#BlogLife935 - Angst overload/Cleaner Scams

The volunteering was going smoothly but today I hit a few rough chats that I could/should have handled better.

I think it was the subject matter. One was flip-flopping and I found that really confusing to have two extreme views and then do a complete turn around.

But I've taken a break as the cleaner arrived and I'm not feeling good but so be it.

As I feel judged and told it will take longer and cost more. Hmm. I'm not lucky with cleaners at all.

I guess what annoys me is that I was clear about what my needs were and suddenly it's outlandish.

The problem with this is that, nothing extra can be done, like helping declutter and the annoyance of having to come out multiple times when the instructions were clear.

The other chat was Umm... Hmm open to interpretation maybe? I felt I came across as judgemental which no-one wants but I was trying to show that actions have consequences.

Anyway I will strive to do better next time. I'm not perfect, just trying to lend support.

I will just say that, it feels like certain people want me to say Yes you're doing correct things and carry on, it's fine.

I'm just not that person. I like to paint the full picture but stress it's their comfort levels that matter.

I can't ignore self destruction at all. I just feel bad that person didn't the unburdening they deserved.

It's going to be a long day. I am so dizzy and sore. Why do I kid myself hiring a cleaner will be a magical experience?

I'm confused so I was charged £115 after all for 5 hours and only 2 rooms done?

Maybe because it was incomplete and maybe I got the discount.

So a disaster from start to finish, she couldn't locate my address and I had to go out a bunch of times and repeat myself.

I was not happy. Then as usual she ignored my instructions to just mop each floor, that was it, nothing else required as I can manage.

She took 4 hours to clean the kitchen. I can't even fathom how that happens.

Were you on the phone? Were you taking a nap? It's bizarre to me.

A mopping and a wiping? Wow. Then she literally rang me on the mobile, instead of just calling out, that there was 20 minutes left.

And she was cryptically saying, You can use the service or pay me an extra £60 for the remainder.......

I don't bloody think so. Although at that point, I hadn't eaten or drank for the entire day so I was tempted.

The hallway, bathroom and bedroom and lounge were left, which is a farce.

What was funnier, I mean I wasn't laughing she had made a bigger mess of the floors.

So I was just so dizzy and tired at this point (6pm), I just said you can just finish up.

I hate confrontations and I didn't have it in me to say nobody asked you to do anything except the floors and you couldn't manage that.

You truly take the biscuit and are a scam artist. Hope you're pleased with yourself preying on someone that's longterm ill.

Now I figured right, I can barely stand at this point, I'm tripping over wires and reiterating once again, I only wanted the floors mopped.

She looks at me incredulously and repeats it? Just the floors, that's all?

I stopped myself rolling my eyes. I figured right, she is packing up, I feel like a fool who hired an incompetent service and expected a good result.

I make my way to my room and just sit waiting for her to pack up and say Goodbye.

I don't know if it was to protect her rating, seeing me fragile or what......

But she then proceeds to carry on with the kitchen, pile 3 heavy bags of clutter, that I can barely carry and for an hour (5 altogether).

Decides she will mop the living room. This makes no sense at all to me.

Unless she's realised Oh Bollocks, I'm done for, 5 hours and one room looks bad to any employer..

So she calls me on the mobile again, an hour later after fretting about the time before and says she is done and I should rebook another cleaner tomorrow.

Oh and it would only take them 2 hours? Excuse me........ Youu couldn't manage jack in 5 hours.

I literally spot in the corner 3 black bags and she looks at me and says Oh they are just garbage.

As if why are you touching that? Just leave it. She does offer to help with one, but it's like where do I put it?

Same place as everyone else on the planet, it's right outside!! So I said it's fine, I'll do it.

Instead of being considerate and loading them evenly they are so heavy I can barely move them.

And this is all after I've told her about the health conditions. I just feel like an idiot really for reusing that shoddy service.

Even though it's Bank Holiday and I'll pay double probably. I'm tempted to book another same day service.

I just don't want to give them anymore of my money as Emop is a colossal joke.

I will look elsewhere, 3 rooms, hallway, bathroom and bedroom.

