So we hired a new house cleaner because the ones we were using were very unreliable. She came today for the first time and barely did anything. We get very basic services so it isn’t a big job. I left a very clear note of everything we had discussed so I am very disappointed. I am super squeamish about confrontation, and her knowing where I live makes it worse. How would you approach discontinuing service? I’d love to get my money back but wouldn’t go so far as to ask that. My inclination is to make something up so I can avoid the entire thing buuut maybe that’s not the right approach? Suggestions appreciated!
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I also get super anxious about confrontation but but I would definitely at least say “It’s not working out so we won’t need you anymore.”
I totally know what you mean about people knowing where you live! But if you make up a random excuse she may stay in touch and you’ll prolong the whole deal.
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What did you want her to do and what did she not do? If it was her first time with you I feel like it’s a lot easier to just say thanks but we won’t need you again. However, I def think it’s appropriate to say we feel like xyz was not completed appropriately or to the standard we expect
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@gotkimchi: I broke it down by room and what to do in each one. She changed the sheets but it was like she didn’t know how to do it (it was so weird) and changed the shower curtains and vacuumed the stairs. She possibly vacuumed my girls room. She didn’t vacuum/sweep the living room, my room, the kitchen, or the dining room or clean the floors. In the bathroom she just put toilet bowl cleaner in the toilets but didn’t scrub them, and cleaned the mirror (so no floors, counters, sinks, showers). It was so odd.
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Yah that’s crazy. I would just tell her that - like I don’t feel like my list was done appropriately therefore we won’t be moving forward
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I’m probably totally wrong but I have been in a similar situation and told them thank you so much but my husband and I realized over the weekend that we needed to cut some costs and we are going to have to do our own cleaning from now on. We actually did attempt it ourselves for a little while rather than try someone else so it wasn’t totallllyyy false
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When I switched services I left it up to the scheduler to reach out and told them I switched. This is also after repeatedly showing them what they missed (or my preference) before they left and giving them a chance to correct.
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Thanks for the options. I had a backup that was more expensive which pains me but it seems like this keeps happening! I think I’ll milk over my approach for another day and then try to gonthe truthful route.
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I think you can just say "I'll let you know if I need you again." and leave it vague. If she follows up and asks if something was wrong, then I'd be honest and politely let her know what she did/didn't do.
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Yes, this happened to us as well. Our regular cleaner moved out of province so I was trying somewhere that came recommended. The cleaner they sent (2 of them) were less than stellar. I paid an additional cost because it was an initial/deep clean and it was subpar from what I would expect from a regular clean. For example, they cleaned the inside of the microwave but didn’t wipe down the grill part so they put back in a dirty grill into a clean microwave. Didn’t move the couches when cleaning the floor.. etc. for a maintenance clean I might turn a blind eye but I’d thats the “deep clean” service - no thanks. She followed up for the next clean and I told her what was missed.
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This has happened to me so many times. I've trialed 4-5 cleaners in our town who have been recommended to me by my local's mommy group and they've all kind of sucked. So now, I call and say I'm going to have them come clean once and decide if I want to make it regular. Since I haven't had one I'd want to make regular, I haven't scheduled any follow up cleans and they haven't called me either.
In your case, did you already book re-occurring cleans? Is it a big service or a one-woman show type of thing? Will you have to cancel directly with her? I guess if I had to directly cancel with the woman herself, I'd probably lie and say circumstances changed, because I'm a conflict avoider.
I sometimes wonder if I'm just not a "cleaning service" type of person. I don't think I'm super picky, but I think if I pay someone for an "initial deep clean", then at the BARE MINIMUM the visible major things should be done. Mirrors and counters cleaned, all floors vacuumed with hard floors being mopped, toilets cleaned, bath/showers wiped down. Every single time I have trialed a cleaner whether it's a corporate service or a small one-person operation they haven't even done the basics correctly. Like all the mirrors will be super smeary as if they didn't use glass cleaner, or the tile floors will obviously not be washed/cleaned. It drives me nuts.
I have a SAHM friend who told me she stays home while the cleaner comes and follows them around and supervises their cleaning and points out what they missed---but to me, I'm hiring a cleaning person so I don't have to be involved in the cleaning process. If I have to corral my kids and follow them around my apartment for 2-3 hours, then I could just as easily clean it myself in 2-3 hours and save myself the $140.
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I think this is a great opportunity to learn how to deal with an uncomfortable "confrontation" (I hesitate to even call it that because it is a professional setting and should be conversational). I would call her or the service directly and say something like the following:
(1) I am calling to address the cleaning that you did on my home on X date.
(2) I was very disappointed in the quality of services received.
(3) We discussed my expectations before the cleaning. Did you feel that they were adequately presented to you and that you understood them?
(4) If so, what cause them not to be met? If you didn't understand them, was there a miscommunication about my expectations of your performance?
(5) Did the price I paid to you not include all of those services that I requested?
(6) I'm offering you an opportunity to correct the issue and keep my business - however, I will not pay for this correction. Otherwise, I need to use a different person/service.That way you've: (1) let them know you were disappointed, (2) asked for an explanation and tried to get to the route of the issue rather than just accusing them of laziness, (3) offered an opportunity for them to correct.
If you don't want to do that - I would just call and let them know that you're disappointed and won't be using them again. I wouldn't lie about the reasons. But I promise that you'll feel great and empowered if you address it head on. It may make you nervous at first, but it is a great skill to have.
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So she texted me this morning to see if everything was okay with the cleaning. As some suggested I gave some examples of what was not done. I also added that I have pretty high expectations so it might have been sufficient for others, but that right now we need someone who can do a very thorough job with little guidance. She seemed surprised and offered to come back to follow up but I said that was okay (wouldn’t be needed) and that I hoped she could find a good fit. She wasn’t from an agency (she was from Craigslist—might sound sketchy but it’s fairly standard here it seems) and was doing it solo so there isn’t much room for accountability. I am glad I did that, and I really was trying to avoid confrontation (i just had to fire someone a few weeks ago and am still reeling from it).
I’m really hopeful the next service I chose will work well, because it was someone who has been doing it for 20+ years and has 2 staff, and she came into my house and told me what she thought needed to be done. But just in your opinions and knowing this individual was likely an outlier as I have used 2 others who were much better but still not fantastic in the past, am I expecting too much in not wanting to have to remind whomever is cleaning to not leave dust/shedded hair in the corners in the bathrooms, to clean the base of the toilet, and to clean the shower, tub, and sink faucets and handles? These are the 3 things I’ve never had someone do and it drives me crazy! I feel silly saying to someone when we are discussing expectations “Please clean the handles in the shower” because i feel like they may get offended because it’s so obvious, but somehow it never gets done. I also don’t want to sound privledged/entitled—even having someone come to clean is a stretch for us, but I try to consider it like my job. I would never just not do half of it.
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@Becky: I think I'd mention the specifics... some of them are obvious, but it's better to be clear on what you expect than to question later why it wasn't done. For example my parents have a cleaner and they do not want or expect her to tidy the awful mess of papers on every surface. Someone else might expect that the papers are neatly stacked, and all the tables dusted. It's very individual.
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Yeah, just be clear with what you want. No shame! As long as you say it nicely they won't mind. "If you could, would you mind wiping the ___? They get gunky and you guys probably know how to clean them well etc etc". After all, you are paying them for a service
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@Becky: This is your opportunity to be specific without risking offense. You get to use past experience as the reason for your specificity. “My previous cleaner missed the x, y, and z. Can you make sure you that doesn’t get missed?”
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@Iced Tea: I really like the way this is worded. Thanks!
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16 comments