I first called New Dimensions on the strong recommendation of a friend I trust. The first…read moreexperience wasn't perfect, but I decided to try it again. The second time was worse! Needless to say, I won't be hiring New Dimensions again. Here's why:
Experience #1: I called ND and requested service two to three days in advance, setting up an appointment at 9 a.m. on a Friday. The woman showed up over an hour late, seriously screwing up my fiancé's day. (He had remained at the apartment to let her in.)
When I called to complain, the rep at ND told me that the woman had experienced bus delays and didn't have a cell phone to let anyone know. My thought was a) as a professional, you should account for bus delays to ensure you show up on time, and b) that ND should provide cell phones to its employees if transportation woes are an issue. Beyond that, ND offered me nothing in terms of compensation but promised better service next time.
On the bright side, my apartment was spotless when the woman left.
Experience #2: A couple of months and a new apartment later, I called back to again hire ND and request the specific lady my friend uses. The ND rep scheduled her for an 8 a.m. start and mentioned that people say she's rather loud ...
Miss C. showed up at my apartment 20 minutes early--better than an hour late but awkward when you're barely out of the shower (or still in it, as in my fiancé's case).
Upon surveying my cleaning supplies (almost exclusively Method), Miss C. went on and on (loudly) about how I didn't have the correct products--specifically 409 and Pine Sol--and said she would do her best but wouldn't be able to really clean our place properly without them. And when she discovered we don't have a vacuum, she again erupted about not being able to get into corners and so forth. (Our apartment is all tile and hardwood.) I had assumed that, being a professional housekeeper, she would have intimate knowledge of both a broom and a dust pan. Instead, she continued to mutter about not having access to a vacuum.
I left Miss C. and her helper to do their thing, and upon my return, the apartment appeared clean on the surface. I mentioned that it smelled clean, and she again came at me with the attitude about having to make do with, in her mind, inferior products. I paid her so she would leave.
Then, I started my inspection (which I probably should have done before paying her) and started noticing things like little rings of mildew still behind faucet handles and around drains. I found a cobweb in one bookshelf and the bottom shelf of another bookshelf completely undusted. Also, a bunch of dust and dirt under my bed. I also recleaned and scrubbed our range top because it looked like she had done only a sloppy onceover.
What it came down to, in my mind, was that she didn't like my products and therefore decided to do a half-assed job.
When I'm paying $100 for a cleaning service, I expect it to be AT LEAST as good as the job I would do and, in fact, better. The work was inferior, and the attitude was insufferable.
