ComplaintsforAddress Our Mess, LLC

• Initial Complaint

  09/16/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Customer Service Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Wasnt comfortable when we started so they left and someone called and said i would be charged $250 even if they did nothing. They came back. I did tell them a large cat tree was to be trashed but they were breaking in pieces while i stood there. Everything that was being donated was thrown into large plastic bags with no respect for damage. I knew then it was all being trashed. I was going through everything thing. Case worker tried to console me about them just being items. Didnt feel any respect from any of the three. No therapist or counselor is actually there. They shouldnt send 3 men to help an older woman who is alone. Finally sent them away when i was exhausted. No one lifted so much as a broom let alone do any cleaning Thoroughly disappointed in the experience. Spent so much money to end up doing 9 tenths of the work myself. Felt intimidated to sign acceptance paper. I mean they know where i live. Even doing complaint is intimidating. Dont know if there will be retaliation Would never pay for anything upfront before service is done again

  Business response

  10/06/2022

  Business Response /* (1000, 7, 2022/09/29) */ The crew arrived at the residence. As is our process, the two technicians waited out in the truck and Denard (the case manager), went in and met with Ms. *****. Denard discussed the processes with Ms. ***** and explained how the day would go. Ms. ***** questioned if he had boxes to box up her donations. Denard explained that the donations would be wrapped in the plastic bags and they would be staged for packing. The boxes would be brought back when the crew went on break. Ms. ***** then advised that she did not want to move forward, that she was not ready. Denard then called the office and spoke to me (Coleen, Operations Manager) he expressed that Ms. ***** was not comfortable and did not want to continue. I then called the Estimator, Megan and advised of the situation. Megan then called Ms. ***** to assure her that she would be taken care of and that the Case Manager, Denard, has been on our staff a very long time and she was in good hands. Megan asked if she would give the team a chance to provide the services. Megan also advised that it was her choice to move forward or not and we would do whatever she wished, however; if she chose not to move forward that there was a $250.00 cancellation fee. (This fee is to cover the travel time of the three employees). At that time Ms. ***** decided to move forward. Megan then called the staff and advised that they could go back in and work with Ms. *****. Denard and crew went back. Denard spoke to Ms. ***** again and assured her that he would take care of her; then the crew began to work with Ms. ***** to separate the keep/dispose/donate items. Denard did say that there was a somewhat broken cat tree that they did break down for disposal however, he assured Ms. ***** that the donations were being bagged up carefully and stagged and would be boxed up once they returned from break. The items for disposal were bagged up and taken to the truck for disposal. They worked with Ms. ***** until break at which time Ms. ***** stated that she did not want to continue any further. Denard called Megan and advised that Ms. ***** did not wish to continue. Megan spoke to Ms. ***** to try to get an understanding of the situation. Ms. ***** said that they had gotten to an area where she didn't realize there was a lot of paperwork that she would have to go through herself and did not want to take up time doing this. Megan asked what the team could have done differently to improve her experience and Ms. ***** replied that she did not know. Below is to respond to Ms. *****'s statements individually: 1. Everything that was being donated was thrown into large plastic bags with no respect for damage. I knew then it was all being trashed. We take pride in delivering out clients donations and are always able provide proof of donations via a donations receipt. 2. Didn't feel any respect from any of the three. We are just going to have to disagree on this because this team is always complimented on how respectful they are by many customers. 3. No therapist or counselor is actually there. Address Our Mess does not promote or indicate that there will be a therapist or counselor on site. As a matter of fact, our website has a page referring clients to find a therapist or counselor if they are in need. 4. They shouldn't send 3 men to help an older woman who is alone. Address Our Mess is a hoarding and clutter clean up company which is predominately staffed with men. At no time did Ms. ***** request a woman on staff. 5. No one lifted so much as a broom let alone do any cleaning. The job was not completed. Ms. ***** ended the services and therefore the cleaning process was not done. 6. Spent so much money to end up doing 9 tenths of the work myself. Ms. ***** received a half of day of service by her own admission. Ms. ***** paid for a half a day of service. Thank you. Coleen S. Operations Manager Address Our Mess

