So, I was thinking about local businesses the other day, saw a van for something like "clearwater cleaning company," and it got me remembering this whole saga I went through trying to get my place properly cleaned last year.

It sounds simple, right? Just hire someone to clean. Man, was I wrong. I started by looking up a few places online, figured I'd get some quotes. Easy peasy. Nope.

Trying to Get a Simple Clean

First off, trying to get a straight answer on price was like pulling teeth. Some wanted me to fill out these long forms online, others wanted to schedule a visit just to give a quote. A visit! For a standard two-bedroom apartment clean? Seemed like overkill to me.

I spent maybe two days just calling around. Here’s kinda how it went:

• Company 1: Website looked slick. Called them. Got voicemail. Left a message. Never heard back. Great start.
• Company 2: Actually talked to a person. They couldn't give a price over the phone. Insisted on an "in-home estimate." Fine. Scheduled it. Guy was 45 minutes late, looked around for five minutes, and quoted me a price that seemed way too high.
• Company 3: Found one with hourly rates listed. Looked promising! Called to book. They were booked solid for three weeks. Three weeks!
• Company 4: Sounded okay on the phone, gave me a rough estimate. I decided, fine, let's go with them. Booked it for a Tuesday morning.

Tuesday morning rolls around. 9 AM start time. By 9:30, nobody. Called them. "Oh, sorry, they're running a bit late." Okay, happens. 10:30, still nobody. Called again. "Uh, yeah, there was a mix-up with the schedule. Can we reschedule for next week?"

Seriously? I'd already moved furniture around, prepped the place. I was so annoyed. I just told them to forget it. Waste of my time.

In the end, you know what I did? I spent my Saturday doing it myself. Bought some extra cleaning supplies, put on some music, and just got it done. Took me most of the day, but honestly, less hassle than dealing with all that back-and-forth.

It just makes you wonder, doesn't it? How hard can it be to run a simple service business efficiently? Get a call, give a price, show up on time, do the job. Seems like basic stuff. But maybe it's not so basic when you actually try to run things. Or maybe I just had bad luck. Either way, reminded me why sometimes doing it yourself is just... easier. Less headache for sure.