What has happened to good old-fashioned customer service? Or the wisdom that the customer is always right? Is our culture so self absorbed, are our hearts so bent on protecting instead of opening that we can’t spend a moment to connect with our clients?

I ask you, Where is the compassion?

A few days ago I decided to hire Colorado Springs Housecleaning to get a really nice clean house for our anniversary. Over the years I’ve had people come in to clean, with mixed results. Some people just clean better than others and I guess it all depends upon your method and organization skills when cleaning. That’s why I’ve learned to spend a bit more and use professional services.

I can always tell immediately after returning home if someone has done a spectacular job. The house just smells sparkly, – the floors twinkle and the counters gleam. When my house looks like it has gotten a cleaning makeover (and I haven’t done the actual cleaning) I’m in nirvana.

This past week though I was disappointed.

WIKI: Disappointment is the emotion felt when a strongly held expectation of something desired is not met.

Ah, well, yea. It wasn’t met.

Here is the list of things done perfectly by the housecleaners:

The upstairs bathroom.
A bedroom I asked them not to touch.

Here is a partial list of things not done at all:

No dusting downstairs
The surface of all my appliances not cleaned
Towels not folded in two bathrooms
Counters not wiped in the downstairs bathroom or kitchen. Really.
Kitchen floor partially mopped
Hearth not vacuumed

What would you do if you came home after paying $174.00?

First, I called and talked with the manager, and then the owner of Colorado Springs Housecleaning. They basically blew me off. In fact the owners response was:

“We ran out of time. There just wasn’t time to clean your house properly.”

Humm.

Was my house really that dirty? It certainly isn’t that big. I can do a through cleaning in six hours myself while getting distracted by the food in the kitchen and my email and the view. (from my window)

So, in six hours, (two women for three hours at my home), they did manage to spot clean around the house. I’d find one corner swept, but not the opposite corner.

Six hours to clean my house and they didn’t wipe down my kitchen counters?

“You have already been given a discount as our rate is usually $30.00 an hour. We have given you $29.00 as an introductory rate. If you’d like a clean house you can hire us to come back and finish.”

I guess I was hoping for some outstanding customer service. Or an owner who cared.

Oh yea, I did get an offer of 15% discount off my next cleaning. Whoopee!

Here’s how it could have gone down:

Mr. Colorado Springs Housecleaning could have let me vent for a few minutes without interrupting, explaining, or excusing. He could have listened. He could have sent me a letter, a coupon, a bunch of roses.

He could have offered to make it right.

I would have sung praises off the rooftops about what great customer service I got and how they followed through spectacularly. I would have used them every month for years.

The neighbors would have watched the cleaners come to my home every month and would see my smiling face working in the garden instead of cleaning my home. It would have been like the couple at the top of their home page. Everyone smiling like a Cialis commercial.

In their scenario, and the one that is playing out, I’m writing this blog, filing a complaint with the BBB and telling everyone I know.

As customers are we expected to lower our expectations to meet the very basic lowest of the low business standards? Sigh……I hope not.

Does that seem like good business sense to you?

Oh how I wish I could be singing their praises today.

Photo Credit – Flylady