Do not hire . they are crooks. They take your deposit and do not show. Heard a recommendation and then they screwed me. A no show! Don't waste your money. Too bad. Karma will gather if it hasn't already. read more

My name is Grace, I worked for Crystal we cleaned a 1 bedroom apartment in San Leandro. I had to go pay a bill before moving onto to the next clients house. She was suppose to text over the address but she never did. I texted her in regards to the address and to paying me for the 1st place that I did since she never gave me the addressfor the 2nd place. I got no response. So what she basically does is have different people at different places cleaning and pays who she feels like until somone catches up to her with the labor board or in person. This was m.y 1st tine working with her and the labor board will be coming for her next. Either pay people or the government and street justice will catch up to one day in person. I wouldn't recommend doing business with her based on the fact that she doesn't pay the people who work gor her. read more

I really hate writing this review about a black owned business, but they have left me no choice. I should have known when the website phone number didn't work, and they didn't respond to DM's that this wasn't a reputable company. But a friend referred me to them so I decided to give them a chance. I got a call from Crystal on Friday, and I told her I wanted my place cleaned on Saturday because I was having an event in my home Sunday and didn't have time to clean myself. I paid her $120 via cash app, and then she called back and said I needed to pay via apple pay. So I sent her my deposit and she responded "on you're all booked!" That was the last time I heard from her and they never showed up the next day. No call, no response to multiple texts, or direct messages. I am so disappointed and frankly hurt that they would jib me this way. Please see our text message thread, and now they ghosted me after I paid! Do not use this company, it's a scam! read more

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PLEASE LOOK ELSEWHERE A lot of us want to support OUR ppl but trust me. This isn't the one. Just keep it moving and go with a more reputable cleaning company. They will take your hard working money and not show up nor will they call to let you know they aren't coming. Crystal was suppose to come 5/6 and she was a no show. After sending her several messages she finally called me back 5/9 saying she had a seizure and just got out of the hospital but she would refund me. Here we are 7 days later and I still haven't received a refund. I was waiting for my refund to write a review but I'll just do it now. The day before she was to come I text her asking if we were still on for tomorrow. Her reply was just "yes". That rubbed me the wrong way but I remained positive. I've been following her on IG for many years so I never even thought to actually look up reviews. I'll be making a post on IG and FB in the next week as well. If I ever see her vehicle around town again I will be approaching her like the adult I am and I will be asking her why she is scamming ppl. If you've gotten a refund pls feel free to message me letting me know the steps you took read more

Melanin Maids - Home Cleaning Near Me

Not sure what happened, but I referred Melanin Maids to two different friends. Based on my word, they each made appointments and paid a deposit online. Melanin Maids failed to show and the owner never responded to either friend, nor showed up to clean. I feel bad for recommending Melanin Maids. Please read all the other reviews and look elsewhere! read more

Like so many other reviews stated, she is unreliable, unresponsive, and a thief. My cousin paid a deposit in late November and had a cleaning scheduled for today. She never showed up, didn't answer or respond to texts/calls. Her mailbox is full and you can't leave a comment on her IG page. It's sickening and makes me so sad to hear what my cousin went through and to read the reviews of others she scammed. I've used cleaners and never have I ever had to pay a deposit for a cleaning. Red flag. You encourage people to pay a deposit via Apple or Cash App etc. HUGE Red Flag bc you can't dispute the charges like you can with PayPal or your credit card. Comments turned off on your IG. Red Flag. I can go on but moral of the story, is that this company is horrible and preys on people who NEED the support. I'm so sorry this happened and I encourage folks who have been scammed by her to file a class action lawsuit. read more

WHOLE BUSINESS IS A FRAUD! Booked a cleaning, she required a $120 deposit via Zelle -- never showed, called and texted numerous times; absolutely no response. Currently I have legal support and have reported her business in CA. If you want to do same if it's happened to you keep a copy of all communication. I have attached her information which is kept private to also report as well. read more

Melanin Maids - Home Cleaning Near Me

Made a appointment Spoke to Crystal She took my deposit Confirmed date and location Then a no call no show. This company is a scam at this point. Very sad as I had a really good prior engagement with this company. read more

