ServiceMaster DSI – Princeton

I contacted Service Master's 800 number and the woman that answered was very professional and put me in touch with a local chapter of Service Master.  I spoke with them around 8-8:30 A.M. and by 10:30 A.M. the crew was at my work for me to sign paperwork.  They were at the rental unit by about 10:45 A.M.  My tennant couldn't believe how quickly they arrived.  Within a couple of hours, they cleaned the basement floor and put down an anti-microbial agent (as this was raw sewage).  After they were finished, I recieved a call from their office informing me of the work that was performed and what the charges would be.  I was very pleased with their efficiency and professionalism. 

Price was very high but we agreed because we expected superior service. Service Master then subcontracted the work to individuals with little to no professionalism. For example, painters teenage daughter told me how excited her dad was about the job because he usually did odd handyman work and had never done anything this big before. Specific complaints: 1. Crew cleaned the house first thing, then the painters came in with their scaffolds and tracked up the clean rooms. 2. Living room had a few pieces of furniture left in it, and estimator said the workmen would cover it with tarp while painting. Instead, we learned from a neighbor that the painters dragged the furniture outside and piled it in the driveway every morning (even on a rainy day), dragged it back inside every evening. 3. Living room hardwood floor had a spot where something had been spilled on it. Floor crew applied floor polish right over the spot. When I pointed it out, I was told that cleaning up the spot would cost extra. (Note: it was not a stain, just a recent spill). 4. At the end of the first day they were there, the workers left every light on (all four floors), the air-conditioner blasting, & the front door wide open when they went home for the night. Fortunately I came over to pick up something & found it. I complained to the manager. The second night they did shut the door but left the lights on again. 5. Workers turned the air conditioner down as cold as it would go. By the end of the first week, the thermostat failed and we had to replace it. We also had a huge utility bill. 6. Cleaning bathrooms (three) was supposed to include baseboards, floors, walls, ceiling, tub surround, heat registers, etc. They just gave tub, sink, and toilet a once-over, no more than I do routinely every week. Rooms were no cleaner after they were done than before. 7. Concrete storage area in basement was supposed to be pressure steamed. After they left we found the area leaking; had never leaked in the 15 years we lived there. We complained. The manager said it couldn't be their fault because they had not pressure steamed the area, even though that was in the contract and we had paid for it. We called a different contractor, who re-sealed the area. 8. After workmen left at the end of the job, I found a new crack running up the entire length of the front door jam. I can only assume they hit it with the scaffolding on the way out. 9. Multiple other irritations and failures--but this gives the gist of the service. The entire job took much longer than estimated, over two weeks in all. Interestingly, the billing we received afterward claimed that entire job was completed in one day.