Jay Jacobson asked:
You’re busy, both you and your spouse work maybe five or six days a week. When you get home you have the kids and some necessary chores to take care of; homework, laundry, dinner, grocery shopping, etc. By the time the weekend come around, you’re just too tired or too busy to attend to the housework! Life these days are busier then ever and there are time when we just don’t have enough energy or time to get it all done.
So, who can you call or who do you entrust with the very special task of cleaning your home – an independent, a name brand company, a neighbor’s kids, aunt, sister-in-law, etc.?
We’ve seen it all, heard it all and thank god we’ve never experienced it – All the problems that come along with the hiring of the wrong people. Here are some of the pitfalls and the horror stories we have heard from clients and prospects alike.
The Independent’s7: These exhibit many of the same traits as do the “fly-by-niters” with one exception – they are directly involved in their business, may be a bit more organized, have an elevated sense of commitment. Understand the business at hand and have shown such by the entity structure they have chosen to do business. While “sole proprietors” may be independent in mind, they are a danger to themselves and to their clients.
The Franchises: While a franchise carries with it more respectability, and reliability, it can and often escalates the problems associated with running a cleaning company. Many franchise owners become cash-strapped as a result of the restrictive agreements entered into, the addition to businesses operating budget by adding the expense of the high costs associated with the monthly “royalties”. These costs put a strain on growth, as it takes away the needed capital the business can otherwise utilize in many other productive, business producing pursuits. Hence, even with their name recognition, a franchise’ structure can quickly tip and tumble the dominos by their added weight and burdensome requirements. I’ll spare you the litany of contractual obligations a franchise requires for an owner pays a franchise to bare their name and pay them a heavy percentage of an owners earnings. These fees can cause a franchise owner to become so strapped for operating capital, that it makes more economical sense to close their office. A franchise will tell you where you MUST rent an office, they will own your customers, your telephone numbers, decide whether or not you can sell your business, to whom you can sell it – if you can sell it, what you must do to close your office, what property you MUST DESTROY, when you can close your office, etc. However, through all of this the franchise will not lift a finger, cut the owner(s) any slack, release anyone from any financial obligations, including “transfer fees”, etc.
Hence, a franchise may not be all it has been cranked up to be, there are numerous flaws and financial burdens with owning and operating an “independently owned” franchise office. So many the potential pitfalls with these entities that the status of these companies’s financial well-being and adherence to proper hiring and insurance 2 protocol is one a “perspective client” would do well to examine. A perspective client may be just at risk as with any of the others mentioned here.
2 The “Fly-by-Niters” & “sole proprietor’s”: These are the most desperate of all, they come from nowhere, place a door hanger on your doorknob or garage, offer a very attractive price, but can’t or don’t deliver or seldom, if at all, live up to their promises. They are usually small time operators; one or two individuals who decided to start a small cleaning company most of the time out of desperation. Many of these individuals think that operating a small company, even if it is only “two” individuals will be simple. Unfortunately, they couldn’t be more mistaken; it takes the same level of expertise and know-how, business savvy as it does to run a full-scale operation. Yes, it requires something more, quite a bit more, then a willing spirit to operate a cleaning as well as perform the service. Their biggest problem is usually at the onset, when they open the doors or as in most cases spread the company papers out on the kitchen table and begin pursuing their plan.
IMPROPER PLANNING
What most of these “don’t know” and or fail to do is put the business in proper perspective; THEY ARE PROVIDING A SERVICE! So, first things must be put first, a computer to handle the scheduling tasks and to ensure their customers are going to receive the timely service(s) promised. Unless of course they only plan on soliciting very few clients in order to provide additional money to the family budget, which is admirable, and is the very reason most of them choose this endeavor in the first place. Where they fail, and which escalates your inconvenience, and danger for you the homeowner is they haven’t planned their operation or calculated the costs; insurance, taxes, supplies, equipment, travel expenses, etc. Often times they find themselves with limited funds, usually enough to pay themselves and little if anything more.
