MAID BRIGADE

Description of Work: After having quotes performed by several other local housecleaning service providers around Lexington, I settled on Maid Brigade because of their price point as well as having a referral (for the company overall, not this local branch). I needed a "move-in" cleaning for an empty town home I was going to move in to the next weekend. After having talked with a support agent at the local maid brigade, she assured me that a thorough move in clean would be performed which included floors, all base boards and window seals, cleaning out of appliances, drawers, cabinets, shelves, etc. The town home was very much in need of a good scrubbing, as most rental spaces are, so I was pretty excited to utillize a cleaning service to make the moving and transition easier. The crew was to arrive at my home at 1:00pm and were to call me 15 minutes beforehand so I could drive over from my office to let them in. They did not call until after 1:30, so they were let in my apartment at 1:37 and called me at 2:12 to let me know they were finished. I was really shocked they could already be finished if they were to be cleaning every surface of the apartment (aside from hardwood floors which I had advised they do not do as they had been done previously). I told them I needed most of the attention paid to the kitchen and bathroom, as they were in need of the most cleaning. When I came home to pay them and to check the state of the apartment, I was appauled. For one, they wanted to charge me $150 dollars (2 maids = $75/hr), however, they had only cleaned for 35 minutes in an 800 sq ft town home with baseboards and cabinets and shelving in every room, not to mention work that needed to be done in the bathroom. I had not asked them to keep it short so it would cost less, I had asked them to get the place clean. I first walked in the door and there were mud prints all over my kitchen (that weren't there when I let them in), I asked if they had even cleaned the kitchen floor and they assured me that they had, but must have tracked dirt in from outside and didn't notice. They grabbed a wet mop and moved the dirt around. I asked why the bathtub was still dirty and one of the housecleaners told me it was because she didn't have the proper bath tub cleaner. I realize they only use all natural products, but I feel that cleaning a bath tub is a pretty standard service and they should be properly equipped. I had even spoken with the manager the day before the cleaning to explain in detail the state of the apartment and bath tub, saying it had grime around the top and a few rust spots. He told me he would equip the cleaners with a rust remover and the product needed to get the bathtub clean and ready. He must have forgotten, because this crew was not prepared. The cabinets in the kitchen were in the exact state they had been before the cleaning. Lots of crumbs, dust and debris leftover from the previous tenant. Even a dead bug was left in the middle of a kitchen cabinet. I am positive the cabinets and doors were not even opened in any room. The bathroom vanity had circles (that were easy to wipe up) from leftover shampoo bottles, etc. There was dust and dirt on every window seal. I paid the crew with a check, mainly to get them to leave because I was so frustrated and immediately stopped payment on it and called the manager. I felt like it was kind of a joke, like maybe I was on candid camera, because these cleaners really did nothing. Everything looked as it had prior to them coming. I asked Larry, the manager and owner, if it would be possible to discount the service. I wasn't asking for a full refund, but told him the state of the apartment and that I had stopped payment and he told me the only thing he could do was allow the same crew to come back and do it again. I told him that I had already been put out once by having to come let these two people in my house to clean, who did nothing, why on earth would I want to let them back in? I told him that was not an option, that someone could come and look at the place to see how bad, but I didn't want the crew coming back to clean. He again refused, so I told him that I would have to give them a bad review. He told me I was a petty person (I hadn't even raised my voice, and I was very matter of fact as I have been in the service industry for many years and know how frustrating it is to deal with angry customers). He began to have an angry tone with me an offered to take $30 off and told me he thought I was being ridiculous. I was shocked, as I am not very confrontational (which I had been in this instance), and couldn't believe he was speaking to a customer like this. I told him to charge the card I had given to hold the reservation for the $120 and I would continue with the reviews from there. So here it is, the horrible review. I hate to do it, but I paid $120 to have two people stand around and pretend to clean for my place for 35 minutes and to be talked down to by a manager who may be one of the most unprofessional people I have had the privelage of dealing with. I was able to get my house in clean order with the help of family (I have three jobs and little time), and I was able to clean my bathtub without special super cleaner that apparently was thought to have been needed by Maid Brigade to perform such a task. My mother uses Maid brigade in Charlotte, NC and they are outstanding. Lexington, Kentucky branch however is horrible on every level. I should have paid more for Merry Maids.