I feel taken advantage of, unheard and used as a cash cow. I tried to help myself, seek assistance.

Someone to lighten the load but I got treated like crap, it just backfired.

I got to say P was really supportive, he had to listen to me winge because I felt so anxious.

And now I have to go through it all again. I wanted this completed so the Bank Holiday Monday would be carefree.

It's just stressy. Oh well a waste of time and money. I feel extra peeved because I realised she dismantled the bloody plug for the fan and the usb wire is nowhere to be seen..

Why is there always a headache. Why would you even mess with a plug???

Ugh good job I had one last usb wire spare. An update booked a cleaner, well it turns out I was offered 2.

Outrageously expensive for 4 hours, he even offered 3 but that's over the top.

But I took it because I'm sick of being ripped off, paying for an incomplete service.

I'm hoping the price means it's more professional. I'm hoping there will not be any excuses.

It's way more than I wanted to pay and I could have done 3 hours but had to cover myself.

I'm surprised they are operating so late but I guess there is a need for it.

I've never found a sufficient cleaning company so maybe this is it?

Whatever happens I will review them and add to this post or the next.

I probably should have got more quotes but the more time raced on, the less likely someone would be available.

It would have been 2x cheaper to rebook Emop but the customer service and standards suck. I wouldn't be confident they would finish it.

Ugh I can never get the morning appointments. This one is at 6pm, yikes, long day.

It's only lunchtime now, I didn't eat yesterday due to stress and today might be the same.

I can't help this nervousness. More strangers, more judgyness potentially and I hope there will be enough natural light, my bulbs seem dim.

My stomach is in knots again. I slept a bit, then woke at 6amish fretting I wouldn't find anyone.

They could always cancel, take my money and be scammers but I have to calm down.

They wouldn't last if they did that. I know I should have called elsewhere to get an earlier slot but there was 1 left and it was too risky.

Besides I don't think anyone else would have offered me 2 people.

I remember way back when. I think that was the only time there were 2 cleaners but the male, was on the phone the entire time.

The lady I'm sure did all the work. I never used them again. I hate clock watchers, while there is stuff left to do.

Ok fine, be aware of the time being up and maybe you have other appointments..

But I think there was maybe 30 minutes left and they requested to go and I found that a shoddy service.

No cleaning isn't glamorous, but if someone is paying for your time, at those prices, you should make every second count.

Or ask, Hey, the time is almost up, before we leave is there anything small left to do?

I would have appreciated that more and said as much to the company.

I also don't see the problem with taking the trash out, it's right outside. I don't think that's demeaning, it's just helpful but none of them do it.

Talking of which, our binmen haven't been this week so it's piling up. Typical Bank Holiday weekend so they take the week off.

I have to stop this nervous babbling and try to chill out then before 6pm I can resume getting tense.

Well the development is, the booking was cancelled so as much as I hate Emop, at least they show up and partially do the job.

I have to, as much as it pains me, rebook a cleaner with them. I just don't know for when.

Tomorrow I have an appointment, 10-1pm. It's impossible to get a morning time, I could risk an overlap and try for 7am.

But no that's too stressful if one of them is late or early. I'll wait for tomorrow's appointment to come and go and then decide if I will make it for that day or Wednesday.

Ok my head is spinning, I can't even finish this post. Emop called and said I should book soon as the slots fill quickly.

I was just doing that, when the other service called about the cancellation and apologised and said We can rebook you and will stay until it's done.

4 hours or more, so I was taken aback and as crazy as it is, I will give them a fair shot over Emop.

What I didn't realise is I'm signed up to an annual club that's £89 but apparently is saving me money, hmm..

I told them not to renew that, so I pay the club fee and the cleaning fee.

I'm not going to think positive or negative, I will just see but it's the last chance and if they let me down, then Emop it is for sure.

I want to feel confident one visit will clean the remaining three rooms but we'll see.

Oh and Yes remembered to ask for female only cleaners, if someone is coming into my room, then yea I deserve to feel safe.

I shall update in future posts, exactly what happens next, the prices, the attitudes, all of it.

I am shattered.

