Maroon Maids

6,024 Views | 17 Replies | Last: 7 yr ago by CollegeStationMaid
claydeezy
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AG
My wife and I are about to sell our home in college station... With both of us having very busy schedules we decided to hire a cleaning company to do a deep clean before our realtor has photos taken and before showings begin.

Enter Maroon Maids... We saw an add for $25 off of a "make-ready" clean. I made it clear to Patrick, the owner, that we needed a one-time deep clean before listing.

Overview: They came yesterday afternoon at 1:00 to start the cleaning. About an hour into the cleaning they broke the handle off in our master bathroom shower. Our home is only 8 years old and we've never had an issue with the shower faucet. They blamed it on the faucet being old and brittle. I could only get them to agree to splitting the cost of the repair 50/50. I have since gone to about a dozen different cleaning service websites to find out that most of the companies will pay in full for something that breaks while they're cleaning inside the home. Patrick conveniently suggested we hire a handyman company that he "used to work for" to come out and fix the faucet that they broke.

The cleaning: when they were finished, there were several areas of the home that weren't properly cleaned. The kitchen floor was still very dirty (Patrick kept his dirty shoes on while sweeping and mopping the tile). My wife did a once-over with a swiffer sweeper and picked up a ton of dirt and dust. There was a noticeable pile of dirt left behind near the trash can. The master bathroom tub was not cleaned at all. Completely neglected. The master bathroom sink faucets were dirty and the countertops were still very dusty. The guest bathroom counter was also dirty. Patrick also recommended that if we want our carpets cleaned that we should contact another company he "used to work for"

Customer service: The customer is always right, unless your name is Maroon Maids and you break something in a customer's home that will set them back almost another $100. Patrick was defensive and argumentative when I told him I was unhappy with having to pay for something his cleaning crew broke. He charged us for 4 hours of cleaning time but he and his crew only worked for 2 hrs 45 min. 30 minutes of that time was spent dealing with the broken faucet issue. He later told me that the handyman service actually fixed the faucet without charging for labor. We had originally agreed that we would each split the cost 50/50 ($160 total, each of us paying $80)... The quote I received from Patrick for the repair was $85 for the part only and $160 total for parts + labor. All of that to say... We wrote the handyman a check for $80 and Patrick walked away without paying a cent to his buddies that he used to work with.

TLDR; don't hire Maroon Maids.
australopithecus robustus
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The customer is not always right, but the customer is always the customer.....respect
claydeezy
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AG
Great point... In this instance, they had a chance to secure a customer for future business but lost out.

And now I'm on TexAgs writing a review about it.
AggiePlaya
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AG
Rookies
CollegeStationMaid
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That's unacceptable. If my employees (or myself) breaks something then I make sure it's taken care of. The makes the for happy customers and repeat business.
powerbelly
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AG

Quote:

Firstly, you contacted our company to perform a Make-Ready clean on your home, as you are preparing to sell it. Make-Ready cleans are performed on vacant homes directly prior to being sold, while your home was occupied and filled with furniture and personal belongings. I apologize if I did not make that more clear to you during scheduling.

You paid for four hours of service from two cleaners, and we spent those four hours cleaning parts of the home that are directly related to Make-Ready cleaning - that means blinds, windowsills, Interior and exterior of ovens and bathroom fixtures, ect. Things that may be currently hidden behind furniture. Anything not considered "part of the home" for the purposes of being sold was left until after the permanent home fixtures were cleaned. This is why furniture surfaces and counter space behind personal appliances was gone over last. I explained this to your wife as we cleaned.

To speak of the broken faucet - yes. A faucet was broken, but it was NOT our fault. The faucet was old and brittle and snapped when one of our employees tried to turn it on to clean the shower. I offered to have it replaced, and offered to split 50/50 the cost of replacing it, which I found more than reasonable.

Since you needed the faucet fixed as quickly as possible as real estate photographers were coming next-day, I was able to get a Maintenance Technician with the replacement part out to your home within three hours of it being broken - after business hours - and being a personal friend of mine he gave us the part at cost and undercharged for labor. I personally invite you to contact any local maintenance company and ask them for a quote to fix the faucet same-day, and if you find someone who can do it cheaper, I will gladly pay you the difference. I am confident you will not.

As a final point, I am sorry you were not satisfied with the service performed. I've always said that if our customers are not happy, I don't want their money, and this situation is no different. You may call our office at any time, and we will issue a refund, minus the cost of the faucet.
Good to see they are digging in.
SARATOGA
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Many folks would agree that "make ready" is a term used in the rental market in town.

As in a landlord hires a cleaning service to do a "make ready" for the next tenant moving in.....to make it ready.... And in our town that means college kids. So the make ready is trying to quickly make a place presentable, clean off any stains, sweep and vacuum and some light dusting and bathroom cleaning. Basically cleaning off the top layer of college student filth before the next years college kids move in.

It sounds like the OP wanted a deep thorough cleaning prior to sale or listing.

The owner of Maroon Maids probably should have explained that to him.

I think with the many threads on this board of people looking for housecleaners that charges vary from 70-150 dollars and are perhaps about 20 bucks an hour. So if I saw a coupon for a $25 make ready, if I was a landlord that would be great. If that was for somebody cleaning my own home that give a feeling of "too good to be true" or "You get what you pay for" or "Buyer Beware"
GiveEmHellBill
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AG
SARATOGA said:

So if I saw a coupon for a $25 make ready, if I was a landlord that would be great. If that was for somebody cleaning my own home that give a feeling of "too good to be true" or "You get what you pay for" or "Buyer Beware"
It was a coupon for $25 off...not $25 for the cleaning. Big difference.
agmj2007
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Things breaking is what insurance is for. That is why you look for a bonded and insured company. My Maid service broke a faucet and a electric can opener when they cleaned and paid for it 100 percent out of their pocket. I agree make ready in this town is not what you think.
LOYAL AG
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AG
Thanks OP. Too much competition in that space to hire a company you know won't do a good job that will blame you when they break something.
Orlando Ayala Cant Read
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AG
If OP is same Clay Taylor that did The Pulse and recently left Id like to give you a shout out for an always awesome enjoyable A+ production. Love (d) it. If not, sorry to derail and carry on.
gettingitdone
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According to the OP, they worked less than 3 hours, so why did the company charge him for 4 hours?
ksp
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gettingitdone said:

According to the OP, they worked less than 3 hours, so why did the company charge him for 4 hours?
2 Workers at 3 hrs = 6 !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

1 Worker at 3 = 3 hrs !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Maybe lol
Scotch
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AG
Yeah, I miss the coaches shows that have the coach at a faux wood desk watching grainy game film.
originaltexan
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I don't have a cat in this race.

I once searched hard for some cleaners and couldn't find any.

Had to do it all by myself.
BrazosDog02
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AG
Why did you pay? I've found it easier to negotiate things when the money is still on my side of the table. Contractors, service...anything really.
claydeezy
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AG
He threatened my wife to take her to small claims court if we didn't pay him... I guess we just wanted the nightmare to end.
chrisfield
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Sponsor
AG
Man, not a good look for these guys.
CollegeStationMaid
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I'm sorry this happened to you. There are several companies in town that take our business seriously. I am very detail oriented and thorough. It doesnt matter if it's a college student or a family the work is the same. I won't work for property managers that only want a surface clean because I stand behind my work. If I break it I fix it.
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