*Edited to reply to business at end of my review…read more
I hired this company to perform a move-out cleaning on an empty home. The scope of work included cleaning a 3700 square foot house. I gave the owner the details of the job. The estimate I was given was 6 hours at $79 per hour for two workers.
The two workers arrived on time and were pleasant. Unfortunately, the rest of my experience was extremely disappointing.
The house was completely empty. The four bedrooms and three bathrooms upstairs had just been freshly painted and there is new flooring throughout all but two bathrooms upstairs - installed that week. My husband and I were the only occupants of the home, with weekly housekeeping services throughout the eight and a half years we lived there, so the overall level of dirt and grime was minimal, at best.
Approximately five hours into the job, I contacted the owner to ask how she preferred to be paid. At that point, I was informed that the workers had only completed the upstairs portion of the home and would need approximately four additional hours to finish the job.
What troubled me is that at no point during those five hours did anyone contact me to say the project was running behind schedule or would significantly exceed the original estimate. The owner later told me that her workers had been sending her photos during the day, including photos of a dirty windowsill, a toilet, and a pantry shelf. However, the pantry shelf that was photographed was not even cleaned, as it was in the kitchen. If concerns existed about the condition of the home or the amount of time required, those concerns should have been communicated to me immediately rather than after five hours had already elapsed.
I found it very difficult to understand how two workers could spend five hours cleaning four empty bedrooms with fresh paint and flooring and three bathrooms and still be only partially through the job. Based on the amount of work completed, I felt the request for an additional four hours was unreasonable and completely inconsistent with the original estimate.
The conversation that followed became increasingly frustrating. I became upset and raised my voice because I felt I was not being heard. The owner repeatedly interrupted me and would not allow me to finish speaking. Eventually, she hung up on me.
Afterward, I sent messages explaining that I did not believe the amount of work completed justified the time being billed. Rather than attempting to resolve the disagreement professionally, I felt pressured and intimidated by repeated references to threats of legal action.
I had requested that she call my husband so that they could come to a fair and equitable solution. She refused to do so. The following morning, the owner requested my last name and mailing address by text message. When I did not respond, she later texted personal information about me she found on the internet. I found this behavior disturbing and invasive.
I have no issue paying for work that is performed. My issue is with the vast difference between the quoted time and the actual progress made after five hours, the lack of communication while the job was underway, and the way the disagreement was handled afterward.
While the workers arrived on time and were courteous, the overall experience left me feeling frustrated and taken advantage of. I would not use this company again, and I would encourage prospective customers to obtain very clear written expectations regarding estimated hours, progress updates, and billing before work begins.
* A final clarification.
At no point have I said that your employees should not be paid. In fact, I offered to pay for three hours because I believe people should be compensated fairly for work performed.
The issue has never been whether work was done. The issue is whether the amount of work completed justified the amount of time billed.
Because the workers were alone in the home, I cannot know exactly how every minute was spent. What I do know is that after approximately five hours, the progress reported to me was far less than I reasonably expected based on the original estimate, the condition of the home, and the scope of work completed.
I also note that you never personally inspected the property. While there was some dust from newly installed flooring and carpet, I disagree with your characterization of the home's condition.
Reasonable people can disagree. My review reflects my honest experience, and I stand by it.
