Marketplace Payment Notice

These are general Payment Policy guidelines. If you were given a paper agreement, or link to an online page of your specific agreement, that one supersedes this agreement.

Payment Policy

Payment Policy

These Terms of Service have been in effect since 2011. Since these terms may change over time, we include a statement along with each PayPal and paper Invoice as a reminder to view these terms for any updates or changes. By accepting services through Elegant Empire, each client is bound to the terms listed below. . These terms can be viewed by any internet enabled device at:

www.elegantempire.co/payment-policy ​



1. Service Fees

Our pricing is based on the amount of time it takes to complete the work requested, at a rate that may vary from $20 - $30 per service hour/cleaning associate. To see the rates for the different types of properties, go to our RATES page. The TOTAL FEE for a specific job will be based on the time it takes to complete, and is impacted by the factors listed below. To get an in-person estimate complete this FORM.

  • Frequency of service
  • Number of floors
  • Number of furnishings inside the property
  • Number of pets, if any, in the house
  • Floor type needed to be cleaned. As an example, wood floors take nearly twice as long to clean as vacuuming a rug floor, so a house with all wood flooring will be priced higher than one with all carpeting.
  • Level of dust, dirt, grime accumulation that needs to be cleaned as compared to an average home or business
  • Distance of property from our available staff.
  • Number of figurines, pictures frames, furniture, and other household items that need dusting or moving to clean around.
  • Request for special cleaning solutions not used by mainstream cleaning personnel.

SPECIAL NOTE:

Pricing for service is NOT based on a “per job” basis. We offer an hourly rate so that clients have control over the amount of money they are able and willing to spend for the service, and so they are better able to see that we are VERY price competitive, even when compared to cleaners that work “under the table”.

In addition, it allows cleaning associates to have a clear idea of how much they will earn for each job. It also eliminates abuse from clients that will progressively add more and more to the list of tasks that need to be cleaned, often times exceeding the amount that was agreed upon. And most importantly, this also protects clients from shoddy work performed by cleaning associates that have the habit of working at a much faster pace just to finish faster and earn “more per hour” worked. It is a win-win-win formula that has proved to work for our business model.



5. Not Happy with service

EVERY industry in the United States and beyond, deals with a small percentage of clients that are NEVER satisfied with the quality of work performed, regardless of who does the work. Unfortunately, since our pricing model is based on the TIME labor is provided, and not on providing a specific or vague level of workmanship, that may or not be achieved within the agreed upon time-frame as dictated by the service fee, service fees are NOT refundable.

In other words, being unhappy with the level of workmanship provided is NOT grounds for non-payment of labor fees. If the work is NOT to your satisfaction, please see our service guarantee listed above; #3. As an alternative, we may offer a partial refund or credit that reflects the amount of TIME it would take to redo the work in question. Furthermore, we will return any key/s to a client once the final invoice has been processed.



6. Refunds

As the primary recipient of funds and the Merchant of Record, Elegant Empire will handle all client payment disputes and possible refund requests for dissatisfaction of services rendered by Participating Payee/s. Refund amount will be processed within a reasonable amount of time and will be based on the dollar amount that reflects the amount of time it may take to complete the work in question, not to exceed 1 hours worth, or $22 per service call. Elegant Empire has the right to revoke the active registration status of any Participating Payee that exceeds a reasonable amount of client complaints and/or service fee refunds.



3. Service Guarantee

In our efforts to deliver quality service on a consistent basis, we offer a 24-hour service guarantee. If you are not satisfied with the quality of our service, contact us within 24 hours and we’ll coordinate a second visit with you so that whatever was not done properly, can be redone. It is our goal to provide every client with a level of service that meets or exceeds the industry standards. To achieve that, we make sure that all services are provided be experienced cleaning associates using industry standard tools, supplies, and techniques. Now, if we cannot agree on a day or time for a redo, we can reimburse you an amount equivalent to the estimated time it takes to complete the work in question, not to exceed 1 hours’ worth of work, which is approximately $22.

As a reminder, we may exercise our right to refuse future service to any client that calls to make workmanship complaints that, after further inspection, ARE within industry standards.

​



9. 2018 California Service Worker Protection Act

As a courtesy, we’d like to inform any client that has no reasonable explanation for non-payment for the labor provided to clean your home or business, that we may file a formal complaint to the Labor Commissioner of the State of California under the California Service Worker Protection Act.

This bill was passed as a law in 2018 by Governor Brown to protect service workers and companies from WAGE THEFT by businesses and other entities. Please be aware, that any business or entity in violation of this law may be subject to steep fines that may range from $5,000 and up for each occurrence.



7. Terms and termination

This Agreement shall become effective on the Effective Date and shall continue unless and until either Party provides seven (5) days’ written notice of its intention to terminate the Agreement to the other, or the Agreement is otherwise terminated hereunder.If the Covered Entity makes the determination that the Company has breached a material term of this Agreement, then at the sole discretion of the Covered Entity, it may either terminate this Agreement immediately upon written notice to the Business Associate or provide the Company with written notice of the material breach and allow the Business Associate fifteen (5) days to cure such breach upon mutually agreeable terms; provided, however, that if an agreement regarding a satisfactory cure is not achieved within the fifteen (5) days, the Covered Entity may immediately terminate this Agreement upon written notice to the Company . ​ This Agreement will automatically terminate without further notice if the Company is no longer able provide Services for the Covered Entity. ​ Email: service@elegantempire.net ​ To cancel service please email notice of cancellation to the listed email.