#BlogLife818 - Unofficial Goodbye savings and paypal usage

Stress is normal in my life. The Job Centre, DWP, family, the landlord and being ill are the constant attributors.

But if I want to continue writing fiction I have to find a way to cast it aside and relax so that I can unlock the creative juices.

I haven't figured out how to do that. I am trying to deal with things as they crop up. I'm not ignoring it.

But I just feel pulled in different directions, as though I don't have a moment's peace.

Some time, where there's nothing pressing and weighing on me. I don't know why, when as difficult as it is, I finally ask for help and it's skewered.

My patience has run out though and I am making my peace with how things are going to turn out today.

In 5 minutes at 2pm, I will be really depressed as I make that phone call to the witch.

I thought I would join the library online, just in case I need it for the future as queueing up is just so painful.

It's so weird that I didn't even need letter identification, like you do in person.

But the first thing they said was insert your username or borrower name and I thought, ugh you didn't give me either of those.

But I was already logged in and under my profile I saw it and noted it down for future reference.

Anyway what happened with the Paypal thingy, was that no reports came through, I spoke to a new person, explained how drained I was.

He was the first person to mention that sounds like you need it in csv form so I said sure, he was like Oh but DWP doesn't like that, they like pdf.

I said listen it doesn't matter about the download type, she just wants the balance.

Again he sympathised, promised to help and he almost did. Good grief.

He sent the majority for some reason in pdf, and a small fraction, maybe this year in csv, the csv version actually did have the rolling balance.

But I am so tired and I want this over with and if I tell her that, she will make me re-request it and it will drag on.

I can't even relax or sleep properly with this over my head, so I will say sorry it came out the same as the others and she will say.....

That is nowhere near good enough, I'm taking all your Paypal savings and leaving you with nothing but your current account.

Suffer!! Ok enough stalling, let's call and just get it done. I didn't expect that, there was no answer.

 I had to psyche myself up to call because it's not easy parting with just under 6k but I just want this finished for good.

Oh two things I forgot to mention about Monday, for some reason there was a huge dog roaming on the bus and I had a mild panic attack as it was roaming nearby.

Somebody complained though that it wasn't on a leash and the lady halfheartedly called it back but it was right opposite me so I found it hard to breathe and compose myself.

That wasn't good. I've stuck my phone on the charger and will call her again later.

I'm just making some burgers right now, as I haven't eaten all day.

Oh that syrup pastry thing, I compare it to croissants that have been dipped in syrup, sounds odd but it's nice for something obscure and different.

I would get it yearly as some pieces are a lil too sweet but the international store usually sells out of things and doesn't replace them.

I probably won't see them again but it's nice as a treat. I should probably wait to post this until after I've spoken to her.

But really what's the point? We all know how this is going to end, she's been determined from the start to torture me and take what I have.

Everyone I've spoken too, says the same thing, be comforted knowing you've tried your best and she's being unnecessarily difficult.

I was even trying to tell myself last night, to let all this tension go and clear my mind, but it didn't work.

Oh and I spoke to Mama and she said she's borrowing money she can't afford to take the trip in March, which I can't fully understand, leaving yourself short.

But it is to see her Grandchild so that's special, even under the circumstances.

The other thing she mentioned was the underhanded tactics of the survey companies.

Where you get paid a measly amount for filling in surveys to give your opinion.

These companies, seem to hate paying people and find excuses to avoid it and bar good people from their services.

It happened to me, it happened to her. The latest scam is OnePoll.

They blocked her account and said some nonsense about her having multiple profiles and they need photographic evidence, multiple pictures of herself, holding some identification.

Or some crap. She's a pensioner, it's difficult for her to grasp certain things like uploads or downloads.

It's just an excuse not to payout and gather sensitive information, probably to spam her email!!

Disgusting behaviour. Toluna was another one, that didn't payout, but there were a lot of others too.

It put me off them.

Well the phone was charged, I took another deep breath, bit the bullet and called her.

This time she eventually answered and I explained that the report came out the same way, she was surprised and said that she needs to talk to her supervisor.

That they will go through it, she will call me back at some point to discuss what happens next.

