…over my cambodian maid.
She has been here for more than a month, but her work is getting from bad to worse. I’ve tried my best not to rant bout her everyday in the blog because it’s gonna look so ugly. Cause she makes me fume almost every other day without fail!! I actually keep a file and jot down every crazy thing she does to us thus far and what made me really mad was what happen over the last 2 weeks and particularly yesterday and the week before, Monday.
I was talking to Wen yesterday and she was trying to convince me with the BOD (Benefit of Doubt) for this maid, but I told her, she’s definitely not worth the BOD points. If she doesn’t understand English, I don’t think I’d be that mad. But the point is she understands it, but constantly being ignorant over what I teach and tell her drives me crazy.
I am a very patient person. Most people who knows me knows very well how high my tolerance level is, but this maid….I’m speechless. I even told Daddy that for the pass 3 yrs+ of having 3 maids, she’s the worse I’ve ever gotten (1 runaway, 1 worked for 3 yrs 8 months). I lost my patience and I yelled at her. Never in my life I did that to my previous maids. To make things worse, I know I’m giving a very bad image to my kids, but I have no choice because if I don’t scold her, she’s getting all over my nerves.
Here are some of the crazy things she has done so far.
- leave the clothes until very late, 8pm only keep. I asked her if she want to wait for tomorrow’s sun to come up before keeping.
- put an empty tupperware into my kids school bag instead of filling it with food :|.
- woke up at 645am instead of 530am to do her work. She forgot to on her alarm!!
- Set alarm for her to off fire for the boiling soup, I went upstairs to sleep. After I woke up, she didn’t off it. She ignored the alarm and continue do her chores and left the boiling soup cooking still. Lucky thing I didn’t get a black pot like Chin Nee’s case.
- forget to close the kitchen door before leaving the house in the morning
- ask her to bring diapers upstairs, she went to unpack the whole packet. then didn’t have space to put she cramp everything in the cabinet until there’s no space for clothes, only diapers!!
- left the kids school bag in the car overnight!!
- dried clothes left under the moon overnight!! Next day she went to keep it. Then in the afternoon she took it out again to dry…what the he*k she’s trying to do. Dry or not dry??
- Vyktore wet his pants while on our way home. She left the wet pants in my car when we reached home!!
- Ask her to make susu (milk) for Vyktore. But she brought Vyktore to toilet for she she (small biz). I even specifically told her milk, not shu shu…but she went downstairs, again took him to toilet and force him to pee (actually he just pee before i ask her to make milk) and came upstairs, still hasn’t drank his milk!!
- almost open door to an unknown stranger. Actually I was expecting the plumber, but wanted to test her if she will open or not, true enough she went to open without asking me. I was quick to caught her when she slide the door open, before she open the front gate.
- left her own clothes unwashed for 2 days, all in the pail. When I found out I threaten that I’ll throw it away the next time I see unwashed clothes in the pail. She wasn’t happy and showed her dissatisfaction by standing by the kitchen sink pretending to wash the kitchen towel.
- lost Vyktore’s brand new pair of pyjamas (pants went missing)
- misplace clothes within my house and MIL’s house (no we couldn’t find the missing pants still!!).
- wash toilet only wash the floor, not the wall. And took her 3 hours to wash toilet and clean up my bedroom. My previous maid took 2 hours can even wipe the table and the windows.
- very good in wasting time. 2 weeks ago, we went to Penang. I told her to get up 4am. Not even to clean the house, but to bath and hang the clothes in the washing machine. I went downstairs at 445am. Asked her if she has hung the clothes, she said Yes. But I checked the washing machine, it’s all still in there!! Later after the trip, I even found out she didn’t wash her clothes again that morning. So imagine 45 mins wasted, not doing anything but take bath only.
- Gave coffee for Vyktore to drink. The coffee was actually for her. So mad I yelled at her in the restaurant.
- Lock her own bathroom door with her outside. I had to call locksmith and ended up paying RM60, which I told her I’ll deduct from her salary.
- Left Vyktore unattended in MIL’s house. Vyktore managed to climb all the way upstairs. MIL’s house the stairs no railing and none of the kids are allowed to climb up unless with adult supervision.
