Pressed For Time

"We have always found Anne and Dave to be lovely. They are so reliable and have never let us down. Their cleaning teams all work so hard and we enjoy seeing them each week when they come to clean for us."

"No more ironing shirts for me, they have an excellent and very reasonable priced service."

"I send my bedding ironing here and I haven’t found an ironing service as efficient or cheaper. Staff extremely friendly and always happy to help with urgent items. Service with a smile every time."

"I have been using pressed for time since 2013. The staff in the shop are always very friendly and helpful. Ann and Dave the shop owners are lovely people and make sure everything you require with the service is right for you. I have in the last year been using their cleaning service which is great. The girls leave my house looking lovely and and clean for me when I get home. This is a good allround business. Would recommend!"

"I'm working abroad as I type this and contacted Anne Say, the alleged boss of this firm, to explain what I needed done in my suite in the borough of Bromley. I explained that since I was still abroad, my uncle would be present to let them in for a visual inspection to ascertain what equipment they'd need to bring for the work and agree with her crew on the time when the work would be done. I agreed with Anne on the date of the visual inspection. Anne very clearly told me that "we don't like to be told what to do, because we've been doing this for years". My immediate reaction to this statement was "Well, that's a strange thing to say, don't you think?" Anne justified it by saying that some people like to watch her crew at work and give directions, which she doesn't like - her girls are excellent, etc., which is a weak and absolutely not credible justification anyway. I still said that it was a very strange thing for a cleaning firm to say. She then said that it'd be good if my uncle left her crew the keys and he weren't present. I explained that this would be unacceptable, because my uncle was 76 and sending him for a walk round the block while they're doing the work was unacceptable. I also wasn't comfortable with leaving the keys to my suite to complete strangers, especially since I had the luxury of having my uncle's presence there. I assured her that he wouldn't be dictating them what to do, he'd just be there so he wouldn't have to walk the streets. She eventually agreed. This morning my uncle texted me that her crew visually inspected my suite and wanted the keys and that my uncle not be present. My uncle point blank refused both points and told me that the crew member(s) called him rude. I told my uncle not to take notice of that and immediately wrote Anne an email pointing out that 1. the person who labeled my uncle rude needs to look the definition of the word 'rude' up in the dictionary. S/he, as many others, very obviously confuses the meaning of RUDE with the meaning of DIRECT. Calling someone who's simply direct RUDE is incorrect, unfair, and spreads negativity, which the Brits are excellent at! 2. a cleaning firm telling a potential customer that they don't want the customer to tell them what to do because they've been doing it for years is downright weird and doesn't do the cleaning firm's business image any favour right away. To a large group of people, as to me, this statement will immediately imply that the firm has something dodgy up its sleeve. 3. Point 2 applies to a cleaning firm telling a customer in whose suite it's to be employed that it doesn't want the customer present also smells suspicious, rings the alarm bells, and violates civil rights, because the owner of the premises has every right to be present if s/he wishes - the cleaning firm is the owner's employee, and has no civil right to kick the owner out while work is done! Why would they say that? and 'what have they got to hide?' are the first questions that come to the customer's mind. If they did honest and good work, would they have a reason to insist on the owner not to be present to see how great their work is? Or is it a case of them wanting the bodge the job knowing that once they're gone, the customer can't do anything, or worse, poke around people's properties and personal possessions taking advantage of the fact that nobody sees them? Hmmmm, food for contemplation... After all, many people are scared to hire cleaners exactly for the reason that cleaners have been known to steal. 4. Anne's dictatorial and rights-breaking approach to customers goes right against good business practices, because she wants her customer to work to her wishes, not the other way around. She and her crew should respect her customer's wishes, not tell her customer to leave her keys to his/her home and even not be present!!! If you have common sense, I advise that you avoid employing this firm with vengeance! After this experience it's a no brainer to conclude that I wouldn't trust them to work in my suite!"