To NOT pay the cleaner DOUBLE what was agreed?

[NinjaBunny]

Aaarrgghhhh!!

I booked a cleaning company to do a 3 hour 'End Of Tenancy' clean.

Small company, operates from a home address.

Was told on the phone it was £17.50 an hour. So £52.50. I'd have either 1 cleaner for 3 hours or 2 cleaners for 1.5 hours each.

2 cleaners turn up 30 minutes late. I was hanging out at a neighbour's house over the road. Told them where I was and to knock/phone if they needed me.

3 hours later I go back.

I'm told they've 'gone over' their allocated time. I point out that I paid for 3 hours and they'd been there 3 hours.

Oh, no. Because there was 2 of them it's 6 hours work.

Fuck. I can't afford that. And it's NOT what was agreed.

I tell them I'll have to pay their boss later as I don't have £105 on me (that was true - I didn't).

On the way home I get a shitty call from their boss saying that the girls had 'gone over' their time. I repeated what we'd agreed on the phone and she denied it, saying she 'wouldn't have said that'.

I told her it was exactly what she said. I can remember conversations word for word and I know what I was told.

She's also insisting that I go to her house and pay. Can't wait until Monday for some mad reason. I was prepared to pay the cleaners on the spot, I just didn't have the unexpected extra 50% on me.

3 hours is 3 hours, right? It's what we agreed.

And if the cleaners thought they were only supposed to be there for 1.5 hours why didn't they STOP at that time? They knew where I was. Why not say, 'Okay, we're done.' and piss off?

I'm both irritated and confused.

I have the invoice for the original £52.50 which I can pay when DP gets home and can drive me (she lives miles away and it's bucketing it down). But will she pursue me for the rest?

What's most annoying is that I was so full of festive spirit I was going to tip them (which I never do), now I'll be grudgingly counting out the amount in coppers on her doorstep.

Sigh.

Well, 2 people for 3 hours is 6 hours of cleaning, but if you booked 3 hours at £52 I don't think you're obliged to pay more if they decided to go over without checking.

Are you the LL or the tenant?

I think I wouldn't pay.

They worked for more hours than they were going to be paid for, without checking first? Not your responsibility. I wonder if the boss made the error and is trying to pass the buck.

You can't do extra work and just expect to be paid. Not without agreeing it first.

Why did you wait 3 hours to go back, and what do you have in writing/email?

Pay the £52.50 by cheque.

Keep the invoice.

Call the tax people on monday and report them, someone this dodgy is likely to not be declaring all their income.

I'm the ex-tenant.

Wanted it to be all naice and clean for the next person.

I waited 3 hours to go back because I was told if there was 2 cleaners they'd do 1.5 hours each.

I wouldnt pay. I would say that i was very clear about the number of hours to do and they had the responsibility to stop at that point. I did not ask for extra hours.
Id also say that i consider this an attempt to extort money from me and i am going to call the police as it is a crime.

YANBU to only pay the £52.50 as per the invoice.

They should have contacted you before they went over their time, especially as they knew you were at your neighbours.

The two cleaners must have known you only wanted them to do 1.5hrs each if they told you they had 'gone over' their allocated time.

I had a similar experience once, except they arrived and refused to start work until I agreed to pay more than had been stated on the phone. I refused and told them to leave,miraculously they were able to do it for the agreed price then..

You have an oral contract, just pay what you agreed and see what happens after that, their only course of action would be to attempt to pursue you for a 'debt' but it's your word against theirs, and they are stating they went over the agreed time, so you definitely don't have to pay for that, as it wasn't in the contract.

Oh hang on though
1.5 hours each. At the same time!

And they had my number.

And knew where I was if I was 'needed' (literally over the road).

The invoice doesn't specify the number of hours.

Just says One of tenancy clean - £52.50 and the date.

They arrived together. Are you saying you thought one of them would sit round until the other finished and then do her hour and a half?
They should have come over when theyd done. Or got the boss to call you but you should have known they would work at the same time!

She said 1.5 hours each but they'd 'swap over' half-way through.

