CF cleaner

[sidesplittinglol]

We have a cleaner that comes every week for 3 hours. She's always late and will never let you know that she's running behind. (We are her first job for the day). I'm always having to chase her up and have told her on several occasions to be on time as we have plans for the day and her being late delays us and if we cut the hours short, the work isn't done and end up finishing the job myself. Her cleaning standards have also gone down and isn't as good as it was.

Today, she hadn't turned up and when I called her she told me she was sorry she had to go to the office and would be with me an hour and half later. Had I known this, I could have taken DC's to a class and be back by the time she came.

When she did arrive, she had a relative in tow who had just come from abroad to stay here for a couple years to work as a cleaner. She said she would 'help' with he cleaning and would only do two hours as she had help. I told her she hadn't passed this by me beforehand and therefore I could not pay her. Not to mention she hasn't a work permit.

She left after 2 hours and my DH accidentally paid her for 3 hours instead of 2. The cleaner didn't say anything and took the money and off she went.

She was obviously expecting to be paid for 3 hours even though she had only worked 2 hours.

Before leaving she had asked my DH if it were ok if her relative could do our cleaning on some weeks instead of her.

Would IBU to not pay her the extra hour the next time she comes?

AIBU to expect her to give me notice that she is late and that she would be bringing someone else along with her to help with the work and expect payment?

If you're in Birmingham, I can recommend one but if you steal her from me I will hunt you down and kill you because she is amazing.

Honestly, she's supposed to make your life easier, not harder.

That said, I would consider whether you can relax about the whole key thing. I was unbelievably wound up and stressed about our plasterer arriving/leaving, and it contributed to two weeks of annoyance over arrival/departure times (which I don't regret, but they were harder). My cleaner just has a key.

I took it that the cleaner wanted to breastfeed her own 3 week old baby!

I’m a sahm and I had a cleaner telling me that it’s alright for some sitting around all day while she worked away. I was bf’ing my 5 week old at the time, recovering from a c section and I have cystic fibrosis. I was so upset I just started crying and told her to get out of my house and not come back. Apparently she was only joking.

If she was my cleaner she would be my ex cleaner by now.

Let her go, she is unreliable and dishonest.

Ah get rid. She's chanced it a couple of times and now she's just full blown taking advantage. And the thing about the relative - you don't know this person at all! Why would you want them in your house? Just say, look this isn't working out - and don't cave if she starts to try and get you to change your mind.

She’s stressing you out! I wouldn’t tell her over the phone though. My friend had a very similar problem with her cleaner a few years ago. It was worse as she suspected her of stealing. She didn’t tell her over the phone. She waited until next time she came to her house, and let her do her hours then before she left, she told her it wasn’t working out for her and got her key back. That way the cleaner didn’t have advance notice or the time to rush out and get a copy made if she was that way inclined..There was always the chance that she’d already made a copy but, rather than go to the hassle and expense of changing her lock, my friend just changed the code on her house alarm and alerted her neighbours to the circumstances....she had no probs after that.

Sounds just like my ex cleaner, I wonder if it’s the same one! I ditched her and went back to a former colleague of the cf cleaner, and I now know exactly what time to expect her, and any issues she would let me know well in advance. Get rid of your cf, they’re supposed to make your life easier!

Oops just realised she’s doesnt have a key..🤪in which case just sack her in whatever way causes least inconvenience to yourself

PoohBearsHole, say that again

Be kind to yourself, life is stressful enough. Goodbye Cleaner ...... ,

I had a cleaner like this. She used to joke that she was going to come and live in my house. I was too ill to go looking for other cleaners so accepted her not turning up, being late, cutting corners, generally not doing the job properly and even looked her when she had an adverse reaction to painkillers.

She was here for 4 hours, spent 3 of them upstairs. I’d previously complained to her boss and the boss said they’d come together from then on. The arrangement lasted 3 weeks and after that the boss couldn’t be bothered anymore and didn’t notify me. The last time my ex cleaner came, she only cleaned one bathroom upstairs and 4 bedrooms in the 3 hours. Then she came downstairs and was listening to her music blaring on her phone, no headphones and singing along to it whilst in the same room as dd, her older cousin and me. We were gobsmacked. I sacked the whole company. Badly run business.

Cf cleaner will become worse in the long run. So you are definitely doing the right thing by sacking her.

Sympathies. I am scared of my cleaner. I originally wanted someone to do 2 hours twice a week, but that doesn't suit her now, so she does 3hours once a week, whatever day suits her. We none of us want to be in when she is there as she moans about everything, and sighs loudly, so we have to try to arrange to be out when she comes.

She breaks things and then complains that they are not working, or that they weren't sturdy enough. She comments judgily on all aspects of my life.

I am far too scared of her to let her go, so I'll need to keep going with this until she decides it's too much hassle altogether and stops coming. Or I move house, and don't tell her. I am crap. Don't be like me.

ThePlatypus oh my goodness, you are her employer, you let her go. Pull your big girl pants on and tell her its not working for you.

I’ve noticed on most of these CF threads that the OPs are usually complete pushovers who have been tolerating bad behaviour for longer than most other people would!

Lovely bit of victim blaming

Platypus, are you serious?!

Another one here saying let her go OP!

Get a new one, one you can trust to give a key!

Areoflot , it's so long since I even tried my big girl pants on I'm pretty sure they won't even fit me any more

I'd end up feeling awful if I let her go, I really would. It's easier to put up and shut up once a week, and try to avoid! And, on the plus side, I get my cleaning done! And she is honest...

Even DH is scared of her!

In fact, I reckon my cleaner has thrown out my big girl pants (although she won't have, it will be my fault, I must have left them near a pile of stuff that needed throwing out..)

Platypus for goodness sake woman - lie if you must, say you've lost your job and can't afford a cleaner any more; you're tightening your belt and all non-essentials (i.e. her) must go. I did that before, although it was true as DH went part time. He last about 3 months before we decided a cleaner wasn't actually a non-essential but we didn't go back to our other one.

I love our current cleaner - she's on compassionate leave at the moment as her mum has died and I'm missing her dreadfully (as is my disgusting bathroom - I know, I know, I will do it) and feeling horrible for her that she's so sad. She doesn't clean amazingly well but the house always looks better when she's left than before she arrived and she's such a ray of sunshine and cheerfulness she leaves us feeling better too. My children both leave her notes and drawing and she leaves them back. I could get someone who was more methodical but we all love her too much!

OP - get shot and get someone else.

Why these CF cleaners think they can behave like this is beyond me.

I will let her go and find someone else or I might just end up doing it myself. Though how I plan to with soon to be 3 DCs I don't know!

I have mine through an agency, to ensure I don't have problems like this. I pay a little bit more but she gets loads of work done in 3 hours and there is always cover if she is not available.

I'd have her back next week and let her clean for 3 hours. Then say she was overpaid last week so here's two hours.

Then say it's not working, you are ending the arrangement and you would like to have the key back.

Please come back and let us wimps know how it went.

I will definitely send you all an update! Although I may need reminding 🙈😂

Can I just ask a question to those that employ cleaners? How many rooms does your cleaner do and how long does it take them?
I used to clean a friends house - 2 bedrooms, hall, stairs, living room, big dining room, kitchen, bathroom and toilet. I'd be hard at it from 8.15am until 3.15pm, sweating buckets as I went!
I also cleaned a very big pub, throughout and really struggled to get that done in the 1.5 hours I was expected to.
I'm amazed when I read on MN about cleaners working 2 or 3 hours.
Was I just incredibly slow??