[Mrs Nicholls]

would you still pay the cleaner if the client cancelled the visit for a week?

[Bertie Boo]

Hi lisa

Can you clarify the question? Are you saying if, as a cleaning company, should you expect to be paid if a client cancels OR are you saying that if a client cancels (thus leaving a member of your staff at a loose end) should you pay you staff?

If its the latter I think your staff WILL have to be paid unless you are using self-employed personelle (and then you have to work it out between you...), but whether or not you choose to charge for cancelled visits is up to you. It should be in you T+C's. I think the rule of thumb is that the bigger your company the more likely it is that you will charge for the cancelled visit.

I work on my own and i do not charge for any cleaning visit that is cancelled. People only ever cancel in emergancies (they dont do it to me without thinking) but even so it hits me in the pocket. That said, i am oh so very grateful for the work they allow me to do at all the other times of the year so i see it as a small price to pay. I also have to remember that its reasons like paying for cancelled bookings that people have come away from bigger cleaning companies (amongst other reasons) to use a one-man-band like myself.

Anyway, ironically, thats why i am here now, my tuesday morning is on holiday!!!

Spk soon

Stephen

[Mrs Nicholls]

Hi Stephen

I too am on holidays this week - well kind of, i have a throat and chest infection so im forced to have a sick week 

Our client has a weekly visit usually, but this week cancelled the visit due to her husband not being well.

This is a regular customer for our cleaner, and she'll be 4 hours down on her hours this week, so dont know really what to do.

Usually we dont pay ourselves if a client postpones for a week as we havent cleaned. but i guess its different for our cleaners...

[Bertie Boo]

hi lisa

as you know i dont employ staff BUT i would have thought that if they were on your payroll you'd have no choice but to pay them? Or you MAY be able to suggest they take the time as paid holiday perhaps?

If its self-employed staff i dont think it matters, its up to you...

Cheers

Stephen

[richyvezy]

Lisa

What does it state in the cleaners contract ? Have you got this client to sign a contract stating late cancellations are still chargeable etc ?

Richy

[Mrs Nicholls]

Hi

In our terms of service to the client it states that we need 24 hours notice.

I have had a think and as it wasnt our cleaners fault that she only had an hours notice ( the client phoned her direct), and i'm going to pay her for the hours, it seems fair in the circumstances.

I like it when these little questions pop up, i can now evolve my terms again 

thanks guys
lisa

[Bertie Boo]

Hi lisa

Talk us through how you run your service etc. do you employ staff or are they self employed (like a some agencies etc).

Cheers

Stephen

[Mrs Nicholls]

Hi Stephen

Not allowed to have staff as self employed, the inland revenue would have me hung drawn and quartered ! lol 

We employ our own staff all 5 of them, they have their weekly rotas arranged by me, and mostly go to the same clients every week / fortnight.  i do all the payroll and inland rev stuff p11 etc.

What specifically are you asking? i could write an essay...

[Bertie Boo]

Hi Lisa

I seem to recall that as far as self-employed staff go the forum was divided when it was discussed before  i think ultimatly it comes down to what you provide them with and what they provide themselves etc.

The reason i ask is because Time for You  (to name one) use a 'bank' of self-employed cleaners who the clients pay directly, with the agencey fee paid monthly by D/D. One of the franchisees states that if you cancel a booking you do not have to pay the cleaner BUT you do have to pay the agency fee.

If your staff are on the payroll i presume you guarentee them a minimum number of hours per week? I would have thought that this would have dictated whether or not you have to pay them if someone cancels (in other words if you contract them for 10 hours a week minimum but they'd agreed to do 10 additional hours this week out of which they would have been going to the person who rang and cancelled then you may not be obliged to pay the cleaner, BUT supposing the cancelled booking formed part of the contractually agreed 10 hours you MIGHT be obliged to pay them, if that makes sense...?) but in any case if i were your member of staff i'd *probably* be expecting to be paid although i would consider taking it as holiday if possible.

Cheers

Stephen

[*Chris Browne]

Hi Lisa, it all depends really on what you have in your contract with the cleaner and on what basis you employ her.

Chris