10. California Law

This Agreement shall be construed according to the laws of the state of California applicable to contracts formed and wholly performed within that state. The Parties further agree that should a cause of action arise under any federal law, the suit shall be brought in the federal district court where the Covered Entity is located. FURTHERMORE, NO PARTY SHALL BE LIABLE TO THE OTHER PARTY FOR ANY INCIDENTAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, SPECIAL, OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES OF ANY KIND OR NATURE, WHETHER SUCH LIABILITY IS ASSERTED ON THE BASIS OF CONTRACT, TORT (INCLUDING NEGLIGENCE OR STRICT LIABILITY), OR OTHERWISE, EVEN IF THE OTHER PARTY HAS BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH LOSS OR DAMAGES EXCEPT AS PROVIDED BY SECTION 10 "INDEMNIFICATION" OF THIS CONTRACT. ​



4. Payments due times

As with most service based business, payments are due on the day of service, with very few exceptions. About the only exceptions to this are services rendered to a business establishment, or for vacation rental properties.

  • Due date for Residential cleaning service: Payments are due on the day of service.

  • Due Date for Vacancy Cleaning Service: Payments are due in advance through our PayPal Business Merchant account. We will forward you an invoice for the estimated amount. This needs to be paid BEFORE the work is done. If it is not paid, we cannot provide you with service. If you do not have a PayPal account or do not wish to pay through them, we only accept cash as an alternative payment method.

  • Due Date for Business Cleaning services: Payments are due on a net 15 basis. As an example, if cleaning is provided for the month of January we will invoice you for that month and it is due within a reasonable amount of time after that. By reasonable we mean within 15 days. Unfortunately, we are not in the business of making loans. So if you need more time to make payments, simply add a credit card to your PayPal account and then pay for services based on the terms of your credit card, or establish a line of credit to pay your debts.
​ If any Participating Payee does not make a marketplace payment on time or if Elegant Empire cannot charge a credit card, PayPal or other payment method for any reason, Elegant Empire reserves all rights permissible under law to recover payment and all costs and expenses incurred, including reasonable attorneys' fees, in our pursuit of payment. You explicitly agree that all communication in relation to delinquent accounts or payments due will be made by electronic mail or by phone. Such communication may be made by Elegant Empire or by anyone on its behalf, including but not limited to a third-party collection agent. If you have a balance due on any Account, you agree that Elegant Empire may charge such unpaid payments to your credit card or otherwise bill you for such unpaid payments.



8. Our Collection Process for past due accounts

1 – 2 weeks Past Due. If a payment is not received within 7 -14 days after we provided you with an invoice for the amount due for services rendered, we will re-send an invoice through PayPal, by email, and by text.

2 – 4 weeks Past Due. If a payment is not received after 14 days from the due date, we will make an attempt to contact you by any means necessary to remind you of the past due account. We will once again send out a duplicate invoice through any means possible AND attempt to contact you over the phone to try and resolve the issue amicably.

1 month Past Due. After a month has passed, and after we’ve exhausted all our efforts to collect the past due amounts for services rendered, we will take one or more of the following legal steps necessary to collect what is owed to the company. If your account has reached this point, we would like to remind you that besides the past due amounts, we may add additional fees to the amount owe:

  • Third-party collection agency
  • Small claims lawsuit filing
  • Mechanics lien filing
  • Mechanics lien removal
  • Attorney fees
  • Documentation fees

ALL accounts past due 30 days or more are subject to any one of the following legal tools to collect the amount due:

Mechanics lien. For a residential past due amount, we can opt to file a mechanics lien on the property where the work was performed.

Collections agency. Depending on the situation, we may hire a collections agency to recover the amount due. A $50 late fee will be added to your account every month and will be the amount the collection agency will be instructed to collect. Please be aware that once we hire a collections agency, we will no longer arbitrate with you directly. Also, this will negatively impact your credit score.

Small Claims Lawsuit. Depending on the amount owed, we may file a small claims lawsuit for the amount owed, plus attorney and other fees appropriate for the situation and time involved to get through the process.



11. Indemnity‌‌

You agree to indemnify and hold harmless the Indemnified Parties from any claim or demand, including reasonable attorneys' fees, made by any third party due to or arising out of your use of the Site, the violation of these Terms by you, or the infringement by you, or other users of the Site using your computer, of any intellectual property or other right of any person or entity. The Site reserves the right, at its own expense, to assume the exclusive defense and control of any matter otherwise subject to indemnification by you.



2. Payment options | Residential | Commercial | Vacation rental

Here are the payment options: 1. Checks. Please make payable to Elegant Empire and leave in an area visible to the cleaning staff. 2. ACH. Please contact us for account and routing information. 3. Credit Card.

  • We have a card(credit) on file for a client and are authorized to run a service charge on the day of service.
  • If we do not have a card on file, we will email you an Invoice with a link to access and process the payment on your own. Please note that we cannot schedule service
  • If we do not have a credit card on file AND a reservation is not made at least 24 hours in advance. In order to maximize our user experience and minimize last minute cancellations, we do require advanced payment or to have a card on file.
4. We currently do not accept cash as a form of payment.



12. Do you offer extra time to pay for the service?

Unfortunately, as a small business operation, we do not have the capacity to extend credit to clients. However, if you pay for service using PayPal, they may have a solution for you. PayPal will allow any account holder to add a credit card to make payments for products or services. If you go that route, then you can make payments based on the terms of your credit card company.