My business instructor always told me a complaint can go a long way:
I was recently asked to find a cleaner to help tidy up my grandparent's condo in Edmonton. They had just been hospitalized and my family decided we wanted to clean up their condo.We removed ALL the furniture, and putting in new carpet and new linoleum. After new carpet and lino was installed on Friday, I took on the task of finding a cleaning company to help us with a bit of the grunt work. I found a company called Hop-to-it-Maids Inc. on Kijiji and gave them a call. I told them our situation and asked for their help in cleaning my grandparents' 750 sq foot condo. The owner informed me their basic rate was $159/2 hours which included 2 workers and would be equivalent to 4 hours of work, they are a well respected, insured, and bonded company. I called around to a few more companies but for some odd reason I decided to go with them. A decision I regret deeply. My appointment was for 4pm this Saturday the 31st. They called me to say they were running late and would be there at 5:30pm. When they got to our building, they asked me if we had a vacuum they could borrow as theirs had just broken. No Problem. I took them upstairs and they said oh its a small condo, and there is barely any furniture here. They should finish with time to spare! I asked them if I should remove the photos from the walls to make it easier to clean and they said no, they will just spot clean. Then they told me they wouldn't clean the pantry because there were rubbermaid boxes in the way...... Not really happy with this but I volunteered to move the boxes out of the way so they could get access. At 6:15pm I told them I had to step out to run an errand and would be back by 7:30pm. I left and came back at 7:15pm and was promptly told they would not be able to finish and would need at least another 2 hours to finish and asked me if I wanted to re-schedule ! At $80/hr I surely said no. After they left I took a walk around and thought, What the HECK did these guys do for 2 hours. The small bathroom, living room vents, fridge, and some counter-tops were clean. My grandparent's entire bedroom hadn't been touched, the linoleum hadn't been swept or mopped, and the walls were still dirty. I went home and thought for a long long time and just felt so unhappy that I paid that much for such a bad job. I sent the owner a message letting her know I was a bit upset, told her what had and had not been cleaned and that I thought they over charged for 2 hours. The owner then said to me "Apparently it's your walls, they were very dirty. If you wish to book more time, please give me a call"
This just blew my mind. Not only did I not get a 'Sorry for the Misunderstanding' I'm pretty sure I was actually being blamed for an unfinished job that I just paid for?! :(
Anyhow, I just wanted to share my experience with this local company Hop-to-it-Maids Inc. They have group-on's and a lot of ads out there. I'm sure most of my friends aren't so lazy like me and are capable of cleaning up themselves, but if anyone ever needs cleaning services.
Don't Call Them <3 p="">
*Update*
After no provoke on my end, and a simple reply of "Thank you but I will not be requiring your services" The owner just sent me a text that pretty much said "your place was FILTHY"
I'm positive that one of the main rules in business is you DO NOT blame your client. My grandparents' place has been un-inhabited for a few months and as I previously stated, we had just cleared haul and removed all furniture and re-carpeted. Yes it was pretty dusty but was FAR from filthy. I just wish I could show everyone how NOT DIRTY our place was before they came. All we needed was someone to wash the floors, and walls. I just cannot believe a company can go around and insult its client as a response to a complaint.
