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?

Can't you just hire her directly and end the contract with her rip off agency (who are getting money for nothing) and pay her properly, 20 pounds?

I live in Spain and you would be laughed at for not being able to provide cash.

A good cleaner is hard to come by so just try and see if you can get in to a routine if you can, I too am a new mum with a head like a sieve. Just go to the bank/post office and ask for the money in the right change for a month, put it in envelopes somewhere safe and repeat each month.
However, I would have a word with her and just say your finding it difficult with the new baby and you'll do your best to have cash but if you do forget you won't be going out especially for it so she can accept a bank transfer that week or wait until the following week. If she's not happy with that, get someone new.

changers5

Do you have a Post Office in your village? If so you can withdraw cash there.

@WendyCope she only earns 25p less per hour than me. I am paying her properly. Some people earn less than others. I work in retail. Pretty sure the people who own the company I work for are multi millionaires but I don't get paid very much at all. It sucks! But such is life... having a cleaner is my only treat to myself!

I used to do babysitting usually 2 or 3 times a month for neighbours when I was a student... they used to prefer to transfer the money but rarely did on the days I babysat- often they forgot and as I had trusted them I assumed they had paid me. I lost out on a lot of money through bank charges when I went over my overdraft when they hadn’t.
Just pay her cash. It’s not difficult.
Like a pp said, take out a months worth and dole it out weekly. If it’s an issue, pay her in advance.
Entitled codswallop to claim this is too much like hard work when there are 2 of you to remember £20 a week esp when she is doing a good job by your own admission.

vanGogh she HAS "set herself up to be paid". She accepts cash, a perfectly normal way of paying /being paid!

The problem here is not that she wants cash but the fact that you are so disorganised. You could easily withdraw the cash, including the pound and 50p coins, on the 1st of each month or the closest weekday to it and keep it separate so that last minute dashes to the bank are a thing of the past.

I’d change cleaners, I used to be in a similar situation and ended up stopping with that cleaner. They also did a pretty rubbish job so it was easily justified. When I looked for new cleaners I made sure they would accept bank transfer, one of the first things I asked them. I now have a standing order set up to pay them weekly and it’s miles better. Life is too short to faff with theses things, find a different cleaner who suits your needs better.

Such a low amount.

Pay her £20 and that's still cheap. Round here it's £15/20 ph

If I set up a standing order there would be no issue re being paid or missed payments...

How disorganised do you have to be not not ever remember to draw out cash?

Why don't you buy a lockable cash box for a fiver and draw out a £250 quid a time and just keep it there. You'll then only have to remember 4 times a year, which you could put in your diary.

DSs Music lessons and Driving lessons are always in cash. I take the money out for the month the first time I go to the cash machine and stash it. If she is otherwise great then I'd just get into a routine and get it out monthly. The odd amount would drive me mad though as I don't always have change. I'd give her £20 one week and £15 the next (though even fivers are hard to come by)

@givemesteel I don't have enough money to just draw out £250. My cleaner is my only luxury and is only because DP works away 5 nights a week and I can't keep on top of everything! It saves my sanity.

I'm very disorganised when it comes to things like this, admittedly.

Of course cash is legal tender and that is her right to be paid like that.

That isn't what legal tender means, and is not usually relevant to employment. Employees (and even then, only those doing manual labour) have not had the right to be paid in cash since the 1986 Wages Act repealed the Truck Acts 1831-1940.

I think you could manage it. Every time you get change, throw it in a drawer, overpay or underpay slightly if you don't have the right amount and she can't give you change. If everyone else is paying cash too she should have change.

I had a cleaner who I had to pay in cash and I found it irritating and always was rushing to get the right about of cash ready. Now I pay by bank transfer and it's so much easier! YANBU.

Get yourself a notebook, write down the things you need to do, organised!!! Easy

So draw out £100 every five weeks or so. If you want to avoid faffing with pounds and 50p coins, suggest to the cleaner that you pay her £15 one week, £20 the next.

@sonlypuppyfat I do that. It still doesn't get done. It's an anxiety/PND thing. Some days I can't even function enough to eat. I do try though and manage, just.

What reason does she give for saying no to a bank transfer?

Can you just say: Paying in cash is not working for me. I want to do cheque or bank transfer, which do you prefer? The weekly trip to the bank with a cheque might sway her towards a bank transfer...

Hang on, you pay her £17.50pw AND her agency £40 a month? Wtf?!

Why the agency? Putting aside the cash issue a sec, why not just take her on and cut the agency out to save £40pm?! @changers5

Also, I think you're being charged £17.50, in the hope that you just give £20 for ease! £2.50 tip each time....

Basically, YANBU OP.

You are paying someone money you could really use in order to make your life easier. Paying in cash is stressful for you, which negates the benefit of a cleaner. You are not responsible for keeping the cleaner in employment forever if it doesn't work for you. It's 2019, I avoid shops that don't take card, and avoid using people's services if they want cash. Digital payment is rapidly becoming a basic requirement, you don't have to bend over backwards to keep someone you employ to make your life easier happy

You said upthread that you ASKED her how she wanted to be paid. Why did you ask if you are only willing to pay by transfer?

@Mummylife2018 I live in the middle of nowhere. This agency is my only option. They have 3 people who can travel to me all in the next village. I would love to just hire her without the agency but feel she would get in trouble.