No expendable capital to pay for even the elementary things needed to operate this type of business like supplies. So, the first warning sign that you may be heading for trouble is when the housecleaner(s) begin using your household cleaners, rags, and or vacuum!
It is a sure sign they are desperately low on operating funds, and it is most likely they don’t have the “number one” priority in place to protect the homeowners interests – INSURANCE – either workman’s compensation, or general liability! Without either of these policies in place, you are at great risk. If they break something, they will have to pay out of pocket to replace what THEY BROKE. Since they most likely have very limited funds, it won’t get replaced and a sure sign this is the case is if they don’t show up with a replacement or on your next scheduled service day.
Reliability: Since money is usually an issue with the independents, and they are always watching their bottom line, they have a tendency to trade off one client for another. Some of the factors associated with this problem is the price of gasoline, inexperience with estimating and thus quoted the client an unrealistic “low ball” price in order to get the business. Once they stop showing up at your home, on those days that were promised, you were scheduled then it’s time for you to begin looking to a more reliable service company – these independents have either failed or are failing and on their way out.
Accountability: Who are these people? The biggest problem is in knowing whom you are inviting into your home? It never ceases to amaze me how most Americans will deny a stranger, a door-to-door salesman, a repairman, etc., into their home while, they are present and at home. Yet, they will allow “strangers” from a “no name”, or independent cleaning company free access and reign into and over their domain! This in no way is meant to besmirch the independents, we are merely sharing that what we’ve heard from those of our client’s whom have experiences with independents as expressed above.
Responsibility: Whom do you go to if something happens? Whom do you call if something breaks or disappears? If there isn’t some kind of hierarchal structure, a manager or owner for you to consult and or advise of the situation and or to share your concerns or file your claim(s), you can rest assured your out whatever was broken or stolen! If it’s one of the “loose” structures mentioned here it’s a sure bet they have none of the safeguards in place spoken about here – your sure to be the loser.
Questions to ask: Are they or their company license, bonded and currently insured? With whom are they covered? Is a copy of this coverage available for viewing by you, the potential customer? Are they’re employees “1 background checked”? Are all they’re employees fingerprinted and are these retained by the company in the employee’s file? 3Can you as the perspective client view this documentation? Have you ever had a theft claim or 5complaint filed against you, your company or any of your employees? 4Have you or your company ever been sued in a court of law? How many employee’s do they have, more is usually better since a sizable staff, ensures stability. Do they have a business license? Do they offer a “satisfaction” guarantee? 6 Do you have to sign a contract? Do they have a physical address, office and not just doing business out of their home and or a rented PO Box? Do they conduct spot checks on their field staff?
Horror Stories: XYZ Company employee accepts from homeowner “bleach”, against company policy and spills it on the client’s master bathroom carpet and “bleaches it out”. Employee then quits company without notice and without ever mentioning a word to the owners about the incident.
XYZ Company allows employee to use a “corrosive” bathroom bowl cleaner, against company policy, and spills it all the way down the hallway carpet – ruining the entire stretch of carpet.
XYZ Company hires an employee, fails to run a background check and a drug-test before placing her on a “one-person” route where she worked alone – Client’s diamond ring and earrings went missing!
XYZ Company hires an employee, fails to run a background check and a drug-test before placing her on a “one-person” route where she worked alone – A spot inspection by the supervisor caught the employee in the client’s home with her boyfriend!
2 INDEPENDENT HOUSECLEANERS: Come with a host of problems, no insurance (workman’s compensation and or general liability), no employee background checks are ever initiated. They frequently hire "foreign nationals" who have come to the United States of America, illegally and have no right to work in America. As such, they are prone to abuse by these unscrupulous employers as they opt to pay these individuals under the table and subsequently pay no taxes.
