If you happen to turn on your tv anytime during the day, you’ve likely seen the ads for Homeaglow, a company promising to get your whole house sparking clean for just $19, yes, $19. They’ll clean everything, even do your laundry, according to the broadcast ad.
After seeing the ad repeating endlessly on cable channels, I decided to check it out.
Homeaglow Inc is based in Austin, Texas, according to its initial business registration filing in Hawaii.
Corporate officers are listed as Aaron Cheung, CEO/Direcor, and Xiao Wei Chen, Secretary/Director.
On closer inspection, Homeaglow is setting itself up to be the Uber or Lyft of house cleaning.
The company “is a digital application-based company that facilitates ‘on-demand’ home cleaning services. Individuals who perform cleaning jobs for third parties sign up to be independent contractor cleaners through the Platform,” according to a declaration filed by Cheung in a class-action lawsuit filed earlier this year in California.
In other words, the company doesn’t clean houses. It owns and operates a digital platform that schedules “independent contractors” who sign up to offer cleaning services as part of its gig economy.
The privately-held company doesn’t have to file public reports, but “between December 5, 2018 and January 5, 2023, approximately 5,715 individuals performed approximately 129,910 cleaning jobs, performed on approximately 113,088 aggregated days, in the state of California for third parties using the Platform,” court records show.
A LinkedIn profile of someone who joined the company last year added more information about the company.
Fast forward 10 months, we’ve grown, we’re now at >$100m GMV, bootstrapped and net income profitable. We’re still a small company, with 9 in HQ and hundreds of colleagues in the Philippines. We’re now looking for employee #10, a growth PM who loves to make huge business impact and play in a large playground. Ideally, this PM wants to own a lot and can run independently.
But the available online reviews of the company’s services are quite critical, and point to several key problems on the ground, where cleaning services are actually performed. Basically, it’s another example of the familiar adage–If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. And in this case, there are now mountains of negative reviews panning the service, many calling it a scam.
I’ll just browse through a few online complaints.
There are more than 80 complaints that have been lodged with the Better Business Bureau in Austin, where the company is headquartered, which gives it an “F” rating.
Here’s a typical complaint.
…falsely advertises and misleads customers with $19 home cleaning. What they leave out is that price is a lure to mislead customers to get trapped in a 6 month membership in addition to fees that they say they charge at their discretion to pay for their business expenses on top of and beyond the membership and actual cleaning costs. If you request to discontinue the monthly charges they will only allow you to do so with a big fee.
Some sound more desperate.
Homeaglow: I have been trying to cancel with this company for months. I have not been using any services yet they continue to charge my credit card $49 dollar monthly. I even switched my card info and somehow they were able to charge my new card. This company if fraudulent and stealing from many people daily. Please stop them!
Indeed.com collects complaints from the perspective of cleaners who sign up with the company. Here are a couple of samples.
Clients rarely tip, you have to waste money on your vehicle, gas and cleaning products for usually 20/hr. On top of that the clients was promised a whole house clean in 2 hours. They now have a shady deal where people sign up for a membership and pay for the cleaning on top of that so the client can’t choose to just hire me directly instead. No help from Home-a-glow except lies. They’ve sent me into BIOHAZARD cleaning jobs before where I would get in trouble if I left. Would never work for them again.
***
They “give” you tons of jobs that are never available to anyone.
It says job not available anymore
Then they will text you to say they tried calling when they never have. Just don’t do it
They have a bad reputation & employees as well as customers have nothing good to say
Eighty-four percent of the reviews on Trustpilot.com are for 1-star out of five, and some reviewers sound like they would have preferred an even lower rating.
This service is not worth the money! I only wanted to try the service first, but was forced to become a member. If you cancel prior to 6 months, you are charged $200 for the first cleaning for $19 originally.
The monthly service fee (which provides NO SERVICE!) was VERY MISLEADING appears to be included in the cost of the cleaning is actually an additional charge. But, once you book, you learn that you have to pay that membership fee monthly! SO, any savings from the “discounts” offered, are eaten up by the monthly fee. AND they also charge a $15 service fee per cleaning??? There is NO options to speak with a customer service representative. So, the monthly charge and service fee serves no purpose, it’s just an empty charge.
Here’s one review that was somewhat “balanced.”
The service provider was excellent. They did an excellent job. They were on time and I feel that I received what I paid for. But beware! In order to get their discounted rate, even the first time, you are signing up for a club that cost $50 a month and if you use the service once then you are locked into the club for six months. If you cancel your $20-$40 introductory fee would then be changed to upwards of $200. I paid for four hours of service for $39 which was a great deal. However, if I don’t stay with their club then I will be paying an additional $210 for that first service plus other fees. They are deceptive. And you will NEVER REACH A LIVE CUSTOMER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE.
A review at 99Consumer put the blame on those gullible enough to believe that you can get your house cleaned for $19.
