to get rid of cleaner because she won't accept a bank transfer?

[changers5]

She's really nice, I like her, does a decent job, but she always wants cast and charges £17.50 each time she's here. I have a 3 month old and am very disorganised/exhausted. I almost always forget to get money out for her and end up having to make an early morning trip to the shops (which are miles away as I'm rural). She's through an agency so pays taxes and isn't tax dodging, but just won't accept me putting money in her account. She wants cash. That's fair enough but it's a PITA for very disorganised me... would it be harsh to get rid of her and hire someone else for this reason alone?

I think I'm just going to start giving her £20. That's fair. I like her and I think people are right that I don't know her circumstances. I didn't even think of that aspect to be fair.

I got rid of a cleaner recently, for a variety of reasons, but she would only accept cash (pretty sure she's not declaring any income. Switched to one that I pay by bank transfer and it's so much less stress! There's only one cash point in the village and it's regularly out of order.

@greathat I don't even have a cash point in my village it was much easier when I wasn't on maternity leave...

I own a cafe/lunch delivery business and often have customers paying via bank transfer or Paypal. It's no big deal for me and saves me the cost of getting a terminal. I don't see why she would t allow you to pay via bank transfer she knows where you live if you don't pay

I find cash less stressful! I have to use cash at least three times a week to pay for different things.

If you generally are that disorganised then just find another cleaner. You get a cleaner who works well for you. And she gets a free slot for another client who will pay her how she wants. It will be better for both of you so no need to feel guilty.

I asked if I could pay her twice weekly or monthly and she said no. Has to be weekly...

Hmm £17.50 is an odd amount weekly, who deals in cash nowadays anyway!?

Me thinks she's a chancer who is playing on the fact your unlikely to have the correct change so she gets her mits on £20 instead of the £17.50.

I bet if you ask her if she has change she says no.

Get rid. No legitimate business person would demand cash.

@CallMeRachel ugh. That's a point...

We got rid of our window cleaner for the same reason.

Drives me mad - its only one step above requesting to be paid in bags of grain

Yanbu. I never have cash and could not be arsed to sort that out every week. You'd think she'd prefer the money straight into her account.

Also would be very suspicious that she wasn’t declaring her income.

I get you OP - I am rural and it drives me mad when people want cash. No cash point for miles here, literally have to drive to the nearest big two about 12 miles away and go to the Sainsbury at the edge of town and as for "go to a bank and get change" - hahahahaha!

No cash point in the village, used to be one a few miles up the road at the garage but the ATM got ram raided and the garage decided not to replace it due to the risk of it happening again. The Post Office can give cash for some accounts, but the opening hours are very limited.

My window cleaner wants cash and never tells me when he is coming, so I have no idea how I am supposed to get it to him. I'm fed up of chasing him to give him money.

My last cleaner took paypal but I binned her for a number of reasons (drinking my beer when she was supposed to be working, bringing her kids and her husband to my house, breaking things and not telling me, changing her days all the time so I never knew what she was doing, asking me millions of questions by text when I was at work then saying she couldn't do x because I hadn't replied to the text, etc - not to mentioned she was a bit shit, never emptied a bin, never dusted under things, never wiped the hob properly and threw away my cloths every bloody week, all wet, shoved in the bathroom bin, they are normal cloths, not disposable!) - the new one I can pay via an agency by bank transfer, no way could I remember to always have the right cash especially if it was an odd amount.

Couple of weeks ago the plumber changed a tap and at the end he said 'can you pay me cash, now', I said um, not really, how much is it, he looked a bit surprised that I didn't know (he hadn't given me a quote) and said forty five pounds, so I said no, I just don't keep that sort of cash in the house at all, can't you invoice me like you did for the last job, he said he'd rather not and could I drop the money round to him the next day.

Drives me mad that I end up running around after people because they can't set themselves up just to be paid! But when you live rurally it's really hard to get good tradespeople so you do it.

You must be better off for window cleaners than we are. It took us months to find one.

Yes I would give her 20 too. 17.50 is extremely good value, she does a good job, you like her, to have ready is a small ask really.
I think you are right to meet her half way.

Maybe she's paying off an overdraft so anytime someone pays her via bank the money isn't accessible to her to spend?
I would withdraw a couple weeks worth at a time for her so you always have it, or set up a reminder on your phone?
If that doesn't work out then yes maybe you should look for someone who accepts a more convenient method of payment for you, but it seems a shame to sack her if you're happy with her and her work

That was a ball ache for me too. I'm far from shops, don't drive over here, so would have to get a bus or taxi to a bank machine.

Apart from that, my cleaners were shite, so I just do my own cleaning now.

I'd round it up to £20 as well; I'd be embarrassed to be paying only £8.75 per hour.

The OP is also paying £40 per month to the cleaning agency so isn’t just paying £8.75 an hour, to be fair. She’s paying £27.50 per week which is £13.75 per hour.

Good cleaners in rural areas are like gold dust usually!

I get out all the cash we expect to need for the month on payday, it stays in a drawer and is got out weekly for all the services we pay for.
My cleaner gives change though-I don’t have to leave exact money.

YANBU - I think you should opt for someone who is most suitable and in your circumstances, it may be someone who accepts bank transfer - it's a fair request and there's likely many cleaners out there who would have no issues with this.

However, one way around this might be to take out cash e.g. £200 in one go so you have cash ready so don't have to worry about forgetting or having to make frequent trips (if you can afford to, of course)

A lot of entitled idiots on this thread. These are the same people who transfer this attitude to their children who then learn to treat anyone in the service industry like rubbish. The attitude of “If it doesn’t work for you then be suspicious/ sack her/ give a warning” is really shitty. It will also transfer to school where you will be ‘that parent’ and amongst the neighbours where you are ‘the wankers’. If you are at all offended or bothered about what I’ve said then it’s you. Examine your conscience. And if you don’t care about other people then at least care about yourself because at the moment, no one likes you. Not even your own family. No one likes a twat. Stop being one.

I wonder how she would feel if you paid 20 one week and 15 the next. somehow ripped off i suspect.

I'd ask for £20 £15x£1 and £5x50p from the bank, would keep you sorted for ages.

Like others say- take out a month or more worth of cash, including 50p pices if you like, and set them aside.

I am organised for some things and hopeless for others. I pay for my daughters art lesson and a few other things that are fine cash at the start of the month, for the whole month. That way I know it is done, and I don't have to worry about remembering to allow for the expense coming out of the account. Maybe you could envelope each weeks money ready at the start of the month so you have them ready each week. Do any other cash payments that way too and you won't need any last minute trips to the cashpoint.

Hmm £17.50 is an odd amount weekly, who deals in cash nowadays anyway!? Round this part of the country, nearly everyone.

The brilliant thing about cash is that you don't need to have the right amount - you give someone the nearest convenient amount above what they're asking, and they rummage around and give you change.

Would she be good with Venmo or Paypal? People use them a lot here in the USA for paying "cash" when the payer or recipient doesn't have a bank account or cash handy. My 16 year old dd gets paid pretty much exclusively with Venmo for her babysitting or when she and her friends are getting food and not everyone has cash on them they use Venmo. I think you could set up a regular payment too.