Maid Brigade

Recently we used Maid Brigade to clean our place before we listed it for saleIt was a straight forward job of cleaning floors, appliances and cupboardsThe place was completely empty so there was nothing in the way to prevent them from doing the job rightFollowing the service we returned to review the work and was very disappointed to find the attention to detail was not there and some areas completely missed all togetherWe ended up having to re-clean the entire place ourselves as it was showing the following dayThe people who do this work for a living were unable to do a simple job such as ours?!
When I contacted the manager I was given the usual list of excuses but no potential solutions to my concernsWe felt the job was unsatisfactorily done and therefore requested a refundObviously Maid Brigade felt differently as they have chosen to ignore my attempts to reach them and to take the money and run
A very disappointing experience and I would not recommend them for any level of cleaning service

Maid Brigade was not hired by *** *** rather by *** *** who called and set up the cleaning. We actually confirmed the appointment with his credit card. Mr *** said he wasn’t paying for the cleaning and to call the *** to get the credit card information. We called
them numerous times and never heard back from themMr*** said he would have the new tenant, ** ***, call us to pay for itWhen Ms *** called us and we explained the situation and she said she wasn’t paying for it but requested us to clean the appliances and pantryAfter speaking with Ms ***, Mr *** called us back and said he was trying to get hold of Mr*** as we had not heard from them*** *** had *** *** call our office and give us a credit card for payment. We asked her if she wanted the appliances cleaned and she said yes but called back minutes later and told us not to clean the appliances as they were being replaced. *** *** called us and told us there wasn’t any water in the home but wanted to clean it anyways because the tenant was moving in. Mr*** met our cleaning team at the vacant home which the A/C was off and was degrees inside the home. The team did the best they could under the situation of the heat and no water. Mr *** remained at the home during the entire cleaning spending part of the time inside with the team and part time outside in his car. We charged the homeowner for only the time we were in the home. We knew before we went out that we would not be able to complete a cleaning and told the homeowner several times by leaving voice messages. They were evidently in transit to Colorado making it very difficult to reach them. Ms ***, the new tenant called the next day and said the house was still dirty and we explained there was no water and we did what we could. We offered to come back for additional time that she would have to pay for and she said no she couldn’t afford it. Mr *** called and said the cleaning was unacceptableWe explained the situation but he didn’t seem to understand how difficult it is to completely clean a very dirty house without water. He also asked why we didn’t clean the appliances and we told him that his wife called back and told us not to clean them. We offered him to come back out but we would have to charge him for the additional time. He said he would talk to his wife first and that was the last we heard from themWe should have refused to clean under these circumstances but decided to do what we could for them since Ms *** was moving in the next day. We would have gladly come out after the water was back on to complete the job. We charge by the hour for the cleaning time we were not going to do it for free under these situations. We do not like dealing with a third party and unfortunately the job had already been scheduled before we found out that we were not dealing totally with the homeowner. We do not feel that a refund of any kind is due as we completed what we could as asked by Mr***

I scheduled my appointment in September to ensure my house would be cleaned the week before Thanksgiving I had family coming to town for a week so I wanted it cleaned a few days before they were to arrive Since I have never had my house professionally cleaned or met anyone from the business, my husband took off work to be home when they would be there I was told when I booked the appointment that I would receive a phone call the day before to let me know what time the crew would be there the next day I never received a call the day before and thought it was odd so I decided that I would call them when I got to work to ensure that they would be open Right as I pulled into work I received a call stating that the cleaning crew would not be coming to clean that day and the earliest appointment was in the middle of December At that point it's to late to find another service, I didn't have time to do the cleaning myself After I gave them a hard time because I had booked my appointment so far in advance that I should have gotten bumped off the list, they said they would try and fit me in that Thursday The day before my guest were arriving They did come that day and the cleaning crew did what I wanted them to do I thought that maybe they would give me a discount for the inconvenience of my husband missing work, but I was charged full price I was considering doing a monthly cleaning before my house was cleaned, but after that I wont be using this service again

