Another cleaner one.

[CushionsandCandles]

I thought I had a really good relationship with my cleaner- always friendly, generous gifts at Christmas and birthday etc. We have had her about 18 months, she does a good job, she is very reliable. I pay her £60 a week (big house). I always leave the cash on the side as she doesn't want a bank transfer (tax I assume but have never asked).
She stopped cleaning for me in early March- I'm in healthcare and have direct contact with COVID patients and I think she was frightened (entirely reasonable I guess). I have been putting £60 a week aside for her ever since as she never wants money into a bank account. As such I now have £900 waiting for her.
Anyway.... I have texted her several times through lockdown but decided to phone this week and ask her if she might be coming back soon. I'm doing ridiculous hours so desperate to have her back.
She now tells me she has got another job and has been working this through lockdown (home based) and will not be able to come back as she can't reduce the hours. She says she'll pop by tomorrow to drop off the key and pick up her money?
I think this is CF'ery or am IBU????

Why would you pay her £900

She isn’t returning

Just tell her and say thr money was on retainer on the assumption she wasn’t working and was returning, as such you don’t feel it’s right if she’s has other employment and isn’t returning to pay her for when she was off.

Do it when you get the keys.

Any update?

Get the key then tell her to do one!

get the keys back and enjoy your £900 bonus

That’s unbelievable of her ! I hope you did not pay.

Unbelievable, she’s a proper cf

Aw jeez I was really hoping for an update on this one! Come back OP!!!!

OP I just want to say you sound a lovely employer

I am a cleaner and since corona, most of my clients have absolutely thrown me under a bus. Only one offered to pay a retainer and I wouldn't accept it because I know they don't have much money and they were the ones I think could least afford it

Since I have been allowed to return to work only about a 3rd of my clients even want me back, it makes me so sad as every last one of them used to rave about how great I was and how they couldn't live without me...clearly bull

I am a bloody good cleaner and I absolutely love my job and have massive pride in it, I just wish I could find some more clients

But I do think your cleaner is taking the mick to expect that money back, deffo a no from me !!

What's a CF?

Cheeky Fucker

Cheeky Fucker

And I paid my cleaner all the way through, she was raring to come back and has been doing an extra hour a week (even though I told her not to). If she keeps that up I will increase the amount I pay her

No way would I pay. Yes if she came back, but as she is not no way

And don’t believe her if she suddenly finds she can do it. She has her chance, I would be finding someone else

Waiting for an update..

I paid my cleaner as I know she relies on the money. I was still being paid, and it wasn’t her fault she couldn’t do the job. She also works for my colleague, who wouldn’t pay her as she hadn’t been working. He now doesn’t have a cleaner...

However, yours is a first class CF. I might give her a week’s wages but no more than that.

Don't give her a bloody penny! She didn't even give notice!

Tell her she can bring the key but you won’t be giving her any money.

If you hadn't called to ask her to come back, she would have continued to allow you to put that money aside until all restrictions were lifted... and then she would have collected double the amount and then quit.

It's the dishonesty and the obviosi money grabbing; she has another job, is being paid but let you run up that kitty so she could get a nice little free pot of money when she knew she had "quit" long ago. She just didnt bother to tell you.

They are absolutely taking the mick still expecting the £900 for doing no work for you yet working for other people, it's essentially the same as if I changed job and still expected my old employer to pay me.

Get the keys, then tell her the £60/week was a retainer but as she's chosen otherwise then it does not apply.

Why on earth did the cleaner admit to being paid by another client. That was daft 😅

I recon if you tell her to sling her hook which you should do she will say that the other job she is/ was doing hasnt worked out so she wants to come back .
She will collect the £900 do a couple of shifts then you wont see her for dust .

@ILoveTotoro cleaner here too. Im in the same boat as you. I've cleaned for some of my clients 8+ years and not a thing or no contact, but I could always tell the ones who truly valued me and those who just saw me as a cleaner.

I hope if they get new cleaners they are shit and they realise what they had.

Luckily for me I've found a new job which I enjoy so much more.

To the OP did you pay her?

I paid my cleaner who comes every other week through lock down.

She has hadn’t been with me long before lock down and has been back twice since. She has just texted me to say she has found another job and won’t be back.

I feel like I have been taken for a ride. It was my choice to pay her, i totally accept this, but I did hope for some loyalty in return.

@itwasntme1 That's awful. I've been cleaning for a few clients throughout lockdown and even though I've now found a new job, I still fit them in and I've told them I always will.
I think loyalty should be rewarded.