CHF 40.- vase, then a CHF 70.- picture off the wall?

The OP didn't charge them for the lamp so the cleaner will expect that all the "little" accidents are treated in the same way.

Honestly, I can't help but think that people who make posts like this have some kind of screw loose. Why should being able to afford a cleaner equate to automatically writing off damage they cause? What if they break something for the 2nd time a week later, do you let that go? A 3rd time 3 weeks later? Your argument makes absolutely no logical sense.

If someone working for you in a professional capacity damages something of any material significance in your home in your home (and I certainly consider something worth 60chf in that category, it is around 2 hours of cleaning fees) then it should be paid for, end of story. This is exactly why professional cleaners have insurance, it is compensates for the real risk of them causing a breakage or similar while doing their job.

That's a bit harsh, thinking he's got a screw loose?
He deems 60chf being immaterial, that's all. And if things were breaking on a regular basis then he would also ask for compensation. A mistake happened once. Relax, no one died. Except for the lamp. And I don't think cleaning companies pay thousand of francs per year in insurance to cover immaterial lamp costs

I don't follow the logic of this.

I am ready to bet that the cleaning lady will pay this amount from her own pocket, but I'll just leave it at that.

It means that if you see a Lamborghini that you can just walk away after you bumped your bike in it since it is to be supposed that the owner of such car has enough money anyway.

If it was the 2nd or 3rd time then it would be different, and I would swap cleaning company. But accidents happen.

It makes perfect logical sense because you are building a relationship with the company. You both know something was broken but nobody made a big fuss, and it builds goodwill.

Harsh... but fair.

Why does it matter what kind of object it is or how frequent? The fact is it's damaged personal property, and that's why cleaning companies pay out for insurance. It's not complicated logic.

What meaningless fluff... you don't owe a cleaning company any 'goodwill', they are a business not a charity. It's why they have insurance, because they accept that damages can and will happen.

No, it means you don't sweat the small stuff.