This is our response to {member name removed} whose letter is posted below. To date {member name removed} has failed to respond to our letter or anyone from the Angie’s List resolution team. We have placed her outstanding balance with our legal and collection advisers for collection. January 28, 2014 Mr. Mike Bell Invoice #29977 Cleaning Connection, Inc. 1084R Hope Street/PO Box 4505 Stamford, CT 06907 Mr. Bell: I am in receipt of your invoice for $340 to clean my two-bedroom, 1700 to 1800 sq. foot home, but as we discussed today, I agreed only to the estimate of $126, which is quite a difference. I told your booker, Drew, that I needed only dusting, mopping and two bathrooms cleaned, as I have no pets or children in the home, I keep the house very neat, and I required no laundry. I also told him that I needed to leave for an appointment shortly after 1:00, but given that I got your company’s name from Angie’s List, I felt there should be no problem and Drew agreed, assuring me that the team would be there by then and that I was in good hands with Jose, your head cleaner. While your team was 15 minutes late, they were very speedy from the start and seemed to be quite efficient, so I left quickly afterward, telling Jose that I needed the job to be done within the hour. Given that I thoroughly clean my house in 2.5 hours, I reasonably expected the four of them to finish the job within one-quarter of that time, and certainly within the one hour estimate. Therefore you can imagine my shock at being billed $340 for a routine housecleaning—this is more than double your estimate, to which I would never have agreed! Plus, you billed me $25 in fuel charges and tax, neither of which were even mentioned earlier in your telephone estimate nor agreed. And lastly, as I have no proof that your team was here for 2.5 hours and as I know how long it takes to clean my own house thoroughly, I told you there must be some mistake. After all this, your response was the most surprising of all, saying the square footage and neatness of the house were irrelevant to the job and yelling at me in a threatening tone! How then can you give a reliable estimate over the phone? While feeling I may need to alert the authorities, I nevertheless agreed to pay you $150 as a compromise. If you would like to accept this as payment in full for services rendered on 1/9/14, including any taxes or fuel charges, send me a new invoice for $150 total, which I will pay immediately, whether by check or by credit card. Otherwise, I will dispute any further charges by sending a copy of this letter to my financial institutions, Angie’s List, and the CT Attorney General’s Office if necessary. Sincerely, [member information removed] February 17, 2014 [member name removed] [member information removed] Dear Ms. [membe rname removed]: I received your letter dated January 28, 2014 and really don’t know where to begin to respond to the number of inaccurate and false statements you presented. I did however share your comment with the crew that they were “quite efficient”. To begin, and without completely parsing your letter my name is Michael Farrell not “Mike Bell”. I am the president of the Cleaning Connection, Inc. doing business in Fairfield County for more than twenty-five years. We are an excellent corporate citizen and we pride ourselves on providing a quality service at a competitive price. Your letter postdates our telephone conversation where you stated “Listen Bud” and then abruptly ended the conversation by rudely hanging up on me after I informed you “that my name is not Bud and that I am not your Bud”. I was not “yelling” or speaking to you in a “threatening tone”. In fact, I called you on three successive days in an effort to return your call leaving messages each time on your voice mail without a prompt response from you. In my opinion, you got angry when I shared information with you that you did not like, didn’t want to hear and in your frustration you abruptly ended the telephone call. My attempt when we spoke by telephone, before you hung up on me, was to listen to you and try to resolve your concerns. I’m in the business of making and keeping new customers not arguing with them and responding to their written letter. Again, I want to resolve this issue with you. I will not threaten you with the “need to alert authorities” or send copies of letters to “financial institutions, Angie’s List and the CT Attorney General’s Office”. However, I do want to present my position. I believe Drew, our estimator, stated correctly that we charge $126.00 per hour for a four person cleaning crew including materials, equipment and supplies. He confirmed with me he stated that to you. What I don’t believe is that he told you that the cleaning team would clean your house in only one hour. Especially in light of the fact that you were a new customer and it was the cleaning crew’s first time visiting your home. He confirmed this statement with me as well. I also believe and we can prove that Jose, our Supervisor and the crew were at your home performing cleaning services for 2.5 hours. Therefore, our estimate of $126.00 per hour with the crew cleaning 2.5 hours totals $315.00 plus tax and fuel. The amount we billed and you owe. In our telephone conversation, you stated to me that “the cost of the clean is more than what you make in a week”, I truly hope that is not the case, however, it is my firm belief that you are trying to avoid paying what you owe by distorting the true facts which you failed to present in your letter. Threatening our company and making false statements including that you “have no proof that your team was here for 2.5 hours” will not work. Conversely, can you prove that the crew was not there for 2.5 hours? Tell me how one proves a negative? The truth and my proof are based on the fact that each member of the crew confirmed with me the length of time they were at your home. Additionally, it is further supported by Jose’s completed daily job work ticket. You question, did it take the crew 2.5 hours to clean your home? My response, absolutely and that is the exact amount of time you were charged. What would your response be if the crew failed to thoroughly clean the kitchen, or a bedroom or the bathroom because they ran out of your one hour time limit? What if they failed to vacuum a carpet or damp mop a floor? Would you be happy or would you be calling to tell me your house was not properly cleaned and that you are upset and not paying? As for the “$25 fuel charges and tax” we charge a $5.00 fuel charge which is reasonable and customary and is stated on every invoice. As for the Connecticut State Sales Tax of 6.35%, we don’t charge it; we are legally responsible to collect it by statute. Let me ask, do you tell the sales clerk in the grocery store at check out that you won’t pay sales tax and only pay 44% of the cost of a loaf of bread or gallon of milk that you buy? Surely not! What makes you think you can “compromise” our fee and dismiss the tax liability for the work we performed; like the milk and bread you are required to pay its cost and the associated sales tax. In closing, your unilateral and arbitrary compromise to pay $150.00 is not accepted. In an effort to resolve this matter and as a courtesy, I will adjust the crew’s actual 2.5 hours down to 2.0 hours and waive the fuel charge. The adjusted invoice (enclosed) totals $268.00. Please pay the amount you owe on or before February 28, 2014. Thank you. Sincerely, M.T. Farrell NOTE: This is an attempt to collect a debt. Any information obtained will be used for that purpose.