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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

iMessage didn't deliver... she wants me to pay her.

166 replies

LiveLiveAnna · 01/10/2018 11:17

Cleaner text me via iMessage asking if she can change her days. I responded through text saying 'no problem see you on ...' - my message didn't deliver to her as she hasn't connected to WiFi over the weekend and has her iMessage enabled. I text her again to confirm and had no response. I had no idea it hadn't delivered to her. She's now turned up on the original day (I haven't been at home to let her in as she has no keys yet) and she's claiming that I need to pay her the £30 for cleaning as I didn't ensure the messages had delivered.

My argument was that if you have your phone set up to receive iMessage, and you send ME an iMessage, you should then ensure that you are connected to WiFi in order to receive my response. If you have iMessage turned on and aren't connected to the WiFi, it's your fault you didn't receive the message...

Who is BU? Me for thinking it's a mix up and I shouldn't have to pay her £30 for cleaning that didn't happen? Or her, for expecting me to pay her £30 when she hasn't done the work because her phone couldn't receive my message?

I sound really annoyed but I haven't actually responded to her voicemail yet so trying to get some honest perspective from AIBU!

Thanks.

OP posts:

eddielizzard · 01/10/2018 11:44

Well she didn't check for a response...

I'd tell her that you texted her twice to confirm the new day. See what she says to that.

PattiStanger · 01/10/2018 11:46

She must have known that she hadn't done whatever she needed to do to get your reply so why did she turn up at all?

I don't know how imessage works but if you are waiting for a reply to any type of message it's your responsibility to make sure you can receive it.

Maybe she's having a hard time about something else and has dropped the ball on this one, if she's otherwise a good cleaner I'd consider trying to resolve in some way

russiandwarf · 01/10/2018 11:46

Theoretically it could just as easily have been you who didn't receive the original iMessage if she'd received no response. So would she have expected you to pay in that instance as well? She didn't chase up for a reply or check the messages so the onus is on her!

astoundedgoat · 01/10/2018 11:47

You're definitely not liable.

"Hi Cleaner, I'm sorry you didn't get my message, but I responded right away that the change of day was fine, and I'm surprised you didn't check your messages before coming today. So no, I can't pay you for today. Will you still be over on Tuesday from 2 - 4?"

Keep it short, don't get over-formal, give her an out to quit, but don't jump the gun.

hungryhippo90 · 01/10/2018 11:52

Yeah her responsibility.

TBH I’d have to sack her for getting shirty and demanding the £30 when it was her problem. If she can’t keep the internet on, then she needs to stop communicating in a way that relies on the internet with her clients.

Rhondacross · 01/10/2018 11:55

She hasn't lost the money, when she does the work she'll get it.
This is her business, it's up to her to be professional and make sure that things run smoothly and without stress to her customers.
Why, after asking to change her day (by whatever media, it doesn't matter) would she just turn up on the original day? Anyone with half a brain would have rung you to see if you got the original message.
How dare she get stroppy with you about this. I would be revising my opinion of her being "nice" and sadly I would let her go immediately. No way should you pay her anything but unfortunately if I was you the trust would be gone.

3WildOnes · 01/10/2018 11:58

Why are people saying that she didn’t bother to check her messages. It didn’t send?!
If you sent a normal message surely she wouldn’t have needed data/WiFi to receive it?! It is iMessages that you need the internet for?

Original poster

LiveLiveAnna · 01/10/2018 11:58

Those saying I should pay her half... why? £15 is 3 baby grows for my baby. Or a new toy, or a quarter of a tank of fuel. I just don't see why I would even pay half to be honest. Feeling really wound up and sad she was rude to me via voicemail...

OP posts:

Rhondacross · 01/10/2018 12:01

"Why are people saying that she didn’t bother to check her messages. It didn’t send?! "
Maybe it would be clearer to say "why didn't she follow up on her message?" When she didn't see a reply she could have... revolutionary thought... picked up the phone to speak to her customer to talk to her about changing her days.
Instead she just turns up on the day when supposedly she wasn't available to do the work. What a numpty. What a way to run your business.
And no I wouldn't pay her bloody half.

This is what I would expect to happen to me in my cleaning days if I'd been such an idiot.

Rhondacross · 01/10/2018 12:04

Oh, and if I left a stroppy message for a customer it would only be because I'd decided I didn't want them as a customer any more. Because I sure as heck wouldn't expect them to want me.

