Here is an update on my cleaning demarcation dispute.
Last Sunday, I received the following email response from the building manager:
Thank you for your feedback and We are awful sorry about ordering flower.
If I can be of any help, please feel free to call me
Have a nice weekend
Thanks you and best regard,
Hang Nga
This completely missed the mark. The dead flowers were the least of my worries. So I responded as follows:
Regarding the clothes washing, Before you started working here, Anh told me the Lakeside cleaners would hang out my clothes for me to dry down next to the pool and bring them back and fold them. This is why I was confused at the clothes coming back like this (please see picture attached). I do not expect ironing but I do expect folding. [I do realize how silly this all sounds, even as I am writing it.]
Regarding the dishes. Please be aware that the cleaner started to wash the dishes on Monday but then left them in water for the week..
Regarding the flowers - I am not upset about this. When I returned to find them dead and dropping on the floor then I assumed the cleaners did not do any cleaning at all on Wednesday or Friday?
Until last week the cleaners were helping me with these little things and I appreciated this very much. That is why I was surprised. I was wondering if maybe they are angry at me, thinking that the water fall problem is my fault? [Waterfall was her word and I liked it.]
I think it is useful to give you some photos. [attached 3 photos]
Would it be possible for me to slightly reduce my rent and to organise my own cleaning services? Maybe that is easier for you.
There is not very much cleaning to do. I work very long hours and travel often. I am not in the apartment very often and do not make very much mess or any problems. I travel a lot for work and I live alone with no wife or no children. [Sympathy card … hopefully not taken as a hint.]
Please note - everyone has been very friendly and helpful to me at Lakeside. I am not complaining about the people here. I am just confused about what changed last week.
To which she responded:
Dear Mr Anthony,
Thank you for your feedback!
Thank you and best regards
hang Nga
If I can be of any help, Please feel free to contact to me
Email: hangng91987@yahoo.com
Mobile: 0983513952
hotline: 0904301249
Hang has a hotline? Wow. It’s clearly not her first time at the rodeo. Attached to her email were two word documents - one in English and one in Vietnamese. The English one was as follows:
Firtly, We ensure that our room services had cleaned your apartment on time.
Secondly, As shown in our contract, drying, folding clothes and washing dishes is not our room services’s work. We help only you to do those.
Thirtly, We are awful sorry for ordering flower this week. We promise you that we shall withdraw our experience from this matter. And there will not to have similar this matter in future.
Fouthly, we checked your washing machine. And there are not problem with your washing machine. Last week, we just guested that you spilled water on the floor unfortunately. And now we know that you do not put or spilled water anywhere near this floor. We will check the toilet and pipes or water escape system and fix them in next Monday morning.
We hope you have a pleasant and comfortable stay with us at the Lake Side Garden.
If you have any trouble, Please feedback to us.
To help you learn Vietnamese I want to send an english and vietnamese letter.
Thank you very much and best regards,
That left me very confused as to what this "helping" actually comprised.
Then about 2 hours later I received another email from Hang Nga, saying she had checked with the owner who said they could do these extra tasks for an additional $100 USD per month. This is exorbitant. Some potatoes pay $50 for the lot, including ironing. I’m only asking for about 2 hours per week, market rates would make it $15 per month. This potato was not going to get peeled..
I fought back via email, suggested (nicely) that they could reduce my own rent by $100 and do no cleaning at all. That I would then arrange myself.
Meanwhile, back at the apartment, I became holier than though . The cleaner was due on Monday so I spent the morning tidying up. I tidied and folded all the things she had not done last week, threw out the dead flowers, upended the vase on the sink to pretend that I’d washed it, left some dishes and cutlery in the sink and put a load in the washing machine. The dishes and clothes were to be my litmus test.
When I returned back to the apartment that night it was immaculate. Washing up was done. Even an extra load had been gathered, washed, dried and beautifully folded (harking back to a happier time when the same proactive approach washed my passport). So I sent the following note:
Dear Hang Nga
The cleaners today did a fantastic job today.
The apartment looked lovely when I came home and it was a nice feeling to walk through the door in the evening.
Please pass on my thanks to them.
Cheers
Anthony
To which she replied:
Dear Mr Anthony,
One behalf of your cleaner(Ms Hao), Thank you for your praise.
And I shall pass on your thanks to her in tomorrow morning.
I hope that we will be able to make your stay a pleasant one.
Thank you very much!
If I can be of any help, Please contact to me!
Have a nice evening!
Thanks you and best regards,
Hang nga
I finally feel like we understand each other. This can't possibly go wrong. Right?
