Clean It Up
UK Floor Cleaning Forum => Carpet Cleaning Forum => Topic started by: john aitken on August 10, 2010, 08:40:27 pm
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thats right here's one for you
a guy where i live northumberland is charging £10 per room any size
if you want to look go to yell and put in carpet cleaners northumberland
NOW im not slagging the fella off he may be doing great jobs and good luck to him.
the thing is i charge a lot more than that and im struggling a bit.
i mean £10 per room ive a vito van which guzzles diesel and i use chems from restormate [not cheap rubbish god bless john and lyn] and theres no way on earth i could make that pay it would even have been hard 20years ago.
also seen him on the road last to days and hes got a helper HOW does he pay him.
so id like someone to explain to me how this works and maybe ill do it
he'll even give you your money back if your not happy
be honest to clean a living/dinning carpet right your looking at hour/half
and hell get £20 Christ my wife makes me pay her more than that to see her boobs
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Keep calm and carry on ;D
Seriously mate, I wouldn't bother about these cheap carpet cleaners.... Just as you shouldn't worry too much about the ones who charge way over the odds....
You have to remember that they could be using a "Bait and Switch" system, either way, they may not be in business for too long. Concentrate on your own business fella and work hard to be known as the best carpet cleaner offering good value for money ;)
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Hi John
The £10 a room divvies are everywhere - and yes even down south. We all have them and yes they are frustrating, but the more you focus on their prices, the more it will have a negative effect on your business.
He probably wont last long (lets be honest here), and he could even be a bait and switcher :o, The problem is if/when he disappears the legacy is there for others to do the same i.e. charge peanuts - in the complete wrong belief that 'undercutting' other cleaners will put 'them' out of business and then he can raise his own and make a killing.
Of course this never happens most of the time ::) and so the cycle goes round and round and round.
Mark
p.s. the other thing that is annoying is when domestic cleaning companies offer carpet cleaning as an add on - and have no idea on charges (or how to do the job), and so merely charge a bit more than the average hourly rate for cleaners. This is where the cheapness comes in again ::)
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many thanks to you both for that just one thing whats bait and switcher
never heard that before
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It's an American term for people who advertise low prices to get in the door and oly announce a much higher price on completion. It's unethical, it's cheating, it's crooked, but it goes on and very hard to overcome.
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Mr Glee I believe don't let him bother you he is rubbish apparently won't get many recommends but you may get some calls to rectify his handy work ;) He does actually only charge a tenner per room any size
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Hi John
Its when someone 'baits' a customer like a fish - with a cheap advertised price. This gets them hooked. Then when they agree over the phone to do the job, the 'operator' then starts coming out with add ons before actually starting the job.
These are usually:
1. The rooms are bigger than thought. More dough.
2. Why not have a double clean? More dough.
3. Do you want deodoriser? More dough
The list can go on and on. Now all of a sudden the price has increased significantly ::) Is it dishonest...yes.
Mark
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Mr Glee I believe don't let him bother you he is rubbish apparently won't get many recommends but you may get some calls to rectify his handy work ;) He does actually only charge a tenner per room any size
you may be right but how much damage will he do and will the customer be put off using cleaners again thinking were all the same
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you may be right but how much damage will he do and will the customer be put off using cleaners again thinking were all the same
You're spot on with that statement....
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People who want their carpets cleaned for £10 are not the customers we want in the first place
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The guy will be out of business soon enough, it's just that there is always someone to replace him and even £20 looks very expensive in comparison. :'(
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People who want their carpets cleaned for £10 are not the customers we want in the first place
Good to see you back Steve ,
where have you been hiding?
Geoff
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Been too busy to spend as much time on here as I was, instead of concentrating on my business
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Hi
Just seen one in Brighton, £10 per oom.....
Using 'Rug Doctor Technology' ::)
Regards
Martin 8)
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Hope you're well Steve ...............like the new avatar !
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Hi
Just seen one in Brighton, £10 per oom.....
yeah this one claims to be using extracta [claims]
Using 'Rug Doctor Technology' ::)
Regards
Martin 8)
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The guy will be out of business soon enough, it's just that there is always someone to replace him and even £20 looks very expensive in comparison. :'(
Maybe not, there is a chap in my town doing the same and has been for the last 20 years.
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Hope you're well Steve ...............like the new avatar !
On the van too
(http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs117.snc3/16458_1163148890127_1569990598_30461474_180337_n.jpg)
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Good choice of van too
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thanks for the input fellas GOOD CRACK really enjoyed it
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I had a call today. "Hi, do you still do carpet cleaning?" yes i said (immediately knew it was that annoying asian lady that always pesters me about the price before and after the clean! so was on my sh*te list), "do you still do 4 carpets for £40?" £40!!!! away to yer bed sprang to mind!
"NO, sorry we only do commercial work now, have a good day" and hung up on her :-)
Tony
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Hi all,
I saw the Northumberland £10 carpet clean guy coming out of my estate. On the side of his van he had in massive lettering...
£10
Carpet Cleaning
I laughed as I passed him which he saw me doing!
UPDATE! Caught him in the shopping centre and took the piccy!
