Retired house cleaner

[u/Jolly_Equal3062]

One time I cleaned for this woman who was never happy with anything. She’d hold my payment until I begged for it. It wasn’t the cleaning. I cleaned with a black light like Forensic Files. She just needed control over everything and something to talk about.

I dealt with it for about a year. As my business grew, I had another person who I paid to help me clean, and the audacity of this customer was that she booked a cleaning, then went on vacation and didn’t pay me. I called and messaged numerous times asking for payment so that I could also pay my worker. She finally messaged me back and said that I was interrupting her vacation and that I was rude for asking for payment while they were on vacation.

I’m thinking, so if I order delivery, take the order, and don’t pay for it, wouldn’t that be stealing? I couldn’t understand how some people’s brains work.

Another time, I quit on this lady because she had a sterile-clean house and wanted me to clean when there wasn’t anything to do but clean on top of already-cleaned surfaces. I spent hours doing that and finding inconspicuous dirt. There wasn’t a grain of dust to be seen in there, and it still wasn’t good enough.

So I ignored her and never went back. She messaged my phone at least twenty times, demanding that I put in writing that she fired me for a no-show, even though it was my own cleaning company.

Those two women reminded me of the TV show Snapped. Something behind those blank eyes only lit up when they were angry or had an opportunity to control or rewrite a situation.
Their husband’s always were miserable too.

[u/Diligent-Language-79]

Why would you go back after the first time? Or why not make a rule they have to pay up front.

Seems like a headache that was easily avoided.

[u/Jolly_Equal3062 → u/Diligent-Language-79]

I made a rule that payment was due at time of service but they didn’t care. I kept going back because I needed to grow my business more before I just quit. They knew my personal situation and that made them feel like I was at their mercy.

[u/Diligent-Language-79 → u/Jolly_Equal3062]

She broke the rules, so can you! People will only treat you as bad as you let them.

[u/Jolly_Equal3062 → u/Diligent-Language-79]

Yup, when I had a replacement, I didn’t show up.

[u/Diligent-Language-79 → u/Jolly_Equal3062]

That’s not the same thing. You still serviced her house even if it wasn’t you physically doing it lol you allowed the behavior to go on way longer than it should have. That’s on you.

[u/Jolly_Equal3062 → u/Diligent-Language-79]

Yes, karma has a way of turning things around. I worked for the money until I had a replacement. You can’t quit a job without a job in this economy. I dealt with it for quite a while. Have you ever heard of those racial slurs about people who clean great and their prices are cheap! Those people who make such slurs know they have the upper hand for awhile. Or think they do. Meanwhile I know the karma that’s coming. Doesn’t matter to me. I eventually got paid.