Zero stars!!!!! We booked them for a cleaning AND paid a deposit only for them to NOT show up, NOT return our calls and no communication whatsoever. Stopped responding on instagram, lied and stole my money! read more

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Look at photos for her address and family info The irritation of trusting a black owner business and they take your money and don't provide any service to you. Took $200 from me. I booked a cleaning for Monday may 16th at 10am. At 11am I called and the number was going straight to voicemail. So then I decided to text. After texting Crystal responded saying her workers should be at my home. 10 min later I messaged her again and she said they were working another job and asked if I would like to reschedule or get a refun. I asked for a refund for my deposit and she responded Saying I would get it through zelle. After this she stopped responding. every two hours I messaged her and still I don't have my money. read more

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I hired them on special for $299, 2 professional cleaners (one being the owner) for 3 hours for a 900 sq ft home scheduled for 7/8/19 @9:30am. They took 6 hours, and the only thing that was decently cleaned was my oven. THATS IT. I had to cancel plans and clients so they could finish. They used my vacuum and they used my swiffer pads. They also took a break to go buy alcohol. Which I said ok, but now regret. At the end, the $299 turned into $500. I reached out the next day expressing how disappointed I was. Crystal responded by saying they'd come back to finish. So we scheduled another day for them to come back. When that day came, they never showed up. I didn't get a message or call either. Crystal messaged me the next day saying there was an emergency with one of her employees and that's why she didn't make it or contact me. She offered me a $100 refund. Which, after sending her the pictures of everything that wasn't cleaned, I feel like she should've refunded me a lot more than $100. I still feel owed. I'm pissed and have been pissed ever since this all happened. I waited to write this review to see if I still felt this way after some time had passed. And I sure do! I'm a female business owner and wanted to support another female owned business. But I feel taken advantage of BIG TIME. I worked and saved for weeks to be able to afford to get my house cleaned. It was supposed to be a treat to myself. So in the end I paid $400 to have my oven cleaned. $400 is a lot of money to spend on a house cleaning for anyone, let alone not having it be cleaned and it be only 900 sq ft. Still disappointed, still feel owed. It's just such a shame. read more

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Screwed me and several others over. I found 5 reviews that say they paid for service and no one showed or called. I paid 125 for deposit and waited 3 hours the day of. No call, no show. I have called the executive editor of the East Bay times and advise that everyone else do the same so that this doesn't happen to anyone else. The phone number is 408-920-5456. Leave a message and maybe if enough of us are serious about this we can make sure that no one else loses their money to this horrible example of a black owned company. This is not how my people operate. Honesty and integrity. Hold these scammers responsible. read more

Melanin Maids - This is proof of the deposit I paid to a Crystal Grimes. - Home Cleaning Near Me

Zero stars. We booked them for a cleaning AND paid a deposit only for them to NOT show up, NOT return our calls and no communication whatsoever. Very poor business practice. They ought to be a shamed of themselves doing this to people who pay their hard earned money only to be taken advantage of. read more

I hate to do this because I love to support my folks but also hold accountable. I had an appointment that wasn't kept after I sent the requested deposit. No call, no explanation and even after I sent the text asking for my deposit back because this company didn't show, still no refund or reply to my text. I was really excited to have my home cleaned for my son's 1st birthday and that didn't happen. Had there been some communication, I would of been open to giving another try but 1st impressions are everything! I moved on to BA house cleaning because they have cleaned my house a few times before with no issue. I really wanted a black owned company because I believe in lifting our economy but it wasn't possible this time. read more

Melanin Maids - Home Cleaning Near Me

They did an amazing job on my home I loved their service I would definitely book again!

