ABC Cleaning Company

HERE IS THE EXACT EMAIL I SENT TO THE COMPANY, TO WHICH I DID NOT RECEIVE A RESPONSE: I just wanted to provide some feedback on the cleaning I had on Monday. Things did not start well, as my appointment was for 9 am and due to unforeseen circumstances, no one arrived until 11 am. I was called before 9 am and was told that someone called out sick and that they were an hour behind. Then I received another call that the house prior to mine, ?took longer than expected? and so they wouldn?t arrive until 11 am. I understand that things happen, but needless to say, we were not off to a good start nor a good first impression. I will note that extra workers did show up later, which helped to expedite the cleaning. The team leader was nice but seemed nervous around me. I expected an apology upon her arrival but it was more like, ?I couldn?t help anyone calling out so let it go.? As far as the actual cleaning, it was acceptable. I couldn?t really inspect before they left because they did the floors last and were still very wet when I was asked to walk around and check. Very odd, as I didn?t want to have footprints all over my newly washed hardwoods so I had to skip around on rugs and just take their word for it. I asked for a deep cleaning and told the team leader that my main concern was the dust from construction. I even moved big pieces of furniture as I wanted them to get access to radiators, etc. However, if I didn?t move it, neither did they-except for maybe the couch. This really showed when it came to the floors. The back bathroom floor was left streaky and one of the bedrooms-which again were not detected until they left and when the floors dried. Rugs were not always lifted or removed in some rooms and in the hallway and so they just mopped around them (I understand not moving large rugs with furniture but these were small and with nothing on them [i.e. hallway runners]). Even if there was a vase or other small object on the floor, they did not move it to dust the radiator or to wash the floor. They did not dust the one ceiling fan we have because they ?couldn?t reach it?. I am not understanding why a cleaning company does not have extensions for their dusters but I recommend you invest in some. A lot of furniture was not dusted on the front and sides, ledges, etc.-just the tops. All in all, the cleaning was ?okay?. I did not feel I got a ?deep cleaning? worth $315, to me it was more of a basic, general cleaning. I expected the workers to really get down and dirty, as I would have done if I decided to handle this on my own. Again, your checklist is a helpful tool but really, it?s a very odd thing to ask a homeowner to walk around on freshly cleaned, wet floors to assess the cleaning. Had this not been the situation, I would have checked every radiator, corner, etc. and pointed it out at that time. I was also expecting the leader to show me what was done, not for me to have to read the list and figure it out. This would be a more effective approach in the future. I think at this point, I will not be looking into a regularly scheduled cleaning. I would have had to been very impressed by the deep cleaning to feel that regularly scheduled cleaning were worth the money. I wanted to feel that they did a better job than I could have and was assuming that they would turn my house ?upside down? to clean it, something I and **** couldn?t find time to do on our own and I just didn?t get that.

On their first visit, we gave them an A. Two women arrived promptly at 9 am with vacuum and cleaning materials. We had prepared a list of tasks and priorities, which they completed carefully and thoroughly in two hours. We are very pleased and plan to have them return at least monthly. We talked with them about requesting "natural" cleaning agents in the future, since we are concerned about the effect on them of using environmentally unsafe brands that could be harmful to them. They said that we can request safe and natural products in the future. UPDATE: After giving the company an A on our first experience, we had this company return the following month, and we were disappointed; The work was inconsistent. They sent two new people, and we needed to explain the routine again. They wet-mopped the kitchen floor without moving the chairs and did not dry any of the floors or stairs they had wet-mopped. I called to inquire and was told that I should have specified drying after the wet-mop, and also that they are instructed not to move any furniture. The work is not professional, and I would not grade it higher than a C.

I hired Ocean State House Cleaning to clean my house every other week. I have been so thrilled with the work they do! I get to come home to a clean house, and they make my life so much easier. I have been impressed with their services and responsiveness from day one. I highly recommend this company, and my mother is having them come over her house too, starting next week. Ocean State House Cleaning is absolutely the best!

