Bizarre experience with cleaner

[Purplelemon7]

I just had a replacement cleaner from
the agency because my regular cleaner is on holiday. The replacement cleaner asked for gloves which I gave her and she complained that they are dirty. I told her they are just fading slightly not dirty. She said she needs other ones. I told her I’m sorry I don’t have others but she is free to use or not use them. A few minutes later she started shouting on her phone and crying. I went into the kitchen and asked her to keep her voice down because I’m working. She came in to the lounge and started screaming at me for not providing kitchen towel and then started packing her things up and stormed off. I’m a bit shaken by the whole thing. My husband thinks she has mental health issues and we shouldn’t complain in case she loses her job. I’m not sure?

I will be providing my response to her claims as I have no choice. Just perplexed at why anyone would behave like this.
My regular cleaner has been with us for 3 years and I’ve had multiple replacements over the years when she’s on holiday or sick without any issues so the company will have that knowledge.

I'd complain about her. If you were in an office or other workplace and someone screamed and shouted and walked out that's not acceptable behaviour, same with cleaner.

I bet you won't be the first complaint the agency have had about her.

I once had a cleaner who was just awful - in a not even cleaning the kitchen sink type of incompetent. The agency had sent her as a replacement for Ms Never Showing up and Ms Never Doing her Hours and I was given a massive speech about how she was their best and not like the others. After 2 weeks of her not even hoovering I sacked her and the agency. A few months later I was talking to someone at toddler group who was looking for a cleaner because she'd also had Ms Never Show, Ms Never Do the Hours and Ms Never Clean - the agency was just sending them round the houses collecting their agency fee.

Yes, give a factual response of what happened. Givven you have had the same cleaner for ages, and no issues with anny previous replacements, I doubt they'll believe her.

Just respond saying you did not use derogatory language, she was unreasonable, hysterical and did not clean.
As a result, unless they send someone around post haste to do what she failed to do, you will not be using them again.

I would definitely give a full account of everything that happened from when she arrived to when she left.
She sounds unhinged.

Just explain to the agency exactly what happened, along the lines of your op.

I can imagine that becoming a cleaner for other people can feel kind of degrading and well a bit gross... She doesn't sound at all like a confident experienced cleaner and I wonder if it was her first day or even first job, as it sounds to me like this is what she was struggling with (clearly not OPs problem at all).

I would be very upset to have had someone so unstable sent to my home by them and I would be telling them so too.

Blimey, she really didn't like the gloves you gave her.

This reminded me of an incident with a agency cleaner we had. She seemed nice enough but when I got back from the supermarket I found her crying and sitting in the curb outside because the cat had pooed in his litter tray in the bathroom and it stank.

I didn’t know what to say, she took her things and left.

I was 😳

Just tell the agency what happened.
Shouldn't she have her own gloves with her if she's that bothered about the gloves?
I cleaned for quite a while (for a business not an agency or self-employed) and I always had my own gloves with me as I didn't like using the ones they had there.

I wouldn’t have even had gloves to give a cleaner so god alone knows what she would have said to me. Being a cleaner is not “degrading” or “gross” - it is entirely honest and respectable and if someone is so freaked out by some aspect of the job ( faded gloves) then they should provide their own or find a different job. The lack of kitchen roll is also not insurmountable and not a reason to flounce.

Clear factual account of who said what and send a pic of the gloves she was mortally offended by and a pic of your kitchen. Clear tops with the cleaning detergent on.

At the end i'd be mentioning that you're left feeling v unsettled by it all and don't want her coming to your house again.

You wont be the first i'd bet money.

Then the cleaner needs to bring her own gloves...like I do.

it's obvious she didn't want to do the clean. Her agency probably overwork her.

That's why I work for myself.

She obviously had to explain why she didn’t complete the clean and didn’t have any so made up the part about derogatory language

Yes, standard response with some I'm afraid - when caught out, lie about the complainer in the hope of getting away with it

The fortunate bit is that, with it being an agency with other staff, you won't have to see her again (and nor, I hope, will the agency if they've got any sense)

Probably not best to refute an accusation of using derogatory language by using derogatory language 😆even if it is true!

Yes it was the gloves that really threw her over the edge. My cleaners normally don’t ask for gloves but ok maybe she wanted to protect her hands and luckily I had some. The gloves definitely weren’t dirty though, why would I want her spreading dirt around my kitchen when I have her around for cleaning!

Just detail exactly what happened and state that no derogatory language was used therefore she is lying.

Professional cleaners should come with their own equipment and supplies. You should report her because she is an abusive person who does not maintain a standard of conduct for a person employed within domestic environments. She maybe working in the homes of elderly or disabled people, and maybe a safeguarding risk to them. You would be doing the agency a favour by alerting them to a potential problem. You are not responsible for her mental health issues. That would be the responsibility of the employer (cleaning agency).

Oh and the complaint from her doesn’t mention gloves. Apparently I didn’t provide any cleaning cloths even though there were 3 cloths and a sponge in the kitchen! I wonder how she managed to clean my cooker before she left in a huff!