Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Child-safe in minutes.

Meet the Other Phone.
Child-safe in minutes.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To be pissed off and sack my cleaner

160 replies

Nightnight23 · 23/05/2019 20:55

Another cleaner related thread...

Background so as not to drip feed. Had this cleaner for a year, she is very reliable and competitively (but fairly) priced.
Had some issues as her cleaning is average to poor depending on whether I’m there or not. I try to be a good person to clean for - make regular cups of tea if I’m in, make sure everything is tidied away before etc so she only has to clean, during half terms I give her alterations etc to do from home of an evening as she has a young son and childcare is difficult in hols but that way she doesn’t lose out financially.

Issues are:
She brought her son without pre agreeing it with me, he then took a piece of tech with him, I hadn’t realised it had gone missing but she brought it round the next day laughing about it. I get that he’s a kid (10) but why should I have to worry about things being stolen when I’m employing a cleaner to make my life easier?

I pay her for 2 hours cleaning, I recently got a camera installed on the door. I don’t think she is aware but it’s not a secret as the unit is in the house and she would see it if she ever dusted the window sill (it’s mainly to track deliveries whilst I’m out but it notifies my phone when someone comes or goes as it points to the drive).

I have been out the past 3 weeks. The first week she did 1 hour 15 mins, I didn’t question it as I presumed it was a 1 off and she’d automatically make it up the following week.
The second week I was out she did 1 hour 5 mins, I questioned her and she said she did everything really quickly as she had another job to go on to but she’d make it up next time. Then last week she did an hour and five again. I messaged her at the weekend with a list of jobs to do if she finishes with half an hour or more to spare to make it up to the two hours. She replied that’s fine and she did two hours last week and would keep to two hours going forward. I know it’s a lie as the camera recorded her coming and going after just over an hour.

I genuinely wouldn’t mind if things were cleaned quickly and to a high standard but they’re not. So much basic stuff is missed.

Another issue (god this is so long sorry!) is I bulk buy large quantities of cleaning products as it’s cheaper to do so. I’ve found out she’s been refilling her bottles with my products each week. The price agreed is meant to include all her own cleaning materials. Not only is she using my products for my house (I could tolerate that) but it seems I’m also supplying her other clients cleaning products too as she refills a whole bottle each week.

Aibu to be pissed off with her? I feel she’s taking me for a total mug. We get on so nicely face to face but she clearly thinks I’m an idiot. We are not well off and I have a cleaner because I’m disabled so it is a massive luxury meant to make life easier. Hmm

OP posts:
Cornholio78 · 25/05/2019 17:25

Definitely definitely sack her!! I was a cleaner and that is disgusting. She’s taking full and complete advantage of you. You’ll be surprised once you’ve got someone decent the difference it will make

IHateUserName · 25/05/2019 17:40

I'm not good with face to face confrontation & would feel horribly guilty about sacking someone, & even I would be giving this woman the boot!

nuxe1984 · 25/05/2019 17:49

You are an employer, she's not a friend but an employee. She is stealing from you. Not only by taking your money for hours she hasn't worked but by also taking your cleaning products.

I will present her with the timings of her recent visits - and tell her you have these backed up with evidence from your door camera. I would also mention taking the products.

Tell her she is fired. If she kicks up a fuss, tell her you will take what you are owed in hours from any wages due.

Up to you whether you give her a reference or not …

floraloctopus · 25/05/2019 18:14

Sack her and ask for the stolen item back or go to the police.

Jazz50 · 25/05/2019 18:19

What a lovely empathetic person you are. You are definitely not being unreasonable, she on the other hand......Sack her!

Vivianebrezilletbrooks · 25/05/2019 18:23

I'd have sacked her after her kid stole!
I'd sack her and deduct the cost of what the kid stole. You'd have every right to. See if she's laughing then. She's taking liberties and seeing how far she can get away with it and abusing your good nature!
CFery of the highest order!

luckylavender · 25/05/2019 18:32

I can't believe you're asking. You're paying her for a job she's not doing & she's stealing from you.

Feelthethunder · 25/05/2019 18:36

Where’re you based, I’ll clean for you and I’ll do a good job too. (;

The filling up own bottles would irk me somewhat, especially as it’s been used for other people.

The shoddy work and leaving early would annoy me too, it would be ok if she was thorough and cleaning to a high standard, but as she’s not, what is she actually doing and what leave early?

It doesn’t sound like the best situation. You’re best off cutting your losses and going with someone that’s going to do a decent job.

Xx

mummyhaschangedhername · 25/05/2019 18:40

You did the right thing OP.

CallMeRachel · 25/05/2019 18:47

She sounds standard imo. I'd never employ a cleaner again. I know there are rare gems of cleaners out there, but they are a tiny minority in comparison to the amount of thieving fraudsters.

She's probably at the take benefit wise as well.

You definitely did the right thing.
Going by typical CF cleaner threads I've read on here, don't expect her to take it with any grace or give an apology. The world owes people like her a living, pfft.

dstill1964 · 25/05/2019 19:17

Think it’s time to let her go but make sure you explain why. She’s blatantly told you she will do the 2 hours catch up and still gone early. She’s brought her Son without checking beforehand and although she returned the tech did she contact you that day to say he had taken it ?

mummy1234321 · 25/05/2019 20:19

Do you have my old cleaner by any chance? Grin
I had the same problem a while ago (I can’t afford a cleaner now but work a bit less, so it’s ok).
Cleaner used to come just as I was leaving the house to the gym or after I had left and would let herself out after finished.
We always had cctv front & back door but only cause we had a break in few years ago.