Ocean State House Cleaning has been cleaning my home every other week for approximately a year and a half. I have been very satisfied with the service I receive. I can count on them showing up on time with their own equipment and doing a great job. We have had unique circumstances at times and they have always accommodated our needs. With three large dogs and grandchildren, this can be a challenge that is always met with great attitudes. I look forward to every other Thursday as I can count on a sparkling clean house. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend Ocean State House Cleaning.

We've been using this company for quite awhile nowand we use them bi-weekly for basic housecleaning. They don't always send the same team which would be my only negative critique as I feel we'd get slightly better service if we always had the same team who was familiar with what needs to be done and where stuff is. I had been leaving a note every week as to what needed to be done and where stuff was but that got tiring so now I just assume they'll figure it out. Some teams are definitely better than others but overall for the price I pay I'm happy with the service they provide and with my busy schedule it's that much less that I have to worry about! I would and have recommended this company to friends and plan to continue using them.

still with them and happy. Still use them weekly and plan to continue.

The girls called me on their way and when they arrived they got straight to work, by the time they were done my house was sparkling and I didn't have to lift a finger. I couldn't have been happier, I've just called to have them come back regularly, I don't know how I lived without them before.

IT was fine, but I would not use them again. Not thorough enough.

Ocean State House Cleaning They do general housecleaning. Reasonably price and reasonably job. "Once" in a while they may not do as good of a job. So they will come back to do what they missed. Very responsive. Really good Service !

Two girls showed up with a list of things they would do for us. That really impressed my wife. However, they didn?t do more than 60% of the list, if they did that much work. After 1 hour and 5 minutes, they left the house in an absolute mess. They didn?t clean the baseboards, polish furniture, or dust on top of the refrigerator like they said they would on the list. They vacuumed poorly, left a mess in the bathroom with towels thrown about everywhere, and the kitchen floor was left greasy after they mopped it. It seemed like they were only here to get here and then leave to do more jobs. We would rather throw $70 out of the window instead of spending it on poor workmanship like was performed on our house. Other than taking out the garbage, they didn?t do anything well. After the girls left, my wife called the owner. Since no one answered, she left a message. There was never a call back. Since the house was in such disarray, we had to clean the house after they left. We vacuumed, washed the floor on hands and knees, straightened towels in the bathroom, and put the house back into order. My wife called back later in the day after we cleaned the 40% of the list that wasn?t done at all. The owner said that she never received a call even though my life left a message. Since we cleaned the house and put things back in order, the owner said nothing could be done about the poor work. The owner was very curt with my wife and didn?t treat her properly. She apparently doesn?t understand how to work with people.

I am extremely pleased with the services provided and the people that come into my home to do the job. They are honest and trustworthy, professional, on time, and friendly. My recommendation would be to anyone who is looking for this service, do not hesitate to call them and start using their services.

Ocean State did great. They showed up when they were supposed to and cleaned when they were supposed to. It was an empty house we were selling and the buyers were happy to walk into the house after it was cleaned. The price was right and the women were friendly. It went the way it was supposed to go.