And what made me boiling mad, here are a couple of incidents:
- We went to McD drive thru to pack a quick lunch. Everyone had their own meal. Hers was a Filet-O-Fish. Vyktore was asleep by then, so I left his nuggets in the kitchen. When he woke up, I wanted to give him the nuggets and to my amaze, my maid finished the whole pack and left only 1 piece!! I was so mad because I never gave her instructions that she could eat and she just ate it as though it was leftover. And she had her share, not that she didn’t have food. Reminds me that I shouldn’t give her all these frivolous food, just give her rice everyday will do. Eat so much, but work so little.
- I always go into her toilet be it to bring the kids to do their biz, or just to spot check. I spotted this floor mat, which was left in the water. It was there for many many days until one day I asked her. What is it doing there? How many days. She told me 10!! Crazy…10 days soaking there for what? I asked her, she want to keep until 20 days is it? She said YES!! I almost threw that wet dirty floor mat smack right into her face if the bathroom door was not locked at that moment. She’s so lazy, thinking that the longer she can dip in the water, means the dirt will come off itself. I explained to her, she need to wash it after dipping overnight and scrub. Not leave for 10days!!
- She always like to wash pyjamas separately. Either all pants, or all top, but not together. I’ve prompted her and demo to her as well how she should wash. All must go in pairs. At first it was only 1 pair. But last week, it went up to 5 pairs!! Imagine 5 pair of pyjamas only with the top, no pants. I’m very upset because despite the fact that I’ve told her so many times she still repeats the same mistake. I even demo to her on the spot and ask her to do the same (I mess up all the clothes and ask her to show me how) and yet she can do wrong. I had no choice but to scream at her and show her again and ask her to do it again and again till finally she gets it right. And few days later, I saw her dumping all the clothes into the machine just like that (without even checking the clothes). Got scolding from me again.
- one morning I went downstairs, I wanted to check if she has completed her work. Instead I saw her sitting on the floor, head resting on her bed. When she saw me, she jumped up and quickly pretend to wipe her table. i asked her what’s wrong, she say she wiping, but i told her i saw her resting. Then she say she pain. Told me her neck is pain cause carry Vyktore. But that morning Vyktore has not even come downstairs. She can’t explain to me as well whether the pain was triggered yesterday or today by merely saying Yes to whatever I asked. At the same time, she still pretend to wipe the table, and I’m so mad cause she keep doing her work and avoid eye contact, i snatched the cloth from her and told her stop doing work. That’s very rude when I try to talk to her and give her instructions, she’s never listening and always walk away. That explains why she’s doing all the wrong things.
- Over the deepavali weekend, I went to Cheras to fetch my dad over. Just a mere 1 hour, when I reach home, she opened the door. I can see that she went to bed. I’m fine with that, if she has done her work since that time was already 930pm. But what I saw was: Vyktore’s leftover snacks still left on the living room table, she didn’t take it and wash. There was another bowl of leftover snacks on the kitchen table, also not washed. I asked her what she did 1 hour I went out. She say she slept!! I scolded her because she never finish up her work before she went to bed. Things I never ask her to do (sleep/eat) she can do it perfect, but things I ask her to do, she never do. She also left the dried plates on the drying tray and didn’t keep it. When I asked her why, she said she waiting for me to come home!! Adui….so if that night I didn’t come home she’d sleep till next morning I bet. No wander I see cockroach around lately in my house. Thanks to all these undone job at night.
I had the last straw last night. Faythe wasn’t feeling well (had tummy upset) when I picked her up after work. So we quickly stop over at the paed’s place to get a quick fix. The queue was so long, we only left the place after like 1 hour later. When we got in the car, Vyktore was as usual, eating his snacks and wanted some water. Quickly the maid open the school bag and took out the water tumbler and gave him water.
I heard while I was driving, I questioned the maid,
Jazz: Why the tumbler has water. You didn’t clean in Grandma’s house?
Maid: Kept quiet…
Jazz: Hey, I’m asking you why. Can you answer me?
Maid: Whispered…I forgot….
