So glad I saw Becky C.'s review in time before I, too, had a terrible experience with Spotless Steamers!
I called Spotless Steamers on January 6th to inquire about scheduling an appointment to be used with a Groupon. We agreed on a time so I went to buy the Groupon - $49 for 3 rooms of steam cleaning (I only needed 2) - only to find it was sold out. I called back to ask if they'd still honor the Groupon pricing/deal, and the man on the phone (thick eastern European accent) said they'd honor it: I'd pay them directly instead of buying the Groupon. I asked for some kind of email or receipt testifying to that fact and he refused, insisting they do this kind of thing "all the time." This immediately made me uncertain - how could I guarantee that when they showed up they would honor the deal price? His assurances over the phone were in no way binding. THANK GOODNESS I did not actually invest any money in to the Groupon, as you will see below. Because of this, I walked away from the entire interaction scratch free.
Fast forward a few weeks: my cleaning is scheduled for one of the "everybody freaks out because it's cold in Houston!" days. I call the day before to make sure there wouldn't be any problems re: the crew arriving for my cleaning the next day. The same guy I spoke to previously said "aside from an act of God" they would be there, no problem. On the day of my appointment around 9:30 they call to say they're waiting to come due to the cold weather - apparently their equipment is temperamental in the cold. My service window was supposed to be 9:00 - 11:00, and they were projecting an 11:00 am arrival. I griped to the man on the phone because I specifically called the day before to prevent exactly this type of thing, but whatever.
Through this discussion, though, I find out that they're ill prepared to service my apartment. The equipment they use needs to stay in the van outside, and my new apartment would involve them snaking their equipment/cords up 2+ flights of stairs from either the below ground garage or street level. They might not have hoses long enough to accommodate me. I ask them why they didn't cover this detail - specifically, asking me if I was in a house or apartment, and if the latter how it connects to van parking - when I first set up the appointment. Any prudent and detail-oriented company would have asked such questions. The guy brushes off my concerns and says he'll call me 30 mins before he will arrive, and should arrive no later than 11:00.
Come 10:45, he still hasn't called me, so I finally call to ask where he is. Oh, he says, he was about to call me. But before he heads out to my location - and here I smell a catch coming from a mile away - now that he knows I live in an apartment, there is a $35 dollar charge.The whole arrangement with Spotless Steamers had creeped me out since earlier in the month, so it was an obvious sign that I should jump ship before inviting them in to my home. I told him that we would not be doing business today, which he yelled back at me ("No, we will not do business today!"), and then he hung up on me.
To me, it's clear that this business is one of deceit and trickery. Becky C.'s review shows what happens when you let these guys in to your front door - and thanks to checking Yelp before going through with my business, I noticed all of the warning signs and broke off the interaction in the nick of time. I would absolutely NOT recommend anybody pursing services from Spotless Steamers, or at the very least be emphatically clear about the services you want/need, the agreed upon price, the layout of your house, and your expectations for the full transaction.
I intend to write to Groupon to tell them about the services they are peddling-by-proxy, as I'm afraid I might just be one of many people who is disappointed with services rendered or not-so-rendered. And I'm curious if the Better Business Bureau supports businesses that are not up front about charges/pricing?? read more