First clean went well. They were quick I n responding to my request for an estimate and prompt in getting me on a bi weekly schedule. However when it came time for the second clean they first showed up on the wrong day. Their schedule manager admitted to messing up and assured me they would be here to clean as scheduled Monday 12/20 at 9 AM. I waited for them and tried contacting the office at half hour and an hour past the scheduled time to no avail. I have still not heard from them as to why they did not show up. Now I have to try to fit in cleaning my house this busiest of weeks. There was a reason I hired a cleaning company and now they really let me down. If you need a reliable cleaning company then don't choose OSHC. Response to OSHC response: First, I did not want reassurance that I could be placed on OSHC recurring schedule, I just said "I need a guaranteed reliable cleaning service" and I thought she understood based upon my response to the experience I no longer felt OSHC was a "guaranteed reliable cleaning service" . My email response was as follows. "I am sorry to hear you are all experiencing health issues. As I explained to Kara, Monday is the day I needed my house cleaned. Not Friday, not Tuesday, not Wednesday and not Thursday. I have a very tight schedule trying to balance my family's schedule and numerous jobs of my own and seeing that the house needed to be cleaned today or it would not be able to be cleaned for another week (due to my household's schedule)... I cleaned it myself. So again, no other day this week would work to have anyone come into my home to clean it from my schedule and second I am not willing to pay anyone anything to clean a house that I just cleaned. As far as what you could do to make this right, I just need a guaranteed, reliable cleaning service that will come to my house at 9 AM every other Monday. I was pleased with the initial cleaning performed by OSHC. I was pleased with the first contacts with your company and the prompt scheduling of the cleanings. Our family had been discussing for over 2 years the possibility of hiring a company to clean every other week to help reduce some of the stress that my husband and I are experiencing trying to get everything done. When we saw your company on Angie's List we thought OSHC would be a company we could trust to come into our home." My response to the owner's email once she realized I had posted a review on Angie's List, which I did after not hearing from the company for over 7 hours from the time they were schedule to arrive at my home. "I posted the review on Angie's List yesterday at 4 PM. It had been 7 hours since your your company was supposed to be at my house and despite repeated attempts on my part to reach your company's office via telephone and email in that 7 hour period I had not heard from your company. It was 4:40 PM before Kara attempted to contact me. I really find it hard to believe in the age of 3G cell phones, etc. that a company could be so out of contact during normal business hours with not only its customers, but also its own staff that something like this could have occurred. Kara said that she had placed my house on the crew's list and left a note for them in the office, but they didn't see it and didn't have my address or phone number, and, I am assuming due to the special circumstances you spoke of, no one was in the office they could contact. So this means if anything came up the cleaning crew was completely out of contact with the managers? Even if none of the managers could be in the office, someone should have been contactable at least by the cleaning crew during working hours. Suppose something else happened at a job and the homeowner wasn't around and they needed to contact a manager and were unable to do so. Seems kinda risky to me and also reflects a gap in the company's organization. A gap potential clients should be aware of. I did mention I would be posting a review on Angie's List. I am sorry you feel this review is unfair to your company, but I do not see it that way. The point of Angie's List is that consumers can get honest opinions and recommendations of companies. I found your company on Angie's List. I liked the fact that it had good reviews, seemed very professional and was not a 'one person' cleaning company. However I now see from this experience this is a disadvantage if the larger company is lacking in areas of communication which can affect the job at hand. If a company does not want to risk a negative review then the choices are simple, make sure there are no 'gaps' in your organization that could lead to a negative review or stay off of Angie's List. I am willing to update the review, adding your offers to come another day this week and at a discounted price. But I will need to mention that the first contact from your company and these offers came 7 hours and 40 minutes after the scheduled appointment and until that time I was unable to reach anyone at your company and no one attempted to contact me. Also, I still need to include that having in advance confirmed the Monday appointment, and having repeatedly mentioned to your scheduling manager that Mondays were really the only day that worked for my family, and having repeatedly mention in voice mail and email that I ended up cleaning the house myself on Monday when it was clear no one was coming these offers were of little value to me. If you like I could also include the information about 'special circumstances' led to under-staffing in the office and caused a major gap in communication between management-staff-clients which meant that staff could not contact managers for missing information (where to go, who to call) and clients could not contact managers and receive a timely response when the cleaning crew did not show up. Would you rather the review contain this information?" It is ultimately up to the Angie's List member to decide for his or her self whether or not they wish to work with a company based upon the reviews of other members. That is after all the point of Angie's List. If it is only one bad review then perhaps a member would rather just ask the company if they have addressed the situation that led to the poor review and then based on that conversation directly with the company determine if they want to hire it for the job. If a company is so sensitive to any review that is not 100% positive on Angie's List that they think a person is trying to destroy their reputation online, then maybe they shouldn't be on Angie's List, because it is not about 'good' reviews or 'bad' reviews or trying to 'ruin reputations online', it is about 'honest' reviews. Fellow Angie's List members this was from my perspective, my honest review of my experience with this company. But everyone has different experiences and different perspectives and this is just one tool in the decision making process.

