Positively Forth Cleaning

Wow, I just got dumped by my cleaning company.
It all started out really well. I purchased a coupon deal hoping to try out a house cleaning service that I could start to use on a somewhat regular basis. Shan and Melody arrived and I gave them a quick tour explaining what needed doing and how to care for some of the more fragile and unusual surfaces in our newly renovated home. There are a couple quirks typical of a house over 100 years old and I pointed those out too. I offered the use of my cleaning products, especially the castile & dish soap which are my my tried and true cleansers for stone and concrete (both etch really easily). I told them they were welcome to use their products as long as nothing acidic (like vinegar) was used on the countertops in the kitchen and bathrooms. They listened and got right to work and the results were great! I was glad that I had found a good team to call on. They get two stars for a nice clean house.
I scheduled a second cleaning which was supposed to happen this morning while I was at work. This time I left the key, the check, and some written instructions on what cleansers to use on which surfaces and reminders about the «quirks». It had been five or six weeks since they were last here so I wasn’t expecting them to remember the things we had discussed the last time. I was looking forward to coming home to a clean house! Mid-​morning I received a call from Melody and she said she was sorry but that they were «not a good fit for our family.» They had come, read over the list and left. What?!? I asked her what she meant, the whole thing sounded so bizarre to me. She said that they had to clean only with their products for consistency and efficiency — me explaining how I wanted things done didn’t work for them. If either one of them had picked up the phone when they arrived I would have told them they were welcome to use their products, same as last time, just to be mindful of the fragile stuff.
I’m a designer. I work in a service industry with the objective of pleasing clients. I know that when a client asks for something that requires extra careful attention and time, I do it because they are paying me to. When they ask for something that isn’t the best design solution, I get on the phone right away, explain to them my perspective and if they still want me to do it — I don’t throw up my hands and walk away, I do it. When they see the results they often end up agreeing with me but other times they love it and you know what? I learn something about them and their industry. No attitude, no ego. When they’re happy, I’m happy and I know I’ve earned repeat business — everybody wins. It’s called being humble and having enough confidence to handle not being right all the time — this comes with age and life experience.
If what I was asking Positively Forth to do was more work or time, I was willing to pay for it. It’s my home and if I want things done a certain way to prevent damage, I have every right to that. And they have every right to refuse. And as a result, to be a poor service business. At the very least, they could have done the service that I hired them to do today and then ditched me afterward.
However disappointing, in the end it was good that this happened. Melody was right, they are not a good fit for us and I’m glad I found out sooner rather than later.