to expect cleaner to arrive without husband and 10 month old son?

[charleymouse]

Okay, house is a disaster area. I am a slovenly wench who needs all the help she can get.

Last week I succumbed and asked an agency to pop out and give a quote for cleaning. The chap reckoned three hours a week would do it. £6.50 per hour direct to cleaner and £3.00 per hour monthly direct debit to franchise. Lady who would do cleaning is in his car outside as he has just been to show her another job and should she come in straight away or aarange another time. She popped in and I showed her round, how to work things (vacuum cleaner etc) and where cleaning things were kept.

Agreed to this and signed up for first clean last Thursday pm. Cleaner arrived with husband and ten month old son in pram. They waited outside for 3 hours. Did ask them in as felt awful but it was a nice day and they pootled about and played in the garden. She explained they were going out after she had finished.

She did an okay job and I showed her all the things I expected her to do (except mop the floors throughout which I had explained at first visit I wanted) She did not mop floors in ensuite or bathroom. She had vacuum cleaner on carpet setting when vacuuming oak floors and I had to show her/explain again how to change the setting (or will scratch floors). I am assuming English is her second language as she has a very strong accent (I am crap with accents) so I assumed I had not made myself clear in instructions.

I asked her to finish 15 minutes early as had to collect DH but gave her the full amount + 50p. (had no change) and drove her and her family back in to town centre.

Arranged for same time today (pm) as DD on half days at school. But she would prefer am after settling in sessions, fine I am okay with that. She rang up an hour and half ago asking could she go now and who was in house? Difficult over phone due to strong accent as I usually try to lip read a bit if people have strong accents.

AIBU to think this is odd after we had arranged pm and now I am panicking I have told someone I hardly know my house is empty. Realise I may be paranoid and was burgled years ago and it still bothers me now.

WWYD? I also think it odd the franchisee did not ring up after she had been to check if all was okay. Should I ring them. Bit unsure of the etiquette here and do not want to upset anyone.

Please advise.

[pigletmania]

Charleymouse why dont you ask for a change of cleaner as you do not sound entirely happy. I would if i were you, they are mean to eliviate stress not contribute to it. Gosh i wish that dh would pay for a cleaner for me it would certianly eleviate most of my stress lol

[Tombliboobs]

That should be waive

[Tombliboobs]

Charleymouse, A you can gather from my 1st post, I didn't think the points in your Op were serious enough to do anything about, but I would not be happy at all that the agency had lied to me about how long your cleaner had been working for them. In fact I would be

You mentioned a 3 month contract, I am sure that if you pointed out that they had in fact lied to you and you would be happy to tell anyone you came across that they had lied, then he may possibly wave the contract.

[Thingiebob]

The cleaner didn't 'bring her husband and child to work with her'. They accompanied her on the journey and waited outside. It was the OP who invited them into play in the garden. There is a multitude of reasons why a husband would want to be nearby on his wife's first day of work.

[BethNoire]

ggirl I did wonder if they were in B&B accomodation

I wouldn't go into a house alone first time- I used to until someones schizophrenic ex DH was there waiting for me with knife. I was lucky because IO knew him from school and could back out and run- work has d mys chedukle but expected me back in an hour. COuld have been toolate.

Now, I know cleaning is very different- my whole job was about vulnerable famillies. But it is a risk- a small one that can be mitigated but a risk nonetheless.

But you know- I reckon the B&B is mroe likely, and ultimately- it's a street, he can be there if he wants

[brimfull]

maybe they are homeless and have no where to go during the day

assumed you would be out and they could sit in your house while she cleaned it

not a problem really

but I think it's odd to bring husband and baby to work.

[Bathsheba]

And so are you....

You are amking the assumption that because YOU happily go to stangers houses that everyone should...and they are wrong not to.

You have no idea if she has previously had a horrible experience of whatever kind that has made her nervous

Or if her "reading" English is good enough to navigate her way around the OP's local bus system..

Or he might be some sort of horrible controlling Dh that insists on going everywhere with her - or he might have insisted because he is genuinely fearful for her because he adores her so much and couldn't live with himself if something went wrong..

