over paid then paid less etc etc

[kennyp]

i do a woman's ironing. usually £6-£8 worth a week. she never pays me teh right amount. she gives me a tenner and then says "oh good. i get credit". so i am ending up doing her ironing some weeks and getting paid £1.20 or something ridiculous (as she's overpaid me the week before). it was recently 80p.

yesterday i had had enough when she gave me a tenner and asked her to pay me the actual amount. i said that it's crazy that some weeks she pays me £1.20 for ironing which takes me an hour, etc. if work overpaid me one month and then paid me less the next it'd be equally as irritating.

i text her 12-18hours before she gets the ironing to let her know what the cost is. i don't think i'm being unreasonable to ask her to give me the correct money. she knows every week that she'll have to pay me. but if i am being an unreasonable old bag then i'll accept it (aaaggghhhh!!!)

i'm not a registered business doing ironing. she's a friend of a friend etc.

Could you have her do a bank transfer of the exact money from the text information? That could work and save scratching around for coins.

So are you getting paid the correct amount eventually? By this, I mean if you do £4 worth of ironing every week and one week she gives you £5 and the next £3 - is that the right scenario?

Carry some change on you, and give her change when she pays you with a note, so you've been paid the correct amount?

Can you keep the excess in a jar until the following week so you don't feel short-changed? Or take change with you to give her back the difference if she tries to pay you too much?

As long as you are getting paid what you are owed, I don't quite see the problem.

Just take change with you. She's clearly not that organised and isn't out to rob you. Say pleasantly that you like to keep things straight because you have so many clients it gets confusing.

Equally your responsibility to ensure you have change for a tenner as she has exactly £7.45.

You're still getting the right money overall aren't you? You've just been paid some of it in advance of actually having to do the ironing.

Or just keep a bag of change and give her change?!

Honestly what a fuss about absolutely nothing

Bank transfer.

Of course presumably you are registered as self employed and paying tax?

Thought I'd be the first person to get that one in..

I can see where you are coming from, but she's also not being unreasonable here, she's paying you what you ask for.
Bank transfer does seem like the way to go, or take change if u want it cash in hand.

Does it really matter? My cleaner increased her hourly rate so, rather than being a round sum, it now ends in £2.50. As I rarely have £2.50, I just give her an "extra" £10 every four weeks. The difference may be that I discussed this with her & she is happy with it.

i doubt she'd do the bank transfer thingy.

drives me bloody mental that she never has the right money. getting paid £10 one week and 80p the next doesn't help me whatsoever. perhaps she could do her own ironing. hmmm.

thanks for comments though.

How does it not help you? You still get the same amount. Either be organised and take your own change, or put the excess aside.

To be fair though, if I am paying for a service I would expect the person I am paying to have change.

Can't you carry change?

if you know she doesthis then how hard is it to save a bag of change?

Yep - give change or give yourself the change and keep it separate for the next time - but you're not ironing for £1.20, you're actually getting the better deal as you're getting paid in advance

She could do her ironing. True. Or use an ironing service that gives change/credit without complaints

You're not getting paid less though. The problem is you can't manage your budget if it's pissing you off.

Either give change (within your control) or put up with it.

I think littleducks has it summed up really.

You're hardly doing it out of the goodness of your heart are you? You're charging her for a service, she's paying you.

Go get some change! I would expect anyone i'm paying for a service to have change - it's not my responsibility to make sure I have a pocketful of coins just because you can't be bothered to

I think YABU. Either keep some change on you or only spend half? How do you think people manage who get paid monthly, budget? If if bothers you so much tell her, but expect her to look perplexed!

Don't see the problem

She could do her own ironing. Or she could give the business to someone else.

You could learn to budget perhaps? All seem much more satisfactory than getting your knickers in a twist about being paid early.

I don't see the issue. If you don't have the right money in a shop you would expect the business to give change. You are the business here. Give change or make the most of the 2p interest you could earn from banking the extra when you are paid in advance. I think you only have a valid objection if she is underpaying you so you are providing her credit when that has not been agreed between you.