• Initial Complaint

  02/07/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Customer Service Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I hired Address our Mess to clean out my house. They came February 3-5, 2022. I paid them 3500 for the first day and 2200 for the subsequent 2 days. Three things happened that are the focus of the complaint. I had to teach on Zoom and could not be with the men cleaning the house. So I told them to do the kitchen but only take out food products, nothing else, except a basket of food to save. They did not do that and in the process threw away the basket of food that was to be saved, family recipes and favorite mugs. I was able to save one mug (my husband's favorite mug from his favorite student) which I put in what I thought was a safe location but they did come back multiple times to that area to remove things and had to tell them no. After they were gone I realized the mug was gone. When doing the basement I told them that everything in the room (to the right should be cleared but not to touch anything in the main area (except to throw away the litter boxes. After doing part of the house with another worker, I came to the basement to find a large segment of the main room gone. They claim to then take it all back. But I kept saying it was more things. In that process, they threw away all of my family ornaments. All of these things were invaluable and irreplaceable. Then I found money missing from my purse. Can't be 100% sure they stole it but it is the most likely explanation (more I could add but running out of characters). They have you sign a satisfaction certificate when they leave. I felt pressured to sign it. The person was standing right there. I am a woman alone with men. I was already so upset that I just signed it. They have you sign it at that time and in that way specifically to create that pressure and avoid accountability later. Clear from responses to bad reviews that is how it is being used. Just left the message but I have not heard back but wanted to issue the complaint as soon as possible just in case nothing happens. More to say but not enough cha

