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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

AIBU to think the cleaner stole from us?

81 replies

YakkityYakYakYak · 22/12/2020 22:46

Have had the same cleaner for around a year, she owns the business and comes once a fortnight with another woman. Get on well with them and they do a great job.

They are both taking a break over Christmas so sent two of her team to clean our house on Monday instead. Have never met these two before, I was working in the spare room so just left them to it.

Monday night when I got into bed I plugged in my phone in to charge and saw that it was just a cable with the plug part of the charger missing (Apple charger). I’ve not moved it, it’s been plugged in by the bed for years, and DH swears he hasn’t touched it either.

DH thinks the cleaner must have taken it. Why would someone take half a charger though Confused

It’s only worth about £20 so not sure if it’s even worth raising it. I don’t even care about the charger, I just hate the thought that someone would come into my home and take something. I’d also left all of the Christmas presents out downstairs under the tree and worried that something else might have disappeared.

WWYD? Raise it so the business owner is aware, or just forget about it as you can’t really be certain?

OP posts:
lyinginthegutterstaringatstars · 23/12/2020 06:36

@changedmynameforChristmas

As I said before.. I cleaned houses. I worked six days a week and had a number of clients. Some of them 'tested' me at first. They would throw items in the bins that were obviously planted to see if I would lift them. I found money in the wheelie bins and money (notes) in between the cushions of sofas etc etc.

Not all cleaners steal. Some of them are far too busy cleaning

Didn't the 'tests' annoy you. I'm quite shocked reading that.
MerchantOfVenom · 23/12/2020 06:42

Honestly?

If you’re going to jump to the conclusion that the cleaner stole half your charger, you’re not cut out to have home help, and you need to suck it up and do your own cleaning.

This thread is just cringey-worthy. Of course the cleaner didn’t take your precious half charger.

copernicium · 23/12/2020 06:47

I lose something everytime my cleaner comes. When I find it, I tend to decide that she's found a better place for it than I had anyway 😂

bert3400 · 23/12/2020 06:48

I honestly can't niece the amou t of people saying , contact the cleaning company. It's a plug FFS. They could of unplugged it and put it in a pocket or somewhere else and maybe forgot to replace it when they had finished ...some of you are acting like it's a hanging offence offence Confused

coldwaterfeed · 23/12/2020 07:11

A genuine Apple plug is £19. A genuine Apple charging cable is £19.

I don't like to buy knock-offs and £38 is a lot of money to me.

Turefu · 23/12/2020 07:46

I run cleaning company and cleaned myself. People tested me by leaving money and jewellery around the house, accused me or my stuff of stealing ( some random figurine , not collectable at all, bath plug, book). I haven’t worked for any of them anymore afterwards, some sacked me, some I sacked them. Good cleaners are hard to find and value themselves . Some people , when they sacked me, they didn’t pay me for worked I’ve done for them. That’s rich calling someone theft and don’t pay them, that’s stealing . Ask your cleaner straight way, plug is misplaced , what’s happened? I don’t think this cleaner will be with you for long , as trust works two ways.

Turefu · 23/12/2020 07:53

@coldwaterfeed

A genuine Apple plug is £19. A genuine Apple charging cable is £19.

I don't like to buy knock-offs and £38 is a lot of money to me.

That’s fair enough. But it’s not an evidence against the cleaner.
Emeraldshamrock · 23/12/2020 08:39

A genuine Apple plug may be £19 it is probably the most used item in the home.
Cleaners are very aware of the traps set to test them, those traps are highly insulting, they're also aware the of kind of thinking is a low opinion.
They have to keep an eye on everything if they're accused they can defend themselves.

Turefu · 23/12/2020 08:49

Normally, you’re innocent until proven guilty. With cleaners is other way round : they’re getting accused first and assumed guilty, until they’ll prove their innocence . But how can they do it? And even so, trust is gone, so the best option for cleaner is to find another customer. And that’s because customer didn’t bother to check other places properly, ask honestly.

coldwaterfeed · 23/12/2020 09:02

Not suggesting cleaner took it, it’s very unlikely. Just responding to the pp saying it’s just a £5 charger.

