Wednesday, April 9, 2014

Maid Woes

Getting a good domestic help is a big blessing of god, though I consider myself lucky that I have never been left in a lurch...but then never something too satisfactory even..some of my acquaintances keep saying that they wouldnt change their flat because they have got a perfect maid...perfect is too much and dont why coming too much in my posts:)..will have to take care..nothing is ever perfect...

I had this one who was good, talked to the point and regular too and I really cared for her, but then one fine day she traded me for her other employer's convenience, and forgot all I did:(..I still feel like asking her why....

Then there was another one  who was good in work, but demanded lot of things, but it was fine with me, then she started taking lot of leave, and once I deducted from her pay, then she came with a story that her daughter had some problem in brain and needed an MRI, I gave her 500/...and after that saw her no more....:)

In between there were some inconsequential ones...

Then I had this one who cooked for me,just a passable fare with no intention of learning anything...but whenever I went away she took care of everything..I mean all other work also if the other one was absent..that was quite important, as my MIL is very old and my hubby thought of her very considerate..but then she always took three times the money from me when I came back.unfortunately she had a fracture, and I couldnt get anybody for temporary job, so had to employ a new one, as I couldnt manage 2 months, earlier her husband had heart attack then I had managed for 20 days ...and helped her with some money too...this time too I gave her some money but couldnt keep her job...
In similar situation what should be done, because I feel guilty...of not supporting her in hours of her need..

This one was very intelligent, understood everything very fast and worked well, but she was very irregular in her timings and took too many leave and then sometimes at a time 10 days too, which is too much to adjust. She charged reasonably though but always wanted  6 months salary in advance.Since I am not a person who will ask everyday for every work and supervise, she suited me very well..I helped her a lot in everything but then she thought of me as a naive person and started taking advantage of me and left...

She is very regular without any leave but work is not so good and not very perceptive to my demands.She is pricey, but she is ready to do everything and some extra work also and knows cooking too, top of that good in Hindi.But one thing pinches me that she is charging 500/ extra from me for the same work that she is doing in other houses, and still puts in less time in my place than others..

One thing exasperates me here when I come to know that helpers think that north Indians pay easily and have lot of money, so they always demand more from us and always want to exploit us...its a pathetic thinking....

what to do..could anyone help me?

7 comments:

Sandhya said...

I too had been quite lucky in terms of maids. From Rs.20 a month to Rs. 2,000 a month...I have come across so many different types of maids. One worked for 18 years. Then I tried 3-4...then settled with one now.

The worst part was one woman was stealing small small things and throwing them through the window and collect while leaving. A neighbour noticed it and she was sent home. I used to give her food. She told me 'Everybody says that after joining your house I look well. I should not have done this mistake... my husband loves your rasam!'

She smiles at me even now!

Learn Tamil and if they know that you are not new to this place, they will not dare cheat you, Renu.

sm said...

yes suggestion hire her on hourly basis must spend 1 hour or 2 hours in home

Jeevan said...

We too have experience similar to yours... this time after shifted house last month; we got a maid quickly who came informing us that she had been working at this house for past a decade under the previous owner. She along with her daughter working at few houses in the same street and seems reliable, so we appointed them, inquired about them with the previous owner.

Renu said...

Sandhya: Even my maid lakshmi uses to say that her husband tell her she is getting gundu:)
even if i speak tamil..my cooking is different, food is different..

sm: Thank you..initially I did it, then got complacent..

Jeevan:looks like they are same everywhere..

Chai a Cup of Life said...

Luckily I never had to deal with the maids that come and went, my MIL does this! I am Australian so am not (and still) not used to having them in my home. But I noticed, if you start giving them in the beginning, then you are more likely to be taken advantage of.

Asha said...

Most of them are not loyal even if you pay them more. Especially for people like us who are residents of multistoreyed where demand is more and supply is less. They dictate terms to us.

Fortunately, I have retained a maid for the past 5 years. Here we have lot of migrant north indian workers too so, language is not a issue.

Hope you get a good one soon. Try some manpower agency otherwise.

Renu said...

Chai A cup of life..Today even In India I want to manage without maids, but being a tropical country with lot of dust and heat..its very difficult..

Asha: You are right..my husband would always say that pay more to get loyalty, but its not like that..
Even my last one was working for me for 4 years, thats another of my problem, I nevr chuck them out:)..whatevr the problem.

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