To have turned the cleaner away

[cadburyegg]

I've had a cleaning company come in for a couple of months now. I requested from the start that they come in the mornings so they usually come on a Tuesday morning at about 10am but they are frequently late and sometimes it's been 3pm before they get here. The week of the bank holiday at the beginning of May they didn't come on the Tuesday so I messaged the owner and she said they'd be coming on the Wednesday instead due to the BH.

So I assumed the same this week. Sure enough the morning came and went and no cleaners in sight. They just turned up just now and I sent them away (politely). It's half term, both of my kids are at home and I'm potty training my youngest. I always make sure the house is tidy before they come, but it wasn't today due to above reasons. I'm getting fed up of them thinking they can just come whenever they want? AIBU? I don't understand how they can run a business like this, presumably everyone else is happy with the service. The cleaner took my number and said she'd let me know when they'd be coming in future, she said that they will come back tomorrow and when I asked if it would be the morning like usual she said "yeah it should be". ??? How can they not know? AIBU to be annoyed?

I want to say no because I have visitors (legit) and also bring up the topic of lateness. Please help me phrase a reply

'Hello cleaning co. No, the afternoon doesn't suit me. When I took on this agreement I specified mornings, so unless that can be accommodated consistently I'll need to go elsewhere. Please let me know. Thanks.'

Did the owner apologise?

I'd say something like "I need a regular slot, so that I can plan my schedule including working, visitors etc. I would like this appointment to be Tuesdays at 10. If an appointment needs to be changed or missed, I expect advance notice. If your team are unable to commit to this time each week, then I'll have t cancel the arrangement. Please confirm. Best wishes etc etc"

You are paying for a service. Make sure it fits your needs.

I stopped using a cleaner for this reason. When I was working FT I didn’t mind when they came, but when I was home with DS on mat leave I wanted to know so I could be out the way and not napping on the sofa or upstairs for example. I’d get no forewarning she’d just rock up whenever, even if the following day. It felt quite intrusive.

You are absolutely right to turn them away.

I wouldn't "presume everyone else is happy" with them showing up hours later than they've been asked to, either. Many people who have a cleaner are at work all day so they probably wouldn't care. However, some of the customers are at home, like you, and they are unnecessarily making your life more difficult when you're paying them to make it easier.

They've had several chances and ignored your requests, so I'd tell them not to come back and hire someone else.

@IntermittentParps

I want to say no because I have visitors (legit) and also bring up the topic of lateness. Please help me phrase a reply

'Hello cleaning co. No, the afternoon doesn't suit me. When I took on this agreement I specified mornings, so unless that can be accommodated consistently I'll need to go elsewhere. Please let me know. Thanks.'

Send this. They're being CFs.

What Gazelda said.

It isn't a casual "when you have a minute" kind of arrangement - you aren't getting what you paid for nor agreed!

As PP have said, it's to make life easier, not to rearrange your life around them...

I didn't mind when ours arrived as long as she was gone by 3 (when kids and I got home) and she always was.

Having said that, the very best thing we have now is a Eufy vacuum cleaner!

I would absolutely only want them to arrive at the time I was expecting, they can’t turn up when they want.

@IntermittentParps

I want to say no because I have visitors (legit) and also bring up the topic of lateness. Please help me phrase a reply

'Hello cleaning co. No, the afternoon doesn't suit me. When I took on this agreement I specified mornings, so unless that can be accommodated consistently I'll need to go elsewhere. Please let me know. Thanks.'

It could be they have enough business from people who are at their workplaces all day and so business from people who are at home and want a set time is not important enough to them to bother with it much. That's how I read it, anyway. But it doesn't matter if they think it's just fine to show up whenever, you don't and you are the one who's paying for it. I'd definitely tell them their services won't be needed anymore and call someone who bothers to listen.

Oops, sorry. I didn't mean to quote the person above.

£16.25 ph plus VAT sounds very much the upper limit in the south east (outside London). I’m in the south east and paying £12.50 ph to a self employed cleaner. I do continue to pay her for her 4 weeks holiday as well. I couldn’t put up with someone turning up at different times - I work from home and the inconsistency would be a nuisance. Can you ask neighbours for recommendations of local self employed cleaners?

