I chose Izabella's Cleaning Service because they agreed to come and do a move in deep cleaning within a specific time frame. We closed on our home at 11 am and had movers coming at 5:30pm so we requested the cleaning take place between 12pm and 5pm. This allowed 5-hours of cleaning before my movers arrived. I should note that the price was $150 more than several competitors and they wanted 50% deposit up front for the move in deep cleaning. I am writing this because I would not trust these people to come in my home with or without supervision. Here is a summary of what happened.
The day of the move two women (one was a team leader named Meg) showed up at the house a few minutes after 12pm. I was expecting more than 2 people given the specific time frame and the fact that it was a move in deep clean. The two ladies were polite, confirmed what needed to be done and said not to worry my house would be clean in time. They also informed me that they were both single moms and needed to leave to pick up their kids later in the afternoon but would be back quickly... Again I reinforced that we needed the house clean by 5pm.
It didn't take long for things to get uncomfortable; within the first hour the two ladies politely asked me how much we were paying for the cleaning. I was hesitant to respond, they felt that their boss lied to them about how much the job was because they get paid a percentage of the cleaning fee. I told them the fee I agreed to pay and they were both visibly upset. They continued to discuss how they are always getting "screwed" by their boss. Over the next several hours the two ladies took turns leaving the house. The two of them were in the house together less than 2 hours between 12pm and 5pm.
5pm (5 hours from their arrival) came and the cleaning that had been done consisted of the kitchen appliances and about 10 casement windows. One of the ladies left at 530pm for the day leaving just Meg to clean the home. Our movers arrived at 5:30pm; we had to have them put our stuff in the basement and garage as to not interrupt the cleaning.... (If you have ever moved you can imagine how difficult this made our lives over the next several weeks)
By 7pm (7 hours after arrival) we realized that our home would not be cleaned so we advised the movers to start moving furniture into the home. I asked Meg how we should proceed; this is when it got interesting. She got on the phone and completely lied to her boss. I overheard (eavesdropped) her telling her boss that the movers were in their way and slowed them down, she said that they only had one hour of cleaning left to do if they came back the next day, and I also heard her asking her boss if she could come get "gas money" from her. When she got off the phone she came in and offered to come back in the morning. She grabbed her stuff and left.
I called the manager and explained that her employee just bold faced lied to her on the phone. I initially agreed to let them come back to "finish" in the morning, but after further thought I didn't trust them to be in the house now that our belongings were going to be in there. I sent a message asking them not to return and requested a refund. The manager agreed and processed a refund via PayPal. You would think it would all end there.
More uncomfortable interaction - They had left a vacuum, I texted the manager that I would leave it in the driveway for someone to pickup, no one came... until 2 weeks later both girls were at my door. They asked me for the vacuum but were telling me they didn't get paid because I didn't pay. Yes, they were back at my door basically trying to guilt me into giving them money. I told them that I requested a refund and the manger agreed. I also indicated that about 10% of the job was completed, and that the job was understaffed for what was promised in the 5-hour time frame. I told them to direct their concerns to their boss and not me...
Overall the manager did the right thing by giving me a refund. I accurately described the size of the property (sq ft and rooms), the house was not heavily soiled (little old lady owned it), and 5 hours should have been enough time for a sufficiently staffed crew to clean the house. She also promised two complimentary free cleanings that never came; but I wouldn't want these ladies back in my house anyway. No customer should be dragged in the middle of the employee/employer issues this company is having. read more