To feel annoyed I have to pay?

Laura is a cheeky fucker. She knows you’re in a vulnerable position right now and she’s taken the liss anyway. I wouldn’t pay her. She has already soured the relationship and proved that you can’t trust her so I wouldn’t worry about li as I no her. She clearly has no respect for you so she doesn’t deserve to be trusted with your home.

It's not fair though really is it? I'm not sure if I'm getting the situation wrong.

Am I right in thinking;

The cleaner went in and cleaned OP's house, when OP had already cancelled well in advance, (as per her contract with the cleaner allows), and no-one had been in the house to make it need deep cleaning since she cleaned 13 days before?

Sorry if I'm completely wrong!I

Did the cleaner acknowledge your cancellation at the time OP?

OP probably wants to save her other cancellation. Sounds like she'd planned the hospital stay and cleaner really well to avoid this.

It sounds like you're friendly and get on well, I'd probably reply something like
"ah that's such a shame you had a wasted trip, see on on the 14th".

I'm only saying this as you said you budgeted to not pay it this time while having lower salary and can't afford to. That's on her then to be honest.

If I was the cleaner id probably just think I need to double check my calender more, but thank God I didn't need to do a full clean.

Your mistake was messaging her to ask if she'd been.

Did your ring camera let you how long she was there. Hardly 3 hours if the house was already clean. Like you i would be pissed but would probably pay also.

Just cancel the next one, so you’re not out of pocket.

Eh? I can afford taxis, but I’m not going to pay for one for a journey I don’t want to make.

Not to sound Arsey but can you afford a cleaner?

I totally sympathise

Mum would pay a window cleaner, once a month, dead cheap at a tenner , but all he ever did was hose the windows

Anyways mum passed , he did turn up about 3 weeks after her death , so I paid him and said mum had died but just couldn't get the words ' dont bother any more ' out

I finally got around to cleaning the windows myself. They were so shiny - two birds lost their lives flying into them. I texted him said no need to come back, we were now retired, we could do them, thanks very much - and then, a week later, while I was out walking the dog - up he turned. And hosed all my sparkling windows in the bright sunshine and heat !!! I was fuming. He denied getting the message, I showed him it. I said well I will pay this month but no more - he was good enough to say no and I didnt press him

I then had to go clean all my windows again !!

I laugh now, but I was ready to throttle

My windows had never been so bloody clean, the bird shit he had left for two cleans, I had finally got off. It was obvious to a blind man my windows were clean so why he even though they needed doing when mums car wasnt there, she wasnt in view of the window in her usual seat

I would have cancelled her and paid her for it anyway, that’s what I do. How is she supposed to make up the money instead, if that’s your regular slot? If you can afford to pay her when you need her, you should be able to afford to pay her if you cancel.

I think you're within your rights to push back on this rather than just paying. You cancelled with proper notice, she acknowledged it, and the "confusion" was on her end, not yours. Paying without question sets a precedent that her mistakes come out of your pocket. I'd go back with something like "I don't think it's fair I'm charged for your error" and see how she responds — a decent cleaner who genuinely messed up will apologise properly and let it go; if she gets funny about it, that tells you what you need to know.

Why did she clean a clean house?!! I don’t believe she did anything frankly and is just trying it on!

id message her back saying she can’t have cleaned anything surely as the house was already clean and you had also made it clear you wanted to cancel so this oops is on her clearly?

So she cleaned for 4 hours, you went into hospital almost straight away and then she came and cleaned again for three hours. What did she do on the second visit? I know someone who has a very efficient cleaner, but if she finishes the clean early she will clean the windows etc.

I think you need to work on your comms.

Hi Laura,

I hope you are well. I’ve just got back from hospital - it’s good to be home.

I’m a little confused because I noticed from the Ring doorbell that you had visited my house on the day I had cancelled the clean; you’ll remember I emailed you to cancel as soon as the operation date was confirmed. Did you need to collect some equipment?

See you next week.

Best wishes,

Sally

oops 😅 I did clean , I must have just got confused!! It didn’t take as long so you only owe for 3 hours not 4 as the house wasn’t too bad! We can always cancel one of your future cleans to make up for it. Laura

No. That's bloody cheeky! She's acknowledging you cancelled. It's her cock up. Not yours.
You don't owe her anything.

Unless you'd already missed your two cleans for the year and this would be the third one, then it's her mistake not yours. You shouldn't have to pay. If it's the third cancellation then you should pay, as per contract, as cleaners need reliaibility for their income too.

Unfair to charge you for 3 hours when you'd cancelled - a compromise is needed. Would she have only charged for 3 hours if you hadn't emailed having seen her on your door bell or would she have charged for the normal 4.

Doesn't sit right with me but you know your cleaner

Unbelievably cheeky of her. Sorry OP.

you would not have been unreasonable to have been annoyed that she expected you to pay as per her message, but you were being unreasonable to agree to it!

She's cheeky as fuck saying 'you only owe 3 hours' and the 'because the house wasn't too bad' is extra rude. I would have said 'um, no, it's your mistake so I don't owe you anything, and I'm a bit confused about it 'not being too bad' as literally nobody has been in it since you cleaned 2 weeks ago (which was why I cancelled), did you not do a full clean then either?'

What on earth did she do for three hours of the house was clean? That’s a long time!!!

I would not pay for my house to be cleaned when I’d clearly asked for it not to be and that request was ignored, even if it was a mistake. I just wouldn’t. I’d tell her nothing needed doing

You’d asked for no cleaning and you can’t budget for an unwanted unnecessary clean due to her getting mixed up, but you’ve paid so there’s nothing you can do now.

She says you can cancel another clean, so ask her not to come next time perhaps? Not great at all, but if youd like to keep her I wouldnt make a fuss over it. If not fussed then Id dig deeper and ask what she did for 3 hours in a house she had cleaned before