Problem with 'workman'. Help please!

nanna8

What is a bin cleaner? I am not joking, I am not familiar with them because I don’t think we have them here. We get plastic bins for rubbish and recycling and another one for garden waste but they don’t really get dirty. The main waste one you use plastic bin sacks so there is no dirt there. The others are for weeds, so no dirt and paper and bottles which we pre wash. You must have a different system.

I was about to ask the same as I've never heard of a bin cleaner

The 'why does anyone want their bins cleaning?' question must come from those who never ever have anything messy or smelly in their bins.

Perhaps they have a local authority which issues separate bins for food waste, and don't leave them unemptied if they are lined with a plastic bag (even a compostable one)

Perhaps they put every single item of rubbish in a plastic (NOT compostable) carrier bag, adding to the vast amount of plastic going into landfill for their greatgreatgrandchildren to deal with.

Perhaps they don't live where the bins for several households are all stored together, where anyone at all could be throwing anything at all into any bin at all.

Perhaps they are fit and well and strong enough to turn a wheelie bin on its side to wash it out and to empty out the dirty water and then set it right way up again. - or have someone living in who will do so.

For someone who lives alone, whose bin does get dirty and smelly for whatever reason, and who is not up to scrubbing it out themselves, finding someone who is willing to clean it for a small sum is worth it. For someone (teenager, umemployed person) who wants to make a few pounds, doing this is similar to jobbing gardening or washing cars. If there is a market for a service, a supplier will step into the gap. Good for them!

We used to have our bin cleaned at our previous home about 20 years ago when wheelie bins were first introduced. I can't remember if we cancelled the service or it just stopped, but I'm pretty sure we weren't using it by the time we moved here. My bins don't need cleaning as I either clean (the recycling) or bag everything, but, as some others have said, not everyone is so fastidious. I live by a school and you would be amazed what other people put in my bin if it's left out all day.- never mind what they drop in my garden or in the street! That doesn't happen very often since I retired, but when I was working I came home to find an unwrapped nappy in my bin. When the bin was emptied the next week it stuck to the bottom so I had to remove and wrap it to ensure it didn't become a permanent fixture. I guess if people do that to someone else's bin they probably don't take proper care of their own, so maybe they need to pay for cleaning services. Unfortunately they probably don't care enough so the people paying for these services are probably those who need them least.

Once you decide which cleaner you are going to go with just pay them once a month, so that if they do not come they do not get paid. Let the cleaner know that so there is no misunderstanding. I don't like the sounds of the conversation with the original worker I would feel intimidated also and then he could do it again. If it was me I would go with Ben and pay monthly letting him know that are the terms going forward. Best of luck!

A bin cleaner is a person who cleans ones bins.
They typically come to your house once a month, on the day that the council has emptied your bin, in a van.
They hose down (with cleaning fluid and water) the inner and sometimes the outer of your bin.

Hello Fanny. I can imagine how stressful this is and how intimidated you feel. I’m a retired solicitor. You paid John to clean your bin monthly until August this year. That created a contract obliging him to clean the bins each month or get someone else to do so. He breached the contract by not turning up for several months (over six months by my reckoning?) without explanation. He might have been in hospital with covid but not for all that time. He apparently made no attempt to contact you to tell you of his illness (if there was one). He could have got the woman to advise his customers of the situation and do her best to do the bins whilst he was out of action (or get someone else to do so) - but that didn’t happen and your attempts to contact him were fruitless. You were entitled to treat the contract as terminated, ask for repayment for the months the service wasn’t provided, and hire someone else, which you have done. I would suggest you tell him just that, and that you’ve taken advice on the matter. (I can’t give legal advice now I’m retired so just treat this as friendly advice.) Tell him that although you are entitled to a refund you are not asking for one (it seems you can afford to write the money off and I think asking for money back would just prolong this unpleasant matter), but you are not reinstating the arrangement and don’t wish to hear from him, or anyone on his behalf, again. Do this by text to avoid another diatribe from him, then block his number and don’t answer the door if he comes round. Personally I don’t see the need for having the bins cleaned, however if you want to do that carry on with Ben but only pay each time he comes, as you would with say a cleaning lady or window cleaner. Never pay someone in advance for a year’s worth of service! He must have thought he was on to a good thing, no wonder he’s so keen to retain your custom! John has shown his true colours and hopefully learned an important lesson in customer service. And he’s quids in, and has no reason to complain at that. After the way he’s intimidated you I can’t imagine you’d feel comfortable having him back again anyway - I certainly wouldn’t. Good luck and let us know how you get on, you’ve got masses of support here.

