[Adam P]

i'd be interested to know how others usually work out their prices for carpet cleaning.

for domestic we currently go by room and then when we see it consider how easy it is a job. i don't like the idea of measruing (especially with a tape) in a customers house however i also like to look like i haven't just plucked the figure out of the air

for commercial we pretty much just go by what we feel we would like for the job but feel we should have a bit more structure for this so I can say to customer it's this many meters so will cost this much so they can see how we come to our prices.

do you measure up the space? i assume you'd use some sort of automatic tool (if so any recommendations) or from what the customer says is the size. what do you do about furniture etc when pricing, will you say the rooms is 400sqm's and then take off some if furniture is present, or simply forget the furniture and just say the room is this big this is how much it'll cost? or perhaps measure each and every part around each desk and then come to a total.

thanks

[Andy Hogarth]

Good question, been thinking this myself lately.

It's easy to walk around and price up on how long you know it will take you which is what I do too

I'm pretty cock on with my hours for size etc and keep meaning to measure up and see what I charge pm etc but never do

I did get a job once because the guy before me embarrased himself ping about with a tape measure knocking stuff off desks etc lol

[gwrightson]

Andy,

I thought i showed you how to price commercial !!

or is this not accurate enough for you 

Geoff

[M.Acorn]

I use a sonic laser measuring device,as I price everything up on area,with a sliding scale per sq foot ,depending on how dirty it is..
Changed tactics yesterday,suited and booted instead of jeans and logo work top,all 3 quotes booked on the spot,so I will be doing that more often

[Andy Hogarth]

 
Works a treat Geoff, still use it today

How do you put it down on quotes etc.

At present I'd put

Description of area, descryption of cleaning (mini method statement lol) estimated time, no of operatives etc

to be fair it seems to work and I've never been asked for a price per sqm

Mark does your sonic laser thingy work in long offices? also how do you word the quote as I suppose you'd have to knock some sqm off for desks, filing cabinets etc?

[clinton]

Same here i think it comes with experience and i usually price per room on domestics and with commercilas on how long it will take me..

[Hilton]

I just walk up the length and then the width and count how many strides it took to do both, I then multiply one by the other then multiply again by my rate.

[garyj]

I just walk up the length and then the width and count how many strides it took to do both, I then multiply one by the other then multiply again by my rate.

That means taking you on all the quotes.

[Steve Barnett (Carpet Care Plus)]

I always measure, I've been measuring for new carpet surveys for 30 years anyway so it's no big deal.

Plus I price by the square metre, never by the room. I'm always surprised that people can't use a steel tape properly.

My square metre rate reflects my hourly rate pretty closely - for example a 50m2 job @ £3 per m2 will take me 3 hours, give or take 15 minutes - this in turn gives me my £50 per hour which I need to run my business.

Please don't reply to this moaning about rates and how you can't get this where you live, I'm not interested.

[Kinver_Clean]

Sonic measures will not work in large offices with furniture in.
I have a Disto laser measure. The red spot shows where you are measuring to.
It saved its cost on the first job - 4000 sq mt of awkward office - and it looks very professional.

[JandS]

Measure up commercials, the size of the room
is just that.
Don't take office or other furniture into consideration
unless specifically asked and have never been yet.
Obviously if there's a line of cabinets across length
of one of the walls just measure to cabinets.
What rough percentage of area does furniture account
for?

John

[Paul Simpson]

Sonic measurer for domestics or sometimes a customer will tell me when booking roughly what size it is, as long as they haven't seroiusly under estimated it I usually go by that after seeing it.
Bigger areas I tend to use a small measuring wheel.

[Linds Russell]

We also use a sonic measuring device and have done since day 1. I get lots of comments about it and it means we can charge to the 0.1 of a square metre which looks great on quotes for commercial work. We have won many jobs where we were not the cheapest and the feedback was that because we measured the areas and looked professional, we got the job.

Using it in houses is great too and I regularly get positive comments from impressed customers.

[Hilton]

I just walk up the length and then the width and count how many strides it took to do both, I then multiply one by the other then multiply again by my rate.

That means taking you on all the quotes.

 

I was being facetious,

This topic crops up all the time, always measure measure and measure again, we would never just walk in and quote by looking at a room.

But hey, if it works for you, so be it 

[Mike Halliday]

there are too many variables to rely on just measuring the room.

I never measure. I look at the room and make a decision how much it should cost, this is based on size, type of carpet, type of customer, how dirty, distance to van, etc..etc

just to go on size means a bedroom half the size of a living room costs half as much..... but could take twice as long

[M.Acorn]

Obviously once I have measured the area I take other things into consideration,furniture,level of soiling,distance from home,the hours they want the work doing,weather they will book me again 

[Mike Halliday]

when i get back from my hols in August my pricing structure is going to massively change. I'm sick of doing awkward jobs or awkward customers and not getting any more money for the hassle.

I'm taking a leaf out of hotels way of charging,I'm going for a very high rack rate which gives me plenty of room for special offers, discounts, bulk bookings and loyalty discounts.

one offs or jobs are know are going to be a hassle pay top price.

when i look at my life and what causes me stress it is always my inability to say no to awkward jobs and me going out of my way to please customers who are just taking the P1ss,

 so from August it any job causes me stress they better be prepared to pay a high price  for the privilege

[Neil Williams]

so from August it any job causes me stress they better be prepared to pay a high price  for the privilege

You had a bad day Mike? Take a holiday
I carry measuring devices but sometimes you can just read the situation and know how long it will take you, taking all things into consideration as mentioned before.
Sometimes you get followed around by someone in a suit so it does look good if you are taking readings and scribbling away like mad. Othertimes you are left to your own devices so forget all the gadgets and pace it out.
As for furniture on commercials I get the area of the room and deduct 20-30% dependant on the amount of furniture to get the 'workable area.' Yes, I know some of you charge wall to wall, but I charge for what carpet we will clean not the stuff you ain't got a cat in hells chance of doing.

[Mike Halliday]

Neil I have had  a bad couple of months   some people just take liberties and have no respect for my time and to be truthful I've had enough.

i used to believe that it was bad for business to tell people to get stuffed and if I didn't fit them in they would go elsewhere and I would lose a customer for life, but now I realise if I lose a customer so what!!..... another one will fill their space.

I  can choose who i clean for.

[Adam P]

thanks for the replies all. i'm actually shocked people will take furtinute into consideraion as if anything it adds more time to the cleaning. no doubt customer will want under each desk cleaned which wont have been properly vacuumed and has had dirty shoes on it all day. you also have to take into consideration cables, other random items the staff put there.