  Business response

  02/18/2022

  Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2022/02/09) */ The Address Our Mess protocol is that the case manager must call the manager on duty prior to leaving the property. The purpose is to ensure the customer is satisfied with the services and is there anything that could have went better. I spoke to Mrs. ******* myself on Saturday evening at approx. 6:30pm. I asked how things went and she said that she was tired but, satisfied with the services that were provided. When I spoke to Mrs. ******* she never said anything about feeling pressured to sign the certificate of satisfaction. Never expressed any dissatisfaction whatsoever. She was 100% satisfied with the services at that time. As a matter of fact, I advised that, in speaking to Nick, I understood that she was interested in booking the additional 4 to 5 days of service that Nick thought she would need. I asked if she wanted to schedule some time for the next month, she asked if the team could possibly come back sooner. I said absolutely. However, I was of the impression that she wanted to do some sorting of items on her own before the team came back to assist. She confirmed that she did want to do that but, that she thought that additional service days could be rescheduled in a couple of weeks. (This conversation totally contradicts her statement, "They have you sign a satisfaction certificate when they leave. I felt pressured to sign it. The person was standing right there. I am a woman alone with men. I was already so upset that I just signed it. They have you sign it at that time and in that way specifically to create that pressure and avoid accountability later.") A short time later she called back upset and, advised that her car keys were missing and that an envelop was moved from where her purse was and $100.00 was missing. She said she did not want to accuse the guys but where else could they be. I advised that I would be happy to send Nick back and he would help her find them. Mrs. ******* declined. I advised that I would ask Nick to call her to see if he knew where the items were and he would be happy to come back to look. She yelled at me saying "what's that going to do, they're gone, they are not coming back". I advised that I did not believe the team would take her keys or money. I asked that she please think about it and Nick will give her a call. Nick called Mrs. ******* and offered to come look for the items, she declined and told him, she knows they are going to come back to steal her car and take it back to Baltimore. I waiting a bit then called Mrs. ******* again, I made another offer to have Nick come and help her find her car keys and money that I am sure they are misplaced. At this time Mrs. ******* informed me that she found her keys in her coat pocket but, did not find the money. I again said that the offer still stood and that Nick would be happy to assist her in finding the missing money that it had to be there they were both in the same area and she found her keys. She declined the help to look for her $100 and hung up on me. I then called Mrs. *******'s husband to discuss the situation. Mr. ******* was very understanding, he said that he was aware and said that he was really sorry that Mrs. ******* reacted this way. He said that she sometimes puts things places and doesn't remember right away and she gets upset. (Mr. ******* is not staying in the home at this time but, he has been in constant communication with Mrs. *******.) He said that he told his wife that we probably would not be willing to come back and finish the job after Mrs. *******'s reaction. I said that was not necessarily the case... that he should speak to Mrs. ******* and then perhaps the Estimator, Megan, and see what could be arranged. Perhaps a different crew could assist but, that would have to be discussed. I asked if we could touch base again on Monday but, I haven't heard back from Mr. Rieger. Mrs. ******* didn't mention the mug or recipes until Monday when she left a voice mail on the estimator's voice mail. The Christimas ornaments were located and presented to Mrs. *******. There was also a cookie jar that she was upset about that was found in a totally different area than where she thought. There is a lot of areas that still need to be gone through. (As stated, the job is NOT complete and there are 4 to 5 days more work needed. In addition, Nick advised there was miscellaneous items boxed up and the mug is most likely in one of the boxes. He also said that he worked directly with Mrs. ******* and went through some recipe books and she decided what to keep and what not to keep but, that Mrs. ******* thought there were more that they had not gotten to yet. Mrs. ******* did not answer my latest calls. Attached is the Certificate of Satisfaction that was signed by Mrs. *******. Respectfully, Coleen S********, Operations Mgr. Address Our Mess. Consumer Response /* (3000, 7, 2022/02/10) */ (The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.) When the person called I was exhausted. I have MS and could barely function at that point. I was upset about all the things that happened in the bedroom, kitchen, and basement and had not fully realized the impact it would have on me until I was rested. Some of the stuff I did not even find out was gone until the next day. Too much to track in real time. 3 men doing the work. Can't watch all of them. The workers were careless, did not listen to what I told them. They knew I was upset. Their behavior resulted in the loss of many valuable items. Some worth money and some invaluable due to personal importance. If I felt pressure to sign the form don't you think I felt the same pressure for the call which occurred shortly after signing? I didn't book with them right then. I was upset and didn't want to use them again so I said we could talk later. I tend to be a kind person and was just so upset.I was alone and very vulnerable at that time and was not as assertive as I should have been. I just didn't want to talk to any one at the company. I just needed to rest. The practice of signing at the end is unethical and allows them to avoid accountable for poor work done for vulnerable people who may not be in the best mental or physical condition at the end of the work. My advice to anyone using their company would be: don't sign the satisfaction form until later despite the pressure to do so. Give yourself time to see if you're really are satisfied. That was my mistake. But their tactic worked as I probably have no recourse because I signed it. Shame on me for not standing up for myself at the time. I was upset, exhausted, and felt helpless and anxious. And they took advantage of that. In terms of the keys. When I found my money missing I became super agitated so looked to see if anything else was missing and realized the keys were not there. Everything else was there. Shortly afterwards (after calling Colleen and talking to Nick) I remembered that Nick had used my keys to open the back door. When he gave them back I was not near my purse so I put them in the ottoman. The keys were NOT found in my coat pocket. There would be no reason to move my money to the ottoman. It is illogical. So Nick coming back would not have helped. I NEVER told Nick I thought they were going to steal the car and take it back to Baltimore. I just kept saying well the money and keys are gone after everything he said. He was the one who said the thing about Baltimore as the reason why they would not steal the keys. They lived in Baltimore so it would make no sense to do that. That did make sense to me and that maybe the reason why I calmed down a little and remembered where the keys were. The only thing missing from the purse was the money. Still has not turned up.... so it was not misplaced as they suggested. One of them most likely took it. But of course, I cannot be 100% positive of that. I called the next day to complain about everything I said in this complaint (at least I think I did.) There were 3 main areas I was upset about (bedroom, kitchen basement). I think I mentioned all of them but I might not have done so. I was still very upset and expected to talk to them when they returned my call so I may not have said everything. I won't claim that I know I said all 3 areas because I can't be sure. But that does not mean that those things did not happen. Even if I didn't say it in the message, it happened. And shouldn't people who discover problems later that were not noticed at the time, still have the right to express their displeasure? I should be allowed at least one day to determine if things were ok. I called the very next morning. And no one got back to me. They got my money and no longer cared. I was desperate for help as I needed to move because of my husband's disability due to a fall. They prey on desperate people and they should be ashamed. Also, I am living in the house. I told them that every time they referred to me not living there. Again they did not listen to me. I did ask about a lot of items precisely because things kept going out that I told them not to take. That is why I kept asking, not because they simply put them some place that I did not know about. That is evidence that these things happened not that I am the problem. They didn't put my boxes of my Christmas stuff some place in the house that I didn't know about... they put them in their truck! And they did not take everything back. I know that because the area was larger than two bins and a small bag. But they insisted they had and would not do anything more. I felt helpless and stuck. I found the cookie jar but my husband told me it was not in the area they took out (I was on the phone with him after it happened) so I continued to look for it and I found it. That is the reason I returned to the basement. Nick even told one of the workers "I told you to only do that room" referring to the room I told them to do. The mugs were in the sink and all that stuff went out even the dish strainer! I was teaching on Zoom and could not monitor the work but told them to only take food stuff out of cabinets. The mugs were not put anywhere by them. I put the personally important mug some place that I thought was safe. It was in an area that they kept coming back to and I had to stop them from taking things (e.g., a walker) and it was not until the next day that I found out it was gone. I looked because I became concerned the more I thought about how they kept gong back to that area and trying to take things. They didn't put it anywhere, I did. Then they discarded it. It is not in any box. Trust me I have looked through all the boxes in the kitchen and dining room. None of the mugs from the sink or the personally important mug one are in them. I found lots of porcelain pieces in the yard that probably were the parts of the mugs that were broken by them when they were carried out. Yes, there is more work to do--upstairs and in the basement. Why would mugs from the kitchen end up in any of those places? It is ludicrous. They are just trying to deflect blame on to me. Another shameful thing. I am the person who came to them for help. I trusted them and they did exactly what they told me they would never do. The family recipes were not in a recipe book. They were handwritten in a bag. So going through recipe books is irrelevant. As they had nothing to do with the family recipes. And I have received no calls from the business since the night they finished the job. So that is a lie. And for the record my last name is ********-*******. I never use just ******* (how they referred to me in their response). I wish they had at least enough respect for me to call me by my correct name; the one I gave them when I hired them. Business Response /* (4000, 11, 2022/02/17) */ Please accept my sincere apology for the oversight of Mrs. ********-*******'s name. It was not intentional. Mrs. ********-******* spent three days with the staff interacting constantly with the team. Nick said that she even complimented Nick on the manner that he interacted with her. At the end of each service each customer is presented with final paperwork, a balance sheet and the certificate of satisfaction. At no time is the customer told they have to sign it. When I speak to the customer the team is outside. The purpose is to allow each customer to speak freely and not feel uncomfortable providing truthful feedback in front of the staff. This was the case with Mrs. ********-******* and our initial conversation was very pleasant and not negative in any way. This conversation took place on Saturday, February 5, 2022, at 6:30pm (after business hours). I advised Mrs. ********-******* that I could not provide future dates of service at that time that I would have to get back to her because I did not have the schedule in front of me as it was afterhours. (Again, totally contradicts Mrs. ********-*******'s recollection) During several conversations shortly thereafter, between Mrs. ********-******* and me and between Mrs. ********-******* and Nick; she was offered assistance to find the $100 and the car keys, which she declined multiple times. She was advised that she had until the morning when the team would be checking out of the hotel to change her mind. However, she declined. (Again, the team could have helped locate the additional missing items) As stated in my first response, there are items that were boxed up and, Mrs. ********-******* is in need of 4-5 days of additional services and therefore, items that she assumes are gone could remain in the home. However, we were not given the opportunity to help her locate said items. The telephone calls made to Mrs. ********-******* and the voicemails that were left by me were from my cell phone, not the business phone, as I often work from my home office, since Covid. I did call Mrs. ********-*******, she did not answer. We at Address Our Mess pride ourselves on the many satisfied customers that we have assisted and helped over the last decade. I am truly sorry that Mrs. ********-******* doesn't feel that way and was not willing to allow us to rectify the situation when we could have. However, Address Our Mess stands behind our responses and considers this matter closed. Respectfully, Coleen S********, Operations Manager Address Our Mess