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He is sitting top of yell for Newcastle, now I would not like to be paying good money to be sitting behind that ::)
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The plot thickens....
If you click on this google street view then he is advertising under the name of...
SERVICEMASTER!
http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?hl=en&q=19+teal+avenue+blyth&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=19+Teal+Ave,+Blyth+NE24+3,+United+Kingdom&ll=55.110537,-1.50517&spn=0,0.021887&z=16&layer=c&cbll=55.110439,-1.50511&panoid=sXA8HV6kgvJJ5mxUDiamgA&cbp=12,65.18,,0,15.75
Hmmmm bit iffy that!
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The plot thickens....
If you click on this google street view then he is advertising under the name of...
SERVICEMASTER!
http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?hl=en&q=19+teal+avenue+blyth&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=19+Teal+Ave,+Blyth+NE24+3,+United+Kingdom&ll=55.110537,-1.50517&spn=0,0.021887&z=16&layer=c&cbll=55.110439,-1.50511&panoid=sXA8HV6kgvJJ5mxUDiamgA&cbp=12,65.18,,0,15.75
Hmmmm bit iffy that!
Do you think thats his background?
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I wouldnt have thought so going from a big money franchise to a tenner a room.
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well they say they have been cleaning carpets since 2002! http://www.youtube-youtube-youtube.com/glee-cleaning-company-ne.htm
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Cant say Ive ever heard of them or indeed seen their van before.
Not worried in the slightest!
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Good man, each to their own but I'd not travel the northeast for 10 a room! Wonder if there is a min price!
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well they say they have been cleaning carpets since 2002! http://www.youtube-youtube-youtube.com/glee-cleaning-company-ne.htm
ive been cleaning carpets full time in northumberland for 24years [yes yes im old i know] and its only been this year ive seen him
not worried about him worried about damage he can cause
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Thats the thing, if you charge £10 surley you can't be doing a first class job or at worst not trying to do a first class job?
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Problem with these £10 a room merchants they make it difficult for everyone else to justify their price.
Custy phones up and you quote maybe £60 for a job an the reply comes "such-and-such is doing it for a tenner".
Whilst you and I know that they are doing a S&D or B&S the customer doesn't always understand/believe this.
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On the other flip of the coin, these people are keeping other carpet cleaner's feet firmly on the floor ie. not charging stupid prices for only cleaning carpet :-\
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^^^ £10 a bloody room! Awayyyyyyy as they say in Newcastle :)
Got to say though, that signage on the cheapos van will be effective at getting calls!
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£10 per room (outside house) **** (inside house) + this + that + other = £75 per room
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Problem with these £10 a room merchants they make it difficult for everyone else to justify their price.
Custy phones up and you quote maybe £60 for a job an the reply comes "such-and-such is doing it for a tenner".
Whilst you and I know that they are doing a S&D or B&S the customer doesn't always understand/believe this.
thats what im saying ice cream fella pulled up outside my house and said how much do you charge. before i could answer he said he'd seen a van with £10 on it.
i said yeah but do you know if his any good .
well hes a carpet cleaner your all the same
i said tell you what ill pay the tenner then ill clean half and if it comes up better you give me twice my money wouldn't be on [his ice cream SUCKS as well]
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Probably generic ice cream John. You wanna go to the ice cream shop in Seaton Deleval...bloody gorgeous it is!
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Problem with these £10 a room merchants they make it difficult for everyone else to justify their price.
Custy phones up and you quote maybe £60 for a job an the reply comes "such-and-such is doing it for a tenner".
Whilst you and I know that they are doing a S&D or B&S the customer doesn't always understand/believe this.
thats what im saying ice cream fella pulled up outside my house and said how much do you charge. before i could answer he said he'd seen a van with £10 on it.
i said yeah but do you know if his any good .
well hes a carpet cleaner your all the same
i said tell you what ill pay the tenner then ill clean half and if it comes up better you give me twice my money wouldn't be on [his ice cream SUCKS as well]
You shoulda said to him that you'd just seen an ice cream van selling 99's for 10p each. When he argued you could hav ethen said "Ice cream sellers are all the chuffing same"
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Why would you want custies who think £10 a room anyway. These people aren't even worth spending time explaining to.
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Hi John
Its when someone 'baits' a customer like a fish - with a cheap advertised price. This gets them hooked. Then when they agree over the phone to do the job, the 'operator' then starts coming out with add ons before actually starting the job.
These are usually:
1. The rooms are bigger than thought. More dough.
2. Why not have a double clean? More dough.
3. Do you want deodoriser? More dough
The list can go on and on. Now all of a sudden the price has increased significantly ::) Is it dishonest...yes.
Mark
On my leaflet it says that anyroom over 144 sq ft is concidered 2 rooms
We also say that some carpets need to be double cleaned that is extra
We also advertise deodorizer
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Usually people market on price because they don't know what else to do - and they see everyone else with coupons, so they think they will get the work by being cheap, and make it up in volume. :)
We always say it's better to go broke sitting on your butt in front of the TV, than to do it running a wand and working for less than it costs you to run the machine.