The client may benefit to some degree by perhaps receiving a lower price for services rendered. But, this can become short lived if the "independent" falls, gets hurt in the home or claims to have fallen and incurred an injury and decides to SUE YOU IN A COURT OF LAW! That’s only the beginning of the problems as one agency begins to notify the others (under the patriot act) and Pandora’s box begins to open up and release a whirlwind of problems on you; cost of the lawsuit, settlement of the suit, employer tax evasion along with fines and penalties, etc. All for trying to save a few dollars?
Then we have the problem of "damages" and or "breakage" of your personal and prized possessions by these UNINSURED HOUSEKEEPERS!. What possession to you own that you won’t mind having "DESTROYED"?
China?
Heirlooms?
Collector plates?
Statues?
Knick – Knacks?
Stereo?
TV?
Furniture?
Well if you hire these individuals, don’t expect them to own up and either notify you or confess to any questions from you regarding the damage, breakage and or "DISAPPEARANCE" of any of your prized possessions – THEY DON’T AND WON’T!
The above are excerpts from an article we are writng;"Who should I hire to clean my home…?"
3 There are “privacy right” issue involved with this type of inquiry and you may be denied such access unless law enforcement is involved with a “theft” complaint.
4 It is not likely you’ll get an honest answer to this question, if you get one at all. But, with a little “computer” work you should have no problem searching the public record(s).
5 Check with the local Better Business Bureau: www.bbb.org.
6 Many companies forego this policy, especially the franchises, they all want your business, and don’t want to “scare” away a perspective client. But at the same time a customer has “a right” to know what to expect, what they will be getting from the company. Most of these will provide a client with a checklist, showing what they will do for the client. Our company also provides our clients with a checklist, and we don’t use a “contract”. However, in order for our client’s to know exactly what to expect, know what we will do and that which we don’t, we provide our clients with a “terms of service”.
7Independent’s as referred to herein are those companies that have structured themselves as a “real’ business. Either a corporation, LLC, etc., Doing so lends weight to the fact that they understand what they are doing and are serious about the service(s) they intend to offer the public.
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You’re busy, both you and your spouse work maybe five or six days a week. When you get home you have the kids and some necessary chores to take care of; homework, laundry, dinner, grocery shopping, etc. By the time the weekend come around, you’re just too tired or too busy to attend to the housework! Life these days are busier then ever and there are time when we just don’t have enough energy or time to get it all done.
So, who can you call or who do you entrust with the very special task of cleaning your home – an independent, a name brand company, a neighbor’s kids, aunt, sister-in-law, etc.?
We’ve seen it all, heard it all and thank god we’ve never experienced it – All the problems that come along with the hiring of the wrong people. Here are some of the pitfalls and the horror stories we have heard from clients and prospects alike.
The Independent’s7: These exhibit many of the same traits as do the “fly-by-niters” with one exception – they are directly involved in their business, may be a bit more organized, have an elevated sense of commitment. Understand the business at hand and have shown such by the entity structure they have chosen to do business. While “sole proprietors” may be independent in mind, they are a danger to themselves and to their clients.
The Franchises: While a franchise carries with it more respectability, and reliability, it can and often escalates the problems associated with running a cleaning company. Many franchise owners become cash-strapped as a result of the restrictive agreements entered into, the addition to businesses operating budget by adding the expense of the high costs associated with the monthly “royalties”. These costs put a strain on growth, as it takes away the needed capital the business can otherwise utilize in many other productive, business producing pursuits. Hence, even with their name recognition, a franchise’ structure can quickly tip and tumble the dominos by their added weight and burdensome requirements. I’ll spare you the litany of contractual obligations a franchise requires for an owner pays a franchise to bare their name and pay them a heavy percentage of an owners earnings. These fees can cause a franchise owner to become so strapped for operating capital, that it makes more economical sense to close their office. A franchise will tell you where you MUST rent an office, they will own your customers, your telephone numbers, decide whether or not you can sell your business, to whom you can sell it – if you can sell it, what you must do to close your office, what property you MUST DESTROY, when you can close your office, etc. However, through all of this the franchise will not lift a finger, cut the owner(s) any slack, release anyone from any financial obligations, including “transfer fees”, etc.
