Cleaner charge problem...what would you think?

[achoocashew]

I asked on a local facebook page for a new cleaner as my previous had to stop due to sickness. Several people volunteered and recommended others and i contacted a lady, lets call her Tina. I wanted a good going over of my kitchen, inside and outside cupboards, cleaning tiles and scrubbing floor etc plus all the regular stuff.

This was the conversation we had on messenger:

T - Hi, I can help you, I have my own cleaning company, I’m fully insured and supply all the equipment ... I charge £20 an hour and there’s always two of us x

ME - Hi, thanks for messaging me. Were you talking about the one off clean or regular cleaning?
Can you supply references and are you dbs checked?

T - We can do both? Yes dbs checked and I can ask my old company for a reference as I don’t have any regular ones

M- I meant do you have other people you clean for who I could just have a quick chat with?

T -Yes sure I can give u a number for one ?

M -Great. And when could you do the deep clean? Two people for £20 ph? I'm not sure how long it would take tbh

T - So if we do 4 hours it would be £80 ( an example) I’ve just said to my customer u want a reference and he said you can call him now if you want to his name is Andrew and his no is ‭xxxxx, can do it for you on Friday?

M - Thanks. Friday is about the only day that isn't good for me! Could you do another day?
I have space on thursday at 1.15pm ? U have probably heard this so many times but we are very reliable, will do a brilliant job for you, I invoice at the end of each month so u can either pay, cash, cheque or into my business account.

M -That would be great, thank you. Would you want to pop round so you can see how long it might take or just see on Thursday?

I can pop round tomorrow ? etc etc arranging times.

She popped round a couple of days before, looked at the kitchen to see how small etc, looked at the other rooms . Tina and another lady arrived at 1.10pm today and left just after 3pm.

How much would you expect to pay?!!! She has popped the invoice through my door and i was a bit flummoxed! I'll get to the AIBU when i tell you what she asked for!

Deep cleaning is always more expensive than a regular clean, due to all the mucky jobs like doing behind kitchen appliances etc. It cost me £200 to have an end of tenancy clean on a 1 bedroom flat recently, and I did shop around.

I'd assume 80

She's trying it on. The key word is "if we do 4 hours it will be £80". Not I. So that's the price for both cleaners by her own example. I think she's been deliberately misleading to rip you off.

How can she say that then charge double for half the amount of time

Peakpants - thanks for the advice but that is the going rate where I live. They do a fabulous job - clean throughout a 4 bed house including two bathrooms and work around my two dogs whilst they are doing it.

Also I couldn't by all conscious pay that little above working national minimum wage for people who travel to my house and pay for all the cleaning materials including bringing their own vacuum.

Do you have a nice house? IME you get fleeced more if you have plus if you look like a soft touch.

She said she has a cleaning company and she charges £20 per hour

She didn't say I do cleaning with my mate and we charge £20 per hour (each)

Give her £40 and tell her to fuck off

Out of interest, what cleaning did they do?
Not that it should change the price, just curious.

In this case, I'm betting they need the money more than you, so I would pay it.

Arrrrgggghhh why do people think like this. If this cleaner charges £20 ph she is earning more money that a HUGE amount of other professions. Why would you assume she needs the money more than the OP? Please do not bend over and pay can you imagine if everyone she worked for did that? The Op was specific in asking she is not obliged to pay some random amount just because the person asking is a cleaner, nobody would say this about other professions.

If someone quoted £100 to unblock your drains and then when he turned up there was an employee with him, you wouldn't then pay them £100 each 😂

she has replied with this:

Yes four hours is £80, we did do four hours in total, I have put in recent messages it’s £20 an hour and put for example four hours would be £80 ... would u pay £40 then? I will just have to take a loss

She has never once said £20ph, not once.

i mean, each, she said £20ph for the two of them
!

Even £10 per hour is more than a lot of jobs in shops and offices. She's counting on you being too nice to argue for long. She doesn't have a leg to stand on and £40 is a reasonable payment. £80 bloody isn't!

Pay her the £40 and be done with it. She's not taking a loss, she's taking the piss.

We crossed, good, she's backed down and says she will take the "loss". Don't engage further just pay the £40. Do you really need another invoice??

She's not taking a loss, she's taking the piss.

Maybe that should be her company motto.

I am happy to pay the £40, always have been. I don't know why she thinks £20ph is the going rate!

I obviously am now not going to have her back for regular cleaning!

Fucking hell. More cheeky bastards running wild I see!!!

She knows, which is why she is backing down so easily.

Pay her the £40, she's taking the piss. £80 for under two hours cleaning!

The £20 figure is utterly meaningless to you, the customer, if she’s actually charging £40 because there are 2 of them!

For reference, I once had a cleaner who worked alone, and then asked me whether i’d mind if she brought a partner with her. The price to ME didn’t change: why would it?? (£10ph from memory). The benefit of 2 people is entirely theirs- they can get it done quicker.

Tina is trying to pull a fast one. Please don’t let her, and don’t feel awkward or guilty about not letting her either.

@SleepFreeZone

That my me laugh my head off

I'd be interested to know how many customers pay her £20 an hour each. Unfortunately if people aren't at home when she cleans she might be managing to get that because people aren't realising how long they're there.
You've acted properly. £10-£12 p/hr each is going rate round my way.
I wouldn't have her back if I were you.

She is taking the piss enormously.

1: good cleaners are hugely in demand. They do not have immediately availability
2: they do not give uncheckable Andrew-style references
3: they don’t immediately capitulate to 50% their charge when challenged.

Come on OP, your gut is right here

The fact that she has backed down so quickly and is willing accept half of what she has asked for indicates to me that she either knew she was wrong or was trying it on

“I will pay you forty pounds and not a penny more!”

That’s what you say.

Cheeky cah.

Also she is illiterate.