Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To sack my cleaner for this?

176 replies

LondonUnited · 23/01/2020 14:46

I have a cleaner once a week. She comes with her sister and they blitz the house together (I have four children including a toddler and a baby who never sleeps so always plenty to do!) She has been coming for about 6 weeks now, and it’s a private arrangement not an agency one.

I came back today and pulled up on the drive. She then pulled up about 30 seconds later, followed by a police car with its sirens on. The police then proceeded to bust her for driving without insurance (or so it appeared).

About 15 minutes later she let herself in, found me and explained it was all a mistake, that she had comprehensive insurance on her other car so could drive this one, etc.

However. I feel really uneasy about this. Clearly the car she was driving was uninsured as it pinged on the police ANPR. WIBU to make my excuses and find another cleaner?

OP posts:
Original poster
LondonUnited · 23/01/2020 15:35

Grin at some of the comments on this thread. Yes, this really happened earlier! I have never, before today, seen a police car with sirens in my area (and we have been here for 6 years). There may have been some twitching curtains on the street Wink

Anyway I am prepared to accept that IABU and won’t be asking her for the keys back. I just felt a bit uneasy at the thought of her cutting corners on car insurance whilst in a position of trust in my and other homes. I accept that this may be an overreaction on my part though! Thanks all.

OP posts:
mindfulmam · 23/01/2020 15:35

I think it would depend if I believed the story.
Sirens on seems a bit excessive !

BusterTheBulldog · 23/01/2020 15:36

Seems an odd reason to sack them. Also I got pulled by the police the other day for no insurance, complete mix up as I did have it and could show certificate! It happens.

MoonlightMistletoe · 23/01/2020 15:39

I thought you was going to say she ate your last pudding out of the fridge !

No I wouldn't sack her for something unrelated to cleaning your home.

limpingparrot · 23/01/2020 15:39

I’ve been pulled over with flashing blue lights to check my insurance. It was a mistake and I was allowed on my way after getting to sit in the police car for a while. It’s pretty common.

MinnieMul7 · 23/01/2020 15:40

My DP also got stopped by the police the other week for no insurance despite the fact that he was insured and actually had all the paperwork to show it. We checked online when he arrived home and it was showing as insured so no idea why he was stopped. They did check everything like tyres etc. once they had stopped him before letting him drive off so did take a while.

Justaboy · 23/01/2020 15:43

it can take a few days for the system to update

Yep it does known that to have happened with a DD!.

Weetabollocks · 23/01/2020 15:43

Would you think it fair and reasonable for your employer to sack you in the same circumstances?

dottiedodah · 23/01/2020 15:46

Hmm Im not too sure on this one really .On one hand she may be telling the truth and be perfectly honest .On the other side maybe driving W/O Insurance could be true and be short of cash .Might be prudent not to leave any valuables around just in case of temptation do you think?

messolini9 · 23/01/2020 15:46

Is it Victorian Workhouse Attitudes Month?

More than one OP wanting to castigate & punish their cleaner before actually having any evidence of wrong-doing going on this month ...

OP - in the event that your new cleaner does turn out to have been driving uninsured, I'm still puzzled as to -

  1. how you think this would affect her ability with the elbow grease &
  2. why you view yourself as an adjunct of police procedure.

If the woman has committed a civil crime, the cops & magistrate will deal with it. Why are YOU getting your knickers in a twist about it? It's not your role to issue punishments to members of the public, & if you choose to use your 'employer power' by sacking her for something unrelated to her work for you, you would be behaving very high-handedly & unfairly indeed.

BatleyTownswomensGuild · 23/01/2020 15:49

You don't know her financial circumstances. If she's on a cleaner's wage she may well be living hand-to-mouth financially. It's very to get yourself in a catch-22 (no insurance so can't drive to cleaning job, need cleaners job to afford insurance etc.) I'd give her another chance...

heartsonacake · 23/01/2020 15:49

YABVU. It’s really none of your business and it doesn’t affect her cleaning for you at all.

Liriope · 23/01/2020 15:50

Are you sure she's not also drinking/stealing your gin? Grin

As long as she can make it to your house at agreed times and clean to your satisfaction it should be fine

messolini9 · 23/01/2020 15:51

Are you worried it's one step away from running a drug den out of your front room?

Don't forget the Pink Gin Silo set up by her renegade colleague, @DesLynamsMoustache.
Because "They" - an amorphous mass of cloned cleaners hellbent on destroying the Squirearchy - Are All The Same Really, & are all in it together ...

MrsTerryPratchett · 23/01/2020 15:52

Yes, this really happened earlier! I have never, before today, seen a police car with sirens in my area (and we have been here for 6 years). There may have been some twitching curtains on the street

Give me an interesting place with friendly neighbours any day.

Bluerussian · 23/01/2020 15:55

Why would you want to find another cleaner? You say you're happy with her cleaning and that's the only thing that should concern you. She's hardly a hardened criminal and I doubt she'll make that mistake again.

messolini9 · 23/01/2020 15:56

... could be true and be short of cash .Might be prudent not to leave any valuables around just in case of temptation do you think?

FFS, of course, because all cleaners are poverty-struck "Not People Like Us", & all poor people are light-fingered by nature, @dottiedodah.
They just can't help themselves.
Lock up your gin!

Twenty2 · 23/01/2020 15:56

Cleaners are getting a bad rap on MN this week. Have we been invaded by Mingers Rights activists?

Hadjab · 23/01/2020 15:57

I’ve also been mistakenly stopped for no insurance, it happens, a lot (not to me as such). I often think the no insurance thing is a bit of a ruse to randomly stop motorists in the hope of catching someone out.

Looneytune253 · 23/01/2020 15:57

If she's got comp insurance on her car she's not allowed to just randomly drive other cars tho? Only usually allowed in an emergency if at all and the car must already have insurance for someone else. I did a bit of research before I went driving another car once. Obv I didn't do it as I wasn't covered

hannah1992 · 23/01/2020 15:57

I used to work in car insurance sales. A woman that started there was sending insurance documents to customers but wasnt actually setting up the insurance. So numerous customers had paid premiums, set up direct debits and recieved documents believing they were insured. Nobody at the company picked up on it until the police called customer service because theyd pulled someone over who they thought had forged documents. Massive investigation, woman was sacked and hundreds of people compensated etc. Well known company too.

No I wouldnt sack her. Plus cant have been that serious if they didnt arrest her or take her car

Angelw · 23/01/2020 16:01

If she wasn’t insured then the car would have been towed away. Was it? But to 🔥Her because of that🙀?? You need a life!

SisterAgathaVanHelsing · 23/01/2020 16:03

I'm surprised all the replies are so one sided tbh. I'd have concerns too if I thought she might be prepared to drive an uninsured vehicle. It comes down to whether you believe her explanation or not.

Lovemusic33 · 23/01/2020 16:04

If she’s a good cleaner then I don’t see why you should sack her, though I would be worried that she may not have liability insurance to work self employed? The fact her car may not be insured is not really a issue to you.

Crinkle77 · 23/01/2020 16:09

My partner also got pulled by the police for no insurance and that was a mistake.