Hence, a franchise may not be all it has been cranked up to be, there are numerous flaws and financial burdens with owning and operating an “independently owned” franchise office. So many the potential pitfalls with these entities that the status of these companies’s financial well-being and adherence to proper hiring and insurance 2 protocol is one a “perspective client” would do well to examine. A perspective client may be just at risk as with any of the others mentioned here.
2 The “Fly-by-Niters” & “sole proprietor’s”: These are the most desperate of all, they come from nowhere, place a door hanger on your doorknob or garage, offer a very attractive price, but can’t or don’t deliver or seldom, if at all, live up to their promises. They are usually small time operators; one or two individuals who decided to start a small cleaning company most of the time out of desperation. Many of these individuals think that operating a small company, even if it is only “two” individuals will be simple. Unfortunately, they couldn’t be more mistaken; it takes the same level of expertise and know-how, business savvy as it does to run a full-scale operation. Yes, it requires something more, quite a bit more, then a willing spirit to operate a cleaning as well as perform the service. Their biggest problem is usually at the onset, when they open the doors or as in most cases spread the company papers out on the kitchen table and begin pursuing their plan.
IMPROPER PLANNING
What most of these “don’t know” and or fail to do is put the business in proper perspective; THEY ARE PROVIDING A SERVICE! So, first things must be put first, a computer to handle the scheduling tasks and to ensure their customers are going to receive the timely service(s) promised. Unless of course they only plan on soliciting very few clients in order to provide additional money to the family budget, which is admirable, and is the very reason most of them choose this endeavor in the first place. Where they fail, and which escalates your inconvenience, and danger for you the homeowner is they haven’t planned their operation or calculated the costs; insurance, taxes, supplies, equipment, travel expenses, etc. Often times they find themselves with limited funds, usually enough to pay themselves and little if anything more.
No expendable capital to pay for even the elementary things needed to operate this type of business like supplies. So, the first warning sign that you may be heading for trouble is when the housecleaner(s) begin using your household cleaners, rags, and or vacuum!
It is a sure sign they are desperately low on operating funds, and it is most likely they don’t have the “number one” priority in place to protect the homeowners interests – INSURANCE – either workman’s compensation, or general liability! Without either of these policies in place, you are at great risk. If they break something, they will have to pay out of pocket to replace what THEY BROKE. Since they most likely have very limited funds, it won’t get replaced and a sure sign this is the case is if they don’t show up with a replacement or on your next scheduled service day.
Reliability: Since money is usually an issue with the independents, and they are always watching their bottom line, they have a tendency to trade off one client for another. Some of the factors associated with this problem is the price of gasoline, inexperience with estimating and thus quoted the client an unrealistic “low ball” price in order to get the business. Once they stop showing up at your home, on those days that were promised, you were scheduled then it’s time for you to begin looking to a more reliable service company – these independents have either failed or are failing and on their way out.
Accountability: Who are these people? The biggest problem is in knowing whom you are inviting into your home? It never ceases to amaze me how most Americans will deny a stranger, a door-to-door salesman, a repairman, etc., into their home while, they are present and at home. Yet, they will allow “strangers” from a “no name”, or independent cleaning company free access and reign into and over their domain! This in no way is meant to besmirch the independents, we are merely sharing that what we’ve heard from those of our client’s whom have experiences with independents as expressed above.
Responsibility: Whom do you go to if something happens? Whom do you call if something breaks or disappears? If there isn’t some kind of hierarchal structure, a manager or owner for you to consult and or advise of the situation and or to share your concerns or file your claim(s), you can rest assured your out whatever was broken or stolen! If it’s one of the “loose” structures mentioned here it’s a sure bet they have none of the safeguards in place spoken about here – your sure to be the loser.
