Jump to content

Recommended Posts

I post a thread on here on the 26/02/16 only to have it deleted from the forum.


I asked if anyone knew a cleaner called Sandra, English lady who drives a VW Polo and leaves in Bermondsey.


I hired her in later 2015. When I interviewed her I asked specific questions about who will be cleaning. I made it clear if she was hiring someone else to do the cleaning I would not be interested in hiring her. She assured me she would be the one doing the cleaning with the help of someone. It turned out she did not do the cleaning but hired two polish girls to do the cleaning.


Sandra was hired for 5 weeks but was present only on the first day of the trial clean. The other 4 days she made excuses why she was not able to attend. It prompted me to question the girl because of Sandra?s absence and the fact the girl did not look at all happy or interested in cleaning. Plus my instructions were not adhered too.

On questioning the girl she informed me Sandra never did the cleaning. She was paid ?15 per house and she had to do 5 houses per day. We paid Sandra ?10.00 per hour to do 4 hours of cleaning one day per week.


I felt the girls were being exploited. I spoke to Sandra but she was not very open to discuss the situation. I asked Sandra to confirm that the girls were being paid the London hourly rate if we were to continue hiring her to do the cleaning. She was not willing to do so so we fired her.


I recently transferred in error ?70.00 to Sandra?s account on the 10/02/16, I have asked her several times to transfer the money back to me but she has not done so. I felt it was important to share this with the forum because Sandra was recommended through the Forum.

Link to comment
https://www.eastdulwichforum.co.uk/topic/95955-cleaner-called-sandra/
Share on other sites

We meant to post something at the time but never got round to it. We also had Sandra come round to do a deep clean following some building works in December. Again Sandra turned up on the first day with a lady who spoke no English. My husband who was in at the time noted that the Polish lady was doing all the work whilst Sandra was on her phone. The second time only the Polish lady turned up and she spoke not a word of English and we suspected that she was unlikely to be receiving anywhere near the full amount of money from Sandra. This made us feel uncomfortable.

As such we would not recommend using Sandra.

JnClaude Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------


> I recently transferred in error ?70.00 to Sandra?s

> account on the 10/02/16, I have asked her several

> times to transfer the money back to me but she has

> not done so. I felt it was important to share this

> with the forum because Sandra was recommended

> through the Forum.


The banks do have a code for dealing with this kind of thing, and it seems to have become a bit more favourable recently. See for example http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/banking/send-money-wrong-account. You could also find her bank branch from the sort code, using http://www.fasterpayments.org.uk/consumers/sort-code-checker, if for any reason you wanted to write to her c/o her bank.

Umhh is this a polic matter?

Fraud? Seems to me that this goes beyond a civil contractual issue.


I had a similar experience with a very well known local builder. The project manager was English but spent all the time on the phone as he was going through a divorce. The Latvian builders were fine but complained that the person being paid twice as much was not doing what he shoud be doing. Needless to say mistakes were made and I wont be using this very well know builder again. There was some rectification but not satisfactory.


Breaking my rules on going off at a tangent so please stick to my first two lines!

  • 3 weeks later...
  • 1 year later...

JnClaude Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> I have not heard back from Sandra. The mobile

> number I have for her is 07913955780. I would

> appreciate it if anyone have a different number or

> email address for her or postal address.



That is the number I used and organised cleaning with her.


Oh how I WISH I had searched her name on here before getting her to do our cleaning. She had responded to a post I put on here and I just booked her. Silly me.


I had originally booked her for domestic cleaning but later told her I needed a post build heavier clean. After explaining all that I needed done, she said she didn't have time to do all of the work.

I then asked if she could still come for the 3 hours anyway and just clean the new extension upstairs, to which she agreed and explained she cleans with someone else so it's 1.5 hours but double the man power.


She arrived with 2 other young ladies. She spoke in English to them but they weren't English themselves.

I showed her what I needed done. The rooms were unfurnished and needed wiping down, floors cleaned, bathrooms cleaned and all cupboards wiped down. There was dust from the decorating but it was manageable with wiping down. She then went on to say this wasn't regular cleaning and she never charges ?10/hour for what I was asking but that they would get on with it anyway. However I had made it clear to her previously what I had wanted done in terms of cleaning the extension.


She said she wasn't going to clean because she had hurt her back and that's why she had 2 girls with her. I asked them to clean the windows if there was time left. But she said there wouldn't be time.


They finished after one hour and when I questioned what they were going to do for the remaining half an hour, Sandra told me it's ?15 per hour for the sort of cleaning they've done and there was 3 of them doing it! (Thought you had a bad back?!)

I argued that it was clear what was required from Them when I booked her and that she never mentioned a higher cost for cleaning after the builders. But she wouldn't back down.

My baby was starting to cry in his bouncer and I didn't want to get into an argument in my home. So just gave her the money and they left.


There's still dust in all of the rooms and in the corners. The floor was moped over very quickly and not really cleaned. The bathroom tiles are still dusty too.

So I'm not sure what ?15 per hour rate covers?!!


I've been completely ripped off and as people say, the girls didn't look too happy either.

More fool me for not checking up properly.