I worked with Crystal on two gigs last summer. I've always had side hustles even though my background is as an administrator and ops manager. I contacted her from her post on Craigslist. My first job was at a dispensary in deep East Oakland. I got there at 7am and she didn't even greet me with a 'good morning'. Crystal left to check on other jobs leaving me to work with her team lead and two others. We finished the job in about 4.5 hours. The next day she asked me to meet her at her place in Hayward and from there we'd carpool to Stockton for a move-in clean. Crystal was late. Once we hit the road she was on the phone most of the time screaming at people, networking, or gossiping. Once we started the job, she'd be on the phone, then speak up, and start fussing at me about how I was not fast enough or not doing a task to her standards. It got to the point where her ace boon on the job in Stockton ganged up on me too, talking mess. I want to support a black woman owned business, but I'm not taking any kind of abuse, even from my own people. I walked out on the job in tears. The owner of the house was real old school and I think told her to apologize and work it out with me. That lady was a class act and gave a very nice tip to us as a group. Crystal did apologize and paid me for the two jobs, but I was done after that. I'm serious about being respectful and appreciative of people who put in the work. read more

Will SCAM you. Paid a deposit for cleaning to secure my date, which I thought was odd but her Instagram page is so beautiful and enticing I didn't do my do diligence and research them. So I'm out 100.00. No show, no call, no response. This is an aweful business that SCAMS a lot of people. They shouldn't be allowed to have an Instagram or FB page to promote a business that isn't legitimate. read more

After a remodel, we needed a lot of help cleaning up and reorganizing our living space. My husband made an appointment and a sizeable deposit with melanin maids. They took the money and never showed up. This business is not a business but a scam. read more

Angela's employment experience is not an isolated event. I picked up a couple of days' work with MM from Craigslist and had to call/text repeatedly--with verbal abuse and shouting from Crystal each time-- to get snatches of information regarding my end-of-week pay. If I had not threatened to report Crystal 's business for unfair employment practices, I do believe I would not have been compensated for my work. I wanted to support this woman-owned, black-owned business. I really did. The unforgivable rudeness, complete absence of professionalism and shysty business practices killed any love I had for this business and drove it straight into the dirt. read more

I was recruited by MELANIN MAIDS (Crystal) on San Francisco Craigslist at an agreed-upon pay rate of $20/hour, PAID DAILY, according to her posting of last week. After speaking with her telephonically for about 15 minutes regarding the MM protocol, she asked me to meet her the next day @ 9:00A at the Hayward BART Station, notifying her upon my arrival. At 8:55A I sent her a text that I had arrived. She texts back at 9:00A that she would 'be there shortly.' I waited 25 minutes! more then sent her another text asking if she was still coming. Within the next 5 minutes she finally showed. I got in the car and she said that the pay period was now changed from 'DAILY' to 'WEEKLY.' If she had told me this during our phone conversation it would have been FAIR. She DID NOT. Then Crystal says we may be going to HER residence to clean after our first job, because her son had made a mess there. There was also a scheduled cleaning of a home in Richmond later that day. The first appointment was scheduled for 10:30A, according to her, in Danville. Later she would tell me that the clients only agreed to pay for 2.5 hours of cleaning, and that even though we did not leave until 3:00P, it is because I was not expedient enough, and that she would be paying me anyway, at a supposed loss. What's interesting to note is that she gave me all the BIG jobs that required major cleaning (dusting and vacuuming in the livingroom, washing the dishes in the kitchen, cleaning the master bedroom's bathroom, shower, and vacuuming the entire carpet, plus deep cleaning their little son's bedroom & bathroom). She notified the client upon our arrival that this was my 'first day in training,' yet she continually reprimanded that I was to clean faster! Wow. When I would ask her a question to clarify a procedure, she would answer sometimes, and on other occasions that she was too busy, and to figure it out and 'stop wasting time.' She also made sure to tell me to speed up the process in the clients' presence, and by 2:00P she emphasized that we were considerably behind schedule and they were expecting us to leave. Nevertheless, she took the liberty of going to her car and talking on the phone, leaving me to continue cleaning. IF WE WERE REALLY RUNNING OVERTIME... WHY AREN'T 'YOU' participating in the cleaning process so we can complete the job ASAP???? We finally left by 3:15P, and she tells me that I will be paid for cleaning from 10:30A-3:00P (4.5 hours @ $20/hour = $90.00). Again, she says the client will only pay for time up to 1:00P, but, 'I will pay you out of my own pocket...and take the loss." Not. This woman is rude and should NOT be an employer of ANY KIND. When I shared with her that the incident earlier that morning, where she showed up 25-30 minutes AFTER mandating that I be at Hayward BART by 9:00A was NOT acceptable...especially when she specifically texts me that 'I will be there shortly.'. Then she became argumentative and started shouting that she had to take care of her son...and that she would ALWAYS make him the first priority. At this point, I told her irregardless of what was happening with him, I naturally will expect her to notify me when there's a delay...NEVER again waiting almost 30 minutes with no communication of any kind whatsoever. She then gave me $20 upon request, and ultimately dropped me off at Dublin/Pleasanton BART. She asked me to meet her again at Hayward BART tomorrow at 9:00A. She said that I would receive the remaining money owed ($70) on this Friday via Cash App. The next day (yesterday, 09/29/20), I was en-route to meet Crystal, and then receive a text from her @ 7:23A! that she has fibroids and will NOT be showing to pick me up. WHY NOT SEND THE NO-SHOW TEXT AT 6:00A BEFORE I SPEND $8 TO GET THERE???? When I called Crystal directly, she did NOT answer and immediately texted for me to text her only. I did text her back later yesterday morning, asking about the next day's schedule and requesting that the remaining $70 be sent to me BEFORE Friday. I HAVE HEARD ABSOLUTELY NOTHING FROM CRYSTAL SINCE. It took a tremendous amount of HARD-WORK to do this excellent cleaning job for her. Basically, it appears that Crystal has no idea that in this new high-tech world, ALL UNFAIR EMPLOYMENT PRACTICES HAVE CONSEQUENCES. MY SUGGESTION TO YOU & YOURS: DO 'NOT' HIRE THIS WOMAN OR MELANIN MAIDS!!!! CRYSTAL IS DEFINITELY A 'COLD PIECE-A-WORK. ' All The Best, Angela Ezenta-Eze Tate ('Ace') September 30, 2020, 11:11A Bay Point, CA read more

