Clean It Up

UK Floor Cleaning Forum => Carpet Cleaning Forum => Topic started by: clinton on November 17, 2010, 05:34:37 pm

Title: Suite cleaning
Post by: clinton on November 17, 2010, 05:34:37 pm
Just had a look at the last 4 years on my records and am well down with suite cleaning.

Am getting steady work from my regulars with the carpet side but my suite cleaning is down.

Anyone else have found this ???
Title: Re: Suite cleaning
Post by: wynne jones on November 17, 2010, 05:47:20 pm
Blame DFS for cheap disposable suites and all the Leather sofa companies, after all they only need a wipedown with a damp cloth. ::)
Title: Re: Suite cleaning
Post by: clinton on November 17, 2010, 05:56:49 pm
Same as my thinking wyyne and with sofas from 299 here and leather at a similar price i have noticed a drop in cleaning the last 4 years..

Title: Re: Suite cleaning
Post by: robert meldrum on November 17, 2010, 06:21:17 pm
Most c/c's call themselves carpet cleaners and many people won't realise you also clean upholstery.
Title: Re: Suite cleaning
Post by: Jim_77 on November 17, 2010, 07:57:08 pm
.. they only need a wipedown with a damp cloth. ::)

Don't you mean fairy liquid! ::)

Clinton funny you should post this because I've found the same thing.

However the quality of work has risen, i.e. I'm doing less mingers than before.  suits me fine :)
Title: Re: Suite cleaning
Post by: Neil Williams on November 17, 2010, 08:32:55 pm
with sofas from 299 here and leather at a similar price i have noticed a drop in cleaning the last 4 years..

At the risk of starting the same old arguement about how much to charge for cleaning suites, how many years have I been saying about you won't get those prices when people can buy brand new every 2 years for the same cost of 2 cleans over the same period.
We live in a disposable work.....buy,use,abuse,chuck
Title: Re: Suite cleaning
Post by: elliott cleaning on November 17, 2010, 08:46:20 pm
Wrong Neil.    Yes there is a market that buy their upholstery from the likes of DFS & your arguement applies.   However, pitch your upholstery cleaning to the market that doesn't - and pays 4 to 5 thousand for their lounge soft furnishings & you will find there is plenty of business there.  Added bonus is that they are nearly always reasonable to clean - i.e. no mingers
Title: Re: Suite cleaning
Post by: Neil Williams on November 17, 2010, 09:12:28 pm
Wrong Neil.    Yes there is a market that buy their upholstery from the likes of DFS & your arguement applies.   However, pitch your upholstery cleaning to the market that doesn't - and pays 4 to 5 thousand for their lounge soft furnishings & you will find there is plenty of business there.  Added bonus is that they are nearly always reasonable to clean - i.e. no mingers

I could have elongated my post which would have covered your point but went for the short answer!
As a percentage I would say well over 80% of my suites both material and leather come from the worlds of DFS and World of Leather, which have been trashed to within a whisker of their lives. These people rarely are willing to pay what equates to 50% of the brand new purchase cost.
On the other hand people who pay £1,000s for new tend to look after things better, so yes cleaning can be easier, but equally I have found a sizable number of these people only want to pay 'lower' rates for their cleaning, because these people classify all and any type of cleaning as just cleaning.
Title: Re: Suite cleaning
Post by: wynne jones on November 17, 2010, 09:17:58 pm
So girls if you are looking for Mr Right check out his sofa to see if he's a keeper or a chucker.  ;D
Title: Re: Suite cleaning
Post by: Doctor Carpet (Ret'd) on November 17, 2010, 09:30:20 pm
Fantastic

I can now do less suites and concentrate on getting through the surplus of carpets waiting for me to clean and hwich I can charge at a higher premium than suites.

Rog
Title: Re: Suite cleaning
Post by: clinton on November 17, 2010, 09:44:16 pm
You could be spot on there roger and less hassle i guess..
Title: Re: Suite cleaning
Post by: Doctor Carpet (Ret'd) on November 17, 2010, 09:49:01 pm
I'll tell you about it over our next curry, Clinton.
Title: Re: Suite cleaning
Post by: Linds Russell on November 18, 2010, 01:16:53 am
The average cost of a brand new 3 piece suite in the UK is £7000 - bearing in mind that is from the top of the range in mansions to the cheaper ranges. This price is from the Association of Master Upholsterers & Soft Furnishers who do not include DFS in their prices as they do not see them as credible manufacturers of quality upholstery. That tells a story in itself.

(Data obtained on an Alltec discovery day).
Title: Re: Suite cleaning
Post by: derek west on November 18, 2010, 07:42:37 am
The average cost of a brand new 3 piece suite in the UK is £7000 - bearing in mind that is from the top of the range in mansions to the cheaper ranges. This price is from the Association of Master Upholsterers & Soft Furnishers who do not include DFS in their prices as they do not see them as credible manufacturers of quality upholstery. That tells a story in itself.

