1st Choice Cleaning

There were always problems with payments: they did not bill our credit card in a timely manner, then would bill us for several weeks at a time
the cleaning women did not show up when we arranged our schedule for them, and we were never told in advance that they would not be there
the final straw was when the cleaning woman did not show up and when we called the agency, we were told that the housecleaner was out of the country for several weeks,"Didn't she tell you?", when I explained she did not, the person on the phone told me, "She said she told all of her clients." I did not even receive a courtesy call to see if I wanted someone to clean the house while our regular person was away. 

They seem responsive but not really. After the first time, I was hopeful because they said they will also email and txt me the date./time of the scheduled cleaning. Which they did, but how good is that if the scheduled work doesnt get done?????! Even after all that they still screwed up my last scheduled cleaning!!!!!!!!!! UGH!

s and  they are terrific. Reasonable at $85 for four hours, two workers.

There were several times I told them to leave an area alone and concentrate on the other areas, but they spent no more time on the other places that needed cleaning. 

I had used them before, with some satisfaction.  The first time they sent two workers who came with their own equipment, cleaned for 4 hours, washed the blinds and ceiling fans, etc., and did a decent job.  I paid them the advertised rate of $72.00, plus gave an $8.00 tip. 

Last week I sent them a message via Angie's List to book the service.  After 5 days, no one contacted me, so I called them.  They were able to get someone out this afternoon.  Two ladies showed up early (which was great!) and my wife told them what needed to be done.  About 45 minutes into our 4 hour booking, they had knocked out the bathrooms and one was doing the kitchen while the other was doing the bedrooms.  I mentioned that we wanted the blinds done to the lady cleaning the bedroom and she said that they wouldn't have time.

My wife and I were surprised because we thought we had them for another three hours and the blinds wouldn't take that long, but we didn't make a big deal about it.  An hour later, precisely two hours after they walked through the door, they announced that they were leaving.  My wife told them we had booked them for 4 hours, but one of the workers explained that since we had two workers, they would only work two hours for that rate.  We explained that the previous time we used First Choice we got two workers for 4 hours at the $72 rate.  The ladies were adamant and, since they did a decent job for the two hours, we paid them (including a tip) and told them we would call and work it out with the person who we booked them through at the office.

Well, I called the office after they left and they had obviously called first.  The person who booked them proceeded to to explain to me how I was "confused" and had the details wrong about my first experience with the company and that she remembered precisely who she had booked previously and how long the two ladies worked.  I explained to her that she was mistaken - they had sent a man and a woman the first time, not two women - and she then proceeded to blame the problem on me for not thoroughly reading the website when I booked them.

I told her that I didn't go to her website, I booked them through Angie's List and when I got no response, I called them.  I told her the Angie's List coupon reads "$72.00 for 4 hours of Cleaning" and makes no mention of the size of the crew.  She then told me not to use Angie's List and to book through their website. 

The biggest issue for me, despite the misunderstanding, is that it's not a great value at that price.  My previous housekeeper charged $12.00/hour for 4 hours and did about the same job that the First Choice workers did in two hours.  I was paying 1st Choice $24.00 more because I expected more workers and more work to be done in that time frame.  If they had done a SPECTACULARLY better job, then I wouldn't have a complaint.  As it is, I feel like I grossly overpaid and was the victim of a bait-and-switch.

Everything went smoothly from scheduling the appointment to completion of the job.  I got two terrific hard-working ladies who really cared about doing a great job.  I couldn't have asked for a better experience.

Maria came to our home and did a great job. She was pleasant and very thorough. She proved to be a conscientious, hard worker.

It was good but not perfect.  There was a weird chemical smell left behind in my kitchen. However the front and back porch/patios were cleaned beautifully.

I submitted my original report before I had a chance to thoroughly inspect that work that was done on our house. I have since changed my overall grade from a "D" to an "F". I'm completely disgusted with the fact that I paid these people to step foot in my home.
 Here's my original report, a bit too kind, I would say now.....

For the sake of brutal honesty, I have to tell you that Tia misrepresented her company on the phone with me. Let me start by saying Tia and her staff were very nice, punctual, professional etc. But I was not at all happy happy with the actual cleaning. 

A few examples of how Tia misrepresented her services: 

1.) She quoted me a price for cleaning and laundry, and then 30 mins after the cleaners got here, was told a different price. 

2.) Tia told me one person could get my one bedroom one bath 1100sq ft home clean in four hours, or two people in two hours. This absolutely did not happen. This is inexcusable for a house that has been cleaned well and religiously every two weeks for over three years. Our house had already been deep cleaned ONE week before the cleaners got here! 

3.) Tia told me her staff has been licensed ,bonded and background checked, but they did not arrive with proof of that. 

4.) Tia told me at least one staff member would speak English. One of the people that came to clean spoke SOME English, but not enough to tell me that she did not understand what I was saying for the first 30 minutes that I spent telling them what we wanted. This must have been true because they did not do half of the things I asked.

