General cleaning of an empty apartment
First of all, this company gives you a very expensive service. Add to that the factor that you have to provide the cleaning products. That's all fair. The quality of the job is good most of the time, and on one occasion (out of 3) very bad. Does the price justify their service? Not really. I'm OK with paying $35 and providing my own supplies, but only if the job is exceptional, and Clean My Space's end results aren't. They're decent when they do a good job, but that's about it.
I own more than half-dozen condos around Toronto, and so when the tenants move out I have to have the condos cleaned to their best. I had used Clean My Space on two previous occasions, and decided to call them up again for one of my condos in Yorkville that was empty and being prepared for a new tenant. They came and cleaned the apartment, but I did not have a chance to take a look at their job until 10 days later, and while on the surface everything seemed clean, it wasn't. Within seconds I was able to notice small things: a pile of beard hair in the washroom cupboard, dirty corners, dirty door knobs, dirt marks on walls which I had specifically asked to be removed, etc. Little things that no one should expect from a cleaning company charging at $35/hour and claims to do a very careful, thorough and outstanding job.
So I emailed them and one of their reps, while saying how he's shocked, offers to do a free touch-up cleaning service next week. I was delighted to hear this but told them I'll be away next week and if we could reschedule something for the week after that I would appreciate it. I don't get any emails returned to me, however, and a week later when I decide to contact them again, things go down south.
Another rep replied this time, saying that while the previous rep had promised a complimentary touch up service, this now falls outside of their "24 hour policy," since I contacted them 10-14 days later and by now dust has covered everything. Furthermore, this rep claimed that my last email before this one was replied to, something that absolutely not true.
I wrote them back saying I understand their 24-hour policy and appreciate it. However, given that the apartment is empty and no one has been there since the cleaning, and I provided a list of very specific things that had NOTHING TO DO with dust (e.g. dirt marks on walls and piles of hair from shaving), they should understand my position as well. Furthermore, I told them that a good customer service sometimes requires a business to operate outside of their policies, which are not set in stone. Of course, I never got a reply.
CONCLUSION: While Clean My Space might do a decent job, it's by no means outstanding. And if there is a problem, they won't go out of their way and 24-hour policies to satisfy you, no matter who you are. For $35/hour + own supplies, you rightfully should expect an outstanding job and customer service, which you might get, you might not.
- Approximate cost of services:
- $200.00
- What could this company do to improve their services?
- For the rate they get, they should at the very least 1) do what they said they would, even if it means it's outside of their policy, 2) do as much as they can to keep their customers happy, even if that means breaking a policy like their "24-hour free touch-up" service, and 3) return all emails, or at least don't claim they've responded to an email when they clearly haven't.
- Any advice to offer fellow homeowners facing a similar project?
- There are much better cleaning companies in Toronto that produce the same results (albeit, without leaving you a checklist of what needs to be done) at a much cheaper price and with better customer service (for example, [competitors name removed--Ed]. I gave them a try after Clean My Space refused to finish the job). And if you don't have any antiques or expensive and vulnerable things lying around, go with a private maid. It's not hard to find one that you can trust, just ask around for maids that have been giving service to your friends or relatives for years. And because they were recommended by friends or family, they'll usually go out of their way to do a terrific job.
- Company Response
Sepandee,
We welcome all feedback, positive and negative, and will do our best to explain the situation from our side.
First off, we're happy that you decided to use our services, for a third time. We strive to provide not only consistent, quality cleaning services but clear and concise corporate policies which aid in our day-to-day operations.
We are often placed in a position where our policies require flexibility and trust us, the satisfaction of our dedicated customers is of paramount importance.
However, our policy offers a 24 hour guarantee and seeing as how you contacted us some 2 weeks later, we found ourselves in a very difficult position. We had to make a call and decided to stand-by our touch-up policy.
We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused and wish you all the best in the future.
M