Terrific N Tidy was referred to me by a very trusted friend who regularly shares recommendations with me.
My initial interaction with Natavia was positive as she was very polite and seemed professional; thus, I was looking forward to our time together. I was a little apprehensive about paying for the service IN FULL before she ever even stepped foot in my home, but I did it because she came from a trusted recommendation.
She requested the scheduled day change from Thursday to Friday which we accommodated, even though it was inconvenient because we needed her to come before that weekend. Not to mention, we both work from home, and I needed to schedule at a time when our schedules aligned and when I could get the dog to the groomer.
I paid in full the day before. On the day of, after I dropped off the dog, she called and asked if she could come 2 hours earlier because they finished another appointment early. I agreed. They parked right in the driveway without asking if that was ok, so my husband couldn't park there when he got back home. FYI: just ask the homeowner if it's ok. I would have said it's ok but had you scoot your car over so you weren't blocking the whole driveway. They finished the cleaning in under 2 hours, which for the first time, surprised me, but ok, there were two of them. No one walked through to show me anything, or ask me any questions, no communication whatsoever about the work. I just heard from them when it was time to leave and that was to tell me that they couldn't open the door on their own.
As soon as they left, I noticed SEVERAL missed opportunities to clean my home and make it look like I just paid $225 for a house cleaning. The entryway table was still dusty, the kitchen floor was not swept or mopped (she claims she did, but I swept the floor when they left and swept up two piles of crumbs and debris...curious to know what they used to mop the floor with because the spots from spills from the refrigerator and by the oven were still there), the dining room table, still had my husband's dusty footprints underneath it, one of the beds in the spare room had not been touched but they made the other beds in the house, the living room wall unit was dusty in certain areas, to name a few things, yes, there is more. It seemed like they just did a quick, rushed job without giving my home the attention that I paid for after paying in full - $225.
So I spent the time I didn't really have before our company gathering getting my house looking like I would have expected after a cleaning. I then contacted Natavia to let her know. She called me back the next day. She claims to have cleaned the areas I told her she clearly missed. In order to make up for it, she offered to come back and do what I had to do, but I didn't see the purpose in that. First of all, I explained above all of the things I have to do to arrange for her to come (i.e. board the dog). And then, for what? I already did it. I said the only thing she could do was be fair, and give me a refund for not doing what she said she would do, the service I paid for. She offered no portion of the full price that was paid in advance back to me. Nothing. This tells me that she saw no value in me as a customer, in my business, or in my ability to refer her to other customers.
To be honest, writing this review makes me sad. I normally go out of my way to support women and black businesses in any way I can. And if you could ask the friend that referred me, I was so excited about her coming. But, I have never been more disappointed and felt like a fool when my husband assumed I didn't pay for it yet. But when I am being taken advantage of, I have to hold the business owner accountable, no matter who you are. This is not to hurt you, but I hope it makes Natavia's business acumen better and makes her think twice before she does this again to anyone else because she doesn't know how that can affect her business down the line. I was prepared to have Natavia come back every 2 weeks (we had already scheduled it) AND hire her monthly for my son's apartment. But I will keep looking. read more