They have a history of booking your appointment, taking your deposit, then never showing up and never responding to you again. Check Google reviews for proof. They did it to me. Rescheduled 3 times, no show all 3 and I had to call and ask if they planned on coming- they never called me first to let me know that they would not be showing up. On the 3rd time we talked on the phone and she said she was in her car 30 minutes away- but then sent me picks of a cemetery and said she stopped there and her worker was too emotional to continue their day. She denied my cashapp request for the return of my $120 deposit and never talked to me again. read more

I wish I didn't have to select a start at all! So, to write up a lengthy review at this point makes no sense. I had the very same experience as Andrea T., Kariana W., Brandon W. And Brittany L! I booked my appt, paid my deposit to Crystal (while she insisted on being on the phone with me to ensure it hit ApplePay), all for her not to show up or call. To date (after texting several times and calling), nothing! I would like my $125 back as I do NOT appreciate being scammed! Oh, I have time to report this incident, write letters, emails, whatever! All because I really wanted to support my own. EPIC FAIL! read more

Unfortunately, this business has declined drastically. I support many Minority Women Owned business and this one, I had to take off my referral list because of fraudulent practices. I know too many people who have submitted payment with no service. DO NOT BOOK. read more

These ladies are the bomb!!! Crystal was quick, responsive, pleasant and professional. My husband let them in and went off to work. They got to it. Crystal sent me pictures during the process, and let me know along the way what the progress was. They did an amazing job. Every detail, the walls, the floors, oven, microwave, fridge, etc. They even cleaned my small kitchen appliances. (I have quite a few) We will definitely be using them again! read more

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They charged me $1000 to clean my studio, stole my items, threw away jewelry, and forced me to tip! The nerve these people have is disgusting. DO NOT HIRE THEM! read more

THIS IS A SCAM COMPANY I WOULD NOT ADVISE YOU USE THEIR SERVICES. I booked with Crystal for this past Sunday. We had everything set to go and her and her ladies never showed. When I finally got ahold of her she gave me this logn story as to why she couldn't make it so we reschedule for Tuesday still no show and now doesn't answer even though she took a $300 dollar deposit. We now have to contact authorities and banks. THIS IS A SCAM COMPANY I WOULD NOT ADVISE YOU USE THEIR SERVICES read more