I was a bit when she said that but didn't query it.

When I worked in retail we had to have 2 staff on, thought maybe this was similar. Didn't give that bit much thought.

I wouldn't pay the extra. If they were going to go over their time, then they should have either stopped and left, or checked with you if it was okay to carry on. They shouldn't have presumed you would fork out extra without checking first. I would take the original agreed amount to her house, post it through the door and leave. If she rings, reiterate what you told her on the phone and ask her why she allows her cleaners to work over without checking with the customer if that is okay? Seems a bit scammy to me.

Seems like a scam to me too.
They should have done the work agreed.
You cant just do twice as much without agreement and then demand money.

Who is 'she' who said this, the agency owner?
I don't understand how you thought 1.5 hours each = 2 cleaners for 3 hours.

However, whatever misunderstandings there might be, I think you should pay what's on the invoice and that's it. I wonder if the boss messed up or is trying to pull a fast one.

Don't pay more than was originally agreed.

You have an invoice for the amount you agreed on the phone.

Pay that, by cheque (for the paper trail) and no more. No hours are specified on the invoice.

If she starts to get snippy, she can take you to the small claims court (I don't think she will).

A, cheers.

I'll take the correct invoiced amount round later. I don't have a chequebook but might give the cash to my mum and get her to write a cheque for that amount so it's all 'on record'.

Never hired a cleaner before so this is all new to me. Wanted to use a local business rather than a big chain because I keep reading about small businesses struggling. Wish I hadn't now.

I'd have cleaned myself but I've been poorly and stressed and had a lot on (am very achey and tired) so thought this would be easier.

House was relatively clean anyway. Just need things like skirting boards and lightfittings wiping.

Feck knows what took 6 hours..,

Who is 'she' who said this, the agency owner?
I don't understand how you thought 1.5 hours each = 2 cleaners for 3 hours.

Yes, 'she' is agency owner.

And I was told the 2 cleaners would 'swap' half way through. Although now I've seen that written down I'm a bit about it.

We even agreed the times. 10am until 1pm. £52.50.

Maybe she mixed my job up with someone else?

I absolutely would not pay the extra either!

It would have been an entirely different matter if they had contacted you after 1.5hrs and said that their time was up but the house was not finished and "would you like us to continue or stop?".

But no, as it is, £52.50 was agreed & invoiced so £52.50 is all I would pay.

Why would they send two then have one sit around for an hour and a half and waste both their time for half the pay each?

Makes no sense.

Clearly a huge mis understanding. Whether purposely in their side it's hard to tell. Could be a scam though

Also, if there had been a 'misunderstanding' and it was 2 cleaners for the agreed 10am to 1pm why wasn't I invoiced for the full £105?

I'm baffled.

Six cleaning hours though. The new tenant will be able to eat her dinner off any surface she fancies.

There's one positive, at least!

I'm slightly confused - when I booked an end of tenancy clean - it was done by task rather than hours or number of people. They estimated three hours for a two bedroom flat but I actually don't care about either the number of people nor the time but just whether it passed the check out inspection.

did they come out and estimate how long it would take to do what you required . Why 1.5 hours each , in tandem, can they not each do a room at same time tbh you should have gone and checked after an hour or so. What if they were sat having a coffee/on their phones on your time ?

I'm slightly confused - when I booked an end of tenancy clean - it was done by task rather than hours or number of people.

Probably how it should be done.

This was done by hours. I booked 3 hours. At £17.50 each.

Maybe I am being scammed? I even said 'I'll come back at 1.30pm' (bearing in mind they were 30 minutes late). They could've said then they were only supposed to be there until 12pm.

Fuck it. I'll pay the invoiced amount by cheque. Possibly inside a thank you card depending on my mood.

tbh you should have gone and checked after an hour or so

True.

Again, I'm new to all of this. Stuff like that didn't occur to me. I'd just assume they'd get on with what they were paid to do.

It sounds like a scam to me. I would not go round to her house, she sounds like she might try to intimidate you. Send her a cheque with a note saying it is 'in full and final settlement.