Clean It Up

UK Floor Cleaning Forum => Carpet Cleaning Forum => Topic started by: mark joyce on November 24, 2011, 03:26:12 pm

Title: how far out can I be?
Post by: mark joyce on November 24, 2011, 03:26:12 pm
got asked to do a quote industrial unit (light office work) carpet tiles 2000 sq feet reception, canter lever stairs, landing about 1000 sq feet,  medium dirty tea coffee and food mainly few muddy prints on stairs,

intended to scrub extract with polaris and finish off with a quick bonnet after spotting, went in at 425:00

Did not get the job someone went in at 210:00 oh and the job had to be done at the weekend or evening

am I that far out on prices?
Title: Re: how far out can I be?
Post by: from edge2edge on November 24, 2011, 03:38:06 pm
Mark how long do you think you would have done the job in as it sounds like it could be bonnetted( i use thermadry with great results on commercial)so work out if you are pricing on possibly overdoing the clean without realising it(i dont know you personally but have come across quite a few quotes i have done for commercial that have come up well(and been paid) where the other company has said they would truckmount or hwe it(i have a truckmount but always factor in the thermadry to do the jobs).......Just my opinion though..................Alan
Title: Re: how far out can I be?
Post by: Neil Williams on November 24, 2011, 03:58:58 pm
Without seeing it I would have gone in at £350 (+vat) which is about £1/sqm using LM, even at that price and in the past I have easily lost out to some others with super TM's.
We've had this discussion on here numerous times about commercial pricing and whilst some will get £3/sqm others struggle to get £1/sqm. Personally I take or leave it with commercials, their nearly always out of normal hours, don't want to pay much, not really bothered about quality and take an eternity to pay up. 
Title: Re: how far out can I be?
Post by: clinton on November 24, 2011, 04:20:44 pm
I would have done it with a l m system too and maybe extract the stairs.

Maybe they were just wanting the cheapest job doing and went for that low quote.
Title: Re: how far out can I be?
Post by: Doug Holloway on November 24, 2011, 04:34:23 pm
Hi Guys

Commercial is a strange beast, I undoubtedly make my best money on it, sometimes amounts I can hardly believe myself.

Other times quotes from 'competitors' are so low their is virtually nothing in it.

The way I look at it is that if I am getting up early at the weekend I want a good price otherwise I don't want the job.

Cheers

Doug
Title: Re: how far out can I be?
Post by: mark joyce on November 24, 2011, 05:19:50 pm
I understand LM is quicker so cheaper might look in to it, nothing like a well extracted carpet in my mind though (dont want an argument  :) )  Thought I was cheap enough the most shocking thing is I was double the other firms price is LM twice as quick?
Title: Re: how far out can I be?
Post by: Simon Gerrard on November 24, 2011, 05:28:18 pm
Mark,
What type of equipment do you have?
Simon
Title: Re: how far out can I be?
Post by: mark joyce on November 24, 2011, 07:21:05 pm
Simon
rotary with a tank,prochem 5 star, prochem polaris 1200, prochem bravo spotter,

 :)
Title: Re: how far out can I be?
Post by: Steve Rothwell on November 24, 2011, 07:27:47 pm
Quote
is LM twice as quick?

It can be Mark sometimes even faster.....
Title: Re: how far out can I be?
Post by: Warren Aldridge on November 24, 2011, 08:21:37 pm
For me pre vaccing before LM seems like I'm just wasting my time. Id rather use the rotary to scrub up and then wand it
Title: Re: how far out can I be?
Post by: AshWhite on November 24, 2011, 08:30:10 pm
Why is pre-vaccing before LM a waste of time? I'd have thought thats one of the most worthwhile times to pre-vac??
Title: Re: how far out can I be?
Post by: Neil Williams on November 24, 2011, 09:34:44 pm
Why is pre-vaccing before LM a waste of time? I'd have thought thats one of the most worthwhile times to pre-vac??

Everyone to their own but I believe in pre vac before LM because with the best will in the world a cotton pad is never going to lift grains of sand, stone etc out with it's clean. I have post vac'd if doing large enough areas, because the carpet should be dry enough to take it at the point from where you first started.
Title: Re: how far out can I be?
Post by: Warren Aldridge on November 24, 2011, 09:41:14 pm
Its not a waste of time, its pretty much essential. But if we are talking about time here, then to me pre vaccing takes as long as HWE'ing.

That and I believe my BS36 is a piece of rubbish, I stand there pre vaccing whilst staring outside at my TM
Title: Re: how far out can I be?
Post by: Mr Dvae on November 25, 2011, 06:41:58 am
Mark, your prices arnn,t far out at all, its just that some idiot is undervalueing his or her services. We all come across them now and again.
Usually they go out of business pretty quick, they were probably desperate for the work and so quoted cheap.
Some carpet cleaners earn £100-£200 per hour while others expect only £20. Its just the way their mind works.
That is unfortunatley the business we're in.

Dave.
Title: Re: how far out can I be?
Post by: Doug Holloway on November 25, 2011, 07:41:41 am
Hi Guys

Good last post, I suppose it's no different to domestic.

This week I have had customers quoted £29 for 3 rooms and £450 for a 3 bed house.

Cheers

Doug
Title: Re: how far out can I be?
Post by: Steve Gunn on November 25, 2011, 07:47:40 am
I was asked to reduce my price on a commercial job as they thought it was expensive compared to other quotes,I quoted £120 couple of hours after hours
I replied "only if you want an inferior clean"  to which they said they have been quoted £50 if I do it for that they'll book me

I walked