There might be all SORTS of reasons that they, as a family, felt more comfortable with him being there on this first visit (and he hasn't been there on susbesquent ones so they must be happy enough).

As I've said, it doesn't sound as if they did anything untoward to MAKE the OP feel uncomfortable -they weren;t making a nuisance of themselves, and I suspect the OP was uncomfortable ANYWAY at this new cleaner being in her house.

[MoonTheLoon]

You're making a lot of assumptions there Bathsheba.

[Bathsheba]

MoonTheLoon - if it feels right for you going into clients houses doesn't mean it feels right for this new cleaner on her first solo visit..

And of course they were going onto something else - they were polite enough not to say "I've brought my husband along to sit outside in case you are a weirdy"...

The fact they made the OP uncomfortable wasn't down to anything intentional they were doing - they were happily wiaitng and playing outside...they weren't standing with their faces pressed up against the glass or knokcing on the door every 30 minutes asking for juice and the loo - I suspect the fact there was someone cleaning the house in the first place was what made the OP feel uncomfortable.

The family obviously felt that the OP wasn't a weirdy as when she came back the 2nd time she came back happily herself...

[MoonTheLoon]

Bathsheba, I go to new clients houses all the time, on my own. My work know where I am and what time they expect me back. I wouldn't take my husband with me and certainly not my child. They did put out the OP because she felt obliged to invite them in and, even though declined, knowing they were waiting outside made her feel awkward and uncomfortable. The OP said the cleaner was going on somewhere with her DH and DC and if that was the case they should have found somewhere nearby to wait.

[AngryFromManchester]

I now feel immensley guilty for writing that post after reading your profile. Sorry x

[AngryFromManchester]

CAN YOU GET YOUR HEARING TESTED?

I am deadly serious too because you know, lots of people have accents in this country. It really is not at all difficult to understand people. if you get out more

[Lottie456]

I've had some similar experiences with previous cleaners. One lady scracted our wooden table and another was never off the phone, always late and went early.

Anyway, my point is you don't sound happy with your arrangement and the agency don't seem to be on the ball! You need to be confident with the person your letting in your home and paying to clean it. The fact that she brought her OH and baby on the first day would make me on edge too.

It sounds to me she's less of a help more of a stress. I would give her one more chance then ask the agency to send someone new. Your employing her to do a job and you need to feel relaxed and confident she will turn up on time, do what you have both agreed on re mopping floors, bathrooms etc. The fact your going through an agency i would expect a certain level of professionalism.

[Bathsheba]

Yes I'm completely serious...!!!!

I wouldn't take my Dh when starting a job, but then I'd probably be working for a large company in an office building, not in a complete strangers house.

I have a cleaner. When she came to meet us the first time I realised what a huge leap of faith she was taking - esp as she hadn't long been in the coutnry, was finding our house by bus etc etc (as it stands she is a huge asset to our family, speak way better English than me, finds her way around our bus systel like a pro and I adore her..)

We tell people to take sensible precautions when meeting people from the internet/classified ads etc for the first few times, why shouldn't it be reasonable for a cleaner to take her husband the first time she is in a new location alone - even if its just to help her find her way to the right bus stop (as it seems they arrived by bus on this occassion as the OP gave them a lift into town). I know people in this city who have lived here all their life who have turned down invitations to places because they would need to go somewhere they "didn't know" on the bus and are too anxious to go without a trial run with their husband - yues thats an extreme example but I know people like that.

The husband and child didn't impinge on the OP's house at all and were clearly happy to wait around for the 3 hours as required.

[BethNoire]

Actually bathsheba has a point: she may have ben vetted but you haven't I had a job that invovled going alone to houses where I new there were violent ex's etc and my DH would on occasion sit outside JIC (worked for a charity)

On that absis maybe best to assume? Give her a good chance.

[posieparker]

A couple of things I note:

Is this time for you? If so they are awful. I don't believe they vet their cleaners. Getting a cleaner form a franchise like this one is bascially paying them to arrange a cleaner and then paying them every hour for that introduction. An absolute rip off. You do not have the protection of the franchise even if she breaks everything in your house. I had a racist, a liar and a lazy cleaner from timefor you.

