Cleaner cancelled last minute due to childcare

[UmmUmar]

I've found a fantastic cleaner, single mum by the sounds of it, brings her daughter with her (I don't mind), you can tell she is struggling financially and with her little one.

Today she cancelled on me 10 mins before the appt because of childcare. I understand that with a kid, things get a bit difficult with work but a heads up would have been nice!

Since my house has been a tip I've got to do it all by myself (pregnant + toddler, and dh works long hours)

AIBU to be upset?

Has anyone said they think cleaners are thick? I hope not!

The child fell asleep on a bus. She didn't chuck up everywhere. Perhaps that would have been a better reason for the cleaner to give! But the OP can only go on what she is told. The child being a child and therefore going through all the childhood illnesses would be another reason not to let your cleaner bring them to work in your home actually.

I have had to take the odd day off work because of lack of childcare

I am on my own

Life gets in the way of work single, with a partner, no children, lots of children it happens

Perhaps there as something pretty serious going on for the woman and she didn't want to say, for many reasons. She may have said the first thing that came into her head i.e. child fell asleep.

I lied once and made a pathetic excuse not to go to work. The truth was that I'd actually just been hit by my ex boyfriend and didn't want to say that. I'm not saying that this is what happened obv, but I don't believe that someone in her situation would just fancy not going to work one day.

This thread is horrible. The OP was just having a moan which is what 99% of posters do in AIBU.

Some of you are really quite nasty.

Some, who do cleaning for living, on here have suggested people look down their noses at them. I don’t look down my nose at anyone personally - not face value. If they give me real reason to then that’s different.

I think anyone putting an op in here needs to know what they are getting themselves in to. You are going to get slated half the time. If you are not up to that then the answer is keep your whining to yourself or tell your rl friends. Although I suspect in some cases they would feel too ashamed to tell rl friends so come on here instead. But you face the consequences. You can’t post something and seriously expect it to be full of Mary Poppin’s replies on here. Anyone familiar with MN would know better. Also many are just being honest and saying what they think. Isn’t that the point?

So nobody actually has said cleaners are thick or that they look down their nose at them?

I don’t think the OP deserved this shit show tbh. She has stuff going on in her life and was disappointed that her cleaner ( that she doesn’t use regularly ) cancelled with 10 mins to go.

Most people would be miffed. This thread is full of women who do their own cleaning because they can’t afford a cleaner or they prefer to do it themselves that are complete mummy martyrs. Wanging on how hard they’ve had it. The OP was just venting and imo rightly so.

@Nosauce, it always amazes me how posters like you come on saying how nasty people are being to the op but then do exactly the same to some posters??? Hypocrisy at its best.

Again people have the right to vent on here but you can’t expect sympathy from everyone. People have real problems on here and whilst it’s annoying for the op to have to do her own cleaning anyone with any emotional intelligence would realise that this is going to be seen by many as being a bit precious. Being a mum isn’t easy full stop. Christ, if we all moaned about things like this MN would blow up. So, yes vent all you want but on a social media site expect a very mixed response.

Hello everyone. We've had quite a number of reports about the direction this thread has taken. Can we ask that, regardless of your position on paid domestic help, you bear our Talk Guidelines in mind when posting?

Thanks.

How is it nasty to point out exactly what has happened on a thread?

Cock all to do with hypocrisy.

Better late than never MNHQ.

I stopped reading on page 1 when someone suggested you do fewer hours at work so you can do the cleaning . Has mumsnet slipped into 1952??

Op sorry if this is 'cancel the cheque' not having read the whole thread but if you believe her story and think she's a great cleaner I'd just lump the cancellation. Can you ring and ask if she can help another day?

If you don't believe her/she isn't good, find someone else.

Right there with you!!!

Have you ever had a poorly child yourself and had to call in work?! This poor cleaner probably had no option! So glad there aren't many employers like you out there lol!

Wow. How unreasonable a cleaner to cancel because of childcare issues. How dare a mother put her child before a client! The utter inconvienice you poor women having to clean your own house! Maybe an inconvienice but wow. I'm a mam of two I had a toddler heavily pregnant working full time and guess what never had the privilege of a cleaner and guess what I cleaned my own god damn house. Yes you may pay for this service but that women put her child before your needs and so rightly she should. Yes ten mins before you were expecting her but who's to say her lil one has just become ill and maybe being her mother she wants to care for her child? But hey ho who am I to judge me just being a lowly cleaner myself. to people like you we must just be staff and not humans! Ps enjoy cleaning your own house for a change then you may actually appreciate the work you cleaner puts in and apologise (to your cleaner) for being a bit stuck up and even questioning why your cleaner disregarded your needs and put her child first.

OMG, I have four, worked (at home) but physical work, and did all my own cleaning, for goodness sake, think of it as exercise. Can't believe how pathetic some people are these days.

YABVU Perhaps her child was ill and couldn't find a carer. You say you are pregnant, that doesn't make you unable to do some cleaning neither does having a toddler and husband who works long hours. Do you live in a Palace so big only a single mum with a child can clean it. Get a bit of reality and a pair of rubber gloves!

Have you ever had a poorly child yourself and had to call in work?! This poor cleaner probably had no option! So glad there aren't many employers like you out there lol!

But typically an employer would expect more than 10 minutes'notice (and wouldn't tolerate a child in the workplace)

The utter inconvienice you poor women having to clean your own house! Maybe an inconvienice but wow. I'm a mam of two I had a toddler heavily pregnant working full time and guess what never had the privilege of a cleaner and guess what I cleaned my own god damn house

Good for you - but why shouldn't the OP have a (reliable) cleaner, pregnant or not?

I’ve honestly never heard anything more Unreasonable

1st time on AIBU?

I am a cleaner myself and in 19 years of doing this job I had many of my clients text me last minute saying 'don't come today, myself/kids/husband/animals are not well, in bed trying to rest and they can't be disturb with noise/hoover... But never mind that, it is always worse when it is us letting the boss down!

Haven’t read past page 2 as it’s so depressing, but hoping someone else has called out those who say ‘I only employ child free people to avoid this issue’. Welcome to 2019 - sex discrimination laws have been in place since the 70s and yet here we are, 50 years later, with WOMEN refusing to employ other WOMEN in case they have a sick child and can’t work. I’m literally speechless.

The contempt shown towards women on this thread is quite remarkable.