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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

Aibu or my cleaner?

57 replies

LC01 · 10/12/2016 08:45

So, to set the scene and to not drip feed. I've had my new cleaner a few weeks now, I have a large house, so I have a 3 hour clean and pay £15 PH. She provides all equipment and products and has insurance etc., previous cleaners all got the job done in time.

Anyhow, last week we had guests, So I mentioned to my cleaner not to bother with guest room as it had their bags and stuff in there and I had already cleaned that room. I left to pick up my daughter and when I got back she had already gone. She started at 1.30, we had a quick chat for 10 mins. I got back just before 4.15 and she was no where to be seen, packed her Hoover, bucket, mop and her bags of cleaning stuff and driven off - so must have finished 5 mins or so before that. That night I got a text from her to say she didn't do the office as I had a few personal papers and my laptop out on the desk, so she completely left room. By the way, My house is always very tidy, nothing to tidy, just cleaning to do.

Anyhow, this week I had to go to a meeting so left a note: 'Hi *, if you get time please could you give the utility room a quick clean? If you don't get time don't worry, but noticed you finished a little earlier last week so if you get 5 mins left that would be great. Many thanks.'

She's never cleaned the utility room as I said when I showed her around, if you don't get time, don't worry about it.

I get a text whilst I'm in my meeting at 1.50 saying 'Hi , apologies I have put your keys through the door and won't be able to do your clean for you....sorry for the inconvenience...*'

I know she went into the house, as the post was in the kitchen next to note. I text her back when I left my meeting to ask if I'd done anything wrong, but she's not responded.

Was I being unreasonable to leave the note?

Sorry for the long message.

OP posts:

sparechange · 10/12/2016 08:49

Neither of you are being unreasonable

You can't assume the reason she doesn't want to work for you from that message
It could be any number of things - health, new job, family issues.
It could be that she doesn't like cleaning for you, but it also might not

healthyheart · 10/12/2016 08:50

No you were NU and I'm sure for £45 per clean you will easily find someone else, good luck! Maybe supply the materials/tools and advertise £30-£35 for the job? I'm sure you'll get some takers.

lilyboleyn · 10/12/2016 08:51

You caught her out and she doesn't like it.

Cern · 10/12/2016 08:55

Exactly - you have called her and she doesn't like it!

I have the worlds worst cleaner, but I am fairly sure it is DHs fault as when he engaged her he wasn't specific about what was to be done. So I have very clean bathrooms, but a fight kitchen floor.

Cern · 10/12/2016 08:56

A 'filthy' kitchen floor!

Phoebeby · 10/12/2016 09:04

Next time make sure you specify that you want 3 hours of cleaning done each time & to find things to do if main areas done

Ethylred · 10/12/2016 09:16

Cern, world's worst? Really? I'd love to have a fight kitchen floor, even only an auto-corrected one.

Original poster

LC01 · 10/12/2016 09:19

Thanks everyone, that makes me feel much better. I was worried I was out of order for 'clock watching'.

I did specify 3 hours, but I guess something people think if the jobs done, it fine to go? But I'm sure we all know, there's always something to clean in the house.

OP posts:

Kirriemuir · 10/12/2016 09:20

You called her out on her timing. I had to do that 2 years ago when my cleaner said she'd left early as her 11 year old had helped her clean that day! Not on. There are always extra jobs that can be done.

Find someone else.

FrancisCrawford · 10/12/2016 09:24

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

HoopsandEverything · 10/12/2016 09:25

The job wasn't done though because she hadn't done your office? I do understand that there were (perhaps good) reasons she didn't do it, but surely she should have taken the initiative and dusted some book cases or picture frames, or washed down the fridge shelves for the extra time.

You were paying her for three hours so she should have been there for three hours. It's really, really sloppy to clock off 5 minutes earlier, particularly as she didn't let you know - the only reason you know she left early is because you came home early. I value honesty and to me this is dishonest - I wouldn't actually want her in my house again.

The note was fine. If she left because of this, then she is definitely the one being unreasonable. However, as other posters have said, she may have left for other reasons.

user1477282676 · 10/12/2016 09:25

So she left 15 minutes early...and you...totted that up and asked her to clean the utility room as a way of "making up time"

I'd probably leave too. There has to be a bit of give and take and if the first time she leaves a bit early, you're asking her to make time up it would make many people a bit

trixymalixy · 10/12/2016 09:29

Totally disagree user. If the cleaner is leaving early after just a few weeks in the job then it will only get worse. I'm speaking from experience here.