Jazz: What? I can’t hear you, can you speak louder
Maid: I forgot….
Jazz: *turned into evil step mother mode* What….you forget? How many times I tell you, you have to do your work when you are at Grandma house. What did you do today? Tell me?
Maid: Kept quiet…
Jazz: I’m asking you what you do today? After school, they come home, what you do? Tell me, one by one
Maid: I give lice (rice) to Vyktore. Then I mandi Vyktore. Then Vyktore sleep.
Jazz: Vyktore sleep how long?
Maid: 2…
Jazz: What time he sleep?
Maid: 2
Jazz: What time wake up?
Maid: 5
Jazz: That’s 3 hours, not 2. So what you do in that 3 hours when he sleep?
Maid: I wash pate (plate).
Jazz: Wash plate…that won’t take 3 hours. Somemore?
Maid: I mandi…and then Vyktore wake up
Jazz: *turned into a beast mode* Mandi!! 3 hours and then Vyktore wake up!! Mandi only 30mins, wash plate the most 10mins, that’s not even 1 hour and you say Vyktore sleep 3 hours. You sleep when Vyktore sleep, didn’t you? (MIL told me earlier that she was hiding in the bedroom watching Vyktore sleep without doing anything cause she want to be lazy, until my MIL went in and ask her to come out)
Still fuming and already cursing and swearing inside me, I prompted somemore:
Jazz: You forget to do your work. Can you forget to eat? Today how many times you eat? Can you skip 1 time and forget?
Continue driving and reached home. She took down all the things, to my amazed, the milk bottle from school was not even washed!! Can you imagine how smelly it is!! This not the 1st time she didn’t do it.
Jazz: *Snatched the bottle from her and turned into a crazy woman mode* See this…how many times I say must wash, must clean. Whole day you never do your work in Grandma house!! I actually tapped her head slightly with the bento box a few times (that shows how geram I was)
Jazz: OK if you don’t want to do your work, I’m fine. You can forget doing your work, I also can forget to give you food. I’m going to call Grandma and tell her, tomorrow no lunch for you. You want?
Maid: Stare at me blankly. NO…
Jazz: NO!! Then why you forget to do your work. Why you never forget to eat.
I picked up the phone and called MIL. Told her tomorrow no lunch for my maid cause she forgot to do her work today, so I also conveniently forgot about her lunch. At that same time when I was talking to my MIL, she left my door house open and was busy washing the stuff she didn’t wash in MIL’s place. Lucky thing there’s no thief or robbers break in and my kids didn’t run out of the house.
More juicy story…after I put the phone down, I went back to the kitchen. By then I was checking the bag which she brings to MIL house everyday. To my amaze, I saw a packet of food (rice with 3 dishes)
Jazz: Who’s food is this?
Maid: Mine. I didn’t eat in Grandma house
Jazz: *Lagi mad* So you didn’t do your work, and yet you have not eaten your food. What is wrong with you. So slow!! Do work faster. Tonight you better make sure you finish all your work before you eat!! The slower you do, the longer it’s going to take and you will sleep later and not have your meals on time.
After the fuming conversations, I went upstairs and took shower with the kids. Then she came upstairs, quietly sit down put the clothes and do her work while I watch her.
Gosh…I really can’t imagine how these people work. She’s definitely not stupid and don’t understand. I know this very well because she actually eavesdropped on my conversation with Faythe the night before. The next day she did exactly the same as what I told Faythe, although my intention wasn’t that. That made me realise she actually understand alot of English. Even MIL told me she understands what we say most of the time and she can get it done, but the point is lazy and ignorant. The body is here, but the soul is like elsewhere.
Is this something to do with Cambo maid or it’s just my luck. I’m so very tempted to send her back, but because we’ve paid so much and we seriously need a helper we have no choice. Daddy specifically told her she better buck up on her work and next round when he comes home, he wants to see improvement.
Faythe’s 2 cents of advise to her:
Faythe: kakak, you must do your work properly. If not Mommy will scold you. You must do work like Ros, Tini & Rin Tuch (Tini my ex-maid). You must clean properly and work like them. You must do fast fast. You cannot always do wrong one. OK?
