To wish my cleaner would stop with the reminders?

[JMSA]

I have a cleaner who cleans my flat on a fortnightly basis. Usually I'm at work when she comes, but we've always got on really well on the occasions I've caught her. I'm really considerate and always have my place tidy and ready for her to clean. I'm always flexible and genuinely really appreciate her.
One thing I've genuinely never let her down with is payment. The money will always be transferred on the evening of the day she has come. I've never let her down on this, not once.
Today I bumped into her as she was leaving my place and I was getting home from work. Two hours later, when I was in the middle of making the kids' dinner, there was a message from her asking me to pay. I don't think there's any need for this, when I'm trustworthy and reliable every single time.
I don't set up a standing order because I'd rather just pay on the day she comes. This keeps me right in case she ever has to change day.
AIBU?

If the only gripe you have is that she is requesting to be paid when she has completed the work, then YABU. I assume if you didn't get paid on time you would raise it immediately too. I also assume you would pay for any other service immediately like beauty services or food services, why is this different for you?

I can also imagine that as she is a good cleaner, if she gets busy and those clients that cause her extra work like chasing for payment will be the first ones she will ditch. It works both ways you know.

In short- if you don't want the reminder text- pay her in the morning.

Pay by standing order

She is probably short that day.

Not of that has ever happened- this is why I use a company because that stuff did used to happen.

if one cleaner is ill the company send a replacement. I pay per job not per hour so there is no leaving early to worry about. If something was broken I would claim on their insurance I guess.

I think you’re coming at it from quite a privileged point of view to be irritated that she’s messaging you, when you always send her the money on the evening of the day she’s worked. If she knows she earns money from you on a Monday, then she only has to budget until Sunday of the week before for food, gas, electric, school meals etc. It might only be a couple of hours later and an unwelcome interruption while cooking dinner for you, but it’s bloody hours to sit there twiddling your thumbs, waiting for someone to pay you for the work you’ve done so you can go shopping and buy tea for that night.

She’s not a big company who can afford to wait on outstanding invoices. She’s a one woman band and you’re being really unfair to her. If you don’t want to pay her by standing order then either leave the cash in an envelope or make sure you transfer it the second you get home, before you even take your coat off.

I pay my cleaner online before she even leaves the house.

I pay my cleaner on the 1st of each month for the hours she'll do that month. If the number of hours changes, we just adjust it the following month. I was appalled a few years ago when my previous cleaner mentioned in passing that it was really hard to budget as so many of her clients were really inconsistent about paying her.

The most you will lose is that week’s cleaning charge, assuming you never see the cleaner again.

However it seems to have been established in this case that the cleaner is reliable.

Yes and self employed tradesmen are paid when they’ve completed their work? What exactly is your point?

I think for self employed people, they should generally be paid on completion, so if she's finished work in the morning for you, she should immediately be paid and not wait until the evening.

If you can't do transfers on your phone during the school day, why don't you transfer the money the evening BEFORE she comes instead of after? It makes no difference to you, and means you don't get the chasing text each time.

I would just say to her that because you pay in the evening as a matter of course a reminder in the afternoon shouldn't be needed, please could she send any reminder the next day if she hasn't received payment but as you do pay in the evening each time a reminder is unlikely to be necessary.

The cleaner is not an employee. The OP does not get to set the terms like this.

I'm a self employed person and if a client sent me your suggested message, they would be dropped.

Exactly. There’s some cheeky bastards on this thread.

Only on MN.

I've no idea why the rules are different for individuals (pay immediately before they've even finished work in some cases) and companies (take months to pay).

Paying the same day or the day after is fine.

If only.

All of you going on about paying tradespeople immediately - do any of you work in finance teams in companies? And do you practice what you preach them?

No, thought not. 30 day payment terms are the best you can hope for.

People should be paid quickly but it's completely ridiculous to say you have to pay before they've left your house!

And as I also like to point out on these threads, not everyone has phone apps and can pay promptly without card readers etc (although it's generally easy once you've got someone set up).

Getting paid of a business as as self employed cleaner will take longer, you invoice them and are paid, usually within 30 days often sooner. It’s a world of difference cleaning a private home , you should be paid immediately and if you don’t have banking apps etc make sure you have cash! Surely you’ve got the common sense to see that?

Always leave cash as requested by my cleaners - simply ask what she prefers

You were making your children dinner, she may very well have been waiting on your payment to buy her children's dinner.

But the OP does have a phone app…

Companies can only pay on 30 days if they can set up a credit account. Plenty of service providers expect immediate payment or payment in advance.

Agree you should pay as soon as she's been.

I am a cleaner, a few of my clients pay cash and give it to me when I leave (or leave it for me if they’re out). The rest do bank transfer and only one of those pays me as soon as she gets home from work on that day, the rest pay me the next day, the day after, 5 days later etc….it’s a pain but I only ever chase if I’m desperate for cash otherwise I’ll just remind them the following week. I know people are busy etc. On the other side of it, my daughter has a private tutor and I would always pay by transfer by the evening of the lesson but sometimes she messages me within half an hour of leaving to ‘remind me’ and I’m in the middle of X, Y or Z and I must admit it really hacks me off. Sometimes people don’t have time to do life admin until the evening etc. I rarely chase as I know my clients will pay so it hacks me off that this tutor does! In my book, if you MUST chase or remind, at least give the person until the end of that day and if nothing’s arrived then send a reminder first thing next day. And this is from someone who makes her money this way.

I agree with what you say @Airspice. At least give people a few hours to pay without sending them with reminders. This is the situation OP is in - she says she's never not paid on the same day! If you don't want cash (OP has confirmed her cleaner does not want cash) then give people a few hours at least, surely.

I'm not sure why people are projecting all sorts of nonsense onto this thread when the OP could not have been clearer.

I pay my cleaner by bacs now as she leaves. I’m in though (wfh), Idk if she reminds others etc. if you pay in time every week she shouldn’t send reminders.

I'm a cleaner. I only send a reminder if I've not been paid by the following morning. Those people that work often can't send payment until the evening, which is fine

What about your hairdresser? Do you say thanks love, nice job I’ll pay in a day or 2? Sorry, I think it’s really bad manners to make people wait.