Complaint Review: Williams Cleaning & Cabin Service / Cassie Williams

In December of 2008 while at our vacation rental cabin in Tennessee, I responded to a knock on the door. It was Cassie Williams of Williams Cleaning and Cabin service. She was offering her cleaning services for our home. She claimed she worked for the cabin rental company that rents other cabins on our street. She said she was near our house all the time. After some discussion and a second meeting we agreed to have her clean our home for $100 a cleaning.

From the get go there were red flags popping up all over the place, but stupidly I ignored them. The first red flag was her asking me to pay her in cash because she didn't have a checking account (can you say tax evasion). The second red flag was after I received a bill from direct TV for a movie order. She was the only one who had access to my home and she was sitting there ordering movies. Who knows, she could have been living there, the electric bill would certainly indicate that. (I would consider that loitering). In March of 2009 she called to tell me the hot tub wasn't working. She said she had a friend that worked in the pool and spa business and that he was coming to look at it. After she called me back with a quote of $600 to fix it, including labor, I okayed the repair. What she failed to mention was that her husband was doing the repair and she had worked out a deal with her pool and spa friend to have her husband paid for the labor. I'm sure he is not a certified installer. I found this out after I called to give my Credit Card info. to the spa repair store. After the repair she told me there was a small leak and that her husband would fix. When we returned to the house in March the hot tub was leaking all over the place. She said her husband would get to it that week. We had to leave so who knows if it was ever repaired.

In April, after 4 cleanings, I get a bill for $460. When I questioned her as to the extra $60 charge, she said that her husband had decided that they needed to charge us what they charge everyone else. Correct me if I'm wrong here, but if someone decides to increase your rates don't they usually talk to you about it FIRST? I proceeded to tell her that that was not the amount we had agreed upon and that we would most likely be interviewing new cleaners the next time we came to the area. Her response to this was, "Well all cabin companies will charge you more than what they quoted you. You better make sure they are insured because you can be sued if someone gets hurt. We carry a million dollar insurance policy because of this." Oh sure she does! (thank god for google earth - I don't think someone that lives in a trailer carries a million dollar insurance policy)

She called me at the end of April to tell me the grass was 4 ft. tall and asked if I wanted her husband to cut it. I said, "yes, have him do it this one time and I will get some quotes for lawn service." Well of course I learned through a third party, almost 3 weeks later that the lawn hadn't been mowed all year. That was the last straw for me. I called her to tell her that I wouldn't be needing her services any longer. She proceeded to tell me she had just left the house and had cleaned it. I had a new cleaner go out that night and she said the only thing that had been done was the washing of the sheets and towels.

The following are a series of email correspondence between myself and Cassie after I terminated her services.
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(email to:me, from: Cassie)
Hope all is well. I just waned to know if the $100 for the final cleaning is in the mail? I have a appointment at the Courthouse on Tuesday morning for people that haven't paid us and I don't want your name on that list. As long as it is here by Monday everything will be fine. I know that we didn't get to finish the job but that was not by my choice but the $100 is a flat fee for everyone. Just mail me and let me know if it is in the mail my phone is not working right now.

(email to: Cassie, from:me)
No, I have not put a payment in the mail because I did not receive an invoice from you. I do realize that when you were there last you did clean the sheets and towels and I plan on paying you for that work. If you would have completed the entire cleaning while you were there, I certainly would have payed you the agreed upon price of $100. The flat fee you refer to is for completing a full cleaning. I will pay you half the amount, which I think is more than fair for sheets and towels. If you have questions about this please contact me.
I wish you luck in your cleaning business and hope it is prosperous for you.

(email to: Me, From: Cassie. I'm pretty sure the definition of extortion applies here)
When I go to the courthouse on Tuesday there will be a lean put on the lake house until the full $100 is in my hand. This is not the first time that I have had to do this to someone. I have been Doing this for six years and have never had anyone not pay. When you let someone go they always get paid for the job finished or not know matter where they work and I only expect the same no more no less!!

(END OF EMAILS)
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Being paid for a job you didn't do is the most asinine thing I have ever heard of. So, for example, if I start a lawn care business and cut one blade of grass I can charge the owner for services rendered? I think not!

Now I do realize this is not an extremely large amount of money but it is the principle of the situation. I refuse to be taken advantage of any more by this woman. Throughout the months of dealing with her, she had many complaints of how people ripped her off. I'm sure she completely contributed to being ripped off. I offered her a more than fair amount of money for washing sheets and towels, but she is a greedy unscrupulous person.

Since all of this began I can't find one record of her being registered as a cleaning business. She does have a Thrift shop business registered though. I wonder where all of her thrifty things come from?

In conclusion, if you are a vacation rental owner in the Sevierville or Pigeon Forge Tennessee area, beware of this woman. She is a scam artist. I shutter to think that cabin rental companies hire people like this and let them into your home.

Vacation rental owners beware
Bloomington, Illinois
U.S.A.