• Initial Complaint

  10/28/2021

  Complaint Type:

  Customer Service Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I am writing on behalf of my mother. We waited to contact the business until we could go over the contract she signed with Address Our Mess. She spent several days in the hospital after the clean up ended, but is now regaining her strength. She, however, could not go back to her home after being released from the hospital and is now staying with family members. Her home was simply not cleaned by this crew. I cannot believe that Bre walked away thinking she had done a good job and accepted the work her team did. They left around 3:30pm on day three, which should have been cleaning day. When I arrived around 4pm, I was glad they were willing to send them back. But Bre did not even get a broom or enter the house, they left the truck running. They were very short with me and left quickly while I was distracted by a neighbor. I wanted a final walk through, which they clearly didn't want to do because they knew the condition in which they left my mom's house was far from satisfactory. By that point in the day, my mom's health was already failing, and she had no fight left in her. I believe this team took advantage of her weakened state and did as little as possible on day three. This is in no way a clean house. I have many photos to show this. We could not let my mom get out of the ICU and return to this house. But she paid $7,500 for a professional cleaning service. The team was great at removing the clutter on the first two days, but nothing, no one thing, was properly cleaned. The contract Megan Rafter personally signed with my mother clearly states, "full service cleaning of entire home". Bre and the rest of this staff did not live up to their end of the contract. Not even close. I am open to suggestions from the business regarding how they can make this right before we pursue other avenues. I believe we did not get three days of work from this crew, and my mom deserves to be compensated by this company for failure to comply to the signed contract.

