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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

To be very annoyed with the cleaner? And wtf do i do now?

31 replies

notfornothing · 10/07/2016 22:37

Trying to keep this short.
We are renting out our flat as holiday rental as living at the other ent ofthe country atm.
Have a cleaner that we knew before, she's been reliable, trustworthy, hard working etc...

However we received some negative feedback from guests - she had left dripping wet linen on a drying rack in the kitchen. (Kitchen is tiny so it would have been on the way instantly)
The guests had to spin it inthe machine and then they dried for 2 days on the rack.
Tbh it would have pissedme off as a guest.

She gets a monthly fee (as per her own suggestion) which includes linen and towels washed-dried.
She never said there was an issue before but after i asked her she now says she can't do laundry (not enough time, because she has other jobs, not necessarily because turnover time) and she could take it to laundrette but we would have to pay launderette + taxi + more for her time

I said we will think about it and get back to her.
She said ok!
Today she sent me a message with only a link to cleaning services website!

It this her way of saying she won't do it anymore!?! DH we (I) pissed her off and she doesn't want to do it and that's it...
I only saw the message about 30min ago, so too late to call her. DH will call her tomorrow (he knows her better).
She has already been paid for this month and we have people arriving tomorrow afternoon!!
Wtf do i do if she's quitting without any notice? How will i find someone to do the cleaning at a few hours notice?

OP posts:

Original poster

notfornothing · 10/07/2016 22:39

Apologies for about a million of typos!
I'm on my phone in bed in the dark! Can't sleep as worried about tomorrow!

OP posts:

evelynj · 10/07/2016 22:42

Do you know anyone else in the are? Does the pay equate to living wage with the time taken? Could you make a trip &'talk to neighbours? Do you know any of them?

Original poster

notfornothing · 10/07/2016 22:47

It's physically impossible for me to get there in time.
I don't know anyone in the immediate area who I could ask this!
Is there such a thing as same day cleaning service?

We pay her what she asked. At one stage she asked for more and we agreed instantly.
She could have said something if she thought it was still not fair!

OP posts:

Original poster

notfornothing · 10/07/2016 22:50

Also I don't know how much time she takes to clean.
I believe it varies a lot as she has said some people leave the flat extremely clean and some don't.
Basically the agreement we had was based on mutual trust... We are too far to check anything and simply trusted her to do a good job as that things were as she said.

OP posts:

OnesieTheQueensSelfie · 10/07/2016 22:58

Hmm. If you knew her before and in your experience she is hardworking etc then it does sound as though the guests were a bit of a nightmare and this is her way of letting you know

throwingpebbles · 10/07/2016 23:06

The guests sound a bit picky tbh. It's hardly the worlds greatest chore to stick a few towels in the drier.

Original poster

notfornothing · 10/07/2016 23:09

She never met the guests herself, the way the guests describe the wet linen was accurate. She didn't argue with the fact, she then explained why. So I don't see how the guests could be a nightmare.

But I really don't get why she wouldn't tell us if she was struggling and why would she think it was ok to leave it like that
It was also not a one off. As it happened the last guests were on the phone with me whilst walking into the flat and the first thing they saw was wet towels drying on a rack!!
I haven't said anything to her about that.
I was trying to not piss her off as we need her, but this really is not on

OP posts:

OnesieTheQueensSelfie · 10/07/2016 23:12

What was her explanation?

MerryInthechelseahotel · 10/07/2016 23:13

Had she washed the towels? How strange to wash them by hand?

OnesieTheQueensSelfie · 10/07/2016 23:15

Do you have a contract?

Original poster

notfornothing · 10/07/2016 23:17

She explained that she didn't have enough time to dry them (inthe drier) as had to leave for another job and that its an ongoing issue . She suggested launderette at extra cost.
It sounded as though she actually took them out of the machine before the spin as apparently there was a pool of water on the floor and linen was dripping.
Which would also be not good for the wooden floor in the ling run!

OP posts:

Original poster

notfornothing · 10/07/2016 23:17

OP posts:

gamerchick · 10/07/2016 23:19

It sounds like she's fed up and hasn't told you. Some guests leave places like a right shithole.