You've said hes paid until august. So he hasn't been losing money. I doubt you'll get it back anyway so tell him to accept it as his notice period.

I think Germanshepherdsmum has said it all and summed it up very well.

I'd just like to add one thing though - are any of your neighbours having the same problem? It might be worth asking around.

nanna8

What is a bin cleaner? I am not joking, I am not familiar with them because I don’t think we have them here. We get plastic bins for rubbish and recycling and another one for garden waste but they don’t really get dirty. The main waste one you use plastic bin sacks so there is no dirt there. The others are for weeds, so no dirt and paper and bottles which we pre wash. You must have a different system.

The problem with the plastic wheeley bins is, unless you've had it from new and always use bin liners and bags in indoor bins the inside of the wheeley bin gets manky! When we moved to this house the previous occupants had dumped all manner of stuff unbagged into the household waste bin, including cat and dog poo! You can imagine how dirty it was I'm sure.
Once we were settled in OH blitzed all the bins, there's three altogether, and we now have the general waste bin cleaned every fortnight. It's £1.80 a time and give him £2, well worth it and he puts it back in place up the drive when he's done. Gets a good tip at Christmas and when it's hot weather we offer him bottled water too.

That’s a bit harsh, FannyCornforth.

If John was very ill with Covid all that time, how sad BUT someone should have contacted his customers to explain the situation. If he had done this fair enough but Ben has been reliable and efficient so stay with him imo.

kimboM

That’s a bit harsh, FannyCornforth.

What is? ?

Hosing down those poor bins ??

You can set your mobile phone so that the person you have called can't see your number.
My feeling FWIW is that since he hasn't bothered to get in touch and tell you what is going on (or arranged for any member of his family to do so) for so long, you are perfectly entitled to assume that he would not be coming again and to make alternative arrangements. Annoying if you have paid up-front for a service which you have not had, but if he hasn't attended you could reasonably treat those payments as being in lieu of notice.
I would stick with Ben.

Gosh Fanny you've got too many men in your life ?

Never heard of anyone having their bins professionally cleaned before….!

Nanette1955

Never heard of anyone having their bins professionally cleaned before….!

How about amateurishly?

Never heard of anyone having their bins professionally cleaned before….!

It’s been a well used service in my area for years. He turns up like clockwork an hour after the bin lorry. Pressure washer used inside and outside bin and a squirt of deodoriser. I’m not sure how much it cost but he has plenty of customers.

Oh thankyou Grannynannywanny
I was starting to feel like some kind of pervert!

I'm worried now because our Council provides polythene bin liners but we are assured that they are properly recycled.

i only have one pedal bin bag of rubbish per week usually, so the waste collectors usually just reach into the wheely bin to remove it.
the problem is that passers-by throw in oddments and i also have to deal with various animal droppings which go tied in v small bags. all this lesser rubbish gets left at the bottom of the bin.
i keep meaning to have a big clear out, and put multiple bags of rubbish in, but i've yet to devise the best method...
since that's unwanted/useless items, not dirty rubbish, i don't seem to get round to it.
think we should have lockable bins; will have to when it's all wieghed and charged by weight.

OP, agree with others; john has failed to fulfil contract.
realistically you have lost that money.
advice for future, never pay a year in advance.
aim to pay per cleaning event.
have contact details/ID for cleaner.
note vehicle reg number.

Fanny Cornforth...do you have his address? Can you write a letter to him telling him regardless of his dilemma, you no longer need his services as your happy with " Ben". He has no right to harass you, and you need to make it clear that you won't tolerate any further contact from him. If he did have covid, then yes that's sad, but he didn't have anything put in place to cover for such incidents as illness. My guess is you weren't the only one to cancel his services, and maybe he's panicking. Can you text him from someone else's phone or use a public phone to ring him?

No excuse. The woman/daughter, someone should have notified all customers to say he was ill. Also he owes you money as i am sure he owes a lot of people money. If you are happy with the new man I would stay with him. He let you down without a thought and no mention of refunding you. Says it all really.

I agree also with singlegram . I would no longer trust " John". He could do it again, what would be the excuse then I wonder. Probably " I've used up all my sick days, so I'm phoning in 'dead'...I read that on a T shirt once and though it was brilliant. John would probably expect you to believe it too. Or keep coming back until you did.