So one day I wanted to talk to her about the cleaning details (few things to point out about things I wanted cleaning and arrange deep clean.
I arrived half an hour before she was due to finish and... she was not at my house Hmm
I texted her as usual asking how many hours she did as sometimes I’d ask her to do extra and I always paid her by BT she told me usual 2.5 hours...Shock
I knew that was a lie and I started thinking...
I asked my DP for fast course of CCTV rewinding and reviewed last 4 weeks.
Even once she didn’t stay 2.5h... she was staying anything between 1.5-2h at the house.
I had texts every week from her saying 2.5h.

I challenged her, told her that it’s not right and I feel cheated but was willing to give her another chance as long as she’d make up all the time she owed me and was jones from now on...
She went bonkers.... Apparently I was mean and was exploiting her, also was bad mouthing her (I asked my friend who had the same cleaner, if it was normal that she leaves earlier).
It ended in big drama and she just quit on all her clients. I never even got my spare keys back... had to change the locks.

Just get rid.... my cleaner was single mum of 2. I was feeling sorry for her but I couldn’t justify her lying to me. Nope

mummy1234321 · 25/05/2019 20:20

Was ‘honest’ not Jones Grin

Dora26 · 25/05/2019 20:56

Get rid asap for all reasons outlined by pp. any cleaners I have had come by word of mouth recommendation or bite the bullet and pay a bit extra for agency where you have come back. You sound like too nice of a person!

AmeriAnn · 25/05/2019 22:07

We had a carpenter doing some work in the house we were remodeling. (We lived in another house about 1/4 away across a field). I didn't think he was working very hard because he always showed up with his guitar but my husband thought the world of him for some reason even though his work wasn't very good.

At the end of the month long project my husband asked me to pay him when he was finished that day.

I needed to go somewhere so I drove over and paid the man after he arrived that morning and soon after was surprised to see him taking off down the road like a bat out of hell. I called my husband and told him it looked like the man he thought so much of had flown the coop, but husband being a trusting man said he was probably going into town for some more nails or something. I went over to the house and saw all his tools gone. (Normally he'd leave his tools over-night in the house).

He'd left the room he was working on unfinished. It appeared immediately upon being given the cash he left. There was even a nail half way in the wood where he didn't even bother bashing it in all the way - he just grabbed his tools and left.

I learned my lesson from that.

pinkstripeycat · 25/05/2019 22:22

There is no law to say you cannot film the inside of your property nor any of your own land.

MarvellousMonsters · 25/05/2019 22:22

I’m slightly confused by this:

“I bulk buy large quantities of cleaning products as it’s cheaper to do so. I’ve found out she’s been refilling her bottles with my products each week. The price agreed is meant to include all her own cleaning materials.”

Why are you buying cleaning products if she’s meant to bring her own to clean with? I have cleaners who bring their own products, so apart from a bottle of bleach by the loo and a bottle of multi-surface spray, I don’t really keep much in.

I’m glad you’ve sorted it though, the son stealing would’ve done it for me, 10 is plenty old enough to know not to do that. Nasty.

Livedandlearned · 25/05/2019 22:59

You don't employ a cleaner, you hire a cleaner. They are not your employee. Unless you have a contract with them and are responsible for their tax etc.

That's for nuxe1984

Ablemaybel · 26/05/2019 00:16

I'm a domestic house keeper/cleaner. I am employed by a small local company who allocates regular local clients, they are not an agency.
I would never leave/start late to cut my hours. Once you get to know your houses you sometimes become a little quicker finishing the job, so I find other things to do, things that don't get done every week.

It may be better hiring a cleaner through a cleaning company. I think they are far less likely to take liberties with cleaning time and standards. And if you do have an issue you contact their employer, not them.

Original poster
Nightnight23 · 26/05/2019 06:46

@marvellousmonsters she only came once a week so I still need to do cleaning in between (I have a messy toddler!) so I buy bulk quantities of floor cleaner, white vinegar, bleach and anti-bac from amazon because it works out so much cheaper. I try and do bits if I’m having a good day and my husband will do some on his one day off.

OP posts:
Original poster
Nightnight23 · 26/05/2019 06:47

@ameriann that’s awful. I just don’t know how people can sleep at night when they behave like that!

OP posts:
Original poster
Nightnight23 · 26/05/2019 06:48

Also the bulk quantity cleaning products were all kept in a cupboard that she had no need to go in. So that was also a little disconcerting.

OP posts:
IamtheDevilsAvocado · 26/05/2019 10:55

There are brilliant honest cleaners who do ab excellent job...people who on other circs I would trust with my life....

Others are extreme entitled Fuckers. ..how dare you get annoyed /sack me when I consistently work half the time i bill you for. ....in eefect making almost 30 quid per hour....that presumably doesn't go via inland revenue

EL8888 · 26/05/2019 13:52

Get rid. She’s taking the piss and is a CF. Shocked about her child nicking stuff from you!! She never should have had him with her anyway

Dontfuckingsaycheese · 26/05/2019 16:26

"She's probably at the take benefit wise as well."

Bloody hell. Let's just hang the woman and be done with it
🤨