My husband and I run a cleaning business, and my friend, whom I’ll call Claire, owns a dog grooming business. A couple of months ago, Claire asked if I could clean her home. I did a walkthrough back then—it was messy, but manageable—and estimated it would take about six hours.
When the cleaning day arrived, things quickly went downhill. It seemed like they stopped making any effort because we were coming. The house was in far worse condition than during the walkthrough. I had mentioned beforehand that I don’t do dishes, but when I arrived, there was a sink full of them. Claire even sent her 6-year-old daughter to ask me to wash them.
What was supposed to be a six-hour job turned into 17 hours over two days. We hauled out 16 bags of trash and had to mop the bathroom floor four times. It was one of the hardest jobs we’ve ever done—almost hoarder-level clutter.
To make things more manageable, I even purchased organizational bins out of my own pocket. When the job was done, Claire came in, said, “smells clean,” and that was it. No thank you, no acknowledgment of how much effort went into the job.
To make matters worse, I gave her a massive discount, charging far less than normal because she agreed to advertise my cleaning business at her shop. After factoring in the discount and the extra costs for cleaning supplies and tools, I barely made $8.50 an hour. Despite all this, she had a negative attitude. I suspect it’s because the house didn’t meet her expectations, though I did everything I could. The kitchen floor had severe urine stains, the walls had damaged paint, and while I scrubbed everything—including walls, baseboards, and even crayon off the front door—there’s only so much I could do with the damage already there.
She didn’t even leave a review for my business, as we had agreed. I feel beyond hurt. This wasn’t just a client—she was my closest friend and my son’s godmother. I’m heartbroken to think our friendship might be over because of this.
What should I do? I’m hesitant to confront her because I’m afraid it will turn into a big fight.
EDIT: I love Claire dearly, but I feel so disrespected right now that I need some space. I’m not a petty person, so I could never harm her business by leaving a bad review, as some have suggested. I also recognize that I made mistakes, like not doing an updated walkthrough and giving too large of a discount. I’ve learned my lesson and will no longer take on jobs for family or friends.
Thank you to everyone who has shared kind words. I think the best option for me is to take this as a learning experience, move on, and focus on the future.