The client did contact us about cleaning apartments and a laundry room in his buildingWe very much did clean all apartments and the laundry roomThe third apartment in question that the client claimed was not cleaned we have photos of pre- and during the cleaning showing some of the things
needed to be doneOne image shows a large pile of hair swept up by the team showing clearly that the tenet had a pet of some sortOn another image you can see a faint yellow splatter low on the wall that the cleaners said smelled like urineAnother image shows grease on the microwave part way through being wiped offAll of these things were cleaned up and moreThese images and more were provided to the client many times to show we were in the apartment and work was done.The client was billed after the cleaning was doneAfter that we revived neither payment nor contact from the client for over weeksClient was mailed invoices multiple times and was called multiple times with no response so we charged the card on fileAfter we charged the card the client contacted us and we spoke to him for the first time after the cleaning was doneWe expect payment in days of service or we could charge a late payment fee that we waved for the client in this caseIf the client has issues with payment or the service we are willing to work with the clientOr previous contact with the client was all over the phone and the client never asked for our emailWhatever email he says he sent, I am unaware of where it was sent and we never revived it in our emails before weeks after the cleaningNormally if a client is upset with our cleaning quality we will send the team back at the next availability to fix was not cleaned to standardWe weren't informed until weeks after of the qualitySo I offered the client $off even after late payment fee being waved and no previous contact from the clientHe was not satisfied with this and wanted more off the cleaning chargeAfter going back and froth exchanging the images and emails we did settle on a priceClient charged back the card himself before an agreed price was reached and sent a check for the agreed price.In conclusion, Our team was there we did work, pictures prove we were in the apartment and work was doneThe pictures show a poor quality of the home before cleaningPayment was late over days, and only after the card on file was charged weeks later did the client call us and informed us of the quality of cleaningWe still discounted the clients cleaning responded to every call and email we revived from him

I have used Maid Brigade for monthly cleanings as well as deep clean before and after selling our house. They have always been efficient, thorough and friendly. Our apartment looks, smells and feels great after they leave.

Two years experience with Maid Brigade has been helpful and proven their teams to be reliable, expedient, and efficient.

We had cleaned Ms. [redacted] house for 7 months without any complaints.  When she called on 04-18-16 about her cleaning on 04-15-16 we did offer to re-clean any areas she felt were missed.  We also offered her a 25% discount on this cleaning.  We do guarantee our work and will...

re-clean any areas our clients feel we missed.  The team was in her home for 1 hour and 30 minutes that day.  So her statement that nothing was done and entire areas of her home were missed seems to be an exaggeration.  As with all maid services there are times a team may miss something but that is why we offer this guarantee.

Great service! Reliable and easy to work with at reasonable prices.

They refused to honor their guarantee. We wanted our three bathrooms cleaned in March 2018. They wiped a few flat surfaces but did not scrub anything including the shower. We called and they basically said oh well. Refused to come back and clean what they had missed! We will never have them back.

Review: Maid Brigade cleaned my home on October 30, 2013 (I believe this is the date, my home was cleaned 1x per month on Wednesdays). After this cleaning I noticed significant damage to my refrigerator, the top door most significantly. There were 2 obvious dents that were near the handle. I reported this to [redacted] via email on November 11th. I had been traveling for work and didn't have much time to send an email until I returned. She reported it to their [redacted] who came out to look at the damage and take photos. After this I was not getting a resolution and [redacted], their GM got involved. She ended up coming to my home with someone else from the company to look at my refrigerator. They were mentioning equipment that the maids use that could have damaged the doors (the bottom door had dents as well). I was then told they would report this to their insurance carrier. I assumed at this point they were taking responsibility for the damage. The claim adjuster came to my home a month or 2 later to inspect the refrigerator. She told me that the company had a $500 deductible and asked me to get estimates to replace the doors. I obtained the estimates and to replace both doors was $1,485. I could not find someone that would repair. Society Insurance sent a letter to me 3/5/14 stating that they would not take care of it, saying it could have happened from my husband or myself (there are only 2 of us, no pets/kids) and offered a $200 settlement. This is not acceptable. They stated that the equipment the maids use could not have caused this. I have personally seen them carry equipment over their shoulders and low to the ground that could have done this to both of my doors. I have had other damage caused by their maids in the past as well. I know my husband or myself did not cause the damage. We are extremely careful with our property and I would not claim that someone else were responsible if I had knowingly damaged my own property.Desired Settlement: At the very minimum, I would like the top door to my refrigerator replaced or repaired if they can find someone that will do a repair. I'm willing to forgo the bottom door being replaced or repaired.

