Well, THAT'S a bummer

My MIL is coming this week so we had our house professionally cleaned yesterday. I've been so gimpy that I never quite got it back to spic and span after the family of five (three teenage boys!) stayed in our house for the first five days while we were on vacation.

Dudes, you cannot even imagine how much I was looking forward to having that cleaning crew in my house again. Remember? I documented the amazing job they did here. (Go ahead and click on it --it will open in a new window (because HTML R Us) and you won't even lose your place. Go on, click. You need the background.) I woke up early to do the prep for the guys and they showed up at 8:30 on the button.

And they cleaned, right, but just nothing like the first time.

I was sooooo disappointed.

The owner of the company wasn't with them and they just didn't have the same attention to detail AT ALL. They didn't dust the tops of my pictures. They didn't get all the way into the corners of the mirrors and the sliding glass door. They didn't even fold ALL of the toilet paper rolls to points.

I did NOT want to take pictures. I did NOT think they had done a better job than I could have done. In fact, after they left I spent most of the afternoon going back over things they'd missed.

It was good to have it all done at once but it just wasn't at all the experience I was hoping for. You know what it was like? It was like my tomato sandwich yesterday. I decided that if I was going to keep eating tomato sandwiches (with my own homegrown tomatoes!) at every single meal, then I needed to find a way to do it without all of that mayo. So I bought LIGHT mayo and I ate my sandwich and it just wasn't the same. It just flat out wasn't as good. It was still GOOD but it wasn't anything at all like the taste of real mayo on real tomatoes.

My house cleaning was just like the light mayo.

So, I called the owner.

I know, y'all are all falling off of your chairs all over the country. I don't even telephone people I LOVE and I'm not exactly known for my confrontational style. (I'm more of the "Brave Sir Robin Ran Away" school of confrontation.)

I have not been replaced by some alien replica--well, at least as far as I know. But I called him. Because one thing I've noticed about being a New Yorker --if you don't speak up, the other guy is never going to voluntarily make it right. People here ENJOY the Art of the Haggle.

I SO do NOT enjoy that.

But, in the spirit of When In Rome, I called him and he told me that in the future, he would come himself. I didn't get any offers for a re-do or a discount on the next cleaning but he was not defensive and I was strong. For ME, I mean. I was strong for me. My entire goal was not to end even one sentence with a question mark--you know what I mean? Not to say, "So, they didn't even dust my mantle? And they didn't move the furniture back into place once they'd moved it?"

I met my goal.

Of course, I completely sweated through my shirt in the two minutes we were on the phone but at least my voice didn't go up into that register that only dogs can hear.

I'm on my way to the kitchen now to make myself a tomato sandwich with real mayo. I've earned it.

As a total aside, here's a picture Edward looking like he's dreaming of being a super hero. He's asleep with one arm held parallel to the floor in mid-air. Doesn't that seem like it would be uncomfortable?

Comments

Unknown said…
good for you! When I have to confront I either get uber-angry and over-do it or I get over emotional and sniffly, both of which end up embarrassing me.

I love Edward!
Lynn said…
I was a good blogreader and went back to your earlier post and felt your earlier elation.

So very, *very* proud of you for stepping outside your comfort zone and showing Mr. Yankee Boss that you didn't just fall off the turnip truck. Well done, ma'am, well done!
Mrs.Q said…
I am a firm believer that low-fat mayo should be written up by the UN as a Crime Against Humanity. I'll try low-fat yogurt, have had some success with low-fat sour cream and even found a cream cheese that isn't too bad in its "light" incarnation. But mayo? Especially with fresh-from-the-garden-homegrown tomatoes? Fuhgeddaboudit!

(And - yay you for making that call!)
low-fat mayo is no more mayo than those Beatlemania guys were the real Beatles...

And Brian just walked by and said, "Oh, I like that cat!"
ckh said…
I have yet to try light mayo because I'm in denial that I can't eat whatever I want still. I would like to add, however, that the tomato sandwiches that I grew up with also had avocado. It's a dreamy combo and worth every calorie.

