to sack my cleaner's replacement?

[amidaiwish]

ok 1st post on AIBU so be gentle with me!
i have a cleaner twice a month, she's been coming to me for about 5 years i think. Anyway, she is Polish and every few months goes back to Poland to look after her mum who is very old and ill. Every time she goes back she gets someone else to clean for me who she shows around before she leaves and briefs them on what to do, what to use etc...

Last time the woman was useless but it was only for a few weeks so i put up with it.

This time she brought a lady with her who seemed very good, spoke english, brilliant.

week 1 - got a text saying she couldn't come as her daughter was ill
week 2 - she turned up 2 hours late, with her mum and they did the house together in half the time, fine, actually that suited me quite well to have it blitzed
week 3 - just her mum, who does quite a good job but doesn't speak a word of english. Last time i stopped her just in time using descaler on my stainless steel fridge front and she also cleaned my stainless steel hob with oven cleaner (eek) though it doesn't seem to have done any harm.

today i wanted to go out but feel i am tied to the house to keep an eye on what she is doing/using. We have just varnished the hall floor and study so i don't want her to wash them but can't trust her to understand me.

so what do i do?
TIA

take her round to what you want cleaned put appropriate cleaner where you want it used so pick it up and show this here

go the floor and say no clean floor she will probably understand simple words if not actions speak louder than words just put products where you want them used

Maybe learn a bit of Polish!?

Really, go to babelfish.altavista.com type in what you want to say to her and translate it, print it off and give it to her.

And relax!
You seem to have posted multiple threads

bubblagirl - did you write for Falwlty towers?

yes i have no idea why i got two threads - anyway might be an interesting experiment on responses!!

bubblagirl/zazen, yes i could, but why blimming should i? i had someone who had been given instruction by my regular cleaner who now can't be arsed to come and has sent her mum.

i am trying to work (albeit from home, yes i know i am now on mumsnet but i can't concentrate). i was meant to be at a trade fair today but am now going tomorrow just so i can be here to babysit the cleaner.

I think that if you employ people who speak English as an additional language, it's only nice to learn a few phrases of their language!

Maybe the replacement is having some issues she needs to deal with and can't come to clean so is sending her mum instead of doing nothing... who knows

no spent along time working with different nationalities and had to find a way to communicate with them all lol

I would sack her - you're not getting what you pay for, are you?

Whatever reasons the proper replacement may have for not being there, they didn't bother explaining to you and asking if it was acceptable. They're just taking advantage of the fact that you let them get away with it last week.

By amidaiwish on Thu 29-Jan-09 09:41:13
"yes i could, but why blimming should i?"

yes, why indeed [humm] it's your floor and problem missus.

difficult one this - if you sack the replacement, you risk upsetting your original cleaner, and from what ive read on here, good cleaners are hard to come by! How long is your original lady gone for?
Maybe you could just say to the daughter that you are not needing a cleaner for a bit and to get your original to contact you when you get back. I think it was really good of your orignal lady to arrange a replacement (and good business sense as it stops you from getting someone new!)so don't look a gift horse in the mouth. In the mean time you could either do without and live in squalor for a bit, do it yourself , of coures i appreciate you might not have time, or get supa maids or the like in to blitz it as a one off.

So whilst you would not be unreasonable per se, to sack the replacement, it might be a mistake in the long run iyswim. The great British tact and diplomacy definately required here .

ok thanks everyone
i have calmed down
i will just go with it for the next few weeks, i think my original cleaner is back sometime in march.

and she is doing a pretty good job today.

zazen you have made me laugh.
madmarg - that is exactly where i was coming from! just feel it is a bit rude of the first woman. I will tell my original lady when she comes back and let her have it out with them.