Business

Response:

I am very sorry for the disappointment our customer felt in regard to her complaint that we damaged her refrigerator. It does not serve me well to have customers unhappy with the price and quality of the cleaning or issues concerning damages. Rarely, in 14 years have I disputed a damage claim, even though many times it was our conclusion that we did not cause it. I rather pay a claim than have a disgruntled customer.

In this instance, I sent my [redacted] and [redacted] to the home to see the damage. They brought equipment on one occasion and tried to match it to the dent on the refrigerator. We use a backpack vacuum cleaner and although it could have bumped the refrigerator, it definitely could not have made a dent in that location near the handle. The whole canister is round with no sharp edges and our poles have rounded ends. Only something small, sharp, and hard could have made a pinpoint dent in that area next to the door handle. There were also dents in other areas of the refrigerator that were barely visible that the insurance adjuster noted. The customer told my [redacted] to disregard the other dents and that she was only concerned about the dent near the handle. She is now indicating that we made all the dents.

We did not assume responsibility, however, to settle the dispute, we were willing to try and fix it. We attempted to find an appliance repair service to repair the damage to no avail. The customer gave us an estimate to replace both doors for $1,485.00 which is more than they paid for the refrigerator seven years prior. At that time it was necessary for us to turn the claim over to the insurance adjuster to make a fair assessment. The insurance adjuster determined it was not our fault and that the dents could have been made over the course of 7 years. He also indicated, "It is possible that someone opening the refrigerator with a ring on their hand could have caused the denting seen around the handle of the refrigerator door." He also said to us that he noted the customer had on an unusually large ring with a high crown.

We then called several dent specialists who did not want to handle the repair. We located a method of repair that proved successful to some extent. We purchased stainless steel and tried the method; however, it did not produce good results. We continued to call appliance repair services for recommendations and/or for leads. One guided us to a company in New Zealand that makes many refrigerator models. They did have the replacement door and the cost was only $389 + $50 for the cost of shipping. We are willing to offer an appearance allowance for $220.00. Half the cost of replacement and shipping. We feel that is a fair settlement.

In regard to other damage claims, I acknowledge that our employee hit one of the gutters that was lying on the driveway. We paid for the repair. Unfortunately, later on, someone hit it again; however, the customer said that he fixed it. There were a few other minor quality problems that we rectified by either sending a team to re-clean the area or compensate the customer for having to re-touch the area and waste her time. We have many loyal, conscientious, and hard-working employees; however, we hold them accountable and retrain them when necessary.

I again apologize for any inconvenience we have caused during our relationship and hope that our offer is acceptable to end this dispute.

Best Regards,

Business

Response:

This complaint has been posted on another site. Today, I responded that in order to settle the claim I will reimburse the customer $389 + $50 for shipping. This was a price quoted to me by the manufacturer in Norway. Since they made it, I believe they are reputable. I will not pay for installation. By the customer's own observation, the mark, near the handle, is a pinpoint dent, not a dent where a larger portion of the refrigerator is pushed in, like a dent on a car.

Consumer

Response:

[A default letter is provided here which indicates your acceptance of the business's response. If you wish, you may update it before sending it.]

I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me. I would like the $439.00 in a check payable to me, along with the ordering/contact information for the door. I'm concerned that this is not accurate, however. The manufacturer is in New Zealand, not Norway.

Review: On 05/29, I booked a cleaning appointment with Maid Brigade for Saturday, May 31st, which was the last day of my lease at my apartment. The General Sales Manager from this company, [redacted], explicitly told me over the phone that I would receive an e-mail from the company specifying a time for my appointment no later than the night of the 30th, the day before what was supposed to be my appointment. When this e-mail never came, I woke up early Saturday the 31st and cleaned the entire apartment myself. [redacted] said that I would receive an appointment e-mail and did not follow through, so I had no reason to believe that they would follow through with showing up at the apartment on the 31st. Since my lease was up at the end of the day, I felt that I had no other option but to clean it myself out of fear of receiving a significant cleaning bill from the apartment complex. When I checked my credit card charges on the morning of 06/02, I noticed that Maid Brigade had charged me $153 and contacted them requesting a full credit. [redacted] informed me that I would receive no refund, causing me to initiate a dispute through my credit card company.Desired Settlement: I would like to receive a full refund of the $153 that Maid Brigade charged to my credit card. In no way do I want to receive a gift card or store credit as I am extremely dissatisfied with Maid Brigade's unprofessional lack of communication and consideration for its customers' time.