OP was right to nip it in the bud early on and set expectations.

oblada · 10/12/2016 09:29

Definitely not BU! You caught her out! It would have annoyed me a lot more than you for cleaner to have disappeared before the time. There is always something to be done, it's a good hourly rate for the job I expect the cleaner to stay the whole time! We have a pretty average cleaner but have given up trying to find someone better, she doesn't charge much and cleans bathrooms well so she mainly comes for that and we get along :)

user1477282676 · 10/12/2016 09:29

Trixy I suppose so. Maybe she's been leaving early the whole time.

Liiinoo · 10/12/2016 09:32

YANBU. For £15.00 an hour you will find someone more reliable.

DailyMailyFaily · 10/12/2016 09:32

YANBU although I wouldn't have bothered sending her a note asking why she wasn't coming back.

I also pay and want cleaners to work their full hours. Leaving 15-20 mins early on a three hour job isn't ok and I would have mentioned it.

I always tell cleaners when I hire them that I'm a lovely employer but I don't won't them arriving late or leaving early. My current cleaner has worked for me for 10 years for 6-10 hours a week and her time keeping is incredible. If. she ever has to leave early she lets me know and makes the time up on her next visit.

ErnesttheBavarian · 10/12/2016 09:34

but she left at least 25 minutes early. she should have finished at 4.30. OP got back before 4.15, and she reckons it would take say 5 minutes to load the car. So she must have packed the car at the latest between 4.05 and 4.10 to be away before 4.15. That's the best part of half an hour knocked off early.

And does OP know if this is a one off or could she ave been knocking off early every time?

Shame she's left but probably for the best.

ClashCityRocker · 10/12/2016 09:34

I don't know - for the sake of five minutes, it could have just been a difference in watches.

Having said that, you don't know if she left five minutes early or even earlier I guess?

Hercules12 · 10/12/2016 09:34

You did the right thing. Yanbu.

ClashCityRocker · 10/12/2016 09:36

Sorry just seen that it's more than five minutes, in that case yanbu

DanglyEarOrnaments · 10/12/2016 09:36

The only way her behaviour would make sense to me is if she was selling a 'per house' model of business rather than 'per hour' and you just had assumed her price was for three hours.

If she specifically said at the quote 'the price is £15 per hour' then you YANBU. In the case of the 'hourly rate' business model trading standards dictates that the cleaner/cleaning team stay on the premises for the amount of hours sold to you, they must stay until the time is up.

For the 'per job' business model they should supply you with a service list of jobs they will complete whilst on the premises each time (after a discussion with you as to which rooms are to be included within the scope of the work of course, therefore determining the price of this) but they can complete these in any amount of time it takes them (which timeframe we do find can be variable with different cleaners and even with the same cleaner on the job but that variance doesn't matter with this model!)

I think if you remember for sure it was definitely an 'hourly rate arrangement' then she is BU, should have done the utility and just got the hump because you mentioned her leaving early.

A lot of cleaners who are fully equipped are not hourly rate but then if they are they set rates high due to demand for this service and find themselves to be fully booked and with waiting lists so quickly that some get an attitude of 'I will pick and choose my clients'.

Nothing wrong with that and makes good sense in theory, until they start to swap out clients who have done nothing much to offend but they took offence anyway. This sounds like the explanation here and YANBU if my hunch is right. I reckon she is projecting her own unreasonable behaviour onto you.

Of course she might have other reasons as pp suggested but I do suspect the above.

ilongforlustre · 10/12/2016 09:42

PP are right. You called her and she didn't like it.

Perhaps its best that she has gone. You'll easily find someone else for that money.

In future though... you come across a bit too apologetic. You are paying for a service, its not unreasonable to ask your cleaner to clean.

randomeragain · 10/12/2016 09:44

maybe she is unwell and needed the money but now realises she made a mistake.

Original poster

LC01 · 10/12/2016 09:50

She also left early the week before, I got home at 4.20pm then and she was gone.

When I got people round to chat about the clean, I mentioned I wanted a 3 hour clean, and how I hoped that was enough time, if not, let me know and I'd advise what to leave that week. She had mentioned to me, to let her know if I wanted anything in particular I wanted cleaning and she would do it. We chatted the previous week about another client she had to stop as they kept asking her to do more and more things every week on top of the clean and how they were taking the piss. That's why, I wanted to mention that I noticed she had time to spare and therefore could she clean the utility room.

Oh well, I'll find someone else and make sure I'm clearer in my expectations.

OP posts:

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