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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

When our cleaning/ironing lady ruins a white linen top?

29 replies

mamhaf · 12/02/2007 22:41

How is it possible for someone to iron my lovely newish white linen blouse with an iron which obviously had muck on it from something black/purple previously ironed too hot - and then keep ironing the blouse so that there's not just one black/purple patch but about 10? And then hang it in the airing cupboard? And then take the £30 for 4 hours work? Am I being unreasonable to be furious to have to spend the last hour trying to scrub/pick off all the black bits? And for sacking her this morning? And for wanting to vent my feelings on MN rather than telling her the truth about why we don't need her services any more?

OP posts:

ludaloo · 12/02/2007 22:42

LemonTart · 12/02/2007 22:44

aaaw - smiled in total empathy with the last bit about not telling her the truth
In a perfect world I would suggest remaining calm and in control, confront her with the shirt blah blah - but would never have the balls to do it myself. I guess I would make up an excuse, moan like mad to everyone other than her and then spend more cash on a new blouse...

ludaloo · 12/02/2007 22:44

Well...I was just a bit shocked that you actually pay for someone to iron for you...but then I would too if I could afford it!!
Yes...I'd be angry, they obviously are not doing what you have paid them to do properly are they! And it has ruined a blouse too...which I'm guessing she won't replace?

clemsterdarcy · 12/02/2007 22:51

Totally understand EVERY part of your post.

No you're not being unreasonable. If you didn't do your job properly there would be consequences.

Had a cleaning lady once who just got lazier ... adn then had audacity to tell me she wasn't charging for time to write a written response when I went through what I wasn't happy about (VVVVVV politely).

I fired her -- but didn't tell her the real reason either ... spose at the end of the day I felt sorry for her cos she was getting on a bit and WAS slowing down and we all will one day ...

But my husband kept saying ... 'we're not a charity ... you're making a charitable donation to her every week ...'

Original poster

mamhaf · 13/02/2007 08:10

We don't normally pay for the ironing, which DH usually does while watching Top Gear - usually it's just the cleaning we pay someone for (we both work FT, well, in my case more than FT more like 50 hours a week) - so I got over feeling guilty about employing someone ages ago. It was just an exceptionally busy week and DH was too knackered to tackle the ironing.
Won't make that mistake again. I feel better now I've had some sympathy!

OP posts:

Twiglett · 13/02/2007 08:13

if you'd used an agency cleaner you'd have claimed against their insurance and spoken to the agency to sort out the difficulties / replace her

a couple of the key advantages of agency cleaners

drifter · 13/02/2007 08:14

I had a cleaning lady who spilt bleach on a plain carpet once! Ended up having to put in a whole new floor (and got rid of her pretty quickly after that!).

Twiglett · 13/02/2007 08:16

I too had a cleaner who spilt bleach on the landing carpet .. agency arranged for carpet man to visit me in my house with samples and then paid £500 to replace them .. hurrah I finally got rid of disgusting pink carpet we'd inherited and replaced it with a lovely neutral one complete with stair runner

drifter · 13/02/2007 08:16

Unfortunately I think other people will never take as much care in your home as you would. That's why I don't have any help at home any more - I prefer the way I do things!

Ceolas · 13/02/2007 08:19

No, I can understand.

I'd be livid that she didn't say anything.

Budababe · 13/02/2007 08:25

Maybe she didn't want to do the ironing? Sounds like not usually part of her job. Not excusing it in any way shape or form of course.

I have had cleaners ruin/break things before but if they are honest and up front about it then fine. Just one of those things - we all do it. But the secrecy of breaking/ruining something and then not telling you is the issue. That is what I would be most peed off about. And my blouse of course!

Original poster

mamhaf · 13/02/2007 11:19

She actually volunteered to do the ironing -said she preferred it to cleaning. I think the answer is to get everyone in the household to help out with the cleaning - dds are old enough now - and I quite enjoy it once I find the time and get started - but easier said than done and not easy to find the time.

OP posts:

FluffyMummy123 · 13/02/2007 11:20

Message withdrawn

aptamil · 13/02/2007 11:28

if it was that precious you should have ironed it yourself. how old is the cleaner? If it was a v young girl i'm sure you could make allowances for this. it might be her first job

Bugsy2 · 13/02/2007 12:14

LOL, mamhaf - vent away on here. Bummer about the blouse, but moral of the story is never let anyone else iron anything remotely precious (not cleaning lady, DH/DP, children, MILs, mothers - not nobody!) because you will hate them when they ruin it!

LittleB · 13/02/2007 12:20

How about paying your dd's to do the cleaning for you? I did this for my mum from the age of about 11 (they did have a cleaner but fired her for stealing)and I volunteered instead, used to do ironing, polishing, wash floors, vacuum etc, my mum paid my an hourly rate, used to do about 4 hours a week. It worked well for me and my mum - although obviously better if you can get them to do if for free - they'll probably moan more though!

reallyboredatwork · 07/11/2012 19:23

Omg mc mum alert

ImperialBlether · 07/11/2012 19:58

What do you mean, reallyboredatwork?

Cortana · 07/11/2012 20:07

Oh no, reallyboredatwork! You're right. A wide range of people with different backgrounds and lifestyles on a huge public forum like MN! What are we thinking .

Cortana · 07/11/2012 20:08

Also YANBU. If she'd just said "Whoops, I did this, sorry" then fair enough people make mistakes. Would have been nice of her to offer a replacement too. Hiding it and taking the money is dishonest, regardless of whether you're employed by a huge firm or one person for one job.

Tryharder · 07/11/2012 20:11

YANBU to be pissed off but you were unreasonable to sack her. If you make a mistake in a normal job, you generally aren't sacked but given a warning first. So very OTT and patronising to talk about 'consequences' as if you we're training a toddler. She probably didn't notice the marks on the iron until it was too late and panicked.

Mrsrobertduvallsaysboo · 07/11/2012 20:12

I send ds's shirts to the ironing shop.
I am happy ironing my stuff and dcs but I don't touch his.

SaraBellumHertz · 07/11/2012 20:13

Drives me mental when this sort of thing happens whether it be at home or work or at the tailors where they trashed my brand new skirt and tried to argue they'd received it like that

Just accept you made a mistake, own up, apologise and everyone can move on. But don't bloody lie about it.

SaraBellumHertz · 07/11/2012 20:16

tryharder I think I'd probably get sacked if I fucked something up through stupidity and then tried to cover it up. I actually suspect most people would.

Cortana · 07/11/2012 20:18

I don't know TryHarder, damaging your employers property and then effectively lying about it by omission, I imagine some companies would see that a gross misconduct.

The good thing about being employed in this capacity being able to talk to your boss as a person rather than a huge company. Plus this was personal property not business property like a desk.

If she's working in other people's homes she should have liability insurance for things like. For some small businesses it can be as little as £30 a year so hardly unaffordable.

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