It pains me to write this review, because I really do think Sonia is a good, kind person at heart…read more However, that doesn't excuse some of the following behaviors, which ultimately led to us parting ways after many years of working together.
When we first hired Sonia and her team, the house was spotless, as Sonia came herself to make sure this was the case. As time went on, I started noticing lack of effort and attention to detail, despite her prices continuing to climb. Also, one room used for storage wasn't cleaned and originally we weren't charged for it. However, she seemed to forget that with time, and despite not cleaning that room, included it in her new pricing. But that is far from all I take issue with.
I noticed dust was left on surfaces at times that seemed to have been missed more than once, judging by the 3 inch layer of it. I pointed this out to Sonia, and instead of apologizing, she told me I didn't do a good enough job tidying the house before she got there, so they didn't have time (I believe you call that gaslighting.). They also constantly missed cobwebs in obvious places as well as spots of mold on the shower curtain.
We had multiple discussions to try and make it work. I went out of my way to make things easier for her and her team, like getting a plant stand so they wouldn't have to lift things. My ex partner and I would make the house pretty much spotless for the cleaners, obviously defeating the entire purpose, making it a waste of money. Yet Sonia would still complain about how we made things difficult for her.
I tried to make it work and wanted to, but I felt like a broken record, which I told Sonia, yet she repeated the same behaviors. She failed to listen when I repeatedly asked her to respect the advance notice I requested, as I had a premature baby, chronic illness, and a high pressure, in-person, full-time job. I asked for 7 to 10 days notice, which is not unreasonable. Yet somehow, most of the time, I would find out they were coming one or two days in advance without a time specified until usually the day of.
I honestly do a much better job cleaning the house on my own by pacing myself and being thorough (and saving money!). And I know that it's wrong to say the client is always right, because that's just not true. However, I think blaming the client, gaslighting them, failing to listen, and doing a half assed job for high prices isn't the best look for a business. I was just tired of the excuses and having to repeat myself. And while I have tremendous empathy for those going through hardships, like I myself have been, using your personal difficulties as an excuse doesn't strike me as very professional (personally, I was expected to follow the same standards at my workplace, despite having chronic illness and personal difficulty).
Do yourselves a favor and find someone who will respect your time and money, will do a much better job, and won't make you feel like crap.