Horrible experience. Paid deposit and received confirmation that they received it. Then nothing, NO CALL, NO SHOW. Then after several messages all initiated by me I get a text almost 1.5 hours after the appointment that somebody got a flat tire and my deposit would be refunded. No apology at all and I am still waiting on that refund. She is not responding to my messages any more. I am beyond disappointed because I have been wanting to support and use this business for a while. Save yourself some time, frustration and money, and DO NOT USE THEM. read more

I've tried to support black businesses in the area as much as possible and to this point one of 5 has actually followed through by following up, providing a professional service (before, during and after the scheduled service. Melanin Maids was NOT that one business! I messaged with MM several times and was asked to deposit $100 to their Cashapp in order to secure my appointment. The deposit was made and a message sent to them requesting a cleaning date. Since then NOTHING! This chickenhead is getting paid off her own people and scamming us all!! Kudos to UJUNKY for being the only black business thus far to provide an excellent service. DO NOT TRUST MELANIN MAIDS!!! Rest assured, if I find the person behind this I will get my money, either through the system or out that azz! read more

Did not show up ! Took funds via Zelle and no contact. No Communication. Super disappointed. Requested money back via Zelle .... crickets read more

I'm extremely disappointed. I called on a Monday to schedule cleaning with and was offered Wednesday, ok no problem. I was told that My deposit was non refundable (which is a red flag ) but I agreed based on a recommendation. Today, they were 40 mins late. Crystal was claiming they couldn't find my location, she never called to clarify, no apologies or call to reschedule. I won't be recommending. Crystal is Very unprofessional and now of Course she won't answer my calls or texts to reschedule. Piss poor service read more

So... I have never in my life used a cleaning service but I've wanted to. Melanin Maids was recommended to me by my stepdaughter. I've lived in my place about six years and while I do my best to keep it as clean as possible there were areas that I have never gotten to and weren't cleaned properly before I moved in (heads head in shame). From beginning to end Crystal was friendly and professional. She sent reminder texts and was on time. Her crew was friendly, genuine, and efficient. I had my bathroom and kitchen deep cleaned and it's amazing! I almost don't want to cook dinner tonight. Lol. These beautiful ladies moved my stove and refrigerator and scrubbed everything inside and out! I am extremely impressed and grateful. If you're looking for a professional cleaning company please do not hesitate to contact Melanin Maids! read more

I reached out to clean a 2/1 home. Home was empty minus staging. We just got hardwood floors in all rooms done so only thing needing cleaning was kitchen and bathroom. They said they would have 3 cleaners and charge $180 hour. When they arrived they said it would take 5 hours. That was a red flag because I have cleaners clean my listings all the time and they clean a whole home with two people in two-3 hours. I told them to just do the kitchen and stick to 3 hours. For 3 cleaners I was expecting the kitchen to look completely spotless. When I came at 11 to pay she asked to keep going because 3 of them were not finish with the empty kitchen. I said absolutely not. The funny thing is she asked if I wanted to tip them. The kitchen looks like one person cleaned it in 30 min. It's not complete as if 3 maids took 3 hours to clean. I will never use them again. read more

Melanin Maids - Home Cleaning Near Me

Book Crystal & her team! I work from home and have a 6 month old baby...needless to say I was in desperate need of a deep clean. We'd never had a cleaning service before and knew that we needed some help to get things in tip top shape. Crystal's attention to detail, kind & professional demeanor and thorough cleaning skills transformed my house! As a first time client she let me know during the cleaning if time estimates were changing and what she was doing to get the oven, bathroom, etc. where they needed to be. My house has a different, much improved energy now & I'm so pleased with how everything looks and feels. We are looking forward to having Crystal & her team return monthly. This mama would much rather rest with the little down time that I have than clean...thank you Crystal! read more