Most are considerate but some don't mind taking a shit in the shower either. You need to have a proper conversation about how guests are leaving the property before moving on. It may be fixable.

OnesieTheQueensSelfie · 10/07/2016 23:21

Her response suggests either the guests were very untidy leaving her little time to do all the chores or that she simply doesn't want to do the job anymore.

You need to cover your bases OP.

Do you have a contract?

sallyjane40 · 10/07/2016 23:21

Worth a try typing 'domestic cleaning short notice' with the area that the property is in, to see if there's anyone who'd clean at short notice (there seem to be companies offering this in some places - at a price I'm sure)?

It sounds as if she doesn't really get that it was a serious commitment she took on to look after the property for you..I had a similar issue with someone who agreed to do maintenance on a property I'd rented out, then just didn't get around to fixing a light, coz they were busy, and didn't tell me...I just had to get someone reliable instead.

Original poster

notfornothing · 10/07/2016 23:25

I think you're right! I think she's fed up and hasn't said anything.

After each guests she usually gives me a cleanliness rating (for the feedback online) so I know it's not that bad. Although she gas not done that the last few times- perhaps part of her giving up?

OP posts:

Original poster

notfornothing · 10/07/2016 23:27

I'm going to do some online searching.

But do you really think she will just not show up tomorrow without any notice? This is seriously nasty of her, she knows we would be in the shit!

OP posts:

blowmybarnacles · 10/07/2016 23:35

Could you get a local cleaning company round to sort the flat out in the short term?

Re the turnaround for the linen, just buy more??? Then no rush to get it dry. That seems kind of obvious?

BatteryOperatedBoyfriend · 10/07/2016 23:37

What part of the country are we talking about OP? Maybe someone here could help.

JackieAndHyde4eva · 10/07/2016 23:43

Contact a few local cleanjng agencies asking if they could provide an emergency service and that you will be requiring a regular cleaner for your holiday let. She has left you in the shit and has failed to communicate any of these issues to you. Dont hire her again. I am a cleaner BTW.

BitterAndOnlySlightlyTwisted · 10/07/2016 23:50

So, she's stripping the beds and doing two loads of laundry while she's cleaning the property and re-making the beds before she goes. Is that how it's working?

If it is, she needs to have spares to use. But that still doesn't get over the fact that she needs to be in the property to wash and dry the linens before the next set of guests arrive. I suspect that's why she's sent you the link to the laundry service. She doesn't have enough time during the change-overs, or her other jobs preclude her from being able to stick around to wait for the laundry to dry. Could you pay her extra to take it home and do it there?

Whatever the issue is, I'm sure something can be figured out once one of you has the opportunity to speak to her about precisely what the difficulty is.

Champagneformyrealfriends · 10/07/2016 23:51

Why don't you text or ring her and see if she's going to turn up then book someone if she's not? Fwiw I think if she wasn't going to show she'd have told you but you never know. I hope she doesn't leave you in the shit op.

Rumpelstiltskin143 · 11/07/2016 00:24

The last cottage we rented had a laundry service. They must have had three bags of whole cottage supplies (bedding, towels, etc) in a cupboard, then all the cleaner had to do was change the beds and clean. I can't believe you're expecting her to do the washing and clean between renters.

Sgtmajormummy · 11/07/2016 00:44

As you're too far away to do anything in person, OP, I think a sincere "We value your service and trust you to do a good job. Please tell us what we can do to make your work easier and better?" Is the best way to handle it, especially if your next visitors are booked to arrive soon.

But if she's already decided this is the end, there's not much you can do except ask her to carry on until you can find a replacement.

And several sets of linen are absolutely necessary for changeover days just to cover time restrictions and damage replacement. I have 12 sets for 4 singles in my student let, professionally cleaned once a week and linen replaced but not made up.

Bogeyface · 11/07/2016 01:28

I would get another company in and give her notice.

The fact that she has taken on another job is her issue not yours! I think that you have given her so much that she is taking it all for granted now. Whatever she wants, you give, so she is now assuming that you will give her more money for the same job in less time while she is also earning money somewhere else!

Bin the cheeky bitch off.

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