Our Company Policies

policies
We at Quality Cleaning “Maid to Order” strive to offer our clients the best value for their cleaning dollar in comparison to our competitors while in turn offering our staff above average pay. In order to do so we have the following policies and ask that every client reviews and respects our company policies as stated below –

PLEASE BE ADVISED THAT WE LIMIT OUR LIABILITY FOR DAMAGE TO THE COST OF YOUR CLEANING AND WE ASSUME NO LIABILITY FOR DAMAGE OR LOSS OF ITEMS THAT ARE NOT SECURED PROPERLY OR THAT WERE DAMAGED PRIOR TO OUR CLEANING. (Example: heavy pictures hanging from thumbtacks, any type of floating shelves, etc.) Curio or nick-knack items of extreme value, (monetary or sentimental) should be stored in a case behind glass or dusted & cleaned by the owner. All surfaces (i.e.: Marble, Granite, hardwood floors, etc.) are assumed to be properly sealed and ready to clean without causing harm when common cleansers are used.

Due to our flexible and ever changing schedule and Bay area traffic, it is often difficult to commit to exact arrival times, therefore WE DO NOT GUARANTEE ARRIVAL TIMES TO ANYONE BUT OUR 9 AM CLIENTS. We service homes between the hours of 8:45 am and 4:00 pm. Even if you normally have an afternoon cleaning, there may be times that we need to clean your home in the am instead. If you need an approximate time of arrival please call our cell number – (510) 386-9010 after 8:30 am the day of your cleaning for our guesstimate based on that days scheduling, and we will make every attempt to pin our arrival time estimate down to a 1 hour window of time based on that days work load.

The house cleaning industry is one that has very low profit margins, therefore we schedule all of our jobs on a daily basis based upon what work is available that particular day, and we plan for no down time between jobs if possible. If you do insist on a specific time (other than 9 am) please be advised that if our scheduling does have any sort of down/ wait time that we will try our best to work with you in order to meet your needs but we may need to charge you an additional fee to cover the time that employees are asked to wait between jobs. (These fees are based on California prevailing minimum wage + $2.00 each per person for the time that they are asked to wait. (our teams normally range from 1 – 3 people per team)

Last minute cancellations can wreck havoc on our scheduling, causing both our other customers and our staff great distress. You may reschedule, skip, add, or cancel any of your cleanings, however we do ask for a 48-hour notice of any of these actions. Cancellations (for any reason) happening with less than a 24 hr notice will be charged for 1 hour at our current hourly rate, if your cancellation is received after we have traveled to your home you will be charged for 2 labor hours at our current hourly rate. Payment will have to be made in full prior to our scheduling any further work. All cancellations must be made through the office/ owner of the company by calling (510) 386-9010 Please do not tell your cleaner. All cancellations will also cause your rate to increase to the next level (for example – skip a weekly cleaning and you will have to pay the bi-wkly rate for your next cleaning) Payment will have to be made in full prior to our scheduling any further work. All cancellations must be made through the office/ owner of the company by calling (510) 386-9010 Please do not tell your cleaner. All cancellations will also cause your rate to increase to the next level (for example – skip a weekly cleaning and you will have to pay the bi-wkly rate for your next cleaning)

We make the same promise to you. If for any reason we have to cancel your cleaning without notice, the same day of your scheduled service, we too will compensate you for your troubles as well.

Please understand that unlike other industries such as retail, hair dressers, etc. we in the cleaning industry do not have the luxury of walk in customers to supplement our schedules when a client cancels without notice. When we schedule your cleaning job we reserve that space/ time for you and you alone. Our staff depends upon your job being there in order for them to make their salary. Cancellations cost them dearly and we find that if they lose out too often they quit. YOU are vital in helping us to retain our excellent cleaning staff. We understand that you do not want to see different faces each and every time we clean and we don’t want to have a continual revolving door of new hires either.

Health matters – We ask that you notify our office by 7:30 am if you or anyone in your family is sick or has a contagious illness so that we can take precautions or choose to re-schedule your job. We will also never send one of our team members into your home if we know that they are ill. Please note that due to health reasons we do not clean up after pets unless you purchase our pet sitting services

We provide all of the appropriate equipment and supplies necessary to do our jobs. The chemicals that we use are all certified safe by agencies such as Green Seal and the EPA’s designed for the environment program. We professionally train our staff in the use of these products and equipment. While we are happy to use your alternative products or equipment the use of anything other than what is issued by our company will void our 24 hour guarantee

Any jobs requiring extra or unusual supplies and/ or equipment will be billed additionally for these services. Any additional services not normally included in the cleaning package that you select will also be billed for additionally unless it is noted on your service agreement at the time of your estimate. (for example – Stone sealers, floor buffers, carpet extractors, etc)