I had a wonderful experience with Crystal and her team. Crystal is on top of her team and takes pride in providing top notch service. She contacted to me to let me know they could arrive earlier if I was ready, which was great. After a quick walk through, her team got right to it, all while being mindful of me and my husbands WFH situation. After they were done, Crystal did a THOROUGH walk through with her team and had any minor misses taken care of (hair in the sink, making sure it was polished...). This woman is detail oriented and I am very thankful for that type of service. It also shows how important it is that her team reflects that same value. I have scheduled her to come back in 2 weeks. Thank you so much Crystal. I'll see you again soon. read more

Excellent service! I only called 1 day ahead of time for a cleaning on New Year's Eve & they squeezed me in - so grateful. Did an awesome job with everything & left my place sparkling. The owner Crystal is awesome. Friendly & respectful. My entire experience was impeccable - will definitely use again! Highly recommended. read more

Melanin Maids is a professional business for house cleaning and more. Owned by a hard working lady who know how to clean fast and well, came with her team and got my home ready for a family holiday. My home is shining! Now, the help gives me peace of mind that my home is getting cleaned for healthy living. The professional manner of the owner, Crystal, allows me to trust the work gets done consistently every time. I can't recommend them enough! read more

First, let me start off by saying that I HATE to write this review. I wanted so bad to love them! I've never utilized the services of a housekeeper or maid so I was a bit unprepared and didn't know what to expect. I recently had surgery and my husband has back issues so we needed someone to tidy up because we've been unable to do so in the past weeks. I acknowledge that I have aquired a lot of "stuff" over the years so cleaning around it all I understand is a task. Crystal assured me that it was a task that could be handled by her and her assistant. I don't keep my house filthy nor do my husband and I have children in the home so I did not believe it would be that difficult. I'll first start off by sharing what was done right.... She thoroughly cleaned the stove, microwave, and two bath tub/showers. She cleaned the front door near the knob and wiped down my mantel. AND THAT'S WHERE IT ENDS! Other than that, I couldn't tell you what nearly 4 hours was spent doing. They barely swept, didn't clean the base boards, didn't mop, didn't touch my dining room, didn't clean the window seals, didn't touch the countertops, and didn't put basic things back after moving them (i.e. the garbage can and kitchen mat). After doing the mediocre work for 3 hours Crystal rushed out to go pick her child up from his first day of school (which is totally understandable) but she acknowledged out of her own mouth that it was a "half assed" job. Knowing that the result was "half-assed", I SURELY WOULDN'T EXPECT TO PAY "FULL ASSED" PRICE! Nonetheless, she sent the full invoice. I contacted Crystal minutes after she left my home to let her know that I was unsatisfied and she basically began to argue with me. Somehow she seemed to believe that the amount of time she spent in my home equated to the quality of service. Her solution was to come back days later and charge me yet again to complete the basics that anyone who is acquiring the services of a housekeeper would expect! Although she was initially extremely personable and sweet, she became very argumentative, unprofessional, and irrational when she was called out for poor service. In a nutshell, Melanin Maids was totally not worth the money spent. read more

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Words cannot express how amazing Crystal is! Juggling work and home life had become so stressful. Working 60 hours a week my husband just couldn't keep up with the cleaning on his own. Melanin maids saved the day! There's nothing more therapeutic for an overworked mom than a clean home. Self care is so important. Treat yourself to an amazing group of women who understand the struggle and care about their clients! With Love, The Pedraza Family read more

SCAMMER. I bought a new home and my RE agent paid for a full house cleaning and then they came and did the cleaning. I was told my RE agent only paid for a partial cleaning and it would be an additional $300. So I said ok let me go ahead and do the whole cleaning, they did a terrible job. I was scammed out of $300 when the whole house cleaning was already paid for. DO NOT USE THIS BUSINESS! read more

I was excited to support this Black owned business! I called to schedule a house cleaning appointment. She asked for a $120 deposit via Zelle. I paid and never received a confirmation. I called the 877 number again (3 different days) to modify my appointment and no on answered and the voice-mail was full. On the day of the appointment, no one called or arrived. After reaching her through someone who knew her personally, I received my refund back. Lesson learned, DO NOT PAY COMPANIES VIA ZELLE! read more