A have a HUGE problem with a cleaning service that is not thorough and leaves before they have finished the job. And an even BIGGER problem with a cleaning service of two experienced cleaners that cannot get a tiny condo clean in two hours. There is absolutely no excuse for this. 

Take heed when hiring this company. You will not get what you think you are getting. 

They were early and did an excellent job. Everything was cleaned. They were friendly and efficient. I will use them on a regular basis.

Everything was fine

I purchased the cleaning service through Tippr, an online promotion, like the many offered these days.  It was (supposedly) 6 hours of cleaning for the price of two.  I had just fired my cleaning service and was looking for a new one, so I thought this was a great deal.  Since my home wasn't terribly dirty I thought I'd have them do some windows, too.  In any event, I was expecting a spectacular job since they were new and trying to win my business. First of all, I had trouble just reaching the company; I got a voicemail message and it was several days before anyone returned my call.  I was told I'd get a confirmation call the night before the cleaning appointment, but that call never came.  My husband was home for the cleaning crew, and they showed up almost an hour late because the car of one of the crew had broken down.  No one called to inform us that they would be late.   The crew spent about two and a half hours cleaning, and did no better a job than my former cleaning service, for which I paid $80 for two people every other week, but 1st Choice was supposed to be a value of $240!  To add insult to injury, their fee on Angie's List is $75 for four hours of cleaning! As far as quality of work, what I got was pretty much what I had been getting with my previous service, but since this was supposed to be a "special price," with at least the implication that I would get special service, it turned out to be a bust.  Also, since this was a first time cleaning, I expected someone from the company to follow up with me afterward.  

 It was a lot of work and they did it well.  I was so pleased with their attitude as well as with their work.  I would hire them again in a heartbeat.

I purchased a Groupon to receive 2 hours of cleaning. When I contacted the company (First Choice Cleaning) to schedule cleaning, they were very helpful and courteous. I had to reschedule once and they were also very accommodating. The lady who was sent to my house for the cleaning brought all of her own supplies and actually arrived early. She asked me which rooms needed cleaning and started work immediately. She cleaned two bathrooms thoroughly during the two hours (one of the bathrooms is a kids (boys) bathroom!), and did not stop for any breaks. I was very satisfied with the quality of services and with the professionalism of the staff.

I requested a deep cleaning ("spring cleaning") and discussed my needs with the owner before the work was done.  However, when the work was completed, many things were left undone. I followed up with the owner, who remembered my original call and was very apologetic and resolved the issue completely.  I think it was just a communication problem.  The work that was done was excellent.

They weren't better or worse than others. They sent two people and they were thorough. They were good. They were easy to deal with on the phone.

We had some remodeling work done on our house because we had to re-pipe our house due to a pIumbing leak under our slab. The plumbers had to jackhammer some concrete and there was dust everywhere. We were living in a hotel for three weeks. The work was done, and it was time to move back into our home. I called around 7:40am and scheduled a house cleaning service for the same day. They were able to arrange two ladies to come to my home at 11am for four hours of work. One arrived 1/2 hour early, and the other was 1/2 hour late. It was no big deal, but the second one got lost because she said her company sent her directions with a wrong turn. Whatever. The two ladies were very nice, friendly, and cleaned every area we asked them to. We asked to company to use 'green' products, and they said that would be no problem. We also asked them to bring 'Bona' to use on our hardwood floors. Both requests were met. They worked hard and asked what were the most important areas for them to clean, and they started on those first. They each needed about an extra hour of work to finish, and I contacted the company to let them know. The extra hour was very reasonable. We paid by credit card over the phone and asked them to add extra for a tip.

This is the third time I've used 1st choice, and they continue to blow me away. The owner, Tia, always answers the phone and my needs are always met. I had the opportunity to use 4 of her cleaners and was very impressed at all points. 1st choice cleaners have personality, and great attention to detail. Most importantly, they made my tenants happy, which makes me... very happy. They are thorough, and get in between stuff you wouldn't want to do yourself. I'm using them monthly and look forward to a long run of business.

I had called at least four other cleaning services. I got answering machines on all of them. This company had a person answering (they open at 7 a.m.!) and would have had someone be available to do the job the same morning that I called (I called at 9:00 a.m.). I decided to have the maid come the following day (more convenient for me). The next morning, the maid was there before I was, had everything she needed (she used our vacuum), didn't need to be told what to do, got right down to work, and did a fantastic job in less than the time allotted for the job. She was respectful, cheerful, and pleasant. I would DEFINITELY hire this company again.

They were exceptional. From the first friendly call, to the punctual arrival, they went straight to work, and were understanding of needs. I wasn't specific in what I needed cleaned, I just needed cleaning, and they were on top of it. So much so, after they left, I set up monthly appointments for me and my tenants. First choice really impressed me, and I hope they do the same for you.

Very responsive on the phone setting up the appointment, professional and friendly. Received a follow-up e.mail detailing appt. and payment options. The cleaner was very friendly and easy to communicate with, as well as being adaptable to my needs. She's been doing a fine job cleaning for several weeks.