The fact she brought her DH was unprofessional.

Get yourself a local cleaner, advertise in a launderette or something or gumtree. Be home for the first three or four cleans (be in and out and check cleaning.) If you have a foreign cleaner make sure you talk though products, my polish cleaner tried using Cif on everything, even wooden sideboards!

[MoonTheLoon]

Bathsheba are you serious about protection going to her cleaning job when she had already met Charleymouse and been to her house? Again I would say, would you do this when you were starting a job?

[Bathsheba]

Well...

Are your longterm plans to be in or our when she is cleaning - remember its not the smae as telling a stranger when your house is empty etc and you have the "protection" of the franchise if snything goes wrong/missing.

And as for having her husband there - that souns emminently sensible for her first time in a complete strangers house - look at it from THEIR side - she could have been going anywhere and he was there far more for her security, comfort and protection rather than anything else.

[MoonTheLoon]

Yes I wouldn't have liked it either. Good luck!

[charleymouse]

Thanks Moon, will just check with her before she leaves today that she has mopped throughout.

I have to say I would never have taken DH or child to new job or if I felt a need to I would have made sure they were out of sight. It made me feel uncomfortable that they were sitting on a bench outside my front door as I felt I should have had them in for coffee FGS.

[MoonTheLoon]

Perhaps she didn't take it all in especially if English is a second language. I would ask politely again.

[charleymouse]

I didn't give her a written list just explained what I wanted her to do to franchisee, then her on first visit then again on first day of work.

She seemed to be filling time at the end (wiped a few cupboard fronts down) so I just assumed she had finished upstairs, she actually cleaned outside windows which I had not asked for. I probably should have checked round before she went but just assumed asking to vacuum and mop all floors included bathrooms and did not want to appear to be control freak and follow her in and out of every room.

[charleymouse]

Okay the franchisee said "her name is XXXXXX and she's worked for me for..... ooh..... years"

When she came in she said her name was YYYYY but I took this as an anglicised version of whatever he had said.

She has just asked me if there is a care home nearby as she is/was a carer and only cleans to fill the gap. She has also just said she has only moved to the area two months ago from London. Now I am happier with her but peed off with franchisee. He has obviously lied.

Also stupid pregnant brain that I am has just realised I may have signed up for a three month contract. What do I do?

[MoonTheLoon]

I don't think YABU or uptight.

Would any of you turn up to your new job with DH and baby in tow? I bloody wouldn't whatever my job was. Also, if you have agreed a time for her to come she should come then not ring you at short notice to change it, again, so early in a new job.

Not mopping the floors - she may not have had enough time for everything, I am assuming that you give her a list of jobs you would like done and she does what she reasonably can in the time.

Give her a little longer and see how it goes but if she messes around with times more than occasionally or brings people to your house I would get someone new.

[charleymouse]

Oh have had a cleaner before just not used an agency one before. The agency website does explain about vetting etc and they have insurance for accidental damage as well.

I did not stand over her and watch everything she did but she needed to know where things were and where to put things. I tended to try to be in another room so as not to pressure her that is why I did not realise she had not mopped the bathrooms until after she had gone. I am also not precious but cleaning a solid oak floor with the vacuum on the carpet setting would scratch the buggery out of the floor. I explained this at first visit and twice on the day she was here and physically showed her how to change vacuum and check setting to make sure it was correct.

I realise if I cut it short I have to pay but I paid 50p extra (not a lot I know) and drove the three of them into to town to save them having to catch the bus which is not that regular and a 15 minute walk away.

Well after her asking if she could come this morning and me saying no this afternoon after 1.30 around 2.00 would be ideal she said okay (I think) she has not yet turned up. I did say if it was not convenient for her then don't come but I think she said she would.

She has just knocked on the door but I will need to leave at 5.00 to get DS from nursery what do I do when she is late and can't get the three hours in? I have not got her a key cut yet as will be in for next few visits.