I'm usually very aware of potential scams and so I'm so annoyed I didn't spot anything
Cleaning service has been popping up on my Facebook lots lately, works in my area, posting quite frequently on our local Facebook page and so I started following the company as I was thinking of getting a cleaner. Recently nominated for a local
Business award (or so they said) and recently expanded the business, great reviews (although on hindsight the reviews were cut and pasted into FB posts.
Over 1k followers, including some people I know (who are all pretty sensible and astute). Advertised some slots left for Christmas deep cleans a few weeks ago and I contacted them, she was pretty responsive, asked the right questions and said there was a £50 deposit which I transferred.
Clean was meant to be due today. At the weekend I realised I had only given her my postcode, not my full address, and started to think it was a bit odd she hadn't been in contact for my address. Sent message on Saturday to check all ok for today (not giving my address as I was starting to feel something might not be right). No reply. Sent another message late on Sunday evening.
In the meantime I decided to google the owner. Struck off a professional register last year (for a healthcare related job) as had received a criminal conviction. Newspaper articles about the conviction and suspended jail sentence. Funnily, she says in her posts that she DBS checks anyone who works for her!
Eventually got a reply to my message. Another girl was due to do my clean but her son is sick. The owner could instead do it later in the day or the other girl would be back the next day. Recent FB posts suggest they are fully booked right up to Christmas so this doesn't seem right either.
I haven't replied and don't plan to. I obviously don't want this lady in my house. I've lost my deposit and I'll have to put that down to experience.
If it is a scam, I don't understand why others haven't left bad comments on her FB posts (there are very few comments but I've now noticed quite a few angry face emojis). Her page looks very professional. I can't find any evidence that she's been nominated for the award she says she has been. And I found that someone else has set up a fake profile similar to her's and commented on a few older posts to saw she's a scammer, and the owner has commented back to say that this is completely untrue.
Annoyed at the situation, but also feeling so down because the house had really got on top of me, we're hosting Christmas and I was so looking forward to getting it cleaned and not having to think about it myself. Clearly I won't get anyone else to do it now at this late stage.