About Maria

We had a very unusual experience with Maria over the course of about three weeks that we feel is important to share, given the many five-star reviews here. To begin with, we genuinely liked Maria. She was warm with our daughter and especially good with her early on, which we appreciated. We hired her for recurring help with light housekeeping and infant care, including organization projects, dishes, and laundry. Unfortunately, her work was inconsistent—laundry was hung inside out and upside down, showing little attention to detail. She arrived late nearly every day, left mid-shift without notice on several occasions, and frequently cancelled last minute. There was also one troubling incident where my wife found her outside eating food from our fridge and attempting to hide it when caught. While we would have gladly shared, the behavior felt deceptive and became more concerning as we noticed other items missing. Our listing had specifically included gardening and weeding, which Maria expressed excitement about, citing her background as a “herbalist.” We even adjusted her schedule to allow two hours each morning for weeding, yet none was ever completed. In addition, most of the plants she was responsible for watering died, leaving us unable to replace them late in the season. Before we could address these concerns, Maria abruptly quit, cancelling her weekly schedule with less than 24 hours’ notice and no time to find a replacement. This was surprising given that we had willingly approved several extended time-off requests because we enjoyed working with her and truly wanted to accommodate her schedule. When we mentioned this, she became defensive. She cited health concerns as the reason, but at the same time updated her profile and rates here, making it clear the role was no longer a fit. Almost immediately after quitting via text, she offered to continue with infant care only if we removed the “landscaping” and “deep cleaning” tasks. When we asked if she could stay on just through the week while we looked for a replacement, she presented another serious health issue that felt less like transparency and more like a way to avoid continuing. In the end, honesty would have gone a long way. What we experienced instead was inconsistent communication, lack of follow-through, and unprofessional conduct that overshadowed the positives we initially saw.

Vance L.

8/19/2025