Need help with domestic cleaner

[Hikari01]

Hi all,

We recently hired a cleaner to take care of our 2 bedroom apartment (2 hrs a week). During the initial consultation we discussed with the rep what we'd like to be done, which is:

• clean small bathroom
• clean the surfaces in the kitchen, the sink and wipe the microwave
• vacuum clean throughout the flat
• mop the kitchen and bathroom floors
• dust the living room and two bedrooms
• clean the mirrors
• if there happens to be any time left, clean the windows of one room (from inside)

We also asked the cleaner to

• clean the oven once a month and were happy to pay for the OT she might have to do for this.

The rep agreed and said it was no problem at all and could be done in the time frame discussed.

Fast forward to the first day of cleaning. I came home from work just to discover that all that had been done was dusting one piece of furniture. I did not smell any kind of cleaning products upon entering either. Upon contacting the company for an explanation they blamed us for expecting the cleaner to clean up a mess (don't know where they got that from, our flat was very tidy and just needed some normal cleaning as stated above) and that the cleaner had refused to come back to us.

We are not stuck with finding a new and reliable cleaner and a shady company that wants us to pay for a service that has not been carried out.

Any tips or recommendations ?

I know at work our desks don't seem to get cleaned if they have stuff on them. What are your work surfaces like? Mine are quite cluttered, which does make cleaning harder, but one piece of furniture dusted seems absurd.

The kitchen work surfaces are relatively free. The rep also said they would move things around and clean underneath if necessary.
I would have understood if our place had been a total mess but it wasn't. It was tidy to begin with.

My cleaner does all that in an hour. However the only stuff on surfaces is stuff that stays there, kettle for example.

I mean she does that in two hours.

Can anyone of you recommend a good cleaner or cleaning agency in the Ewell/Epsom area ?

That is not a great deal of cleaning requested for a weekly 2hr service and I'm afraid you have been ripped off.

You should terminate services if possible (or give notice if you need to) and hire another company as soon as you can.

Shocking level of service!

Can you take pictures to show what it is like and what has been done to explain to them how little has been done?

Hindsight is a wonderful thing - don't suppose you have any photos of the rooms as you left them this morning?

I guess if you have another cleaner, it would be sensible to take pictures of how it was when you left it so that you can show them exactly what little is done if you come across more charlatans!

I've just thought - it wasnt the initial clean was it as our intials take a team hours that first day, even if the home is small and tidy. The initial clean is a big clean to bring things up to a standard we can regularly maintain in a more usual timeframe.

Forgive me if it was not the initial clean and just a routine maintenance clean but, if it was, the initial always takes at least double the hours so that could be an explanation.

If that is the case, however, shame on any company who does not explain this to clients and puts their cleaners in a no-win situation leading to disatisfaction of all parties, I would still get rid for lack of professional knowledge and communication.

Thank you for bringing this up. I already let go of the company as they don't appear to be professional at all and don't even reply to my emails anymore. I just hope no one else falls into their trap.

Good for you OP it's scandalous and devalues the industry! Shame on them!

Oh on a side note, I did take pictures of how it looked after the "cleaning". I offered the company to show them but they just threatened me to pay the bill and then stopped replying to my emails.

I also time stopped how much cleaning I can get done in two hours and it was more than what I asked them to do. Like I said earlier, I do hope that no one steps into their nasty trap. I should have listened to all those warning bells that went off when they said they had availabilities on several days a week during initial consultation...

Was this a local agency or a franchise? If it's a franchise, you might have some luck speaking to their head office.

It was the local office of a franchise. And good idea, I will send them an email !

Always hire a cleaner you deal with directly. I've never had a good experience with agencies - if you like things done a certain way you have to explain that, yourself, to the person doing the work and not have to go through some third party who might garble the message.

Ditch this company, put a message on gumtree and find someone who you like and can communicate with.

Be careful on Gumtree OP some cleaners are trading illegally on there! Don't pay cash in hand and ask to see proof of insurance if you go with a solo cleaner to make sure they are in business legitimately.

You really don't want a person operating illegally, the liability is enormous on so many different levels!

The cleaning service, even if individual should be legal and covered for all liability for your peace of mind!

They should give you written information of what their standard service includes and what is additional so that you are clear on the scope of work your money is paying for IN WRITING at the start of the agreement!

Then there can be no room for dissatisfaction from either parties as it is all set out clearly at first meeting!