Customer Guidelines
Welcome, and thank you for letting us into your home. This page is the short version of how we work: what we need from you, what you can expect from us, and the handful of rules that keep both sides out of trouble.
None of it is fine print. It is the same thing we would tell you on the phone.
Five things that make the clean better
- Clear the surfaces you want cleaned. We do not move personal papers, mail or valuables. A counter with things on it gets cleaned around, not under.
- Leave the rooms free while we work in them. It is faster for us and safer for you, especially around cords and wet floors.
- Let floors dry before walking on them. Wet tile and sealed wood are slippery, and footprints in a fresh mop line are the first thing you will notice.
- Put away anything fragile or irreplaceable. If something cannot be replaced, it should not be within reach of a cloth.
- Keep pets and small children out of the work area. More on pets below.
Scope, scheduling and access
The scope is agreed in writing
You get a written price and a written list of what is included before the first visit. If the home turns out to be substantially different from what was described, we stop and call you with a revised number rather than rushing the job or billing you a surprise.
Arrival windows
The first appointment of the day has a fixed start time. Later appointments carry a one-hour window, because the Cape in season is not a place where traffic behaves.
Rescheduling and cancellations
Tell us at least 24 hours ahead and there is no charge. Less than 24 hours, or a crew that arrives and cannot get in, is billed at half the visit. The crew is paid for that day either way.
Getting in
Codes, lockboxes and keys are recorded against your job and handled by the crew assigned to you. If you change a code, tell us before the visit, not after.
Parking
Our equipment travels in the van, so the crew needs somewhere legal to leave it. Where parking has to be paid for, in a resident-permit area or a lot, it is added to the invoice at cost.
Supplies
We bring everything, equipment and product. The two things we ask you to leave out are trash bags and paper towels, because every household has a preference and a bin size.
Pets
We like them. We also cannot do our job while a dog is investigating the vacuum.
Secure pets somewhere away from the rooms being cleaned, and tell us in advance if an animal is anxious, reactive or should not be let into a particular room. If there are feeding or door rules we need to respect, write them down and leave them where we will see them.
If a pet has had an accident, say so. Treating it properly at the source is a different job from cleaning the surface above it, and we would rather know before we start.
What the crew cannot do
These are safety limits, not preferences, and they apply on every job:
- Lift more than 20 lbs
- Climb higher than a two-step stool
- Move heavy furniture or appliances
- Handle hazardous material, mould or infestation
High spots we cannot safely reach get done with extension tools where the job allows it. Mould, sewage and pest problems are separate trades, and we will tell you which one to call.
Payment, guarantee and photos
Payment
Payment is due on the day of service. You get an invoice by text or email with a secure payment link. We take credit and debit cards, and ACH for recurring accounts.
Our guarantee
If something is not right, send us a photo within 48 hours and we come back and redo that area at no charge. After 48 hours the visit is payable in full, because by then we cannot tell our work from ordinary use.
Photos and privacy
Crews take before and after photos of the work for quality control. They stay internal and carry nothing that identifies you. Nothing goes in our marketing without your say-so, and you can withdraw that at any time.
Hiring our crew directly
Our people are trained, insured and background-checked at our expense. Hiring one of them directly, while they work for us or within twelve months of them leaving, carries a placement fee of $5,000 per person.
It is not there to be awkward. It is there because the alternative is losing the crew you liked to the customer who liked them, and then neither of you has them. Any work you want from us goes through the company, which is also what keeps you covered by our insurance.
Tell us how it went
Good or bad, within 24 hours is when feedback is most useful. A line about what you noticed and a photo is enough. We either fix it on the next visit or come back for it, and we will tell you which.
Call (774) 772-5630 or write to contact@sherlockholmescleaning.com.