See….even my 3yo girl realise how stress I am with this maid!!
I hope the next time I blog bout her, it’d be some good news, not some big disaster waiting to happen.
Jazz… i read ur post abt ur maid… i also get angry liau la…. if i were u.. i think i go crazy scolding her long ago already … aiyo….. u been list down more then 20 item . all also very kek hei .. can change maid ar ????
Teruk wor…last chance, if no major improvement I won’t keep this maid. After scolding so much, I worried she harbour hatred. Dun leave her with kids alone. Cannot change maid with agency ar? Fathye so sayang the maid…
Walau……very bad yah. For you to blow, I can imagine it takes a darn lot!! Sometimes they are just plain stupid. In my personal opinion, sometimes I rather forgo the money spent than to take all this stress. As if not stressed enough already…….maybe can nego with the agency? As for temp, you can always get a filler until the new maid comes. I tell you, out of 10 maids, 11 are either lazy, stupid or arrogant. Mine just kena hantam yesterday for telling lies.
Goshh…what a long post. I never expect you will have maid’s problems since you seldom mention in your blog. And now I know how high is your tolerance…hahahah. I always thought Cambodian maid is better although language barrier is a problem. Now I would think is depend on LUCK. Whenever I read maids problems in the blogs, I feel grateful that we don’t have a maid at home. But everything we do, we have to double the time lorr.
Jazz, just rant it out larr…make you feel better, I hope :). Got maid also susah, no maid also susah..haiiiii.
wow, u r really mad this time! u discourage me fr getting a maid next time….there must some problem with her, which makes her purposely do all things wrong. maybe u should cool down one day and talk to her alone nicely to find out what things wrong.
well, hope u enjoy this tag i awarded u..
http://www.mummyinvain.com/?p=745
What a long post and I read it line by line and it reminds me of my previous Cambodian maid. Tell you what Jazz, just sack her. I’d given my previous Cam maid toooooo many chances until I ‘yan moh hor yan’ and sacked her. You will continue to be this angry for as long as she works for you. Just get another maid, otherwise you will be soooo stressed up and angry everyday.
OMG, the second maid post I read this morning. I’ve just hopped over from Chinnee’s. 😛
The first part of the rants, I can take it because my maid did that last time too. But the last few parts, oh boy. I think she’s just plain ignorant. I’m a bit glad that I have part time housekeeper now instead of dealing with a maid. 😛
aiyo…you n chinnee both angry with maid..aiyaya…
you sure got patient..if I, sure send her back liau lor…
if I were u, sack her. easier to get a temp or weekend cleaner.
wahahaha…
vomit blood !
Yes agree you really patient person, but ini really cannot tahan la…later white hair also grow faster eii..
Better request to change ..else future susah nei..lol
jazz, i don’t know to laugh at the stories or be angry. some of them were quite hilarious… sorry lar, not as your position. but, i know if i were you, i’ll be screaming by incident no. 3. i can be quite impatient…. now that i’ve read your stories, i think i should go home and treat my parents’ maid better. i don’t scold her always lar… only when lyan fung makes me frustrated and she makes small mistakes like bang my car door against the wall.
Jazz, I think all Cambo maids are the same, don’t they? Now u know why I always scream and yell like a mad woman at my maid. Yea, their usual execuse, I forgot, or I will do it tomorrow, so i’m like you asking my maid, will you forgot to eat and sleep or today u don’t sleep, u only sleep tomorrow? After one year grill and “gorengâ€, she is slightly better now, but still have to watch over her. Sometime she can be super perfect, some day she will forgot everything and the mind back to zero! Maybe cambo maid always work in a slow pace? Mine one also the same. If I’m at home, I will watch how she do work, and I will always said “quick quick quick, do it fast, not do it slow! FASTER!!!!†I think I can be more evil than u! hahahhahah
After you rant it out u feel better? Hope your maid improve her work. Good luck!
walau….u can wrote such a long post abt your maid hor….i can sense the “asap” coming out from your head now…hehehe…..
try give her more times, no comment from me coz no maid experience….
