DANA'S HOUSECLEANING

I have been using Dana's for several years because it seemed too much trouble to change housekeeping services. So I've stuck with Dana's for the sake of convenience and because it's affordable. But over time, the service has been so bad that my house is very dirty in all the corners and details. Our particular housekeeper from the agency is very lazy. For years I paid her for for 4 hours of work but she would NOT work more than 3 hours. So I arranged to only pay her for 3 hours, even though there is probably five hours of work to do every week. She will NOT do it. Now she works 2.5 hours even though I'm paying her for three. I'm fed up. My husband is complaining that the house is dirty and is blaming me. I joined Angie's List today in the hopes of finding a hard-working, high quality cleaning service to take care of this mess. I am hopeful that I will find someone on here!

They get paid $79 for 4 hours. The service may or may not be good, it depends which person they send out to do the cleaning. The last experience with that person they sent, wasn't good, but I will continue to use their service.

They have been coming every other week for probably two years. They send people out for cleaning. We?ve probably had three different people who have always been very reliable. They had right away replaced one woman who had quit to go back to school. They always do a nice job and do whatever we ask them to. If they have time left they?d do something else and also ask us as to what we?d like done.

I have been using them for a few months (previously with MaidPro - left them because I got a different cleaner every week almost so unable to get anyone trained to do things the way I'd like them done). The price is right at Dana's ($90 for 4 hours) but I'm going to call them today and discontinue service. I actually just joined Angie's List today to find a good cleaner. The gal I had shows up on time, is friendly, works hard, does a good job on what she gets done. The issue is that I pay her for 4 hours but the two times I was here when she arrived, and then got home before 4 hours had elapsed, she was gone (one time was only here for a little over 3 hours). I called and Dana's was very nice about it and said they would talk to her, and that their policy was to call the home owner to see what else should be done if they finish early, but it happened again. Also, I KNOW she can complete my priority list in well under 4 hours, yet the stuff on my 'additional items' is hit and miss. I have put "dusting" on the top of the 'other' list many times, and my dressers and other obvious surfaces are caked with dust. I could probably solve it by putting dusting on the "must do" list but still.... If you are OK with average service at a great price - OK. I want really good service and will pay a little more for it. The other thing is you have to provide your own cleaning supplies. I have found that to be challenging (forget to see what I am out of, forget to leave everything out) so will be looking for someone that brings their own supplies. Finally, my cleaner offered to clean my house on the side (not through Dana's) for a lower price, which seemed dishonest to me / made me question integrity.

The cleaner who came in was polite and thorough, and I was satisfied with her efforts. She used the list of tasks I provided her with, worked steadily, and was pleasant to deal with. She called the day before to confirm the appointment and showed up on time. On the other hand, I found the sign up process to be challenging. The first time I called, I was given a quote of 112.50 for one-time cleaning (estimate 5 hours) and 90-95 for monthly ongoing cleaning. After the first cleaning, which took longer than expected, I was prepared to pay a little more for that time. So the one time cleaning went up to 135, but then I was told that the monthly cleaning was now 117. I wasn't sure why the monthly rate went up, but when I asked about the difference the scheduler seemed to think (my assumption from the tone of voice) that I was being difficult. I genuinely wasn't trying to be annoying - just to understand the pricing and why it was different. She seemed to rush through the rest of the call - as if she wanted me off the phone. I hung up wondering what I had done wrong. I think ultimately what happened was that the company decided that my monthly cleaning would take longer than originally planned, and therefore the cost went up. But the communication was not clear, and I still can't be sure what happened.

Dana's brochure is very truthful when they state that some of the contractors are good and some are not so good. I got a not-so-good one. She took all the joy out of coming home to a clean house, because I also came home to a grumpy worker who clearly had no joy or pride in her job and seemed upset at me because my task list was too long. Dana's suggests leaving a task list, so I was just following directions. Though my list was long (and not intended to be completed), there were only 3 things listed as priorities. Only one of those things was actually done. The housecleaner was very unpleasant to deal with, and not someone I wanted to have in my house. Though I understand that Dana's can match me up with someone else, I just don't feel up to having another unpleasant experience again. I will interview independent cleaners and find one whose personality I connect with and who feels like a good fit for my home.

There have been no problems. They are fine. They get the work done quickly and efficiently as well. They have good prices and the whole staff is professional and hard working. They are very detailed and I would recommend them to other people any time. I am charged per visit.

We've used Dana's for several years and therefore have had several different workers. Obviously, a larger company can only control so much, and the key is to find that particular employee who takes personal pride in the job. Once we had to request a replacement for one who acted a bit lost in the job, but the rest have been very acceptable - the past couple of years we have had superior service. Checking the Angie's List competition, it looks like their prices are very reasonable.

I asked for them to start in the kitchen and bathroom as these are the places that needed it the most. They started in the living room. One lady stayed in the kitchen and actually did a good job. The other lady did the bathroom. I would be ashamed to have her work for me if I had a company. She did a horrible job. I don't know what she did in there. She asked me for scrub brushes to which I gave her and she didn't even use them. I was so disappointed I will NEVER hire Dana's again. I called and complained to the company as well.