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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

. . to have just sacked my cleaner ???( help!)

39 replies

wheredohairbandsgo · 25/07/2008 16:43

I feel terrible.

We just got a new cleaner today, from an agency ( the first time I've done that ) and she came to meet us last week.
Dp said she seemed awful but I thought he was being judgemental (she raved about us not phoning agency if anything was wrong but speaking to her first and didn't understand us very well- english not first lang)
Anyway I thought she seemed okay and she started today.

We agreed she would work four hours.
I asked her to start with ironing first, but she refused and insisted on doing the kitchen.
She took 4 hours to do the kitchen ( I know it's a mess but I thought in a toast crumbs kind of way...

Then when the four hours was up, I said, she should go cos only getting paid for four.But she insisted on staying, saying for first clean it takes longer, but doesn't expect extra pay (??)She showed me texts that seemed to indicate the agency expected this too. .
So she cleaned for further 2.5 hours, didn't finish everything and said she was going.

I offered to pay her extra fiver ( all change I had) thinking I'd top her up next week. She looked at fiver and said it should be £7 ( despite it being £6 and her insisting she didn't want extra)

Then she left, and returned two mins later to say she'd only been given one ten pound notes, instead of two.

I looked in my purse etc. couldn't find it and swore I had given her two. Then she went MAD, literally tipping a messy bag upside down, then stripping ALL of her clothes off in my hallway.
DD7 was watching it all completely agog.
Then I asked her to leave and gave her another £20. By now I didn't know what to think!

Eventually she did. Then I found the tenner, on the floor where her bag was.
I have no idea if she dropped it or I did. I am sure I had given it to her ( she keeps notes lose in her bag) but what if I hadn't?.

She's already left the key cos I said I didn't think it was working between us.

I feel awful

OP posts:
MrsFearnleyWhittingstall · 25/07/2008 16:46

I think you did the right thing TBH .I would ring up the agency and go mad .

Cappuccino · 25/07/2008 16:48

she sounds bonkers

I'd sack anyone who undressed in my lounge whatever the background was

mad as a fish

Hecate · 25/07/2008 16:49

Leave it. Best to not have her back. She sounds insane! Do you really want someone like that in your home? I wouldn't.

pointydog · 25/07/2008 16:49

stripping off in the hallway?

Earlybird · 25/07/2008 16:49

You had a lucky escape, IMO.

Did she at least clean well?

pointydog · 25/07/2008 16:49

I'm struggling to believe

Twiglett · 25/07/2008 16:50

I'd demand my money back from the agency .. this is not a person who has been vetted .. this is an unstable person

Twiglett · 25/07/2008 16:51

belieeeeeeeeeeve pointy

belieeeeeeeeeeeve

Hannah81 · 25/07/2008 16:52

Stripping of ALL her clothes????

You should make a complaint to the agency!
Why did she do that?

Strange - if she had a dispute about the money then it could have been sorted out without her stripping! And the extra hours etc... just not on!

Complain - tell them she frightened your DS! And you for that matter!

Electricgooberella · 25/07/2008 16:54

I am looking for a new cleaning job. Where do you live?

talilac · 25/07/2008 16:54

Nutso! We use an agency, have had a lot of diff cleaners over the years and not one has stripped.

Who on earth are this agency?

Brilliant story though.

pointydog · 25/07/2008 16:55

Why on earth did you give her another £20 after she had stripped off?

The longer hairband takes to come back, the less believable

Hannah81 · 25/07/2008 16:56

I would have given a naked woman anything to get out of my house!

pointydog · 25/07/2008 16:57

I think a phone call to the police would have been more in order at that juncture

Lauriefairycake · 25/07/2008 17:03

I don't think her behaviour was that mad - I'm quite sure if I thought after 6 and a half hours cleaning and been told it wasn't working (in effect been fired) it would cross my mind that they had tried to short change me and only given me one ten pound note and I might show that I didn't have the money on my person by tipping a bag up and emptying my pockets and urge people to look for it. Not that much of a stretch that someone would go further and strip their top off.

wheredohairbandsgo · 25/07/2008 17:05

I promise it's true! Unfortunately

I feel gulty because I was essentially accusing her of nicking a tenner. . and what if I hadn't give her the two? ( thought I had. . ) or she did drop it and didn't realise?

She stripped off to prove she wasn't hiding it. . .

I live in North London if anyone can reccommend a good cleaner. . .

OP posts:
talilac · 25/07/2008 17:07

The agency I use is good - a lot of eastern european ladies, but all good cleaners. Its Homeclean.

Have you paid the agency anything?

pointydog · 25/07/2008 17:07

ah, ok. Just about plausible. SOunds like a communication breakdown (har).

Word of mouth? Small ad in locl newsagent?

wheredohairbandsgo · 25/07/2008 17:07

Lauriefaircake- to explain, I only told her not to come back after the stripping/ bag incident. . .

I was happy to give her another chance despite the insisting of don't-pay-me-extra-first-time ( which incidentally I do think is VERY unfair of the agency)and then asking for more money!

Is it normal practise?

OP posts:
wheredohairbandsgo · 25/07/2008 17:08

Yeah the agency insist on £160 up front. . as soon as a cleaner is assigned. Now we have to find another one with them. . .

OP posts:
talilac · 25/07/2008 17:11

I think you'd better tell the agency all about what happened! For their fee they should keep sending you cleaners until they get you one you're happy with. And then they should also arrange holiday cover, etc.

Lauriefairycake · 25/07/2008 17:11

yes, that's it, it's the stripping off to prove she wasn't hiding it

pointydog · 25/07/2008 17:11

what's the £160 for?

oi · 25/07/2008 17:12

perhaps it's not a cleaning agency and she wasn't expecting to err clean (hence the clothes taking off)

talilac · 25/07/2008 17:12

Sorry, meant to say YANBU, I would have sacked her after she spent 4 hours cleaning the kitchen.

FFS! Unless its a huge or filthy kitchen, who could take 4 hours to clean one?!