I've used Ocean State for about 6 months now and I am thrilled with the service. They're flexible about scheduling, which is key because I can't maintain a set weekly schedule because of work demands. They keep a detailed list of my preferences and every team that has come out so far (about 6) has gotten it right. The teams are friendly and flexible when they're here too. I work from home and they are always really easy about working around my work schedule to clean my office without disruption. I left clean sheets out on a couple of the beds once because I hadn't gotten to it before they arrived and much to my surprise (and delight!) the beds were all made up before they left. Aside from all of the "bonuses", they do a really thorough cleaning job.

I hired Ocean State House Cleaning to do the "heavy" cleaning jobs in my apartment such as the bathrooms, kitchen and floors. My apartment is very tidy for the most part but I just hate doing the more strenuous jobs like scrubbing tiles and floors. I was pleased with the company's punctuality, responsiveness (to phone calls) and professionalism. They did do what they said they were going to do and the girls seemed to work hard. On the other hand I was really looking for heavier cleaning that I dont want to do myself, like scrubbing away mildew from between shower tiles, bathroom floor tiles, and greasy dirt buildup on wood floors. I guess what I am trying to say is that their cleaning was much lighter than I had expected and hoped for. I dont really have enough money right now for light cleaning, I really need someone to help me with the heavier jobs. I never tried to discuss this with them but I have a feeling that this is just the type of cleaning this service does, fast, relatively light and punctual. It almost seemed like they used diluted soaps or very mild cleansers. I'm not opposed to using this service again, if I have the money or the reason to need a light cleaning done quickly. But what I really need on a regular basis and will now continue searching for is a service or a person who does more thorough, heavier cleaning. I hope that the girls who did this cleaning dont get in any trouble over my review, it really seemed to me that they were doing as they were instructed by the company and that it wasnt at all a matter of doing poor work, just a matter of the company's perspective on the perimeters of the job at hand and how clean is "clean enough".

It was overall a very good experience. They showed up on time and started immediately. They brought their own supplies and equipment. The estimate was very reasonable and the girls were very professional. They estimated that it would take 3 hours and it was right on the nose. I was even more impressed when Alissa showed up to inspect what the girls had done. I would not hesitate to recommended Ocean State House Cleaning.

The two ladies showed up on time and cleaned everything just as I requested. They used their own supplies.

Once again they did an excellent job. We were very satisfied with the team that came to clean for us. My wife was concerned that the cleaners might be a bit frazzled seeing as it was so close to the holidays but they really did a fantastic job and we didn't feel as though the job was rushed at all. The floors were spotless and they even went over the wood floors 3 times to make sure they were spotless. Once with the vacuum, again with a dust mop after vacuuming and then again to dry the floors after they were washed. The bathrooms truely sparkled and everything else from the kitchen, living room, bedrooms ect were spotless. I highly recommend this company for house cleaning and we've already referred several of our neigbors to them. It was a big help to have the house cleaned before the Christmas holiday and it was a relief to get that "dog smell" out of the house before the guests arrived.

I have used Ocean State in the past and they've always done a fantastic job, They've always been great at the overall cleaning, but also doing little extras that I never would have thought to ask. They're also really great with my dog, Harper, who can be a bit of an attention hound. I have and would reccomend them to my friends and family for any cleaning need.