Audreyseyebrows · 23/12/2020 09:04

Just ask if they’ve seen it?

shitinmyhandsandclap · 23/12/2020 09:06

Say OP has looked everywhere for it and it can't be found, what is the alternative if neither she nor her DP have moved it? I'd definitely ask the cleaning company but not in an accusatory way

PleasantVille · 23/12/2020 09:12

@LunaLula83

Cleaners don't steal - its too obvious. Your annoyed because she didn't come herself and you are looking for faults.
I'd suggest that's a rather trusting attitude, some cleaners do steal, havent you seen the channel 5 type hidden camera programmes where they are caught doing it?

In this cas as everyone has said it's more likely that it was unplugged for the vacuum cleaner and misplaced

No harm at all in contacting the company and asking the replacement cleaners if they might have put it down somewhere.

Hobbesmanc · 23/12/2020 09:28

Wow- people really lay traps for their NMW cleaners? How fucking awful to have such little faith in people
And I say this having had an agency cleaner nick some blank cheques from the back of the book years ago and cash them.

PleasantVille · 23/12/2020 09:59

@Hobbesmanc

Wow- people really lay traps for their NMW cleaners? How fucking awful to have such little faith in people And I say this having had an agency cleaner nick some blank cheques from the back of the book years ago and cash them.
Where do you find cleaners who'll work for NMW? I know a couple of cleaners, one charges £12, the other £15 as she provides the cleaning products
Original poster
YakkityYakYakYak · 23/12/2020 10:02

Thanks all. Think I’ll just leave it, had thought maybe my original cleaner would want to know if things are going missing when she’s sending people into her clients houses. Just feels like a really awkward conversation though and probably not what she wants to deal with 2 days before Christmas. Like I said, I have a really good relationship with her so don’t want to damage that (and I’m definitely not just annoyed at her taking a Christmas break to whoever suggested that Hmm)

I’m generally pretty trusting. Have had various cleaners over the past few years and have never felt the need to monitor them or lay traps (pretty horrified that people actually do that). I just can’t think of another explanation for who’s touched it if me and DH haven’t. It was plugged into an extension cable that’s just under the bed, and there were spare sockets on the cable and on the wall so would be really odd for them to have unplugged it to plug the hoover in.

Feeling pretty stressed out generally (aren’t we all, I know) so maybe I’m just massively overthinking it.

OP posts:
Nowaynothappening · 23/12/2020 10:03

Risking your job by stealing a £20 charger doesn’t even make any sense. I don’t think phone chargers would sell for much on eBay or anything either so what would they gain from this? They’d stand to lose their job, over a charger? It doesn’t make sense.

Someone has moved it or they unplugged it to plug a vacuum cleaner in. Just have a search for it first in drawers or under the bed before probably falsely accusing a cleaner.

WhittlingIhopMonkey · 23/12/2020 10:29

@coldwaterfeed

A genuine Apple plug is £19. A genuine Apple charging cable is £19.

I don't like to buy knock-offs and £38 is a lot of money to me.

Then you probably cant afford a cleaner and your concerns about a £38 plug are moot as you wouldnt be in this situation, hoping to have someone sacked because half of it went missing.
BiscuitDrama · 23/12/2020 10:33

@coldwaterfeed

A genuine Apple plug is £19. A genuine Apple charging cable is £19.

I don't like to buy knock-offs and £38 is a lot of money to me.

It’s not £38, half of it is still there. It’s £19.
TheYearOfSmallThings · 23/12/2020 10:38

I bet she's tidied it into a drawer or something. Nobody would risk their livelihood for half a charger.

CheetasOnFajitas · 23/12/2020 10:39

Maybe a child took it?

Original poster
YakkityYakYakYak · 23/12/2020 11:13

I bet she's tidied it into a drawer or something.

Maybe, have looked everywhere though. Also feel like that would be quite an odd thing to do, to just unplug one thing and put half of it in a random drawer.

Maybe a child took it?

DD is only 18mo so don’t think so.

OP posts:
Fuss · 23/12/2020 11:23

Does she wear an apron? She's probably put it in her pocket when she's plugged something in and forgotten about it.

YouBoughtMeAWall · 23/12/2020 11:23

Just text and say “I can’t find my phone charger, can you ask the staff if they have moved it please”

No drama.

Emeraldshamrock · 23/12/2020 11:28

I'd mention to the usual cleaner in a breezy way.

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