Megha from Burlington

I went with this company because they were the only ones that could accommodate us on a short notice. Debbie was helpful on the phone. I told her that we haven't moved in yet and will come all the way just to let the cleaners in. We fixed an afternoon time. I called that day and told her we were running a little late, and if she could send the girls in later. She said oh yes, they were going to be a bit late anyway since they had just gone to a place in Oakville and it will take them a while. I was a little surprised that she hadn't told me they were going to be late since she knew we were making the trip especially for this but it wasn't a big deal since we were running late anyway. We got in at the time I told her we would, and started to wait. They were around 45 minutes late. Still okay ... happens. I wasn't making a big deal of it in my head yet. I don't remember very clearly (this was back in the first week of September 2013) but they came close to 4 pm and they looked dog tired! They were sweaty and grubby ... I looked at them and I knew this wasn't going to be great. To be fair, I think they did what they could given their energy level but they were obviously in a rush to get it done and be over with. It was a move in cleaning ... my understanding with Debbie was that since I didn't want to be spending too much, I'd first get the basic stuff done and then see how much time that took, and then decide on the spot what else I wanted to get done -- I had asked her if they'd be able to accommodate that, or do they need to know the fixed length of time they were going to be there. She said she will make it flexible and I could decide then and there. There was no time for any of that, of course. Even for the things we had already agreed upon, I had to remind them and make sure that was done before they left. In fact, they had one more person join them in between because they wanted it done fast and they wanted more hands. That kind of threw the calculation off when it was time to pay, and I just ended up paying a few bucks more than I thought I should have ... but it was their word against mine -- as in how much time the latest one to join the team spent cleaning -- and the head of the team was a tad aggressive; they were all soo tired that I was feeling bad (and a bit upset that I have to feel bad) ... and so I just paid up. Maybe on a better day, an early morning schedule, I would have had a totally different experience with them but I don't think I want to give that a try. But yeah, next time I want cleaning done, I will book much ahead of time, shop around a bit more and get a morning appointment. **Edited to respond to Caroline, Owner of Maid of All Work I had read your replies to customers that were unhappy, and had a fair idea about the kind of response I will get from you. I will reply to the points you made: "We called for our customary follow-up twice without a reply from you." => Nope, did not get a single call from you guys. I didn't mention this in the review because it was getting inordinately long but now that you bring this up, let me add that when the cleaning ladies left, the lead of the group said Debbie will send me the receipt via mail -- never got it. I never bothered because I didn't need it. So that's that. "If the team was tired and sweaty, I apologize. August is a very hot month and many homes including yours, do not have the air conditioning running" => What makes you assume the air conditioning was not running at our home? We had been waiting for the ladies to arrive for more than 45 mins, and had turned the air conditioning the minute we stepped inside our house. Please don't make things up. The issue is not that they "looked" tired and sweaty but the fact that they seemed overworked by the time they got to our house, which is nothing to hold against them but nothing that works in favor of getting a good clean-up job done by people who have had a long day already. "I understand that delays happen when homeowners wait for keys on moving day. It’s a challenge that does not have a clear solution. Regarding my office staff telling you it was ok that you needed to push the start time later, we were being graceful to the change you were making." => Since you have already pulled in the data and information from last August, please look again and you will see it was not just about being gracious. It was nice of you guys to say "yes, it is okay" but the fact is that Debbie told me very clearly "it was okay because the cleaners had just gone to a house in Oakville" and were going to be later than the time scheduled initially. Looks like you guys accommodated some other last minute client like me! Maybe it is not all about graciousness; it has something to do with business, too. "I would welcome an opportunity to discuss this and answer any questions, despite the time that has gone by. I would also welcome your suggestions on how we could have better met your needs under the circumstances." => You could have manageable shifts, so that a team that has been working for hours beyond their energy level is not sent to do another house where they cannot wait to finish the job, and be done with their day. Remember, your late afternoon/early evening client is paying you the same amount as your morning customer.