You've Got Maids

"As an owner, I know the customer is always right. In this case, a miscommunication caused the conversation to spin out of control which created the wrong impression. However, I did not ask for any payment beyond the agreed upon price of $120. I never do that. Let me explain. It is true that we took the job late in the day and that I misjudged our ability to finish the job we were on and drive across town to do this house. The client understood and we rescheduled for the next day. After the job was finished I asked the client if she was satisfied with the work. She said yes. They had missed a few spots, but she said they corrected it. I am always looking for new clients, so I wanted her to be happy. I am taken aback by all the quality problems she listed above. That was not communicated to me. We have a satisfaction guarantee. If she told me she was unhappy with the job, I would have sent a different team to re-clean the following day. I don't hesitate to do that. It is a no questions asked policy. If you are not happy, we fix it, period. We began to discuss payment. I had no intention of charging anything above the agreed upon price of $120. I said, "My team was there for 5 hours instead of the 2 we expected, so the price should be $300." I was trying to explain that she was getting a deal. She thought I was slapping her with a charge she never expected. She was very upset, but before I could correct her, she began to protest quite vigorously over the phone. It was very difficult for me to get her attention. Eventually, I was given the chance to explain that I only wanted the original $120, but I would like her to consider tipping the maids for the 3 additional hours they spent. She agreed to pay them $15 each for the 3 additional hours of work. As far as why my team took so long, I have a theory. My Team Leader called me during the job and said that the house needed a lot of attention. Much more than we had thought. The client said her maid does the job in four hours so I expected us to simply fill in. Big mistake. I checked the square footage online and the house is 3500 square feet. My very best team that cleans 30 houses every week without complaint could not do that job with 4 labor hours. It would take them at least 7 labor hours. My Team Leader informed me that the client was inspecting my team room by room as they cleaned. I am sure she doesn't do that with her regular maid. For that reason, I believe there was quite a lot of built up dirt that you often do not notice in a very large home until you really look. Because the client was hesitant about new staff in her home, she inspected closely and pretty much discovered the dirt and dust her regular maid had been leaving behind for weeks. I wasn't in the home, but I know my team and this is my best guess on what happened. I am sure my team felt rushed since the job was so much larger than we expected and we had several regular clients lined up afterward. My regular Team Leader was out that week and her replacement did not have the savvy to explain that I had completely underestimated the job. Even so, I was willing to take a loss on the job to perhaps gain a client. I never got the chance to look like a good guy, when our discussion got so wonky. I hate how this turned out for the client and my staff. I have learned a lesson from this situation that many contractors follow religiously. I should never agree to a job unless I have inspected the home and communicated all the parameters the job requires. This was my mistake and all the miscommunication stemmed from that."

"This review occurred 2 years before I purchased the franchise. Please don't hold it against my current staff."

"Many Thanks for your Business"

"This review occurred 2 years before I purchased the franchise. Please don't hold it against my current staff."

"Member, I would first like to thank you for purchasing our Groupon. I want to apologize for the inconsistent service, as I do believe the first 3 hour session was satisfactory? It is never our intention to make our customers feel ripped off, and I am so sorry you had a disappointing experience. I personally delivered the check, and put it in your mail box since no one was home. I hope you were able to replace your coffee pot. I also apologize that you were quoted an exact arrival time; it’s standard in the service industry to give a window for arrival. We partner with the maids and allow a little grace in the event they encounter traffic, need a coffee break so they can be efficient in your home, etc… therefore, if we plan to arrive at 9am, you should’ve been told that the ladies will arrive between 9 – 11, for reasonable expectations. I’m sorry you were waiting. Finally, I apologize for the delay in returning your call. Many more Groupon’s were sold than I expected, and this will never happen again…we won’t run a Groupon like this, nor, will there be such a delay. We strive for great customer service and fell short. If there is any way we are able to redeem ourselves, I hope you would give us the opportunity. Once again, I do appreciate your business and your feedback."