We have a “No check/ No clean” policy. Payment is expected in full the day of the cleaning. For your convenience we do have an Invoicing program, where all services are invoiced and paid for once monthly. This service pays for cleanings in advance and receives a 5% discount as long as your payment is received in our office by the 4th of each month. (Discounts do not apply if payments are made/ received later than the 4th of the month)

As a customer, you are entitled to a no-hassle buying experience. We accept checks, American Express, Visa, MasterCard, and cash. Any check returned from your bank will be assessed an additional fee of $35, if made good within 3 days of notification. Checks not made good within 3 days are subject to a fine of up to 5 times the value of the check + legal and/or collection fees. If your account is paid more than 10 days late for any reason we charge an automatic $40 administration fee and interest will start accruing after 28 days at the rate of 1.5% per month

We need to be able to work freely and without distractions. Every effort is made to work safely and cautiously, but we cannot assume liability for the safety of others while cleaning your home. This includes children and pets. Be advised that if we are subject to distractions that affect our ability to work in our normal fashion or speed we reserve the right to charge for our extra time spent in the home.

If for any reason an employee of Maid to Order feels that their personal safety is in danger enough to leave the job site, due to actions by the customer, guests of the customers or others at the job site, the Maid to Order customer will still remain liable for the full cost of the job.

Although we are professionals, we are not miracle workers. Sometimes we are called in too late to correct damage that is already done to some surfaces. Other items may take a couple of cleanings to look their very best. In cases of extremely cluttered areas or surfaces we reserve the right to use our prerogative to skip those areas in order to avoid damaging items or hurting ourselves.

Special requests – We love them, however we do ask that you call the office in advance to assure that your cleaning team who is responsible for cleaning several homes each working day, will be able to accommodate your special requests without impacting our other clients needs for arrival times , etc,

Vacations and Holidays – Maid to Order is closed on New Years day, Presidents day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day and the day after, and Christmas day. If your regular cleaning lands on one of these days we will reschedule you to another day. Weekly clients will have first choice of rescheduled dates, then bi-wkly, then monthly. If you will be out of town or on vacation during a holiday week please let our office know as soon as possible to avoid a lock out fee.

Your Satisfaction is guaranteed. While we do not offer refunds on services that have been provided, we will return & re-clean any areas of concern that are reported to us within 48 hrs of our cleaning.

When entering into an agreement for services with Maid to Order you agree not to solicit for hire any staff member introduced to you by Maid to Order for any home-related services. If you are found to have solicited one of our staff please be advised that our referral/ training fee is $2,500 payable to Maid to Order immediately upon employing our staff for any services to your home/ business + your maid will be terminated immediately from our employment as they will also be in breech of their own non solicitation agreement.

No representation or warranty made by any other person working for Maid to Order, expressed or implied other than the company owner – Theresa Peterson, which is not specifically set forth herein, shall be binding upon Maid to Order. Maid to Order reserves the right to re-evaluate rates and/or change the Service Agreement &/or policies at any time.

Maid to Order does not allow its employees to take any item(s) of any nature from a customer’s home without first having written permission for our office records. This is done for your protection as well as ours. If you choose to give your cleaning staff something (a lamp for example) that you no longer need please protect them by also sending a note to the office that states that you gave them the item to prevent our staff from receiving reprimands or being terminated.

Referrals – Please let your friends and family know about us. If someone you refer to us uses our services just once you will earn $25 for the referral. However, if that referral continues to use our services for 1 year you will earn a free cleaning (valued up to $100) after their 1 yr anniversary. Please email our office to let us know who you have referred so that we can properly track and credit you

Your Home – Our work place

OSHA requires employers to ensure the safety of all employees in the work environment. In following these requirements we ask your assistance in helping our staff to have the following as required by OSHA

* Appropriate footwear is required to be worn at all times where there is a risk of foot injuries from hot, wet, slippery, corrosive, poisonous substances, falling objects, crushing or penetrating actions. Shoes should be enclosed and have non slip soles.

* Protective gloves, aprons, shields, or other means of protection are provided and required if the employee has potential to be cut or has reasonably anticipated exposure to corrosive liquids, chemicals, blood or other potentially infectious materials.

* Making sure that rooms are well ventilated, so that the employee can avoid working with strong chemicals in poorly ventilated rooms.

* Maintaining a proper temperature in the home / work place. OSHA recommends temperature control in the range of 68-76? F and humidity control in the range of 20%-60%.

* Rest periods- every employee is entitled to 10 minutes of rest time per every four (4) hours or major fraction thereof. This is paid time.