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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

to recommend a door sensor to everyone who has a cleaner

82 replies

Metoodear · 04/07/2018 16:31

So just caught my cleaner defrauding us

For a while I have been having a odd feeling bins not being emptied and other things didn’t add up but didn’t want to think the worse however dh was not having any we have a door sensor for my teen as we were tired of the disputes over what time he came in at night once we were in bed but don’t usually have it on during the day

Dh put it on today yep cleaner spend 45minutes then left she is paid for 2 hours Confused rand the company and she told her before you say anything they have it all tracked she confessed she being doing this since she started Shock if we didn’t have the sensor we would have never known

OP posts:
Original poster
Metoodear · 04/07/2018 16:33

I demanded my key be returned and that the full monies be returned
And if she doesn’t bring it back the company will be liable for a new lock and the monies

OP posts:
Original poster
Metoodear · 04/07/2018 16:33

But my whole thing is you really have no clue do you feeling very neive

OP posts:
SoddingUnicorns · 04/07/2018 16:34

Just because your cleaner was at it doesn’t mean all cleaners are though.

We’ve got one of those doorbells that has a motion sensor and sends a ping to our phones. Because we can’t hear the door when we’re not at the front of the house (not a massive house, just good soundproofing).

Don’t have a cleaner though Smile

DrDougieHowserMD · 04/07/2018 16:34

If I had a cleaner I think I would want a door sensor too. There are so many unscrupulous people out there that I don't want them inside my home too.

Candyflip · 04/07/2018 16:35

How can you be refunded what you paid? Surely she did the work or you would have noticed sooner? Was there more than one cleaner coming?

CoatsDoRoam · 04/07/2018 16:37

We no longer have a cleaner due to similar problems. Same for dog walkers actually. We've been far too trusting Angry

FlyingElbows · 04/07/2018 16:39

I need to get a cleaner and I'm sorely tempted to get one of those smart locks that registers who's coming in an out when. One of those will also mean we don't have to give a cleaner or cleaning agency a key.

2cats2many · 04/07/2018 16:40

We were recently burgled and have just put up CCTV at the front and the rear door.

We have an awesome cleaner. She's so good at what she does. I'm going to have to make a decision not to check her comings and goings on the CCTV just in case she does leave early. I really like her and I don't want to start feeling differently or ripped off.

If she does what's she's asked in less time than I pay for, I want to be OK with that.

Does that make sense?

Iamagreyhoundhearmeroar · 04/07/2018 16:42

How does it work, does it track the times people entered and left the house? What if you went out to the bins, or something?

LizzieSiddal · 04/07/2018 16:42

The same thing happened to two good friends and my parents! All of them came home early from work and the cleaners should have still beeen there. They’d gone early (by at least an hour) but taken all the money.

It’s a bit alarming that you hear so much of this going on.

Storybookglenda · 04/07/2018 16:45

I don't need one because my cleaner is a gem and I can tell she's done the full whack because my home is always sparkling when she has been. If she's here for less than 2 hours I don't really care because she's does everything I have asked of her! But if you're suspicious because the work isn't getting done I can see why you would want to investigate.

TequilaLlama · 04/07/2018 16:48

I demanded my key be returned and that the full monies be returned
And if she doesn’t bring it back the company will be liable for a new lock and the monies

Seriously? I'd get a new lock anyway. It's easy to get a duplicate cut.

chillpizza · 04/07/2018 16:48

We have a sensor it came with our hive. I hadn’t decided what to do with it yet but that’s a good idea. We have cctv so can check things anyway but an instant ping even better.

Katinkka · 04/07/2018 16:48

I’ve had this with cleaners too. It’s a disgrace.

Eliza9917 · 04/07/2018 16:53

@FlyingElbows Wed 04-Jul-18 16:39:36
I need to get a cleaner and I'm sorely tempted to get one of those smart locks that registers who's coming in an out when. One of those will also mean we don't have to give a cleaner or cleaning agency a key.

If you have that, won't they know? They could just sit on their arse in your house doing nothing for the allocated amount of time. You'd need cameras indoors too.

FlyingElbows · 04/07/2018 16:56

Well if they sit on their arse doing nothing it'll be blindingly obvious because they won't have done the work and then I'll sack them!

NameChangeUni · 04/07/2018 16:59

I demanded my key be returned and that the full monies be returned

How much money does she owe you though? Chances are if it’s a high number, she probably won’t pay it back and you’ll have to take her/the company to court

Cassimin · 04/07/2018 17:05

Some cleaners are faster than others.
As long as the work is being done and the price is fair surely that's all that should matter.

OldBean2 · 04/07/2018 17:05

My cleaner was booked for three hours, often she would clean with her daughter, as long as all of the cleaning was done properly I had no problem if she finished earlier than her allotted time. But then my mother was a cleaner (for over 40 yrs with one family) so I know how precious a good cleaner is.

gamerchick · 04/07/2018 17:06

Man, feel the love on this thread Grin

DyslexicsAreCool · 04/07/2018 17:07

I have had this, however, the cleaner was trustworthy and did a good job. I decided in the end that the hassle of getting another cleaner who I trusted was too much and that I could live with thinking the "clean" was worth the amount paid (as opposed to the number of hours spent)

DyslexicsAreCool · 04/07/2018 17:08

I mean trustworthy in other respects.....

PolkerrisBeach · 04/07/2018 17:09

Just because your cleaner was at it doesn’t mean all cleaners are though

Indeed. My cleaner is an absolute gem and I trust her completely. She comes to me on a weekday morning after dropping her son at school. I'm very rarely here when she arrives. I am sometimes back before she finishes, sometimes not. She always does the hours she's paid for - and if she's leaving 10 minutes early because she's finished her main jobs and it's not worth starting another, I'm not stressing about that. I certainly don't feel the need to spy on her.

And are you sure there weren't 2 or more cleaners? Most agency cleaners round here work in pairs or more, so even though they were only in for 45 minutes, if there were more people they could easily have done 2 hours work.

BrieAndChilli · 04/07/2018 17:09

Should really be that cleaners are paid per ‘job’ rather than hourly so as long as they had completed it all to a high standard it wouldn’t matter if they took 1 or 3 hours.

Surely you could tell that things hadn’t been cleaned? your family is really really clean and tidy not to notice!!

Summersup · 04/07/2018 17:14

How much cleaning could she do in 45 min!

I wouldn't check on my cleaner as she works miracles in 3 hours a week, in fact, often I come home and tell her to go early as she really will stick it out to do those final few tasks. I know she's not a cheater as I am often around when she cleans and know what she can do in the time, which is a heck of a lot more than me (also fits in some ironing).

I would only do this if I thought I was being defrauded, which sounds like you kind of knew already.