Cleaner adding half an hour each time

[DinoHat]

I have had the same cleaner for over two years, always liked her and she worked so hard initially I have always paid her more than she charged. So she charges £12 p/h and I pay her £15 p/h.
Recommended her to friends when she was starting out - she got around 7 houses from me.

I used to rely on her to tell me how many hours she’d done but noticed lately she is missing bits off, like not cleaning a couple of rooms just tidying them - a few times she’d say she was in a rush today so I accepted that for what it was. Missed her last week and thought that was odd as I’d not been out long and she used to take 3-4 hours. I have CCTV and saw she was at my house 2 hours 11 minutes. That’s pulling on and off the drive so not necessarily working, but to be fair I paid her for 2 hours 20 mins. She text back and said she’d done half an hour longer. Which I know isn’t true.

Same this week - she was here an hour, my DH was home and of course we have CCTV and she added an extra half an hour when she told me- if she’d have asked for fuel money I’d have given it to her. Although was expecting a 3 hour clean. (She had missed bits).

This is obviously intentional - if she wanted to increase her rates I’d accept that. But AIBU to be pissed off shes lying? I thought we got along but feel she’s taking the mick out of my generosity.

I guess the arrangement veered off the path from day one.
You decided to pay her more than she charged because it made you feel better or reduced your guilt.
So the boundaries were blurry from day one.

"I thought if I looked after her she’d look after me."
But it's a job. She gets a certain amount an hour.

I'd have a conversation with her rather than jump to conclusions.
She might have some shit going down in her personal life.

Or she's taken on another job so she has to rush through yours and then try to charge you more because you 'won't mind' or whatever it is.

You can use the fact that it's a new year and you are sorting out the finances and want to change the hours and review what needs doing in the house? (or some such?)

I'm going against the grain here - but if you like her as a person and she does a good job, I'd overlook it. It's such a hassle to find decent new cleaners.

But be clear about your expectations too. and the jobs you expect her to get done in the time she's at your house.

She is taking advantage. Sees you as a soft touch although she is probably trying similar tricks with other clients where she thinks they will accept it. She would need to be very very good in the time she is there for me to put up with that and it sounds like you are getting a mediocre service because she is leaving bits out each week. You can do better, especially if you are paying a bit above the going rate for your area.

Another perspective - if it’s a sudden change does she have something else going on? Issues at home, money worries etc. not to let her off but maybe just be honest and ask her what’s up. Her response will tell you if she’s just a CF or not

Your kindness has been abused and thrown back in your face

She can't be trusted

Ditch her

It's a nightmare trying to find cleaners around here (north Hampshire). I'm currently paying £19ph and, to be blunt, it's very inconsistent and more often than not minutes off the agreed time.

I see all this with a gimlet eye...but there is no one else to change to. No one reliable who will deliver the service I have repeatedly asked for and specified (eg, consistently such as emptying bins or emptying the vacuum, despite repeatedly asking).

I work FT and have small children, I'm happy to pay for a decent service so that I spend more time doing the things I want to do - but each week I inwardly seethe when they turn up/arrive late or cut corners.

Illegal to view the CCTV at my own home? It is not illegal to have CCTV. No. It wasn’t installed with the intention of monitoring my cleaner.

We do have a sign to say we have CCTV.

My DH actually let her into the house this week - so she wasn’t afraid to lie even when he was home! She was here just under an hour too!

@Needathickskin it’s hard isn’t it? You get them to help - I have two small children (still in nursery) a job and a husband who works away. The cleaner is a huge help. But when she doesn’t show/doesn’t do the tasks agreed it’s so infuriating. I don’t mind paying for a good job.

DH said this. He said keep her for the moment and look for someone else. But set out that I would like x y and z doing. He phrased it as “resetting expectations” he felt let the half an hour slide, but try out new cleaners in the meantime.

@oohokay

Perhaps she was desperate for the job at first and agreed to a wage below industry standard. I say wage because for example you're paying her £45-60 for a much larger set of tasks than other cleaners who also charge £45-60. I think she's taking the mick because she now thinks you are/were taking the mick.

Slightly confused by this. Tbh £15 is about the going rate which is why I was happy to pay it - also generally pay to whole £5 so she always does well out of me.

She isn’t really doing more anymore. In fact she’s working less than at the outset, getting paid less and so it’s not costing me more and she isn’t making more from me.

For me, if the trust is gone then it’s game over. She’s in your home and touching your things, you’ve got to have peace of mind that she’s honest.

Would it work if your husband spoke to her? How long did she work today and how much does she claim she worked?

So she’s stealing money from you by lying about her hours. Has she stolen anything from your home?

Why not just pay her a flat fee for doing everything you expect to be done? That’s what I now do with my cleaner. I pay £60 per visit. Sometimes the house is a mess and it takes her 5 hours, sometimes she’s time pressured and she wizzes around in 3 hours. Most of the time she’s here for 4 hours. But I don’t stress about it. She knows what I need doing and she does an amazing job. How she manages her time is her problem, not mine.

kind of did - for a long time it was 3 hours unless I asked for extras. It’s only v recently the hours have started to fluctuate and so has the work. At first I got an explanation but last two times she’s just not done it all and told me she’s done X hours.

Pay her for the time worked and then tell her that she won’t be working for you anymore. Tell her that all the people you know that she works for will get an update and cctv view. Say that you would have paid extra reasonable costs but lies about hours are not tolerated.

I agree with this.

You have kindly recommended her to people and 7 have given her work on that basis.

They deserve to be told that she is dishonest with time spent and therefore you have overpaid her.

She also drops core tasks.

I wouldn't want someone dishonest in my home.

She is treating you like a mug which would annoy me no end.

Start looking around, secure someone else and tell her by text that you are terminating her for not working the hours you have paid her for, nor completing the agreed tasks.
I would tell her you are very disappointed with her dishonesty.

It is theft in my view as it has become a regular occurrence.

I'm afraid this is true. I fell into the same trap and was taken for a mug. (which I was)

But you've got ccTV - is that outside or inside?

It’s outside. We do have a sign on our entrance. No that we need to announce we have CCTV? What’s the relevance of this? A few people have cited some spurious laws but nothing of substance.

Fire her.

I can accept people being crap but I won’t hire someone who’s deliberately dishonest to me because once trust is gone, it’s gone.

She thinks you’re a mug and doesn’t respect you.

Challenge her and see what she says?

I've always asked to clean my house (4 bedroom, 3 sitting/dining rooms, 3 toilets/shower room, kitchen) in 2 hours and that's exactly what she's been doing. She works tremendously fast and is brilliant at what she does. I always make sure the floors and surfaces are tidied before she comes.

I pay her for 2 hours but if she finishes before that she still gets to keep the money. I would never give her more than what I ask her for but give her extra for Christmas and birthdays etc.

Surely she must know you have CCTV or can track her hours if you specifically paid her for 2 hours 20 mins? Did you just transfer £35 or whatever and then she lied and said she was there for 2 hours 50 mins?