I would also like to see to it that Maid Brigade specifically adds an explicit explanation to its official policy regarding notification of appointment scheduling to future customers so that others do not suffer the same unprofessional communication service to which I was subjected.

Business

Response:

RE: [redacted]

Attachment #1 - is a dated and time stamped file from out computer. If read from the bottom up, you can follow the details of this claim. I have indicators at certain points within the document that are particularly pertinent to the conversations, what was said and our policy's. In attachment #2 - I copied the email string (which was copied directly into our file, supporting our timing and notes in attachment #1. In attachment number #3 - I have scanned our written policy regarding scheduling arrivals into a customer's home. This clearly states that the customer should call the office if they want a window of time that the team will arrive.

On the day of the cleaning, there were no phone messages from the customer asking for arrival time. The team arrived at his home between 8:30 A.M. and 8:50 A.M. and no one answered the door. The team and our manager called the customer at that time and no one answered. At that point we sent the team back to the office. They had to wait until 10:15 A.M. to make their way to the second house they were cleaning, because that customer called in the morning and requested an approximate time of arrival. Therefore, the team could not arrive earlier.

NORMALLY, when a customer cancels on the day of service, they are charged the FULL amount of the estimated cleaning. In this case the customer was quoted $205-$307. We only charged the customer $153. Half the amount of the cleaning. This is mostly to cover the payroll of the team at time and a half.

Mr. [redacted] told my [redacted] that he got up at 5:00 A.M. to clean himself. We estimated the time it would take TWO maids to clean at 2 1/2 hours. That's 5 hours of cleaning. We find it difficult to believe that Mr. [redacted] woke up at 5:00 A.M., clean as efficiently as two maids and be done by at the latest 8:35 A.M. That is the time the team arrived. This was a move-out cleaning involving cleaning the inside of the refrigerator, oven, cabinets, etc.

In attachment #3, our policy clearly states that we do not call customer with arrival time. They can call us for an approximate time the day of the cleaning. In addition to that written policy, which is stated on the initial phone conversation, we also tell clients that our schedule is not set until after 3:00 PM, the day before the cleaning. If they like they can ALSO call us after 3:00 P.M. the day prior and we will be happy to give them a range of time the team will be there. These comments and policies of Maid Brigade are apart of our phone script that everyone in our office uses. This is so that we all say the same thing to prevent misunderstanding.

There was no communication from the customer the day before or the morning of the cleaning to indicate that he did not want the cleaning or that he cleaned himself.

I feel charging Mr. [redacted] for 1/2 the amount of the estimate if fair. We are only looking to cover the cost of paying the team and covering our gas.

Regards,

[redacted] Maid Brigade

Business

Response:

Mr. [redacted] was notified by email (attached) that we would arrive on Saturday. As mentioned before, we do not advise customer the time of arrival ever. As per my previous comments, the customer is told to contact the office after 3:00 pm the day prior to the cleaning or as early as 8:00 AM the day of the cleaning for an approximate time of arrival. As for the late cancellation fee, in order to settle the matter we will credit him $63.00. Our Saturday rate for one hour of cleaning is $90.00 for a team of two. As per Mr. [redacted]'s allegations that he was told we would call him with a specific time, we dispute as this is never our policy. Attached is the email that he received stating that we would arrive on Saturday along with the authorization form. Regarding the phone number we received from Mr. [redacted] for purposed of contacting him. We only received one number from him, which is the number we called repeatedly on Saturday. I would also like reiterate that we did everything possible on Saturday to contact Mr. [redacted] when the team arrived so that we could clean the home, including holding the team at his home hoping that he would return the call. I have been in business for 14 years with over 500 regular customers. I run my business with integrity. Being deceitful, as per Mr. [redacted], would not serve me well in this business. I will credit the amount to his account regardless of his acceptance. [redacted], Maid Brigade.

Consumer

Response: