Clean It Up
UK Floor Cleaning Forum => Carpet Cleaning Forum => Topic started by: Colin Day on October 22, 2010, 07:58:33 am
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At around 9:30pm last night, the phone rang and a prospect asked if she could book an oven clean in...
"Certainly, please be aware that our minimum charge is now £50....."
"No, it says on your website £28!"
"Yes, that's the price list, I clean racks for £2 per rack, but you wouldn't expect me to turn up 15 miles each way for £2... Would you?"
She says, "I run several holiday lets and we were just trying to see if you did a good job really, then we could employ you to do all our ovens" ::) (Not that old chestnut!)
She went on... "Someone may report you to trading standards you know, in breach of trade descriptions act and all that! Could you not do it for less?"
"I'm sorry, but there are other oven cleaners in the area, you'd better ring one of those!"
Perhaps I am in the wrong, am I in breach of trade descriptions act for stipulating "Oven Cleaning From £28"... but explaining BEFORE I book someone in, that my minimum charge is £50?
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I think you may be on sticky ground Colin. It can't be from £28 if you are never going to charge that.
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I think you may be on sticky ground Colin. It can't be from £28 if you are never going to charge that.
I did do at first, but obviously cleaning an oven at this price wasn't really worth it...
I will ditch the leaflets and I'm already in the process of ditching the web site, then there will be no mention of the £28....
Surely though, as long as I don't carry out the work and THEN produce a bill for £50, I'm not ripping anyone off.... Hence, I always infrom the prospect of the minimum charge BEFORE I get the diary out...... ???
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probably wise, just change the amount on the website if its bringing you work.
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Just add a line in the website stating the minimum booking price.
If you were there cleaning the carpets how much would the
oven clean cost then. If £50 then you are in the wrong. If £28
then you are ok.
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Yep that could get you into trouble. There was a similar thing on watchdog last night ( although on a grander scale ! ). Either ditch the prices or put ` oven cleaning from £50 `. It only takes one awkward customer to drop you in it ::).
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Add small print "All work carried out is subject to a minimum charge of £50.00) Better still (£49.99) sounds better.
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I do honour the £28 charge on lots of occasions, for instance, if a custy gets a quote for all their carpets cleaned, I will offer them a single oven clean £20-£25 which often clinces the deal.
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Hi Colin,
Perhaps you can put on the website that there is an opertunity for the customer to have an oven cleaned from £ 28-00 when they have carpet/upholstery cleaned at the same time...Or words to that effect.
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Colin,
It sounds like she may be slightly awkward but you may have inadvertantly caused yourself a bit of bother with some accidental "bait and switch".
Maybe Benny d's suggestion is the simple answer.
Do it at £ 25.00 and then you could make a big feature of the "half price full oven clean" when they book something else. Not a bad upsell?
Garry
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Truth is.... Oven cleaning from £28 oh and by the way - minimum order value is £50 is misleading to be generous to you. Wouldnt feel comfortable doing that myself. Sorry old chap.
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I see this on your website
A minimum £35 charge applies to oven cleaning!
So she hasn't read that bit anyway.
I would say that you're setting your prices in stone so to speak without using the word 'From.'
I don't know much about ovens except that they come in either gas or electric and can be small or flippin huge, so get the word 'From' in there if only to protect yourself from some litigation smart alec out there.
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I cant remember the last time I saw something advertised at ''from whatever'' was then sold to me at that price.
If i see that anywhere, I think I can smell a con. It just seems such an outdated way of marketing now and will bite you in the bum. Ive done it lots in the past but wouldnt do it again.
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Leaving aside debates about "from" one thing I do remember from my basic law studies are that a price "ticket" is called "an invitation to treat". The contract is formed when the potential customer in response to the "invitation to treat" makes an offer and the contract is completed when (as in this case) Colin agrees to provide the goods/service at the price offerred by the client.
So in this case, as Colin says he makes it clear he has an invitation to treat of "from £28". The client makes an offer of contract wanting to pay £28. Colin says "no, £50 minimum". She declines the price/confirmation so no contract is formed.
(Whilst many shops will let you buy goods that have been mis-priced as good customer relations they are never legally obliged to have to sell you something that may have inadvertently been mis-priced.)
Case dismissed m'lud.
Rog
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Contrary to popular belief he's a handy fellow to know that Carpet Doctor ;D
Shaun
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i'd say you're safe colin for the exact reason rog has said. how can you be blamed for anything if you haven't agree to do any work?