And good for you for calling up and letting them know. There is too much competition out there to provide sub-standard service. If the owner doesn't make it right the next time (at least!) then you should find another company who cares a little more. (That's easier said than done, though, because everyone's standards seem to be slipping these days.)
MadMad said…
Yay, you!

And I love tomato and mayo sandwiches, too! I didn't know anyone else who ate them!
Ei said…
I'm so with you on the mayo. I wonder if my sister remembers the day of the battle when she tried to convince me that my mom's weight watchers mayo was the real deal whilst babysitting. I believe there was blood.

Sigh, I have to admit I am a little disillusioned by the cleaning company too...I mean, the day you posted about that I was IM'ing with a friend about how a normal sane person would be jealous of you being able to have professional cleaners, or the super sweet husband who did that for you, me I was jealous of the courtesy stripes. That was art, man. I'm glad you stood up for yourself, and I'm glad you feel good about it.

And Edward. I love Edward. I WANT Edward. You are so lucky I wasn't the one who found him ;)
Edward is clearly one awesome cat! And I couldn't aggree more on issues of mayo.
DK said…
Go you!! You're becoming more like a New Yawkah every day.

That? Is the single best cat picture I've ever seen in my whole damn life.
Anonymous said…
I love Edward too! I wish I were that laid back.

I'm proud of you for making the call. I hate confrontation too.

Debbie J.
Tenna Draper said…
WHAT? No Courtesy Stripes on the DAV?

I would have called too.

AND!

I would have told the guy that I really plugged his cleaning company on my blog, and no doubt they got a TON of extra business, simply because I advertised for him FOR FREE, and NOW, come on back and give me my ##()*()09 courtesy stripes on my dav or I'll take back my good review and give you a really BAD one, so that the 10 people who read my blog religiously tell 10 more who tell 10 more, and pretty soon you won't be cleaning houses anymore.

How's that?
Patti said…
It is so hot where I am that I am laying on the floor just like Edward, trying not to let any limbs touch. Seems he would not have that approach what with the fur coat and all.
Hannah said…
It's so comforting to hear that someone else out there has my same style of confrontation, or lack and paranoia thereof. Good for you for doing it right!
Miri said…
Good job on the assertiveness!

Also, forget the light mayo. It's full of hydrogenated stuff anyway, I'm sure. Yummy tomatoes from your own garden are only around a couple of months a year, so it's not like you'll be forming a habit that you'll still be stuck on in November.

I can also help you justify any other splurge you'd like. Just let me know.
Karen said…
You deserve the couch stripes!

Also regular mayo is the only way to go. Low fat is too sweet. I still buy mayo when I go home so I can have my Blue Plate because Kraft is just not the same.
LaDonna said…
Ya know, I think it's something about living in a big city. I was NEVER the confrontational type either (and I still don't enjoy it), but when we lived in Seattle, one of my first lessons was that unless I stuck up for myself, people would walk all over me. My penultimate experience with this was at a Denny's when I actually got up and walked out with my husband and hungry kids in tow because we had been waiting for almost 40 minutes for our food and all the waitress could do was flirt with the boys at the next table.

You go girl! I'm proud of you!
Anonymous said…
Barb, Tenna has a point about the potential impact. What she describes could easily work with her ten readers, given the multiplicative effect, so just imagine what would happen if your hundreds of regular readers passed the word along?

Personally, though, I think your approach was much classier.
Katie said…
Oh the jealousy runs rampant in my heart! I am a dork I know but first it was your amazing socks. Next it was the first cleaning. THen the garden. And the fab tomatos. But another cleaning? If I had good money I would pay for someone to do a crappy job cleaning my house.

BUT the hardest thing for me to not be jealous of you for is...your cahones. I can't believe you got up the nerve to call the owner! You ROCK! I would have stewed and not called.

YOU totally ROCK!