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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To pull up the cleaners over this - leaving early?

52 replies

Chicice · 15/09/2023 17:29

I book two cleaners for two hours at a total of £60. This is called a general clean.

I have a ring camera so watched them arrive at 1pm but leave at 2.30pm.

I messaged them straight away and said I was disappointed that they were leaving 30 minutes early. She gave some excuse about turning up early but I said I’d seen them arrive on time.

She then said they’d cleaned through to a high standard and when finished they will usually leave. I said id paid for 2 hours and I’d like that filled.

I came home from work and inspected the house, it was 95% to a good standard but still some surfaces a bit dusty and they hadn’t been particularly thorough in corners and some skirting boards. I felt they could have filled the two hours if they’d been a bit more careful and thorough.

Cleaning windows, skirting boards and under furniture is classed as a ‘deep clean’ though and will be charged at £80 for the two hours.

But I tried to argue that they hadn’t filled the 2 hours and could have done some of the above to fill the time.

AIBU or are the cleaners?

OP posts:
CaptainJackSparrow85 · 15/09/2023 20:00

It’s a near universal problem with cleaners unfortunately. I’ve had cleaners for 14 years and have only had a couple who didn’t do this.

It’s ridiculous though. There’s no house where you can’t find something to do for half an hour. There’s always something to do. Plus leaving a total of an hour early is taking the piss. 5 minutes is one thing but a whole hour is absurd.

I’ve got rid of so many cleaners for it. If you find one who’s good and doesn’t do it, keep hold of them and pay them really well. I pay my current one way over the going rate and and give generous Christmas bonuses etc because I’ve had enough cleaners to know what a good one looks like.

ConsuelaHammock · 15/09/2023 20:04

Pay them 75% of the charge ?

SilasMarnerJekyll · 15/09/2023 20:11

We've had a few different cleaners over the last few years and every single one of them leaves early if I'm not home when they are there. One even told me that she sat on the loo in clients homes scrolling through her phone, although not at my house. Although I'm sure that is what she did at my house as she'd spend almost half of her visit in the upstairs bathroom with the door shut. We didn't put up with her for long.

To our huge disappointment we just can't find good cleaners who work to a satisfactory standard so have decided not to hire a cleaner anymore. Although I'd jump at the chance of hiring a fabulous cleaner with an excellent personal recommendation.

Original poster
Chicice · 15/09/2023 20:12

This is the second time I’ve used them. First time they left 15 minutes early and admitted that they’d finished and that there wasn’t quite enough to do in the two hours.

I said I was happy to pay the 2 hours and that I wanted them to fill the time. But today they finished 30 minutes earlier!

I found cobwebs in the bathroom, dust behind a free standing mirror, nothing has really been moved just cleaned around. It all looks and smells clean but when you really look in the nooks and cranny’s it’s not spotless.

OP posts:
NorthernGirlie · 15/09/2023 20:12

I'm absolutely sick to death of cleaners doing shit jobs - they charge upwards of £15 an hour and really should do a good job

First one I had broke things on their 2nd and 3rd visits. No offer to pay to replace, even tried to hide the 2nd one

Most recent lost my key, tried to cover it up and I'm still trying to get a refund for the clean she couldn't get in to do

New lady starting this week. I can only afford 2.5 hours a fortnight but is meant to cause less stress - not more 😭

Fandangoes · 15/09/2023 20:18

Funnyily enough when I first got my ring doorbell this is the first thing I noticed. My cleaner does 2 hours for £30 but is usually here for about 1.5 hours. It annoyed me at first. I added an extra job in. However, I have had other cleaners who did not clean anywhere near as well - I’m talking there was still dried toothpaste in the bathroom sink. This cleaner is the best I’ve had so now I have reframed it in my head that I am paying her £30 to do the job and so long as I’m happy with the job that’s ok. I would say if you are 95% happy I’d not rock the boat

Cutestfeet · 15/09/2023 20:24

I use to do cleaning and I had a minum charge of two hours. If I clean your house to a high standard including extras like windows, fridge, cupboards it's not my fault I cannot fill the two hours and I would just leave as well.

Depends on your cleaners charge rates

EL8888 · 15/09/2023 20:28

TheHappyCarrot · 15/09/2023 18:34

Cleaners seem to be rather an entitled breed. If they charge by the hour why shouldn't they fill that time. It's a bit much to then say cleaning the skirting etc comes under a different rate.

This. They love arriving on time (or late!) then leaving early. Then get the hump when challenged. In my kind of work l could theoretically be investigated for fraud after doing this

LittleMrsPretty · 15/09/2023 20:31

As someone who worked as a chamber maid and cleaned toilets for £3.50 an hour at a Saturday job when a teenager and can clean my own 3 bathrooms to a high (my) standard in one hour. It really annoys me that I can’t find a decent cleaner, I worked hard in my Saturday job so why can’t other cleaners (who I pay the living wage) just fill the brief.

