We analyzed 2,995 Google reviews of 138 cleaning and restoration businesses in Kentucky, California and New York. Ratings are very high, and most of the complaints that do appear are about replies, scheduling and prices, not about the cleaning itself.
Key findings
- 97% Almost every review is positive, and the average rating is 4.9, so a single bad review stands out to anyone comparing businesses.
- 7% Slow replies to messages are the most common complaint, and their share is up 6 points over the period.
- 5% Booking and scheduling problems are the second most common complaint, up 4 points.
- 3% The negative share of reviews reached 3% in 2026-Q3, after holding at 2% for the three quarters before.
Exhibit 1 · What customers complain about
Share of negative and mixed reviews mentioning each problem
| Slow replies to messages | 7% |
| Booking and scheduling problems | 5% |
| Price clarity | 4% |
| Hard to reach by phone | 2% |
| Broken website booking system | 1% |
| Payments and invoices | 1% |
Exhibit 2 · How customers feel
97% positive, 0% mixed, 3% negative.
The biggest complaint is silence after the job
Only 3% of reviews in this sample are negative, and 0% are mixed. Customers tend to be either happy or upset, with little in between. Among the complaints, slow replies to messages lead at 7%, and that share grew by 6 points. For many unhappy customers, the trouble starts when a small issue gets no answer and turns into a public review.
A shared inbox lets everyone on the team see and answer messages, so nothing sits with one person who is out on a job. An auto reply that confirms the message arrived and says when to expect an answer buys you time. When a customer sends photos of a problem, reply the same day, even if the fix comes later.
“Did not clean top of sofa pillows well. I reached out multiple times over the last week with pics and zero response, t cannot recommend.”
From a Google review
Missed appointments cost more than missed spots
Booking and scheduling problems make up 5% of complaints, up 4 points. Broken website booking systems account for 1%, up 2 points. Being hard to reach by phone is 2% and moved down 1 point. A no-show tends to read as a broken promise, which may be why it lands harder with customers than an imperfect clean.
Online booking with automatic reminders helps both sides remember the date. Test your own booking page regularly so a broken form does not quietly turn customers away. When you miss a call, a missed-call text with a booking link keeps the customer from moving on to the next name in the search results.
“They never showed up for my appointment on 12/29.”
From a Google review
Make prices and payments easy to understand
Price clarity draws 4% of complaints. That share fell by 8 points, the largest drop in the data, though price is still a regular source of complaints. Customers want to know how a price was set before work begins. Written quotes and a clear price list address that directly, especially when estimates are made remotely.
Payments and invoices account for 1% of complaints, up 2 points. Questions about where tips go can hurt a business even when the cleaning gets praise in the same review. Payment links and clear invoices that show what each charge covers, including tips, help remove that doubt.
“Excellent Window Cleaning does not provide on-site bids. Instead they estimate the price based on an online search of the property.”
From a Google review
About this research. Public Google reviews published Oct 2024 to Sep 2026 for 138 cleaning & restoration found on Google Maps in Kentucky, California, New York. Reviews were sorted by AI into sentiment and problem categories. Shares are of negative and mixed reviews. Quotes are from public Google reviews.