HONESTLY!! All the individuals here who have expressed disappointment and disapproval of the company, especially those who are upset about the payments and fees they charge after you try to cancel, I say you DESERVE IT! You deserve to be scammed every bit of the way. Why would you in your ever right mind listen to a commercial that only wants to “charge” you $19 for your first cleaning. Like really think about it. Does that sound like a company who is even willing to pay their workers well? Does that sound like a company who is going to prioritize anyone but the company, they literally told you to book a cleaning for ONLY $19 !!!! That’s outrageous. I would never try to have someone come and clean the place that I’m suppose to Value and call HOME the place Wher I lay my head and get peace of mind. I should only pay someone $19 I don’t care I value the place I live in too much to stoop that low, or try to get a lowball offer to clean my place, y’all deserve it. Good for you. Sorry but Stop supporting those type of company’s, most of you are adults but your really need to grow up and stop being so sheeply.
And, yes, it appears the company is active in Hawaii. It was registered with the state in August 2022. And the Homeaglow website says their service is available in Hawaii: “Yes, 235 people near 96816 signed up for Homeaglow in the last 30 days!”
But quite obviously, this is a classic case of “Buyer, Beware!”
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My Facebook friends! Check your credit card statement for those who have used Home-A-Glow house cleaning service.
I used them once last year and just checked my statement to find that
HOMEAGLOW FOREVERCLEAN has been cleaning out my account. Charging my account $49.00 every month after that one service. On the statement you will find, there’s no address or phone number.
They run nationwide advertisements, and I’m sensing that, my experience is not unique. If nationwide, they are “accidentally” charging a million customers $50.00 per month, that equals $50,000,000 x 12 months $600,000,000. Unfortunately, most people won’t even realize they’re being charged recurringly.
There are a lot of unscrupulous businesses out there, we all need to be careful.
always check about the business. this is owned & run by a communist China company. try to make contact w/ anything in that country & of u cancel ur card, they can debit ur new card. I never sign a contract until after the first service & bill & uim satisfied. if they don’t do business that way…I’ll find another cleaning service. just remember u pay for quality.
Cheats
Thanks for the comments. I will clean my own house.
A total scam! Don’t even think about this deceptive business!
I will not use you again, my last cleaning cost $140 the young lady was not in my home for 3 hrs and the job she did was inadequate, I have I ran my hand over the surfaces of my tv and lamps and she did not even bother to wipe down my kitchen table well or move my toaster to clean the crumbs; your prices are extremely high and the service is inadequate. I won’t pay for her to leave my home to get a mop out of her car. I am cancelling your service, I will not book through you anymore and advise you and my credit card company to stop paying your invoices, I believe you are a fraudenlent firm and scammers.
Stay away from Homeaglow they will to. You blind, complete scam
I understand that no one will clean a house for 19.00 and I understand the monthly membership fee is so you will use them again however I disagree with the 6 months or 200.00 cancellation fee. The fee should be commensurate with the cleaning you received. If you received 100.00 worth of service for 19.00 charge and paid 2 months membership fee without further use they should make an adjustment and use the membership fee to pay the additional fee with maybe a small fee to cancel of maybe 25.00. That might mean that people that really got a lot of service pay more than 200.00 but it would be more fair if everyone paid their own way and were able to cancel when they wanted.
I’m glad I am an avid googlizer!
TY for your info on how I will NOT be using HOMEAGLOW!
For people like me who can smell a “rat” but sometimes it could be some very bad perfume, I check good and bad.
TY again everyone who helped in the decision to keep my money in my pocket.
Might be better to hire one of my neighbors daughters!
They charge you a monthly membership fee then after the cleaner lets the website know they’re done. Then they charge another fee for the cleaning! Doesn’t that defeat the purpose of the membership fee?
They pulled two no show appointments. Then the cleaners phone numbers are a constant busy signal and auto hangup. Company has no customer service contact number. Only a help center text that doesn’t process. Now my checking account is showing $49.00 plus tax charges. After complaining to my bank. Their research can’t find any contact information for the company Only HQ address information. Total scam. I no have to cancel my credit card which I don’t know how they got. They have my credit card number locked in monthly charges that I never agreed to.
Homeaglow has been stealing monthly payments from me for six months now. I say “stealing” because no services were rendered after the very first visit, which was very disappointing. I asked to be removed from their roster and they refused. I was told that they are entitled to six months’ payments – simply because I signed up for one cleaning. Homeaglow has no integrity, no work ethic, no professionalism, and no sense of customer service. I adamantly encourage everyone to avoid Homeaglow. You will regret it the association.
Whenever there is a “scam” call your bank and have them block any further payment requests from the company. I knew right away that “Home-aglow” had to be fake. No one should have to clean your house for from $9-19.00, nor would they. Hel-lo! You’ve got to think for yourself these days!
I am a victim of their scam. How can get out of this loop. Someone please help !