to want a refund from my cleaner?

[MrsFogi]

Background - cleaner has been working for me since Oct 2008 all was fine. At Christmas I gave her a present + an extra week's wages. Since Christmas she has turned up once and when she did she did two hours rather than the three she is paid for (she was not going to tell me this but as she was leaving an hour early she ran into my mother so she later pushed a note through my door saying that she'd had something to do so had "rushed through the cleaning today". She then didn't turn up to clean this week and pushed a note through the door yesterday to say she wasn't going to clean for me any more as she's found part time job and had been thinking about taking a new job for a while. I have no problem with her finding a new job but I am annoyed at her waiting to get a Christmas bonus and then getting flaky and also doing less hours but nonetheless taking the money for it. AIBU to ask for the Christmas money + the hour's pay back? It's not like I have money to burn at the moment as I'm about to lose my job.

YABU to expect the christmas money back.

I understand you're annoyed but i'd personally just forget it. Xmas bonus was surely for work done so yabu to want that back.

You could ask for an hour's pay back but is it really worth it?

I think asking for the pay for the hour she didn't work would be fair enough, but if you chose to give her a Christmas bonus then that was a gift, and you can't expect to take it back because things have deteriorated since then.

you could ask for the money back but you won't get it!

draw a line. Annoying but move on.

I'd be annoyed too, but I think you have to just let it go or you'll end up having a row and then you'll feel even worse.

But surely a Christmas gift is in recognition of the work she did last year? It's not a binding contract that she will work for you this year. You could ask her for the extra hour back (I can see why this is really irritating but I'd let it dtop personally) but asking for the Christmas gift back is really not acceptable.

YABU but I sympathise. I gave my cleaner a 2 and a bit week bonus at Christmas. She came once after Christmas, missed 2 weeks and phoned a few days ago to say she isn't coming back. She was a great cleaner and I will miss her. Her bonus was mostly in recognition of her work over the past year but also in part to keep in her good books as I got the impression she wanted to cut her hours down. If I was her and I wanted to work less, I would have dumped me too so I can hardly blame her.

yabu to want a refund as a bonus is for work done in the past

but understand why youwant it back

i think it is very unprofessional for the cleanwer to not say to you in person she was leaving and to give you the offer if you wanted a weeks notice

sure she would have been pissed off if you just said to her, i am not employing next week and not given her a weeks notice

and yes you are entitled to get an hours wages from her back, but doubt if you will

Sorry, but at asking the bonus back.

As for the extra hour, if she gets paid hourly then you could in theory ask that back (although as others said you ll not get it and is not worth the hassle)

But do cleaners get paid per hour? I know in theory they do but i think it s up to them how long will take them to do the job, sometimes 3 hours sometimes 4 ?

our cleaner gets paid by the hour - does 6 a week on a tuesday

Aa, ok i was wrong then (i don't have cleaner )

I have never been paid by the hour, although most customers seem to want to do that! It started when i worked for a cleaning company, they always charge per job. I feel it doesn't matter how long i am there as long as i do everything planned and do it well. Also i take all my own cleaning equipment and hoover so i feel that makes a difference too.

Message withdrawn

bonus = for past work. End of.
one hour short, then leaving = ? £7, £8, maybe £10 max...

you'll feel better once you've found a fab new cleaner !