Cleaner wars.... Was it wrong to let her go?

[donniedarko89]

I had an independent cleaner coming fortnightly since January. The service was appalling. She was supposed to work with her husband but more often than not she sent her son instead. They wouldn't work for the entire contracted time and often left things dirty. They also broke a few objects and one piece of furniture.

She then went abroad for two months and sent a cover, without saying when she would come back. I got on amazingly well with the new lady, who offered to stay. This evening I then sent a text to the original cleaner, to let her go, but mistakenly told her the real reason - that I got on so well with her replacement and I didn't fancy another change.

Utterly stupid of me as I got my new friend in trouble. She was insulted and called names by the original cleaner and now she feels she can't come and work here anymore. Has it been really poor behaviour on my part though? Thinking that it was reasonable to keep working with someone I had got used to, instead of constant poor service and replacements? I know I should have lied and not make names. I didn't think it would cause all this drama though.

The original cleaner sounds shocking - so unprofessional sending someone to do the job!! It shows how unprofessional she is if she is insulting and name calling the new cleaner. It is a shame new cleaner got caught up in all this but sounds like you are better off without!

You were wrong to say why you were letting the first one go.

How did you ‘mistakenly’ share that her replacement was staying? Were you distracted sending the text? You’re quite right to let the original cleaner go but you’ve got her replacement into trouble - completely unnecessary.

I understand why the new cleaner won’t come and work for you, it’s too much of a headache now and will remind her of the drama. And the old cleaner may badmouth her as a job thief of sorts to other cleaners if they are part of some community of cleaners who talk to each other .

Apart from possibly being a bit more tactful I'm not sure what you could have done - you had to let the old cleaner know you were letting her go, and she would have found out eventually that the cover was still working for you.

Yes, it was really stupid to tell her that you were keeping the replacement cleaner on. How did you think that would go? Even if the original cleaner was reasonable, she still wouldn't use the replacement cleaner again for cover work. So you've essentially screwed the poor woman over.

It's done now. She was crap. You were letting her go anyway. Either way it sounds like it was time

Yes I didn't think, I sent a hurried text running after a toddler while they were both chasing me about showing up tomorrow at 8am. I panicked. Stupid of me

If I were you then I would send some flowers/chocolates as way of an apology to the replacement cleaner with a note thanking her for the great work she did. I would also recommend her to any friends and family looking for cleaners in the future.

Other than that all you can do is draw a line under it and take it as a lesson learnt.