Questions to ask: Are they or their company license, bonded and currently insured? With whom are they covered? Is a copy of this coverage available for viewing by you, the potential customer? Are they’re employees “1 background checked”? Are all they’re employees fingerprinted and are these retained by the company in the employee’s file? 3Can you as the perspective client view this documentation? Have you ever had a theft claim or 5complaint filed against you, your company or any of your employees? 4Have you or your company ever been sued in a court of law? How many employee’s do they have, more is usually better since a sizable staff, ensures stability. Do they have a business license? Do they offer a “satisfaction” guarantee? 6 Do you have to sign a contract? Do they have a physical address, office and not just doing business out of their home and or a rented PO Box? Do they conduct spot checks on their field staff?
Horror Stories: XYZ Company employee accepts from homeowner “bleach”, against company policy and spills it on the client’s master bathroom carpet and “bleaches it out”. Employee then quits company without notice and without ever mentioning a word to the owners about the incident.
XYZ Company allows employee to use a “corrosive” bathroom bowl cleaner, against company policy, and spills it all the way down the hallway carpet – ruining the entire stretch of carpet.
XYZ Company hires an employee, fails to run a background check and a drug-test before placing her on a “one-person” route where she worked alone – Client’s diamond ring and earrings went missing!
XYZ Company hires an employee, fails to run a background check and a drug-test before placing her on a “one-person” route where she worked alone – A spot inspection by the supervisor caught the employee in the client’s home with her boyfriend!
2 INDEPENDENT HOUSECLEANERS: Come with a host of problems, no insurance (workman’s compensation and or general liability), no employee background checks are ever initiated. They frequently hire "foreign nationals" who have come to the United States of America, illegally and have no right to work in America. As such, they are prone to abuse by these unscrupulous employers as they opt to pay these individuals under the table and subsequently pay no taxes.
The client may benefit to some degree by perhaps receiving a lower price for services rendered. But, this can become short lived if the "independent" falls, gets hurt in the home or claims to have fallen and incurred an injury and decides to SUE YOU IN A COURT OF LAW! That’s only the beginning of the problems as one agency begins to notify the others (under the patriot act) and Pandora’s box begins to open up and release a whirlwind of problems on you; cost of the lawsuit, settlement of the suit, employer tax evasion along with fines and penalties, etc. All for trying to save a few dollars?
Then we have the problem of "damages" and or "breakage" of your personal and prized possessions by these UNINSURED HOUSEKEEPERS!. What possession to you own that you won’t mind having "DESTROYED"?
China?
Heirlooms?
Collector plates?
Statues?
Knick – Knacks?
Stereo?
TV?
Furniture?
Well if you hire these individuals, don’t expect them to own up and either notify you or confess to any questions from you regarding the damage, breakage and or "DISAPPEARANCE" of any of your prized possessions – THEY DON’T AND WON’T!
The above are excerpts from an article we are writng;"Who should I hire to clean my home…?"
3 There are “privacy right” issue involved with this type of inquiry and you may be denied such access unless law enforcement is involved with a “theft” complaint.
4 It is not likely you’ll get an honest answer to this question, if you get one at all. But, with a little “computer” work you should have no problem searching the public record(s).
5 Check with the local Better Business Bureau: www.bbb.org.
6 Many companies forego this policy, especially the franchises, they all want your business, and don’t want to “scare” away a perspective client. But at the same time a customer has “a right” to know what to expect, what they will be getting from the company. Most of these will provide a client with a checklist, showing what they will do for the client. Our company also provides our clients with a checklist, and we don’t use a “contract”. However, in order for our client’s to know exactly what to expect, know what we will do and that which we don’t, we provide our clients with a “terms of service”.
7Independent’s as referred to herein are those companies that have structured themselves as a “real’ business. Either a corporation, LLC, etc., Doing so lends weight to the fact that they understand what they are doing and are serious about the service(s) they intend to offer the public.
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