I employed a cleaning company to clean my house while I was on holiday. We discussed the work I required and agreed a price of £45 for 2 hours work. I stupidly left a cheque in advance. On my return from holiday, the only sign that anybody had been in my house was ornaments out of place and a greasy stain left on a piece of expensive pine furniture. There was dust all over the house and my hairs still left on a dressing table. The kitchen sink still had remnants of food in it so obviously had not been cleaned. When I complained, the manager said that I should leave a list of problems and she would call personally the next day to correct them. She did not keep that promise but telephoned the next day to say that she had spoken to the employee who had 'cleaned' my house. She stated that she spent such a long time in one room that she hadn't had time to clean other rooms. She also stated that she had cleaned my kitchen hob. This was categorically not done as it was in the same condition (a little grubby) as when I left it. I had also not requested it to be cleaned. The manager stated that she would call later that week to correct the errors but by this time, I had lost confidence and requested my money to be returned. I was informed that they never return money but would discuss it further and phone me later. When I got home from work, a note had been put through the door with a £10 refund. I telephoned to complain and suggested that they call at the house to check it's condition. They refused, stating that it was now over a week and had obviously deteriorated over that period. I stated that I was not satisfied with £10 and wanted a full refund. This was refused. I now have the choice of taking them to the Small Claims Court or putting it down to experience. It serves me right for having ideas above my station. I will continue to clean my own house in future and thoroughly enjoy it!