There is an article I wrote for Cleanfax that hits this topic exactly, called "Higher Prices, Better Clients" ... I don't know if there are parts of this that will not translate from US business to UK - but I think most of it will.
http://www.scribd.com/doc/35158272/CF-How-to-get-higher-prices-and-better-clients
I hope that hyperlink works...my first time posting one here. :)
Hope that gives some food for thought... we used to be 50 cent a square foot rug cleaners, and now $4-5.00 per square foot, so I know very well the changes that come from moving from a commodity cleaner "like everybody else" to becoming "the" specialist in your city.
All my best,
Lisa
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$4 - $5 a sq ft - that's $40 - $50 a sq m that would be nice
even converted to pounds.
John
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$4 - $5 a sq ft - that's $40 - $50 a sq m that would be nice
even converted to pounds.
John
i here that she never been to the chilly north east of
you can get a woman here for £50
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So a woman from the North East = 1 foot squared of rug cleaning
Sounds abour right :o
Lisa what's the average cleaner charging per square foot for house hold carpet cleaning?
Shaun
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So a woman from the North East = 1 foot squared of rug cleaning
Sounds abour right :o
Lisa what's the average cleaner charging per square foot for house hold carpet cleaning?
Shaun
Our members with packaged pricing, vary from 35 cents to up to 75 cents a square foot on average.
Lisa
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Package selling seems to have gone off the boil here in the UK.
Shaun
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This is what happens when you get your £10 a carpet people in,not necessarily this guy but another numpty charging silly money
(http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash2/hs310.ash2/58992_1377836497183_1569990598_30923791_2626327_n.jpg)
(http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs632.snc4/59266_1377836737189_1569990598_30923792_1747285_n.jpg)
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This is what happens when you get your £10 a carpet people in,not necessarily this guy but another numpty charging silly money
(http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash2/hs310.ash2/58992_1377836497183_1569990598_30923791_2626327_n.jpg)
(http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs632.snc4/59266_1377836737189_1569990598_30923792_1747285_n.jpg)
wow nice one bet they were pleased
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The last time I saw a carpet shrink that much wasn't because of a carpet cleaner but because of a flood.
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Shrunk both ways
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Belgian wilton cleaned with an old machine as she described it floor was dripping wet
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Personally the customer gets everything they deserve when they shop cheap and I mean cheap.
These are the sort of people who pay £300 to have a new driveway and then wonder why it falls to bits after 14 days.
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Personally the customer gets everything they deserve when they shop cheap and I mean cheap.
These are the sort of people who pay £300 to have a new driveway and then wonder why it falls to bits after 14 days.
Exactly
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Hope you're well Steve ...............like the new avatar !
On the van too
(http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs117.snc3/16458_1163148890127_1569990598_30461474_180337_n.jpg)
I love the New Branding
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So a woman from the North East = 1 foot squared of rug cleaning
Sounds abour right :o
Lisa what's the average cleaner charging per square foot for house hold carpet cleaning?
Shaun
A cleaning Super Star in our mists
Lisa when are you doing a UK tour?
Our members with packaged pricing, vary from 35 cents to up to 75 cents a square foot on average.
Lisa
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Popped i to Extracta today and the £10 per room guy is an Extracta customer!
Brian said he does a minimum of 3 rooms, does not move furniture and charges extra for spot and stain reemoving (£10-£15 per stain)!
John
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I went to clean for someone today and she said that the previous cleaner had charged her £100 for a 3 + 1 upholstery with 8 cushions, small lounge diner 18 x 10, stairs and very small landing, took him an hour, she was reasonably pleased with him ! who says you can't earn money at the cheaper end of the market?
Shaun
PS had me because I was recommended and fancied a change
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Sounds like the old days shaun when you got that work regular..
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This is what happens when you get your £10 a carpet people in,not necessarily this guy but another numpty charging silly money
(http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash2/hs310.ash2/58992_1377836497183_1569990598_30923791_2626327_n.jpg)
(http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs632.snc4/59266_1377836737189_1569990598_30923792_1747285_n.jpg)
Must be learning i told a customer this week that this type of carpet needed low moisture
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This is what happens when you get your £10 a carpet people in,not necessarily this guy but another numpty charging silly money
(http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash2/hs310.ash2/58992_1377836497183_1569990598_30923791_2626327_n.jpg)
(http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs632.snc4/59266_1377836737189_1569990598_30923792_1747285_n.jpg)
Must be learning i told a customer this week that this type of carpet needed low moisture
Cleaned plenty of these using hwe pressure turned down,plenty dry strokes then an air mover to get it dry as quickly as possible
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low moisture, more like low tide ;) nice rug though.
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Unless I am mistaken,
In the picture of the shrunken carpet in the door way is the outline of an airmover, also the skirting boards look blown and the gripper rods damp/darkened.
I suspect as already mentioned this was an escape of water and not a carpet clean.
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Yes it was my airmover, so unless custy was telling me lies she had a flood rather than have her carpet cleaned ??? She had no reason to lie I suspected it was a leak rather than a carpet clean but when she explained they used a old machine that left the carpet soaking personally I don't think any water was extracted at all indicating the vacuum wasn't working on his machine.I lifted carpet and dried floor with said airmover