ScienceIsTruth · 01/10/2018 12:05

YADNBU, and shouldn't have to pay her for her mistake in not confirming the days.

I think that whichever way this plays out, the relationship has been soured by her voicemail.

I do think you need to let her go as there will now be resentment on one side. If she doesn't get paid she may not do her job properly in future, whereas if you pay her for nothing, you'll be resentful (& rightfully so!).

CoolCarrie · 01/10/2018 12:11

The £30 might be food or electricity for the week for her. She should have checked, but in your place I wouldn’t loss a trustworthy, good cleaner over it.

SaucyJack · 01/10/2018 12:11

“It is iMessages that you need the internet for?”

Yeah. It’s an Apple to Apple text service that uses the internet. I guess it’s equivalent to her sending the OP a PM on FB, and then not connecting to the internet all weekend to receive the sent reply.

It can be an arse if you don’t understand how it works or how to switch it off- but that’s definitely a user error.

ciderhouserules · 01/10/2018 12:13

Do you need 'credit' to send iMessages? I thought you used the wifi.

If anyone sent me a shitty voicemail about a message I'd sent but she had not received, via the service she had used, I'd be seriously pissed off. Enough to drop her as a cleaner. IF she is that concerned about loss of wages, she should now be thinking about how she can put it right with OP, not pissing her off further!

JacquesHammer · 01/10/2018 12:13

It did send. She just didn’t receive it as she obviously didn’t have her device set up to receive undeliverable iMessages as texts.

If she sent a message and didn’t get a response, the onus is absolutely on her to follow that up.

StrugglingMumma · 01/10/2018 12:16

I used to run my own cleaning business- do not pay her! This is her mistake not yours.

avocadoincident · 01/10/2018 12:19

I suggested paying half as that's what I would do as a gesture if I wanted to continue a working relationship with her going forward. If you aren't bothered about keeping her on then let her go and find a new cleaner on a friend's recommendation.

SummerInSun · 01/10/2018 12:23

From what you say about her voicemail, she isn’t saying that you have to pay her because she didn’t get the message. She thinks that she asked if she could change, you didn’t reply, she then shows up at the usual time (which was presumably inconvenient for her since she’d asked to change) and you weren’t there. If you had just forgotten she was coming and left her on the doorstep, expecting to be paid was reasonable. Sounds like that’s the headspace she was in when she left the message.

You now need to politely explain that you replied by both iMessage and text saying changing was fine, assumed she got the message, and so didn’t stay home. My guess is that she’ll apologies and back down.

If you want a compromise, you could ask if she’d do some extra time next week for some extra money, doing something she doesn’t normally do (clean oven? Wash windows? Vaccine sofa?)

TonnoEMaionese · 01/10/2018 12:23

If she can leave a shitty voice message when she got there, she could have left you a nicer voice message yesterday to urgently confirm days.

EK36 · 01/10/2018 12:24

So how was she intending to see your reply? You responded to her chosen method which was imessenger. What if you had said yes/no. So clearly this was her fault. Therefore she doesn't get paid for that day.

veggiethrower · 01/10/2018 12:26

I wouldn't be paying her either.
If she sent the message it is up to her to check for replies and if she did not receive a reply she should have phoned to check.
It's her income/business so she should make sure she can be contacted properly and should follow up if she does not receive an answer - otherwise she'll be losing more than the 30 quid from you.

She can get the money when she turns up again and does the cleaning.

BathroomLights · 01/10/2018 12:28

I'm not sure what an I message is.

Is the whole situation the equivalent of her writing you a letter, then you sending one back but in the meantime she has sellotaped her letterbox shut? So your message didn't deliver but you did your bit correctly, she caused that non delivery? If so, don't pay her.

DarlingNikita · 01/10/2018 12:30

Is the whole situation the equivalent of her writing you a letter, then you sending one back but in the meantime she has sellotaped her letterbox shut?

Yes. It's her mistake.

If she's good, OP, and you don't want to lose her, maybe phone her or even ask to meet face to face and talk about it properly? Voicemails or messages can miss so much communication in terms of tone, facial expression etc.

Original poster

LiveLiveAnna · 01/10/2018 12:31

The message she left me was just so rude. I don't think I can work with someone like that. Not when I'm leaving her in my house on her own etc.

OP posts:

HeebieJeebies456 · 01/10/2018 12:37

it's her own fault.
As a goodwill gesture i'd pay her back the travel cost-but that's it.

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