Wah, first Annie, now you! I read your post, my blood also boiling. What to say experience it. Really like talking to wall lah. So sorry for you. Can send her back ah?
errr… you might want to pull back what you wish on the last line. Good news could be, “Congratulations! You are pregnant!” haha, no la. just wanna add salt to your wounds. Employ me la. I work for you. CAn pack bento for your kids also. kekeke. NO more salt liao. Over and out.
wahpiang, long list. if me, i vomit blood & pengsan long time. dammit, i damn geram reading your post man. why liddat wan! arrrghhhh!
jazzy, breath in breath out… ask Faythe to ngam2 the maid 🙂
warao eh u actually detailed your complains! but hor…sorry to disappoint you, there will be MORe! That’s why i don’t bother to blog about my maid…damn annoying, her nonsense is daily, DAILY, i repeat like almost every MINUTE !! shiats!
ooh such a longgggg post …. u must b reli reli fuming mad… i think u either sack her or close ur eyes… but if u oredi have bad impression of her i think better change other maid… 2days ago i caught my maid lying now have to b extra caution wif her
if u didnt mention that u tested her english,then i wld say she doesnt understand at all. but she can reply and u have tested her eng, well, i wld say that her ‘soul’ is somewhere else like u said. perhaps try giving her more time to get used to being here and working leh? still giving her BOD hor. wat to do, paid so much edi leh!
aiyoh, now i so worried about mine la. have u thot of sending her back to agent for counselling and see wat they say?
me getting worried, worried, worried about mine edi.. must pray harder liao!
A maid is supposed to be our helper, not giving us so much stress. If they’re not helpful at all, no point keeping them (if u think u’ve given her enuff chance). Agree with Paik Ling, sometimes it’s better to forgo the money than endure their nonsense. Hope u’ve felt better after saying it out.
first of all, i must admit that I was giggling when I read your post:) I so know how you feel. In fact I think your maid is worse than my ex doh-doh bird maid! I don’t think its because that she’s a Cambodian maid. I think its just your luck la… Perhaps you can consider bringing her back to the agent for counseling? Your maid is really something man… How old is she?
Wah… so long time didn’t hear you say much about your maid suddenly you blow up. I must say that if my maid is like that, early early I ask scold her already. I would be pulling my hair out everyday man (have to tahan ma, kenot hot her physically so pull hair lorr)…
If really have to just change her la, if not kek sim only everyday talking to a piece of meat. I really suggest get back Indon… I know 8 out of 10 maids who come here is teruk but at least with Indons we can communicate better (and know that they understand what we say 99.9% of the time).
i thought you cope well with your current maid ler… manatahu…..
Geez..that is a really long and detailed post! Maids are supposed to ease your burdens to increase them! I’ve never had a maid, so I can’t offer much advice, except to maybe give her an ultimatum if she doesn’t do as you say. After all, you can’t keep your eyes on her 24/7!
Be patient lah. You are dealing with another human for heaven’s sake. What if she secretly did bad things behind your back to your kids or your MIL without them knowing. You took a bento box and knocked her head … how would you feel if i did that to you? Would you take some kind of revenge? Giving her a monthly salary to do all the work in the house doesn’t mean she has to be your slave. FEEEEL for her please. A long way from home away from loved ones…where would her mind be? All this scolding will never help. You wouldn’t want a maid that hates you b’coz your problems will never be over what more you are at their mercy and they can do things you will never know they did. Talk nicely and if it does not work talk again …be nice and caring and in the end you will receive what you so desire. Its the principle of sowing and reaping. Not everyone is the same…we all have our own ways. So try a little kindness. Sorry if i give you the picture that I am on the maid’s side and not yours. Just trying to help.
u know wat, i always thought and envy that you’ve got a good maid since u never post anything about yr maid. Never thought, this cambodian maid gave u such big problems.
U just remind me it’s going to be my turn soon as my new maid is coming on Nov. Can’t imagine how things will go… Sigh!!! Like wat Khongfamily said, ‘got maid susah, no maid also susah’….
