To ask you how on earth I go about getting my money back?

[unreliable]

Booked a cleaner who came recommended on local groups to do a one-off cleaning service on our new house. Her policy is that she charges 50% of the total as a deposit and 50% on completion. Fair enough. I bank transferred her the 50% trusting the good reviews and had no reason not to believe her

I first felt unsure about her yesterday as she said her car had broken down so requested we left a mop and vacuum there. I told her we couldn’t do that as ours is packed away from our old house (waiting out the rental notice period and all our stuff is in boxes ready to move across in a few days). She said no problem, she will put the stuff in a taxi.

She has claimed she’s had a major emergency and has had to get out the taxi part-way and be collected by her dad. Apparently her head is a shed.. send her my details and she’ll transfer me the money back. I’ve not had it. £70 down. How do I get it back or am I scuppered? What can I even do? How long is reasonable to give her?

I feel so naive as usually I’m so careful before transferring people any sort of money but I just took it on good authority she would be fine

Just a reminder: not everyone does online banking - I don't.
I can accept money from i.e. my daughter and it arrives instantly
but if I need to send my daughter money, I need to go into my bank, which is now 5 miles away, and send it to her

and yes I know everyone on MN will say if I was running a business I would need to do online banking etc. but I am not running a business.

but yes from the replies here I think more than one person has paid this cleaner in advance and then been let down/cancelled.

I’ve got the money back. I told her it was up to her how she ran her business but I would leave a bad review if I didn’t have it by 6pm. Possibly impatient of me but I know she has form for it so how could I take the risk of waiting?

Now that's a result. Her excuses weren't a scam then.

My son and partner had a similar experience (scam)
paid partly in advance for 5 cleans at a big discount
then a series of cancellations and spurious issues and then when they asked to cancel and their money returned at her repeated no shows, said she couldn’t pay back yet as unexpected bills.
they immediately put a warning on her web page
and then started small claims prcedures through their house insurance
she was still farting around with “poor me “ “ I’m not scamming” all the way till she could see they were serious and then money came back

i was actually horrified they were taken in by an advance payment for cleaning …told them any services asking for advanced deposit is a scam. Even for trades like building work the deposit will be limited and only payable with a signed contract.

learning point for them…if it seems to good to be true ….

Sorry meant to add this was Birmingham…so not the only cleaner scammer out there…I would assume there’s a few of these then

I would be furious too. She sounds really cheeky and unreliable. But I would give her a day to sort it. I agree take her to the small claims court. The chancer shouldn't get away with ripping people off.

Do your own cleaning?

They don’t have to buy loads of crap no (unless they need more cleaning products) but equally they are also committing their working time to you so it’s not unreasonable to ask for a deposit, what if people cancel last minute? The cleaners then out of pocket as probably to short notice to fill the slot

If money not returned within 24 hours just post what has happened on the local groups where she was recommended and warn others. You could also message individuals who recommended her in the hope that if genuine they will push her to refund and not embarrass them. If you have the cleaner's details you could pursue via small claims court, even the threat of that might be enough.

Id message her and say according to mumsnet, a site used by millions you are not the first she has conned and that you will publish her name and company on here, nextdoor, facebook and every local media site you can find that will let you give a review unless she refunds by tomorrow. Then threaten small claims.

I can do it on my phone or tablet. What about all the folk who have neither desktop or laptop?

ppfttt, I'd be round her place pdq with backup if she tried that with me

Her initials aren’t PK are they?

@WeekendFreedom yeah, you're not wrong. I guess I'd never cancel my cleaner at short notice, I'd know a week in advance at least.
Even if I was in hospital I'd tell her to let herself in and do it, lol.
But I get this is a bit of a different type set up. She sounds dodgy though if it's a ploy to get some cash then bail on people who arent regulars, with the lure of a fifty pc discount?!

For anyone who is new to hiring a cleaner, no one in the industry needs to do discounts and bargains. No one.

There is so much work out there to pick and choose from. Very few would need to advertise and no one genuine needs to do an offer.

This is why I can never understand why when people ask on facebook groups for details of cleaners, why it's the same people who rush to answer. I have been doing domestic cleaning for over 20 years and you'll only get my number if an existing client wants to give it out. And it's the same for all the other people & companies I've ever been in contact with.

No it doesn't, it's £35 for small claims under £200.

I mean this is just 90% of cleaners tbh.

I've hired many cleaners and I've heard every excuse under the sun. One was frequently cancelling over a year because her daughter was ill. As soon as covid hit she promptly forgot all the times she had used that as an excuse and smugly told me, "I'm not worried about covid because my kids never get sick."

@Thedayb4youcame That's a really arrogant attitude. You're not a celebrity you're providing a cleaning service ffs! Nobody should have to hunt you down or 'know one of the chosen few' 🙄

This is why I can never understand why when people ask on facebook groups for details of cleaners

Because they don’t know anyone in the local area to get a magic code from?

This is why I can never understand why when people ask on facebook groups for details of cleaners

I think that's the most sensible place to ask. I'd rather have someone who's been recommended by a current client than pick a random name

What a weird attitude

I know it's arrogant. But what do you want me to do? Make myself widely available just so I can tell people I'm too busy? What would be the point in that?

I can only work a certain number of hours a week. I could work 12 + hours a day if I wanted to (I don't). I have clients who I have been working for since 2004. There's no way I'd put myself out there advertising for more work knowing I'd have to cancel my existing clients so as to fit it in.

I only work for people who have been recommended to me by either existing clients or else friends / family. Some people have had so many cleaners that when they find one that works well for them, they won't give their number out for fear of the cleaning leaving them to take on the new client. That's up to them too.

My hairdresser works in the same way. You'll only get her number off someone who knows her.

To reiterate, I agree with you, it is an arrogant way of working. But what do you suggest I do about it?

You might think it's weird, until you try getting a cleaner off facebook, having discovered already that all the others you've been told about are too busy.

Then you'll know why they were all over facebook local groups.

I just can’t believe this happened tbh but it’s a lesson learned, I had a weird feeling about her from the start so perhaps should’ve listened to it. Anyway, money back so all’s well that ends well

I've actually been very successful getting cleaners from local fb pages. I've got my last couple via fb recommendations.

You've done well then. A lot of people have not been as lucky. In my local facebook group it's the same handful of people saying they'll do it every time someone asks.

You mentioned having had "a couple", may I ask why you've had more than one and over what period of time? Genuine question.