Cleaning chaos
COMPLAINT: Catherine Thomas Fox, Maplewood, Minn.
"I hired Maid Brigade to perform basic cleaning services on a bimonthly basis for my home while I was recuperating from a strained back. All I wanted was help with the floors and vacuuming, nothing major. But the bill was double what I expected — after a 20 percent off coupon was applied. It took me several phone calls before I received a detailed invoice from them.
"I was stunned to see this company charged me a rate of $35 per hour for six hours. There's no way they were here for six hours. The second visit was even worse than the first. They charged me for two hours of service when the visit was really an estimated 20 minutes. Everything had to be recleaned."
DESIRED RESOLUTION: "I want a full refund for both visits."
RESPONSE: Quentin Ritchie, president, Maid Brigade
"We quoted the member a range of $150 to $250 plus tax for the initial cleaning, and the member agreed. During our post-cleaning follow-up, the member indicated no major issues with the service quality. We delivered a second cleaning 10 days later. The member's husband indicated no concerns and requested we clean additional areas of the home during future visits. The next day, the member called us and alleged the team was only in her home for 20 minutes based on her young daughter's recollection.
"We immediately offered to have another team reclean her home at no cost. She declined this offer. We investigated and discovered the team was at her home for more than an hour. For the second cleaning, we charged the member the fixed fee agreed to in writing. We later were told the member had stopped payment via her bank. She is subject to collections proceedings."
STATUS: Resolved
The member contacted Angie's List to say the company settled her dispute.