to think that cleaning company should get in touch and put things right?

[Eleanor02]

Cleaning Co came yesterday - amongst other things to deep clean oven. Came home to find very little had changed - still grime/grease on bottom; hob and extractor fan untouched. And seal behind door broken - it's come off in fact. DH was at home and, without really checking, signed off as complete ... Paid by cheque.

Called company - busy so would call me back - didn't - emailed - reply to say that they'd been busy but would get in touch. Not a word.

Company found on Checkatrade that does have a complaints process but as services pay to be on their website, it may be pretty weak. Wondering what to do - the clean wasn't cheap and, in any case, it wasn't done to even a reasonable standard. Stop the cheque - could be problems as it included the cost of the other cleaning job (outside the house)? Maybe jumping to conclusions, but get the sense that nothing will happen if we let it drift. Trading Standards if nothing happens? Of course I want to give the company time but after yesterday's attempts at getting in touch, I really think that nothing much is going to happen.

Its only been a day! Give them a bit more time.

Do you think as your DH signed off, they might not take your complaint seriously?

I would call and say there was a problem with the cheque and you have canceled it, if they want paying they need to come and pick up a replacement cheque, and while they are doing that they can clean the oven they missed before.

I would definitely cancel the cheque, I would pay for the work done but there is no way I would pay for the oven unless they come and do it.

I'd stop the cheque.

Thanks, all - good advice about the cheque. A manager finally phoned today and said he'd come over on Saturday as 'the customer is always right' - meantime, he won't bank the cheque. Said his workman told him that the seal was already broken (wrong, it wasn't and, anyway, it wasn't mentioned to DH when they were in the house) and that they'd cleaned the hob, extractor etc. Again, they had not - not even touched these things.

He said he could get the same workmen to do the job next week but I'm a bit concerned about these guys coming back to the house when they lied through their teeth - and to add insult to injury, the clean of the exterior of the house is pretty ropey - certainly not worth the money I spent.

Ask for my money back - at least for the oven 'clean' or think 'what the hell' and let the guys finish the job?

Take pictures of everything you are not happy with. Email it over to the company so you have some formal communication with them, detailing everything you are not happy with. Tell them you are not happy for the same team to come back and re-do the jobs and request a different team. Work out what you would be happy with, aim higher with your requests to the company and hopefully you should be able to meet somewhere in the middle.

I think you're on dodgy ground if the job was signed off. That's the point where your dp should have checked, and the company would be well within their rights to not do anything more. It would maybe be a bit arsey of them? And not the best way to get repeat custom, but technically the job was reviewed after completion and deemed acceptable before payment was made.