Cutestfeet · 15/09/2023 20:35

NorthernGirlie · 15/09/2023 20:12

I'm absolutely sick to death of cleaners doing shit jobs - they charge upwards of £15 an hour and really should do a good job

First one I had broke things on their 2nd and 3rd visits. No offer to pay to replace, even tried to hide the 2nd one

Most recent lost my key, tried to cover it up and I'm still trying to get a refund for the clean she couldn't get in to do

New lady starting this week. I can only afford 2.5 hours a fortnight but is meant to cause less stress - not more 😭

People like you that can't afford cleaners but get them are always the worse you think they are slaves. Why shouldn't a cleaner charge £15ph to clean your dirty toilet and hairy bathroom.

Cutestfeet · 15/09/2023 20:36

This reply has been deleted

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Cutestfeet · 15/09/2023 20:37

Buy

Youcancallmeirrelevant · 15/09/2023 20:39

They can't have it both way ways. Either they are paid per hour, so have to fill the full time, or thry are output based and will complete an agreed list and if finished early they can leave, but vice versa have to stay if taking longer.

Lizzieregina · 15/09/2023 20:41

For the 5 minutes that I used cleaners, the “quote” was for the clean. The first time they came, it took 2 of them 2 hours, next time 3 of them came and were there for an hour. Eventually 2 of them were in and out in just over an hour but it was the same price.

Wish I could still afford them!!

I suppose in this case, it would depend on how they quote the service. If they’re charging by the hour and not the job, then they owe some extra. (That isn’t ever the case where I am)

NorthernGirlie · 15/09/2023 20:44

Fuck me @Cutestfeet I'm the worst??

£15 an hour is what, 40% above the NLW?

Just because I can't pay for more hours doesn't mean I can't expect a decent job to be done at the wage the cleaner sets for the hours I pay for

That wasn't my main point either - you were so keen to jump on me that you missed that my own main grumble was about breaking things and losing my key!

The toilet is always clean before they come. I'm not rich but I'm no scumbag

LittleMrsPretty · 15/09/2023 20:46

@Cutestfeet

what do you mean? I said I pay my cleaners the livi g wage or higher?
the main point of my post was I worked hard as a cleaner so why cant the people I pay also work hard?

towriteyoumustlive · 15/09/2023 20:48

You've paid for 4 hours of cleaning and received 3 hours.

If they "finished early" then they should have spent the extra 30 minutes (each) doing other cleaning jobs around the house.

The price was for a time limit, not a set job, so they should have done what they could in that time limit.

I'd want a 25% refund or one of them come back to do another hour!

TtcRose12 · 15/09/2023 20:48

sparepantsandtoothbrush · 15/09/2023 18:43

Cleaning windows, skirting boards and under furniture is classed as a ‘deep clean’ though and will be charged at £80 for the two hours

Surely a deep clean is a regular clean PLUS these extras? So how do they do both a regular clean and a deep clean in the same amount of time

I work in a school cleaning a deep clean is where it's more deeper so taking stuff of shelfs and so on and using machines more. So should be the same as normal cleaners just minus the machines

SophiaElise · 15/09/2023 20:48

I'm having this problem right now - my cleaner always leaves early. I haven't said anything so far as I didn't want the bother of finding a new cleaner if she wasn't happy with me raising it with her manager, but after reading this thread I think I'll raise it with her directly. She left half an hour early the one day I was home when she cleaned!

HelloSaidRed · 15/09/2023 20:48

I don’t mind at all if the cleaners leave early. They provide all products and work really hard and fast when cleaning. I think cleaners should reframe the hourly rate to a price for general house clean then nobody is watching the clock.

They could just slow down and do the same standard of clean in more time. Mine miss bits but and I tell them then next time they do it but still finish early.

As cleaners get to know a property things really speed up even more.

RudsyFarmer · 15/09/2023 20:50

You’re either paying then by the job or paying them by the hour. Either, or.

Princessfluffy · 15/09/2023 20:51

This is super common with cleaners, there are loads of similar threads.

I think that before you engage cleaners you need to discuss with them what happens if they finish early, would they prefer that you leave them a list of extra jobs they can do to fill the time, or reduce their pay for leaving early or are you happy to pay the full rate even if they leave early. If everyone is on the same page at the start it should be very helpful.

PastTheGin · 15/09/2023 20:51

I am just debating getting a cleaner again and this thread reminds me why it never worked out in the past!

blablablagobshite · 15/09/2023 20:58

£15 an hour self employed cleaners barely make £8! if they provide own products don't forget it's fuel, holiday/sickness/ washing cloths/ insurance/ accountant. It's better to charge per job. With a list of requirements that must be done! cleaning is the only job that when you improve/ get faster at you end up doing more and getting paid less! Prices per job is better for good efficient cleaners

AnnaKorine · 15/09/2023 20:59

Mine always leave early and they don’t do an excellent job, there’s always things like skirting, doors and ceilings I think they could do better… but after I got rid of my truly excellent but totally unreliable cleaner I had so many horrors that this seems like an acceptable compromise. They are reliable and polite and so all the routine cleaning stuff I just don’t want to do myself. I just think of it as paying 60 quid to do the things I don’t want to rather than buying four hours of their time. I can’t be arsed to do it or get another stream of truly useless randoms.

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