How did you select a service?
We brought in a service for half a day to do some cleaning that had gotten away from us, and I was horrified at some of what they did (I stayed and watched). I didn't know anyone to ask for recommendations, so I used Angie's List.
It was two women, who spoke no English. The company rep had told me to call HQ if there were any problems, and HQ would speak Spanish to the crew. This proved impractical, as the issues that arose needed to be nipped in the bud *immediately,* not wait for a third party to communicate. I became frazzled.
They did not bring a ladder, nor ask us for one. When it came time to clean the top of the fridge, they jumped up on the countertops (granite - could have cracked)! I managed to get them down, but this nettled them, b/c I could not explain the risk in Spanish. Also they scrubbed so hard, it left scratches on the steel cooktop. They wanted to wet-mop the wax-finish hardwood floor, in the foyer, which is not supposed to get wet. And on and on!
Oh, and to forestall the inevitable "You should have..." I did go over some of these things (like the floor) with the company rep beforehand. I didn't foresee jumping on the counters, though.
Since then, I have been afraid to bring anyone in.