In many respects my experience with this company was very positive. They return calls quickly, are very reasonable, professional, and responsive. I had the same women clean my house each time and they were very nice. The first two times they cleaned my house, they did a great job on all of the things they did (floors especially) but they did not clean many things in need of cleaning (glass table tops, dog hair on leather chairs, dog slobber on window). The next time they came, the floor did not look cleaned at all and other areas of the house were cleaned superficially. I called the office and complained about this and received a very satisfying response--the women returned within a couple days to finish the job, no charge. What I have noticed about the women who clean my house (I was home most of the time they came) was that they are very pleasant, but low-energy. They do a good job at cleaning areas they can easily reach, but will not move things (ex. light chair or door mat) to clean under things. They also tend to miss things that are obviously in need of cleaning, but if you ask them to clean something they seem happy enough to do so.

Overall, the cleaning itself was average and priced within reason. We were upset by the poor communication, disorganization, and lack of professionalism so canceled the service. The first week, when we called to discuss the cleaning schedule and give feedback on the service we had received, we got no response to multiple attempts to contact them. The manager, Kara, stated she had not received any messages, although we left both email and voice mail and sent a message through the maids themselves. Our Thanksgiving week cleaning was canceled because of a "misunderstanding." Apparently they overbooked and decided unilaterally to cancel on us. (They did not relay this information to me until Monday--> house full of guests later that week, my house a disaster, you can imagine the situation). I am not terribly picky, and fully acknowledge that I have a largish house that is difficult to clean, but we had the girls concentrate on one floor, and later that day I had to clean cobwebs from the window sills (ew). Finally, Kara wrote a rude email to my mother and that was the last straw. I'm very busy and the housecleaning is supposed to relieve my stress, not add to it. Update 1/1/11: Nothing new from my earlier post describing my dissatisfaction with the service, just noticed the company's responses to their negative comments and thought it was pretty apt. They are defensive and insulting when criticized, ensuring that any unhappy customers will never return, and demonstrating exactly how unprofessional and, well, not-very-nice they are. I used to help run a business and our response to complaints was - how can we improve your experience with us and win you back? It built a lot of good will. I respect this company's alternate approach (rapidly and harshly denigrating any customer with a complaint), but it certainly won't earn the business of my community, Not trying to be vindictive, just trying to help other customers avoid an unpleasant experience that leaves a bad taste in your mouth (even a year later!). Which, I think, is the whole purpose of Angie's List. Cheers-

They came twice a month and it costed me $80. They were just expensive. I will not use them in the future because of the price.

The first cleaning was fine. After that the cleaning varied and items continued to be missed. I did follow-up when things were missed in order to get these addressed via the next visit. The last visit I left a list of things that were missed from the last cleaning... ceiling fans, windows on doors, an entire room and asked that attention be given to these areas. When I got home I found issues with most of these and the worst was the upstairs toilet had not even been cleaned. Left a message that I was done and would no longer need the cleaning services. The quality of the cleaning was just not great consistently even after bringing issues to the owner.

My wife and I had always cleaned the house ourselves, but with the arrival of our first child last week, we decided that we needed help. We live in a two story colonial with hardwood floors and area rugs in most rooms (kitchen and baths are tiled), we have a golden retriever who sheds enough hair to produce tumblewees of dog fur if we don't clean for a week, and we now have a newborn girl to add to the mess. We spoke with Ocean State on Monday, and they came for the first cleaning on Tuesday. Professional and courteous in all aspects, the end result was fantastic, and they left us with a checklist of all work they had done.

I have a big, old house that has not had much attention in some time. I also have 3 pets and am on the water, so have some issues with mold. I was almost embarrased to call anyone but with the in-laws coming to visit, knew that I needed help. Based on Angie's List reports, I gave Ocean State House Cleaning a call. They gave me an estimate and agreed to come out within a few days. A crew of ladies came right on time and immediately got to work. I could not believe how thorough they were. I did not expect them to wash walls, windowsills, baseboards etc, but that's exactly what they did and more. I have had other cleaning services over the years, but no one cleaned like these ladies. My house has NEVER been this clean. The results were truly amazing. They left nothing untouched. I don't think I had one molecule of dirt here when they were done. They were pleasant, professional and extremely hard-working. I couldn't have asked for anything more.