  Business response

  11/15/2021

  Business Response /* (1000, 7, 2021/11/04) */ While we are more than willing to work with our customer to resolve any concerns, this complaint was not submitted by our customer, but, by the daughter of our customer, ***************. However, I would like to address try to resolve this. While we do not sell our days of service on a prorated basis, if she would like to be compensated for 1.5 hours, I would be happy to do so. It is not clear as to what else "Carolyn" thought that the crew should have done; however, Address Our Mess was not hired by "Carolyn". Ms. **** signed the Clean-out Agreement, the Scope of Work, the Certificate of Satisfaction, and the Balance Sheet. (All of these documents are provided for your review.) Additionally, the Scope of Work was written for an estimate of completion five (5) days of service. The services provided took three (3) days. If there were additional services Ms. ********* wanted provided, there were additional days reserved where additional requested services could have been fulfilled. No additional services were requested. As a side note: The crew offered to remove soiled carpeting in the dwelling, however; Ms. ********* advised the crew that they did not need to remove the soiled carpeting because she decided that she was going to have a professional cleaner come and clean the carpet. This resulted in the crew finishing a bit earlier than anticipated on day three. Prior to leaving any job the crew performs a walk thru with the customer as they did with Ms. **** *********. Ms. **** was asked multiple times if there was anything else that she would like the crew to do prior to leaving. Ms. **** signed the Clean-out Agreement, the Scope of Work, the Certificate of Satisfaction, and the Balance Sheet. (All of these documents are provided for your review.) Should Ms. **** ********* wish to discuss the services provided with me or the Estimator, Megan R*****, we would be happy to do so. We can be reached at the following contact numbers.

• Initial Complaint

  10/28/2021

  Complaint Type:

  Customer Service Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  My wife hired Address our mess to come to our house and to clean and help organize the home. They came to the house, and started to throw all belongings into large clear trash bags. One employee was in the living room, one was in the dining room, and in the kitchen. I was watching them just throw away everything, no care in the world, I even said please don't just throw everything away but that's what happened. The house was not clean. Not one employee offered to help organize anything to the point I asked my wife, aren't they supposed to be helping us organize? The employees didn't even clean a dish just threw it away. Throwing away full draws, pillows, important documents and so much more. The employees were supposed to be here for 6-8 hours, but ended up leaving before 2 hours. We where charged a deposit of $1500. & Put onto a payment plan for the rest. I didn't see the work 100% done. Colleen was who my wife was working with, my wife did complain to the business and they agreed that the job was done. An appointment was made for a team to come back, we had to cancel this appointment due to a health problem. A message was left and no one ever called us back. So I called a week later and left a message, still nothing. I went to my bank and reversed the $1,500 charge, because what services was promised never really happened. We have emails, recorded voice conversations, photos, and video of the work not being done. Today Address our mess finally called and left a voicemail saying that we needed to call them back. I didn't around 6pm where I was just yelled at, I said the work wasn't done and she said one day of work was completed, nothing was done and we never agreed to this being a multiple day job. It was to be done in one day 8-10hrs, not less than 2hrs. That's why I reverse the charges.

  Business response

  11/17/2021

  Business Response /* (1000, 7, 2021/11/10) */ Address Our Mess was contracted by Mrs. ****** ****** for one day of service scheduled for May 20, 2021. A deposit in the amount of $1500.00 was made to secure the date of service and the balance was going to be paid on a payment plan. On the date of service, Mrs. ****** signed all the paperwork including the Clean out Agreement, the Balance Sheet, and the Certificate of Satisfaction at the end of the service. A few days after the service during a follow-up call, Mrs. ****** advised that the crew only worked half of a day (4 hours); at that time I confirmed this with the crew and then made arrangements with Mrs. ****** to go back on June 20, 2021, to complete the other half day of service. The day before the service was to be completed Mrs. ****** cancelled the service stating that her husband was seriously ill and had been admitted to the hospital. Mrs. ****** was advised that this was not a problem that once her husband had recovered that she should call the office and we would reschedule. According to our phone system logs, we had not received any calls back from the phone number on file until Mr. ****** reversed the charge of the deposit. Once notification was received that the charge had been reversed, I called and left a message at ************. Mr. ****** returned the call and stated that they had been calling and no one would return their calls. I advised that we have no record of the calls and there was no record of a voice mail however, the reverse charge should not have been made as they had received a half day service and that is what was paid for. We have not charged any additional charges because the service was not complete. I advised Mr. ****** that we would be happy to reschedule the half day of service. He advised that he would speak to his wife and get back to me. Mr. ****** never called me back. The next communication was the complaint filed with BBB. I have since called and left messages with the ******'s however, I have not received a return call. Attached are the signed documents for your files.

*Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business. ↩