I replied to the owner’s message saying words to the effect of what you folks suggested (thank you) and she hasn’t read it yet, much less replied. Who knows what’ll happen tomorrow 😐

Yes I also wfh and the inconsistency annoys me even then - I’m in meetings etc and sometimes I go out for a run before starting work and never sure when they’re going to turn up/don’t want to get in the shower in case they ring the bell etc

£19.50 for a cleaners. Hahahahaha. The owner saw you coming. Seriously OP, unless you live in prime central London, you'll be able to get someone punctual, for less money. That's bonkers.

Find another company I got the shock of my life when the regular cleaners daughter turned up instead a day early several hours after start time and let herself in with out knocking

Why wouldn't cleaner add VAT on top of their services? Is company is VAT registered, they have to add VAT. It's fairly easy to hit thresold: if someone charges £15 per hour , cleaner works 20 per week, 50 weeks per year, that's 15K already. Six cleaners, 90K. There we go, thresold hit, VAT applies. Very small company with low profit margins has to add VAT. Then MN write: "£18 per hour! what a rip off!". What is quite sad actually. But there's no excuse for a bad service.

Yanbu. I hired a cleaner in a previous house and it was always at 10am on a Friday because both DH were out at work and it was much easier for us to let them get on with it, and easier for them so they could just get on with it. I'd be annoyed at them coming whenever they fancied when you stipulated a time.

@Turefu

Why wouldn't cleaner add VAT on top of their services? Is company is VAT registered, they have to add VAT. It's fairly easy to hit thresold: if someone charges £15 per hour , cleaner works 20 per week, 50 weeks per year, that's 15K already. Six cleaners, 90K. There we go, thresold hit, VAT applies. Very small company with low profit margins has to add VAT. Then MN write: "£18 per hour! what a rip off!". What is quite sad actually. But there's no excuse for a bad service.

I haven't seen any posters say they shouldn't charge VAT, if you're referring to me my point was why would they quote their prices before VAT to an individual for a home clean. It seems a disingeneous way to pretend their price is lower.

I had this experience with a window company some years ago, imo it's a sneaky way to try and seem cheaper than the competition as the customer may not realise the true full cost until it's too late

I think the price doesn’t matter. The OP wants someone reliable, who comes on time. That isn’t unreasonable.

@CrazyCatsAndKittens

I think the price doesn’t matter. The OP wants someone reliable, who comes on time. That isn’t unreasonable.

No one is saying otherwise, the cleaners are unreliable and to make matters worse very expensive.

Cleaner here. THIS is why I never recommend cleaning companies. I work for myself, SE (and yes, I pay tax, NI, declare income etc to HMRC before people jump down my throat about that malarkey)
Cleaning companies will charge YOU silly prices however the cleaners carrying out the work will be paid MW and are probably on a Zero Hr Contract - in a nutshell, not paid enough to care.

My cleaner has her own small company , I pay her £30 per week which is usually for two hours, sometimes less if she whizzes through! She's fabulous though coming up to retirement age now but her daughters are part of the team so I won't lose her really.

She comes on the same day every week; Monday at 9 unless it's bank holiday. However as she's been cleaning for me for five years I'm not so fussed if it were a different time sometimes. If I were you OP, I would speak to the agency and ask them to clarify times.

I’ve seen quite a few companies quoting price without mentioning VAT. Recruitment company, Plumber Service , those ones who come to my mind right now.
This is the reason I don’t run cleaning company anymore. You can do yourself only so much, then you need to employ people. It’s very hard to find reliable ones and often they are told: “ Why you’re working for someone? Work for yourself , you’ll earn more , you don’t need to pack money to someone else’s pocket!” Unreliable worker turns up or not, if bad service it’s all falls on the owner, who works hard to grow the business for small profit margins.

So just an update, I did wonder if the cleaners would show up yesterday morning but by 11.30 they hadn't and i was having people round so I text the owner saying please tell them not to come and I wouldn't be using them again (in a nice way) . She replied soon after saying ok but the times are always different after a bank holiday, I explained that I felt that they were just slotting me in whenever and i need a regular slot, that they are frequently late. Then the cleaners turned up again, at 3pm (again despite me specifically saying not to come because i had visitors)!! I sent them away. The owner replied soon after saying she didn't realise I needed a regular time, even though we agreed a time at the outset and most times they were late I used to message her asking where they were.

I didn't reply because I don't feel like I owe her a further explanation and it's not personal, i don't want to argue. She then rang me at 8pm when I was busy putting the kids to bed! I didn't answer. So intrusive.

You did the right thing in not putting up with crap service OP, hope you manage to find a good cleaner.