To feel annoyed I have to pay?

[Babablacksheep12]

Cleaner…

We have a cleaner who does every 2 weeks. She’s lovely and does the house well.

I have been in hospital for a few weeks following an operation that was planned.

I messaged her to cancel a clean whilst I was in hospital, ages ago - way more than the required notice time. I cancelled it as she cleaned the day I went in and then my house has been empty with me being in hospital so it’s perfect and not been touched and no one’s been in it so there would have been nothing to clean since she was last in.

In my contract I am allowed to cancel 2 cleans a year and she allowed 2, without payment which is very fair.

I got back from hospital today and noticed from my ring door bell that she’d been and cleaned despite me cancelling it , as per the contract and her acknowledging the cancellation.

I emailed her to ask if she had been , thinking she’d say no she was just dropping something off type thing and she just said yes, whoops she’d got confused. So now I need to pay. I’m slightly upset. I’m very short this month as I’ve had to have unpaid time off work to recover from my op so I don’t have the spare money and I feel like I’m literally throwing away money I don’t have when the house didn’t need cleaning.

There was also no apology just an oops type thing.

I value her so much so I know I will pay but I feel slightly miffed about the lack of accountability and that it’s on me to just pay.
I mean I know id pay as I respect her time and work but If it was me I would have said … I’m so sorry it’s my mistake please pay half etc and I would try and find the money to pay it all. But it was the lack of apology and just dizziness of whoops

You don't owe her anything, she made the mistake not you, it's not chargeable! She's in the wrong asking for payment for a cancelled clean she mistaken did anyway, that's unfair of her and is not what her t&cs are about.

Who would agree that they still pay when they've cancelled a clean well in advance, she got enough notice to book in other work if she wanted to, I could understand it being a breach if you tried to cancel two days before the clean or something but you didn't.

If it was your mistake, you pay, but it's her mistake, so she pays (with the free clean). That's just being a fair service.

I'd do this too. If it was already clean and tidy then I'd only be paying her if she'd done something extra like the windows or ironing or whatever.

I think I'd be inclined to look at the bigger picture.
You've clearly had a major operation if you have been in hospital for a few weeks. I'd be concentrating on stress-free rest and recovery.
You've stated that the cleaner is lovely and you value her greatly. In the greater scheme of things I personally don't think it's worth getting het up about. Pay her, move on and be firmer and clearer with your wishes in the future.

Cancel the next fortnight one to save money and you should be even stevens then

You missed my point.

You don’t reward someone else’s fuck-up!

Yeah I don’t pay minimum wage - she’s £35 an hour with her own cleaning materials and it’ll cover the 4 weeks (2 mine and 2 hers ) a year she’s away. I’m happy paying that - she does a good job, I have a contract. That’s why I feel it’s not great as it is a professional relationship and the cost and service I get reflects that.

Mad how some posters on here presume and make things up to suit themselves!

That is extortionate!! No way should you be paying that!!

£35?? Madness.

I provide an at-home service (not cleaning) and I would never, ever write "the house wasn’t too bad". It's super rude and in her case, a judgement of her own quality of work.

I would simply say ‘I think you’ll agree that its fair that I don’t pay you for this given I had given you ample notice of cancellation and the house was already perfectly clean’

Easy OP - don’t let her get the better off you.

OP, would you feel comfortable writing back using

'On reflection....'
'I've been thinking again about...'
'Having thought more about....'
'The more I think about it, the more I feel that...'

Your cleaner is so clearly in the wrong

1. by making the scheduling mistake
2. by not apologising for her mistake
3. by saying you need to pay for her mistake
4. by intending (had you not contacted her) to defraud you by at least 1 hour's pay.

I don't think you should let this go. (Though I appreciate that's easy for me to say, not having the relationship with her)

Even if she only cleans for 20 hours a week, that's equivalent to £36,400pa, which is more than a lot of people earn, including myself.

I'm gobsmacked that she charges £35ph.

