by "Akio Ohtori - RIP Oppo" (akioohtori)
Published 10/25/2017 at 21:28
by "Akio Ohtori - RIP Oppo" (akioohtori)
Published 10/25/2017 at 21:28
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STARS: 1
Oof. Rough day. The boyfriend and I agreed to split the cost of a Amazon Home Services Cleaning today. It did not go well.
The overall quality is pretty good, 3/5. The floors, counters, and window sills look pretty darn good. They also cleaned and organized the fridge, which was cool. Additionally they did the windows (inside panes only), which I didn’t think was going to be a big thing but it does, indeed, look awesome.
They did not, however, move the furniture before mopping and vacuuming, which is gross, some of the windows have streaks, and the bathtub was a little half assed. They also skipped cleaning inside the cabinets, even though this was specifically requested.
This would all be par for the course except for the bill. Over double the estimate. $770. They charged us for 22 man hours, having given an estimate for 8-12.
Yes, my boyfriend authorized it. He really wanted it to get done. He has also offered to pay for the overage, which I declined.
I get that our place is both large (we had them clean about 2400 sq/ft of it, leaving the office and nook alone) and hadn’t been cleaned in a while, but it wasn’t THAT bad. I just can’t fathom what could have been doing for 7.5 hours.
So yeah, we’re going to go good-cop, royally-pissed-off-because-this-is-cutting-into-my-car-parts-budget cop on them tomorrow and see what we can do. I’m not a monster and was actually prepared to pay up to $500, but almost $800 boggles the mind.
[UPDATE 10/26] Amazon customer service refunded part of the overage, down to an acceptable charge. The plan now is to take this as a lesson learned, hire a housekeeper, and enjoy that the house is pretty clean in advance of our Halloween party.
Doggo (x2) for unrelated post.
"Quadradeuce" (quadradeuce)
10/25/2017 at 21:52, STARS: 4
I pay our house cleaner $120 to clean our 4br, 4bath house every two weeks. It’s not a deep clean, but two people spend 3 hours cleaning. The kitchen and bathrooms get cleaned thoroughly, the floors are all mopped/vacuumed, areas are dusted, etc. Basically the mundane cleaning. We do the deep stuff on the weekends, like windows, cabinets, etc. I highly recommend finding an independent cleaner. The best way is get a referral from someone you know. Then get to know your cleaner. I actually hired ours to do my office as well, so I chat with her at work. I would ditch my cable before my cleaner.
"Eric @ opposite-lock.com" (theyrerolling)
10/25/2017 at 22:09, STARS: 0
Considering he authorized it, you’re probably SOL.
It does make me wonder where you are, too, as services like this around where I live are so much cheaper that it isn’t even in the same ballpark. Then again, I know Amazon skims about 20% off the top on most services, so it should be somewhat more expensive than direct to a cleaner or service. We have been paying $80 a month for cleaning (vacuuming, mopping, counters, toilets/bathrooms, sinks, stairs, etc, with some other things like furniture polish every handful of visits) in our former 2200sq/ft home. We haven’t made a decision on our new 2500sq/ft home, but we’ll probably hire someone else due to the inconsistency of her visits (we’ve seen her about half the times she was scheduled and I feel bad having someone old enough to be my grandmother doing my house cleaning). The rest of the month (or months) it’s just Carl and Carla (our Roombas) working hard every day picking up everything small that has ended up on the floor (these are such excellent machines, totally worth the price if you don’t own one).
"Eric @ opposite-lock.com" (theyrerolling)
10/25/2017 at 22:18, STARS: 0
Interesting that you also pay a lot less and they do your office. Ours has been doing the office for my in-laws for years, their house for almost as long, and our house since a handful of months after we moved there. The only reason we’re reluctant to keep ours is that she isn’t consistent enough... I’d totally pay what you’re paying for that level of regular cleanings, although we really don’t need more than once a month (our dog doesn’t shed much, the roombas keep things tidy between cleanings, etc)...
"Quadradeuce" (quadradeuce)
10/25/2017 at 22:31, STARS: 0
We pay an extra $30 for the office.
We’ve had consistency issues with cleaners in the past. Our current cleaner does a great job, and we know what we’re getting when we walk through the door after work. That’s why I recommend getting a referral from someone you trust. Avoid Craigslist or the franchise services, IMHO.
"Steve in Manhattan" (blogenfreude01)
10/25/2017 at 22:38, STARS: 0
This is a roughly 600SF Manhattan apartment, and we have no excuse for not keeping such a small place clean. One professional cleaning might help, but I think if we chip away at it, and painting, and I’m doing the caulking. I mean, the apartment is surface clean, but you want more than that (as do I). Two weekends ago I moved the furniture and cleaned under. The cat shed and knock a lot of their toys under things.
"Eric @ opposite-lock.com" (theyrerolling)
10/25/2017 at 22:40, STARS: 0
I mean far less than the OP. It’s a very decent deal.
I’ll have to keep my ears/eyes open and see if we can land a good one for our new place. I wouldn’t go with a service (obvious overhead costs when the cleaner would make far more working directly if they’re good) and CL is sketchy enough with everything that I’d never even consider it.
"Kat Callahan" (kyosuke)
10/25/2017 at 22:52, STARS: 0
I want to know how much the cleaners are taking home and how much is actually being given to the employers/Amazon, whatever. The difference may be downright offensive.
"Akio Ohtori - RIP Oppo" (akioohtori)
10/25/2017 at 23:10, STARS: 0
Based on the service’s published rates it looks like Amazon is taking about 20%.
"Kat Callahan" (kyosuke)
10/25/2017 at 23:20, STARS: 1
Well, that’s not terrible at first glance, but makes me wonder if they’re “freelancers,” and if that means they don’t get things like healthcare or pension or paid vacation.
I’m a union exec of an amalgamated union. Means we take anyone from any industry. Many are teachers, like me, but we have Fuso, that’s Mitsubishi, Truck assembly folks, factory workers, writers, bank tellers. We’ve tried unionising non-Japanese cleaning staff, often on these kinds of “freelance” agreements, often poorly educated and from Southeast Asia, some of the conditions are really awful. And I know, being from New Mexico and Texas, some of the same conditions are easily found in America.
"Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo" (thetomselleck)
10/26/2017 at 00:06, STARS: 2
More doggos, please
"Akio Ohtori - RIP Oppo" (akioohtori)
10/26/2017 at 10:19, STARS: 0
"Mid Engine" (jdlogan2006)
10/26/2017 at 12:08, STARS: 1
I did handyman work for Amazon for three months or so, they have no idea whatsoever how services companies operate. I pointed out to them in detail what they needed to change in order to succeed, they cancelled my account. And no, it’s not about their fees.
Pretty much every quality service professional I know have walked from Amazon home services or been arbitrarily banned, all that’s left is the dregs.
"Akio Ohtori - RIP Oppo" (akioohtori)
10/26/2017 at 12:17, STARS: 0
Yeah. I’ve noticed Amazon no longer serves my area. Looks like it was only available for a few weeks.