In this case Indon maid is still better? I saw my relatives those having Combo maid, they are very good la…settle family cooking and clean all nicely, work fast too. As like others I would say u better get a change if can. Really so stress to live with this kind of maid and you will really get a night mare and mind can goes crazy too. I thought there is something like testing period before confirm and accept your maid?
YOu know what, Jazzmint? I can totally relate to you. I have more than 10 maids in the last 9 years. Some I terminated after one day, some after 4 months, depending on their behaviour. All the above is similar to my maids, and worse. I think the despicable, not just sloppy , thngs they did would exceed no. 108. That’s the longest list i compile for the agent.Everytime they do something i got to jot it in the kitchen =calendar, so that they agents doesnt have anything to say to side their maids when I reject them.
One maid admitted arrogantly to being a hooker in Indon, she wore lipstick and goes around bra-less with her thingy wobbling here and there. damn ugly in shopping mall, leh. We send her back the 2nd day
But cambodian maybe its just language barrier? Indonesian, u have to go like, “yang mana tak faham, buang or sampah? or buang sampah?”But I am not sure about Cambodians. I heard they have less issues, but your post prove me wrong.
this is just the beginning….my aunts’ Combodian Maid that take care of my grandma used to pinch, whack my grandma chest & boss everyone around.
They found Blood Clot on my grandma’s brain, cos a week before the Maid knock her head on the wall while changing her diapers. See how heartless they are….can do this to a 96yr old grandma.
Previous maid that take care of my grandma she never complain once but this maid my grandma was so angry with her till when she was in hospital the maid went to see her she refuse to open her eyes.
She also went & tell my aunt that she need to have afternoon nap & all her previous employers allow her if not she dun wanna work. I mean y does she need it when she only wakes up @ 7:30am wash 2 cars & then have long breakfast wash only 3ppl clothes & moreover my grandma not around anymore.
My another friend that have got Cambodian maid oso going thru nightmare. All these started after the 2yrs contract too. Her maid mutually agree will come back after her holidays last year. She came back to work but damn lazy now suddenly say wanna go back miss family dun wanna work!!
Really Damn it!!
*pengsan*
nowadays the quality of maids really teruk. So even mine a bit gong-gong, I shouldn’t complain b’cos she’s not so teruk la right?
I think you better send her back before you get high blood pressure. My maid was that I turned into a bad temper person. I am glad I made a decision to send her back.
Arrghh!! Reading me makes me mad as well!! Reminded me of my previous maid, gave her so much face some more and then want to be so damn lan-si and lazy!!!
Oh boy, really wish you luck, Jazz… Don’t get too angry… Not worth it over this kind of people. No choice also… otherwise, she might take revenge.
Oh dear! And I thought Cambodian maids are better than Indon. From all the comments here, it doesn’t seem to be so. So I guess it just boils down to LUCK! Another reason why I should stick to the weekly cleaners and not hire maids.
I think sometimes, everyone with maids must take a step back from it all and see how they actualy treat their maids. I am not pointing fingers at anyone or condemning anyone in particular.
Everyone is human. Nobody is above another human being. It is just the maid’s crummy luck for being in her current position. Imagine what things would be like had both your positions switched.
I do not know your maid well and the things she does to piss you off but one thing from your post….you haven’t exactly been a perfect angel either. The bits you write when you turn into your scary mode terrifies me. Not to say that you are wrong but I never expected that from my very brief encounter with you. And imagine what the kids think…next time, they will think it is normal to scream and shout and hit maids the same way.
Generally speaking (and I have said this many times on other blogs before), if you delegate a job to someone else, you cannot expect them to do it up to your standards. If you want something done up to your standards, do it yourself.
No offence intended ok. Just my very honest 2 cents worth.
I’m lost for words whenever i read posts about Maids (Moron aliens in disguise). I shall reserve my comments to save my heartache relapsing. Just wish u all the best!
i can feel your stress here, i have never seen you posted such a long post ever since i have known you. i do not know what is the procedure about hiring a maid in KL, but maybe you can try to ask for a change. if all these are her natural behavior, it’s actually hard to change her attitude, especially the laziness. sometimes, getting a maid really depend on a luck.