I’m in London so maybe higher due to that.

Plus she’s self employed and I transfer to her- so I’m guessing she’ll be taxed, holiday pay, pension , sickness cover so I agree £35 is a lot but maybe she’s losing a lot of that?

Another way around it - given she says "We can always cancel another one of your cleans to make up for it".......

Take that at face value (that she is offering you a deal to make up for it).

Pay her on Thursday, saying "Hi Laura, I've just transferred the money. Regarding your solution of cancelling another clean to make up for this, I assume for cashflow reasons you mean I should nominally 'cancel' a clean at some point, but you will actually still do the clean. It makes zero difference to me (since you will actually be doing the clean!) so just let me know which date works best for you and I'll withhold payment that day."

Whatever she comes back with, the ball is then back in your court in terms of pointing out the fairness of this solution. Hopefully though she will have reflected on the situation and rather than have to reply and argue that you should pay for her mistake (literally), she'll just pretend this solution was what she meant all along.

It’s funny as I totally agree with you and if it was someone else I’d say no way would I be paying that- you’ve been too polite etc but when the shoes on my foot I find it a different situation. It’s validated my thoughts though that she’s been cheeky and it’s not on. Damaged the relationship abit.

You’re paying £35 per hour? Or have I misread?

Nail on the head. You have the right not to pay her. But she has the right to walk away and leave you looking for a new cleaner. Why not compromise and offer to pay half as a goodwill gesture. She WILL have done things, like dusting etc as dust still settles even in an empty house.

You're forgetting her overheads as a business. She doesn't get paid holidays nor paid sick time. So she won't be earning 20 hours per week for 52 weeks per year! She won't be earning on travel time between jobs. 20 hours per week actually earning is probably very close to full time actually working when you factor in the non chargeable time on admin, travel, buying supplies, etc.

If you are happy to lose the money go ahead and pay her for doing nothing. There are plenty of cleaners out there for half the price. I’m in London too and pay £20. She is off her head if she thinks £35 is fair pay.

£35 an hour! For "cleaning" a clean house!

Bloody hell no wonder she "forgot" you cancelled.

Fucking hell. £35 an hour. Honestly at this rate I would encourage you to risk the relationship and find another cleaner. I’m in SE, 25 min train into London and I pay £20 for my cleaner.

But surely averaging 20 hours a week IS allowing for travelling time etc. I mean if you choose to work 20 hours a week including travelling time then you’ll be earning less. Anyone working part time will be earning less than full time. But most people working full work more than 20 hours.
So if she is EARNING for 20 hours a week and the rest is travelling time it’s STILL a lot of money and is more than a lot of people get. 20 hours a week is only 4 hours actual cleaning time a day. That allows a lot of travelling time for what is still a decent wage.

Everyone who is self employed is aware that they don’t get holiday or sick pay. So they calculate their charges to include that.

I’m self employed. I went to university for 3 years to qualify in my job. I have a student loan debt because of that. Every year I need to pay indemnity insurance and a registration fee or I can’t work. I need to do CPD yearly which costs me money. I need to buy my uniform and certain equipment. I don’t get holiday pay. I don’t get sick pay. If my work shuts because of a power cut for example I lose a days pay. I lose loads a Christmas as my job totally shuts. If I’m not actually doing my job at work I don’t get paid. I could be sitting there for an hour or two because multiple people cancelled and I don’t get paid. Granted I don’t have travelling time between jobs like a cleaner. But I’m on £34 an hour (as long as I have had any cancellations of course).

Honestly I’m in the wrong job it seems.

I'd just say, sorry you got confused but I clearly cancelled this clean and do not require cleaning until [x date]. Refuse any requests for payment. If she objects just bin her off and get another cleaner.

Nobody earns travel time. You're not going toget paid for commuting

Cleaners can claim travel between jobs I imagine. But then it’s tax deductible so that helps financially.

Yes and if my house was like a show home I'd be bloody offended if someone said it "wasn't too bad" 🤣