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ovens cleaned from £28
customer, "i'd like my oven cleaned, how much"
col "what sort of oven is it?"
cus "its a gas oven and hob"
col "well that will be £50"
cus "it says on your website that you clean ovens from £28"
col "thats the price for a microwave oven love" ;D
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;D ;D ;D ;D
Derek that made me chuckle
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Must admit when I saw the title "Rude Woman" I was expecting a picture :o
Shaun
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Good idea Shaun. ;D ;D
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just for you shaun, a picture of a rude women.
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What does she expect calling you at 9.30pm... ???
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Seriously guys, whats the problem in advertising prices 'from' ??? Companies do it all the time even on tv.
Its like saying 'burgers from 99p' read what that means, and it is for meat only, and if you want cheese thats another 20p. No-one bats an eyelid cos there's nothing wrong with it ::)
Mark
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Think she is being very pety colin,id tell her to take it up with somone if shes that bothered mate and doubt she will!
Sory didnt mesage you back colin you had gone of line :)
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Ryan Air:- Flights from £5............come on, what do you expect? Carpet cleaning from £8.99 perhaps.
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You should have been in Financial Services Colin, the rewards are much greater and far less risk of being collared.
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You should have been in Financial Services Colin, the rewards are much greater and far less risk of being collared.
And bailed out with our money if it all goes wrong.
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I always think you are on dodgy ground if you advertise one price and then quote another - even if it is a minimum cleaning charge.
I saw a leaflet recently from another carpet cleaner that was headed in huge bold lettering "FREE Carpet Cleaning" with no gimmicks, no hidden costs, honesty blah blah blah.
The deal was basically that if you had a couple of rooms cleaned you got another one for free. Already not exactly living up to the "FREE carpet cleaning" billing it was given.
Not so bad, but right at the end in the small print after all the promises on the leaflet it stated a minimum cleaning charge of £65. No hidden costs or gimmicks my ar*e!
That is the kind of thing that really winds me up.
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That is the kind of thing that really winds me up.
thing is though it's just one of those things that works. what winds me up is someone who expects free carpet cleaning with no gimmicks :p
if the customer would have chosen them based on their ability to clean i'm sure more people would focus on this, however customers like to think they've got a deal some reason even if it's a deal that ends up the same price. imo the fault here lies with the customer and not the cleaner.
of course being sneaky and taking advantage is bad though but that's something else
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just agree to do the job , tell that you're fully booked so it'll have 2 be after xmas
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Colin I've just looked at your website and it is Quite clear that you don't get a full clean for £28 she obviously just glanced at the prices and saw 'single oven £28'
but you need to change your minimum charge at the bottom it still says £35.
on a side note my wife mentioned she had difficulty reading your web pages (as she has a sort of colour blindness) and the background colour made it hard. she says her problem is quite common so it might be worth looking into
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I always think you are on dodgy ground if you advertise one price and then quote another - even if it is a minimum cleaning charge.
I saw a leaflet recently from another carpet cleaner that was headed in huge bold lettering "FREE Carpet Cleaning" with no gimmicks, no hidden costs, honesty blah blah blah.
The deal was basically that if you had a couple of rooms cleaned you got another one for free. Already not exactly living up to the "FREE carpet cleaning" billing it was given.
Not so bad, but right at the end in the small print after all the promises on the leaflet it stated a minimum cleaning charge of £65. No hidden costs or gimmicks my ar*e!
That is the kind of thing that really winds me up.
With regards to false adverising.A guy near me advertises HALF PRICE CARPET CLEANING and FREE STAINGUARD,now as i understand it Polyprops cant take a stainguard so is he telling clients this or just putting water down on PP carpets
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Colin I've just looked at your website and it is Quite clear that you don't get a full clean for £28 she obviously just glanced at the prices and saw 'single oven £28'
but you need to change your minimum charge at the bottom it still says £35.
on a side note my wife mentioned she had difficulty reading your web pages (as she has a sort of colour blindness) and the background colour made it hard. she says her problem is quite common so it might be worth looking into
I've been trying for months to change it and eventually I've decided to take it off air, but BT have said it'll remain for a while. ??? I am having a new web site built at the moment which should be up and running in less than a month....
Thanks for all your comments.... Sorry to disappoint and not show a picture of a woman with no clothes on fellas ;D ;D ;D