Police: Owner of Chesterfield Cleaning Service Is Suspect in Ballwin Burglary

Addition to article on April 11 @12:53 p.m. after Patch received the following statement from Molly Maid:

"Molly Maid was deeply troubled to learn of this incident as it contradicts the trust hundreds of franchisees and thousands of employees across the county have built with their customers.

Molly Maid headquarters became fully aware of this incident several weeks ago and made contact with the customer immediately afterward. We then immediately sent a letter of default and termination of the franchise to the owners based on their failure to uphold our System Standards and Reputation. However, according to a statute of Missouri law, a franchisee must be given a 90-day warning and as such, the termination letter served to start that timeline.

We are all disappointed that the actions of one soon-to-be-former owner have tarnished the Molly Maid name yet we are confident our professionalism and commitment to our customers will continue to shine in how we perform our work and how we resolve matters of such a serious nature. We are hoping to retain the customers of the Molly Maid of Chesterfield by providing our service through our other top-notch and trustworthy Molly Maid locations in the St. Louis area."

Original Article:

Police say the owner of the Molly Maid cleaning service franchise in Chesterfield is a suspect in a home burglary in Ballwin. Bryan P. Frantz is awaiting trial on first-degree burglary charges, earlier reported by Patch reported on March 12.

Ballwin police said Frantz entered a home in February in the 1000 block of Kehrs Mill Road in Ballwin and fled when the resident confronted him.

Turns out, Frantz is the owner of the Molly Maid of Chesterfield franchise and the Better Business Bureau of St. Louis has some advice for homeowners on the issue of giving access to your home.

• BBB BLOG ON PATCH: Advice for Anyone Who Hires Services that Give Access to Your Home

According to a news release from the BBB, quoting a police report, Frantz got into the home by using a stolen key. One resident told the BBB she believes Frantz may have entered the residence by using a key copied from a key the family left in a lockbox on cleaning days.

The BBB said, "Frantz denied the denies the allegations, saying that the door was unlocked and that he had confused the family’s apartment with another property."

The BBB further reports:

The Chesterfield Molly Maid franchise has an “F” rating with the BBB, the lowest possible, based on customer complaint activity.

Information supplied to the BBB by the Molly Maid franchise lists Bryan P. Frantz and Richard Frantz as co-owners.  A woman who answered the phone at Molly Maid of Chesterfield told a BBB investigator last week that all questions about the business should be directed to Bryan Frantz. She described Bryan Frantz as manager of the firm.

What advise do you have for homeowners who hire works with access to their home? Have you been a victim of an unscrupulous worker?