(Data obtained on an Alltec discovery day).

 ;D ;D ;D

its called sales hype
Title: Re: Suite cleaning
Post by: wynne jones on November 18, 2010, 08:34:02 am
7k  ;D Good old Alltec.
Title: Re: Suite cleaning
Post by: clinton on November 18, 2010, 08:58:48 am
Nice one roger for the cury ;D

Wynne dont forget you could be a wealthy man after an alltec course ;D
Title: Re: Suite cleaning
Post by: Ian Gourlay on November 18, 2010, 09:17:27 am
What puts me off Alltec is that stupid hype.

I will now be classified as stupid for saying it.

And not open minded.

OK Mr Saunders how do you market exclusively to these homes with 7000k suites. Oh do not market to people like us.

Yes you could specify postcodes but even in the upmarket parts of my area the majority of people do not have 7k suites.

So that means picking off one or two roads in each village.

Post office wont do that kind of leaflet drop

When is someone going to teach Carpet Cleaning Marketing to average consumer.

Sorry but my blood just boiled.

They stopped sending me emails. So I am not their kind of customer.

Title: Re: Suite cleaning
Post by: Linds Russell on November 18, 2010, 10:13:25 am
Ah the blue sky world of Alltec marketing  ;D ;D
Title: Re: Suite cleaning
Post by: Helen on November 18, 2010, 11:31:06 am
The average cost of a brand new 3 piece suite in the UK is £7000 - bearing in mind that is from the top of the range in mansions to the cheaper ranges. This price is from the Association of Master Upholsterers & Soft Furnishers who do not include DFS in their prices as they do not see them as credible manufacturers of quality upholstery. That tells a story in itself.

(Data obtained on an Alltec discovery day).
It certainly does tell a story and don't we all know it when we get one to clean ;D
But......it doesn't tell the story to thousands who insist on buying from them : :)
Title: Re: Suite cleaning
Post by: Jim_77 on November 18, 2010, 01:25:00 pm
Quoted from Alltec, hahaha .... pick a price and double it :)
Title: Re: Suite cleaning
Post by: Matt Lindus on November 18, 2010, 01:33:17 pm
We get loads of them. We advertise any 3pcs suite service cleaned for £8.99, when we turn up we do two test patches, one good one crap. Explain that the crap bit is the £8.99 service clean and the good bit is the proper clean. We then go on to charge them £600.  ;)


Matt
Title: Re: Suite cleaning
Post by: clinton on November 18, 2010, 01:34:05 pm
Yes too right there are many 7k suites around.As  jim for the royal family says my a...e ;D
Title: Re: Suite cleaning
Post by: Neil Williams on November 18, 2010, 04:32:34 pm
10 years in the game and I've only ever done one suite that was £7k worth, and that was an analine suite that needed re-colouring.
Believe me you know when you're dealing with something that costs £7k because your heart rate stays well above normal during the job ;D
(It's one thing screwing up a £500 settee, it's something else when you get into the thousands)
Title: Re: Suite cleaning
Post by: Linds Russell on November 18, 2010, 07:42:00 pm
Agreed. Recently I've cleaned a £6k sofa and a £5k sofa but thats as big as I've dealt with. I think they trebled it to £7k as most decent quality suites I do seem to cost £2500. :o
Title: Re: Suite cleaning
Post by: Mike Halliday on November 19, 2010, 07:39:28 am
The average cost of a brand new 3 piece suite in the UK is £7000 - bearing in mind that is from the top of the range in mansions to the cheaper ranges. This price is from the Association of Master Upholsterers & Soft Furnishers who do not include DFS in their prices as they do not see them as credible manufacturers of quality upholstery. That tells a story in itself.

(Data obtained on an Alltec discovery day).

this is a perfect example of the clever manipulation of statistic, i bet the average price that their members charge is £7k, but who are their members? not the high street retailers who sell 95% of all suite we see.
Title: Re: Suite cleaning
Post by: robert meldrum on November 19, 2010, 08:07:17 am
The AMUSF is just another association like NCCA, etc. The membership is mainly RE UPHOLSTERERS and RENOVATORS of furniture, with a few retailers.

Perhaps DFS regarded membership a waste of time and money, in much the same way as most c/c's look at membership of the NCCA.

DFS have a massive share of the market and many buyers will get their suites cleaned just as owners of furniture from M & S, or REIDS, etc, will.

The real rubbish  comes from IKEA............

Title: Re: Suite cleaning
Post by: wynne jones on November 19, 2010, 08:30:06 am
They probably cleaned some antique piece once worth £2.1 million. Sort of skews the average. ;D