Recently I hired a professional cleaning company to clean my home. We agreed on the price of $79. They only take cash.
So they came and cleaned and then it was time for them to get paid and leave. I handed them a $100 bill expecting $21 in change back. They said they don’t have any change at all. I only had a $100 and a $50 so I could either overpay them by $21 or underpay them by $29. They didn’t do a particularly good job at cleaning so I didn’t want to leave a $21 tip this time.
Eventually I found some coins and managed to pay them $73 and they left angrily.
It seems to me like if your business only accepts cash then you ought to have change. Yet they acted like it is my responsibility to have exact change. Which is it?
If the only accept cash but never have any cash on hand, then where is all the cash they’re collecting multiple times per day going?
Also, why not agree at $80? Why agree to $79 in explicitly cash? That’s always going to be a pain to scrounge around. It requires 4 ones and either 3 fives or a ten and a five. No matter what, it’s a painful wad.
It’s the businesses responsibility, if they only accept cash. Slightly the customer’s responsibility if the business has other payment methods.
You know someone had a $20 in their pocket and was hoping by denying it you’d give the rest as tip.
if the business only accepts cash, it’s on *them* to have change.
There is no change if OP paid exactly, change is solely on the business side
It’s the business’s responsibility to have change.
Red flag should have been cash only which they’re not declaring.
All of this, and any company who claims to not have change when they only take cash is slimy; tell your friends. There’s a big difference between “sorry, I’m low on 5s and 10s so you’re getting singles unfortunately” vs “sorry, I don’t have change”.I’d tell them to come back with change and their $79 will be waiting.
Business.
I have to be able to give proper change. I am not going to sneakily hope that every customer goes along with my cunning plan to give me a 20% tip every time.
I accept at least six different methods of payments. I can’t imagine not keeping a wad of cash if I only accepted cash. It’s unprofessional as shit and silly to get pissy if they are expecting payment immediately.
I don’t think they’re going to be in business that long is kind of what I’m saying
Going to be unpopular but: if you knew the price in advance, you should have had $80 or so and the business should have had at least $10 in small bills/coins.
If you didn’t know ahead of time, and they gave you a price on the spot and you paid at the time, then they should have had the change.
If they want to be paid come back with change
The ONLY way they would be able to not give change is if they informed you exact change only IN ADVANCE. if they don’t tell you that before service is rendered, and you agree to it as a condition of service, then they have to give you change. if they don’t have that change, then they can’t just keep the extra, they can find a way to get the change or they don’t get paid.
I’m guessing OP is American, in which case you are 100% correct. In Austria where many businesses only take cash, it’s fairly common to need exact change, or pay by bank transfer.
$79 to clean your house and only takes cash?
You didn’t hire a professional company.
I charge $47 an hour for deep cleaning, send invoices and offer Proof of Insurance.
Pretty common to “not have change” in hopes of keeping the whole hundred. Definitely their responsibility.
“professional cleaning company” that only accepts cash and has no change.
It’s possibly a ploy to get a tip. They know you’re likely to pay with a hundred.
Yep.
Admittedly, I’ve known local franchises of national cleaning chains which are cash-only. But their prices are exact amounts you can get out of an ATM; they don’t try and pretty them up by ending them in a 9.
And charges only $79 for a full house cleaning.
Sounds like a scam to get a tip. We recently stayed at a hotel, and when we were ready to check out, I didn’t have any fives or singles to leave a tip for the housekeeper. I went to the front desk and asked for change. The desk clerk told me they didn’t have any change. I thought he was joking.
You are both in the wrong. Their strategy was to not bring proper changes in hopes the client would overtip. You committed “theft of services” (at least partially) by not paying the full bill. Maybe you “got over.” But: they will probably decline to do business with you in the future.