I had a similar experince in Wiltshire a couple of years ago. The lady came round to view the job, which I talked through in great detail to which she nodded but took no written notes. We agreed a price per hour.

She turned-up next day with a Polish (as was she) woman who spoke NO English and took her through the house to show (I thought) what needed to be done. The house had just been renovated and decorated and was fairly clean actually.

The lady worked hard but the hoover she'd brought did not work, she asked if she could use a broom instead via sign language, I signed back that a vaccum is better for carpets.

2hrs later the lady's partner turned-up with a replacement vacuum, which did not work either, after another 2 hrs he returned with another vacuum which sort of worked (I think he'd taken one of the machines away and had a go at fixing it). After a full day the cleaner was about to pack up to leave (be collected by the lady) and I asked/signed if she'd please clean the kitchen worktops and scullery but she replied/signed that wasn't part of the job. Obviously I'd originally asked for this but there was no way of having the debate without the manager lady there.

When they added up the bill they included the hours waiting for a hoover which I was amazed at and I didn't have enough cash on me for the ananticipated final total - the lady said she'd send her husband round that evening to collect the balance and I said it'd have to be tomorrow to which she got proper contrary.

Next day the dude turns up and I told him I wasn't paying the balance becuase I'd been messed about, he threatened me and I called a mate out of the house who was visiting and invited the dude into the garden. He gave some (I assume) insults and buggered off. Total nightmare - couldn't have invented it.

  • 2 years later...

Hi all,


Just following up here as we have had a very poor experience with Sandra where she has refused to return our keys and claims she has lost them after we said no longer needed her services. Does anyone have her surname or details of her business? My wife is seven months pregnant and it is causing us much distress along with potential expense at having to get locks replaced etc.


Thanks

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
  • Latest Discussions

    • Does anyone know when the next SNT meeting is? I am fed up with my son being mugged on East Dulwich Grove! 
    • The issue must be everywhere at the moment. I was visiting a friend last week in Bermondsey, think we were walking  down Linton Rd & we dodged 7 dog poos. It was disgusting. 
    • Thanks for your message — I actually took the time to look into what CityHive does before posting my original comment, and I’d encourage anyone with questions to do the same. Yes, the Companies House filings are overdue — but from what I’ve gathered, this seems likely to be an accountant or admin issue, not some sign of ill intent. A lot of small, community-based organisations face challenges keeping up with formalities, especially when they’re focused on immediate needs like food distribution. Let’s not forget CityHive is a not-for-profit, volunteer-powered CIC — not a corporate machine. As for the directors, people stepping down or being replaced is often about capacity or commitment — which is completely normal in the voluntary and community sector. New directors are sometimes appointed when others can no longer give the time. It doesn’t automatically mean bad governance — it just means people’s circumstances change. CityHive’s actual work speaks volumes. They buy most of the food they distribute — fresh produce, essential groceries, and shelf-stable items — and then deliver it to food banks, soup kitchens, and community projects across London. The food doesn’t stay with CityHive — it goes out to local food hubs, and from there, directly to people who need it most. And while yes, there may be a few paid staff handling logistics or admin, there’s a huge volunteer effort behind the scenes that often goes unseen. Regular people giving their time to drive vans, sort donations, load pallets, pack food parcels — that’s what keeps things running. And when people don’t volunteer? Those same tasks still need to be done — which means they have to be paid for. Otherwise, the whole thing grinds to a halt. As the need grows, organisations like CityHive will inevitably need more support — both in people and funding. But the bigger issue here isn’t one small CIC trying to make ends meet. The real issue is the society we live in — and a government that isn’t playing its part in eradicating poverty. If it were, organisations like CityHive, The Felix Project, City Harvest, FareShare, and the Trussell Trust wouldn’t need to exist, let alone be thriving. They thrive because the need is growing. That’s not a reflection on them — it’s a reflection on a broken system that allows people to go hungry in one of the richest cities in the world. If you're in doubt about what they’re doing, go check their Instagram: @cityhivemedia. You’ll see the real organisations and people receiving food, sharing thanks, and showing how far the impact reaches. Even Southwark Foodbank has received food from CityHive — that alone should speak volumes. So again — how does any of this harm you personally? Why spend time trying to discredit a group trying to support those who are falling through the cracks? We need more people lifting others up — not adding weight to those already carrying the load.
    • Well, this is very disappointing. Malabar Feast  has changed its menu again. The delicious fish curry with sea bass no longer exists. There is now a fish dish with raw mango, which doesn't appeal. I had dal and spinach instead, which was bland (which I suppose I could/should have predicted). One of my visitors had a "vegetable Biriani" which contained hardly any vegetables. Along with it came two extremely tiny pieces of poppadom in a large paper bag.   This was embarrassing, as I had been singing Malabar's praises and recommending we ordered from there. The other mains and the parathas were OK, but I doubt we will be ordering from there again. My granddaughters wisely opted for Yard Sale pizzas, which were fine. Has anybody else had a similar recent poor (or indeed good!)  experience at Malabar Feast?
Home
Events
Sign In

Sign In



Or sign in with one of these services

Search
×
    Search In
×
×
  • Create New...