Problem with 'workman'. Help please!

Never heard of bin cleaning! We have black plastic bags, green waste bags and glass and metal boxes. Oh and food chemistry waste bin. Which is a bit grotty and gets an occasional hose down.

I don’t have a bin cleaner, but our green waste bin, which is for garden waste, grass cuttings etc can get very smelly in the summer, so DH hoses it out and turns it to dry in the sun.

Enterprising people set themselves up as bin cleaners when our local authority changed to the different types of plastic bins we now have.

Our general and recycling waste bins stay clean as everything is bagged up or washed out beforehand, but I doubt if that is done by everyone.

(I don’t mean you Fanny).!

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.

Am equally astonished too nanna8 ?and I live in the UK.
Have never heard of this service, or need it, as the rubbish is put in the bin already bagged up and doesn’t smell at all.

The recycling bin stays clean too, as tins and jars are washed out first.

As to the problem by the OP, I would stay with ‘Ben’ now you have hired him.

If you are feeling bullied, why not simply remind him that he has already been paid till August anyway - so you will continue with Ben for now but will call him in August if you feel you need him back?

Send him a message saying you are sorry but because the young woman had been doing it and then it stopped you assumed he had gone out of business, you have now given the contract to someone else and paid a year in advance, just as you did with him) so you can't change.

Well, FannyC Swanky old you, eh?! A Bin Cleaner - how the other half live (said she as she hosed out her own bins yesterday and put them to dry in the sun!)

Looks like you've made up your mind so don't want to have complaints that I never read the thread because I did. I think you're very reasonable and not a wuss, but just need to be assertive here. So, just a couple of points :

John disappeared well before he had or didn't have Covid, and the service was a bit sporadic. However, he is definitely well in hand with payment and you say is paid up until August this year. Lucky old him, then. Shame if he's been ill, shame if he has lost work, but you're not psychic and you're the one inconvenienced by having no idea if or when he's coming back. You're happy with his replacement now - he needs to just learn that next time keeping people informed is a good idea if he wants to keep hold of his customers. You are definitely not being in any way unreasonable and he needs to respect your decision.

Hello all.
Thank you for your replies.
The more that I think about it, nothing adds up.
It wasn't John cleaning the bins for months - it was the woman.
The whole Covid tale relies upon me not knowing that that was happening.
There's a lot more going on here than meets the eye.
Also, I do definitely think that he was trying to bully me.

I, too, have never come across the concept of having someone in to clean my bins. I haven't seen any adverts for bin cleaners anywhere.

Why do bins need cleaning? I swill through every thing that goes in the recycling bin, and shocking though it sounds, all landfill goes in a big black bin liner. . I use those cornflour compostable bags for food waste.Now and again I put a bucket of water in the big bins and tip them upside down

But a bin cleaner?

I feel a bit sorry for John, he has probably lost a lot of business due to him having Covid.

I would have him back as you have been happy for the last 10 years. However, as you clearly do not want him back just text to say you have made other arrangements.

Ours don't get dirty either but DH hoses them out occasionally.
I wash the food waste bin as the bags sometimes leak.

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 systems are different for every Local Authority here, nanna8 and even then, they keep changing them.

At least they recycle in your part of Australia because I know they don't everywhere and my family in one area has to pay a private firm to collect the rubbish.

Glad you asked that, nana8. the recycling bin I have doesn't get anything dirty or smelly in it and there's not very much in the non-recyclable bin, apart from tissues and wipes. The food caddy is emptied into the garden bin and it all goes to a composting facility. I don't think anyone runs a bin-cleaning business around here.

They come along with a water tank and clean out the sulo bins. They can get a bit smelly if something leaks.

My OH puts some hot water in ours and swills it round. Seems to work ok.

nanna8 I believe they come round after your dustbin has been emptied and clean it out for you, at a price. We jet wash our own with disinfectant in the water rather than paying someone. Some of our neighbours use the service but pay monthly, bins are emptied alternate weeks, household/recycling.

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 presume you mean you don't want him to have your number? And you don't know that the young woman is actually his daughter?
I think it is sad if he has had covid and been seriously ill but he doesn't sound as if he is over it.
I think I would prepare something to say like "As I've said I'm sorry you have been ill but I have made other arrangements now and don't need your service any more. Best wishes". I doubt you would get/want a refund. If you don't then you could also mention that you have paid upfront till August but do not require the money refunded. Don't know if bin cleaners have specific territories like window cleaners and ice cream vans You probably don't need a "bin war"!

I would never pay anybody a year in advance for anything. I would stay with Ben and if he does a good job I would get rid of John. It may become unpleasant but once you shut the door in his face he will realise you mean business.

A roofer tried to do similar with me. There happened to be a painter in the house, a burly rugby enthusiast who overheard the talk at the door . Painter got off his ladder, ordered me to the back of the house, and totally dismissed the roofer.

To begin with he did it on his own, but more recently a young woman (may be his daughter) has been doing it.

Gingster I think the young woman should have let FannyC know that her father was I'll and she couldn't cope with the business on her own and come to an arrangement regarding the money too.

The thing is, you weren’t a casual customer who paid him each time he did the job. You paid him in advance for a year. To my mind, that entitled you to be informed why he (or the girl) wasn’t doing the job. Surely they could have contacted you when he was recovering?
Yes I agree.

It's unfortunate and I don't know how much money you may have lost but I'd continue with Ben if he is doing a good job.

We don't have our bins cleaned but the window cleaner doesnt charge annually; he charges each time.

It’s no wonder we get stressed out is it?

How awkward.

The thing is, you weren’t a casual customer who paid him each time he did the job. You paid him in advance for a year. To my mind, that entitled you to be informed why he (or the girl) wasn’t doing the job. Surely they could have contacted you when he was recovering?

He’s in receipt of your money until August. I would continue with Ben the next 3 months, if he still proves to be doing a good job, I would tell John that regrettably he has been replaced.

Not easy I know.

Elegran you're right.
I hadn't seen or heard anything from either of them for six months now.
It's just not on.

My DH was a self employed builder and I did all the admin stuff, so I know how you should treat customers.
As I mentioned in the op, he did once have my phone number.
He didn't even have the facility to leave a message on his landline.
It's not very professional is it.

Difficult one as he has been doing it for 10 years and presumably you have been happy with the job in that time. His daughter may have taken over because he did have covid but for whatever reason you and I guess lots of other customers didn’t have the bins cleaned for several months. He may be desperate for money and need his job back. He is going to have to build up his business again from scratch and bullying previous customers is not the way to go about it. He has not offered to refund your money so that’s not good either. And you are happy with the new chap who sounds much better and he is contactable.

If John comes back if it was me, and he lets you speak, I would say I was sorry to hear of his problems but having heard nothing from him, I had to find someone else, and I intend to stay with him. If he argues just keep repeating that quietly and firmly. Then go inside and close the door.

Fanny You might be able to work into your conversation with him (or the email) some mention that shows you are aware that the young woman had actually been doing the work well before neither of them turned up at all for those months.

Remember my ex bin cleaner, after trying to say I hadn’t paid, when had proof I did, sent him off with a flea in his ear. Now clean my own bins.

I don’t think John has any grounds for feeling disgruntled. He’s been paid up front for a job he’s been unable to do for months and presumably isn’t returning any of your money. You didn’t know he was ill.

I agree with everything wildswan16 has said. Keep it short and sweet and let him know that you had to find a replacement when you hadn’t heard from him in so long. Then block his number and don’t worry about it.