Good heavens, I wish she had just said, all of the above, right you're finished, we're taking over your Paypal, it's done.

Now it's more nervous waiting. But again I've done everything possible.

I think this requires a pep talk, so bear with me.

This has been a really scary frustrating time in my life. I've been terrified and overwhelmed and wanting answers.

I've wanted to cry endlessly and curl up into a ball and give up.

I've wanted to pretend it's all going to work out in my favour.

I've wanted to ignore it and wish it was a mistake.

I did deal with it though. I contacted her with updates, I filled in the paperwork,

I went to the library over and over. I spoke to Paypal time and time again.

I really did do everything possible, that she asked and I put up with her shitty attitude.

And yet this whole thing never draws to a close. It just stretches on and on, driving me crazy.

I'm so fed up, I'm sacrificing my savings, rather than dealing with her.

I think I'm way past my breaking point.

Things are not right in my head, there is all this mess so it doesn't feel natural to write fiction.

I think I'm just going to try and push past it and write a sentence or two.

At least I should try.

Stress seems great for the daily blog, not so helpful when it comes to writing feelgood fiction.

How can I write escapism, when I can't escape my mind??

#BlogLife178 - Sign up for free and get taken for a ride

Those seemingly free offers that look too good to be true, no purchase necessary, just register now and you'll receive... ££'s for doing absolutely nothing..

Except of course giving all your personal details away, possibly credit card information, a telephone number, to get those pesky incessant cold calls and spam emails.

We promise we won't sell your details (much, I mean we will to a few people and then a boatload more but not to worry because by this time, you will have already sold your soul).

And all you'll get in return is some cash or vouchers or some other cheap trinket that doesn't last long and we can scam and hassle you forever.

Is it worth it for a tiny freebie? Just be extremely cautious when signing up to anything. Read the fine print carefully, the companies don't want you too.

I've been caught out before because it's just long and tedious and squinty to read the jargon but it's for the best.

Some companies have these convoluted paths to go through when you want to cancel a subscription.

In order to terminate this membership, you must have been born in the summer with the star sign cancer and your parents must have half blue/half green eyes and you must change your name to sucker!

There is always a time frame, a few days, maybe even a month but read carefully and mark it on a calendar or alarm and that way you won't forget.

Not all trials are bad but it is all too easy to be caught out. Suddenly this "free" offer has cost you £££'s.

If you still feel concerned. Google some reviews, you could even check youtube, see if it was easy to cancel, see if there were any tricks to be aware of before registering.

Good luck and just use your immense common sense, you have an abundance of it and it rarely steers you wrong.

Hey, none of us are infallible :)

#BlogLife174 - Keep Scrooge at bay.. Have an Adventful day!

Emotionally I feel a lot better but I think I caught a chill and have been sniffling all day today.

My mama had brought me this cutesy fleecy blanket from Ebay earlier in the year and I had it tucked away.

I pulled it out today and it's so lovely. It's just plain black, surprisingly thick and huge which I like.

What I didn't realise is that it has the cutest feature. I've never seen it before in a blanket.

It has these two what seems like mini sleeves that you tie around your neck and use it to form a cloak which holds the blanket around your body effortlessly.

I absolutely adore not having to fuss with it. I think it was about £6. 

The only parts of me that are now a lil bit cold are my hands and feet, which is typical but the rest of me is toasty.

I've just entered maybe 30/40 advent competitions today and now I can play all the Christmas music I want.

I remember last year's trolls. All those fake winning notifications but hopefully this year I will be more careful and not take it at face value, until I investigate it further.

Unfortunately I advise you to do the same and contact the organiser directly to ask if the competition has ended and if you are the legitimate winner.

That's the only way I know how to differentiate between legitimacy and scam artists.

I did get a takeout for 2 days yesterday so I enjoyed having those sandwiches filling me up.

It seems like everytime I order from my favourite places they throw in extras, today it was drinks.

As usual I stay loyal and use this site. It's mostly UK only entries I should point out sorry :-

https://www.theprizefinder.com/competitions/advent-competitions

I value customer service above everything else. 

The site can have issues or not as many comps as other's but the customer service is always friendly and go above and beyond to support.