CASSELBERRY, Fla. – A Casselberry couple was shocked to find the maids whom they hired to clean their home rifling through belongings, snooping through a purse and throwing away prescription medicine.
Daryna and Paul DelPadre hired Molly Maid service Wednesday morning to help clean their home. The couple has four children, which means that finding time to clean can be difficult, Daryna DelPadre wrote on Facebook.
The DelPadres have a surveillance system set up that allows them to see what's happening in their home in real time. They said they watched and listened as the two maids made negative comments about their finances and home.
The system streams video and audio, but only records video.
At one point, video shows one woman walk into the living room with a white bra she found in an underwear drawer. Daryna DelPadre said it was her 9-year-old daughter's training bra and the woman was making fun of its size.
Video also shows one maid throwing away a bottle of prescription pills for the family's dog.
"I can't even explain to you how I felt. I paid for them to go through my things, to make fun of me and my children, to take photos of my home," Daryna DelPadre wrote on Facebook.
She said the service was supposed to help her, not hurt her.
"Yes, my home is cluttered, and that's why we hired them," she wrote. "They were supposed to be my life savers. I just wanted to be able to walk in to a clean home and not have to clean it myself."
Daryna DelPadre called the company and drove home when she saw what was happening inside her home. She confronted the two women about their behavior and asked them to leave. She claims one woman was apologetic and the other argued with her.
Molly Maid wrote on Daryna DelPadre's Facebook page that the maids did not steal anything, they only moved what was necessary in order for them to clean. The company added that some portions of the surveillance video were "misleading."
Management provided a statement to the media saying, in part, that the women involved were punished for their inappropriate behavior:
"At Molly Maid of Orlando and Seminole County, we go to great lengths to perform thorough background checks and provide training for all of our employees so that our customers feel secure about our staff members in their homes. After being contacted by the customer, who has welcomed our services on three occasions, we have apologized, refunded all three cleaning charges and requested a full copy of the video footage referenced to review with the team members who performed the cleaning.
"As a locally owned and operated business serving this community for the past 12 years, we have no tolerance for employees who violate our customers’ privacy and trust. After reviewing the video footage in its entirety, we have taken appropriate steps to reprimand any behavior of our staff that did not reflect utmost care and respect for the customers’ belongings.
"All our employees are also bonded and insured for our customers’ protection. Molly Maid of Orlando and Seminole County has been in operation since January 2005. We take pride in our professional cleaning teams and the trusting relationships we have built with our clients."