Clean It Up
UK Floor Cleaning Forum => Carpet Cleaning Forum => Topic started by: ollie on June 20, 2007, 08:26:20 pm
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i did a job today for £157 when i quoted last week i noticed a chemdry folder but i didnt ask about it..when i finished the job today..2 small rooms (wool)and a large hand wool rug (all told took me 2.5 hours) she showed me the chem dry folder it was a quote .. he had sent a very proffesional looking pack with a fridge magnet and glossy brochures etc and instructions on how not to trust someone who doesnt come out to quote etc ( although he did his over the phone!) the quote.....£444.00- 18% discount..£364.08 - standard service ( he recommends the stain repellent service) he also says " we appreciate that our prices may be a little higher than other companies this is because like them, we know exactly what our service is worth."
does anyone else get this sort of money or is it just me who is charging low??
thanks
ollie
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Chem dry work on their corporate reputation, People no who they are. What you need to ask yourself is, why did she come to you.
Chem dry and Service master try to make out that we independants are splash and dash and not very good at what we do. Some NCCA members operate same sort of scaremungering aswell.
Just believe in what you do and charge what you think you are worth, your prices should be set to suit you.
Cheers
Neil
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chemdry price sounds about right to me if it takes 2.5 hours to do
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Chem drys overheads are astronomical.
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They can't be that bad my local chem driers prices are quite cheap.
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thanks for the replies ...i was a bit shocked at the price, but i suppose he gets more than enough people saying yes to make up for the "no's"
John ..what sort of overheads do they have?
thanks
ollie
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i wish i could get £157 for 2 small rooms and a rug up here.
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£140, or so, an hour, is astronomical, but every time high prices are challenged, the same comments are made.
I always wonder about the other lives of the people who charge these prices,
How they select tradesmen
Where they get their weekly shopping
Get their car serviced
Buy their chemicals / spares
etc, etc,
In other words................do they practice what they preach, or do they just screw their customers, but become price shoppers in their own world.
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Neil allthough you have a point my friend, the question should not be why did she come to you?
The question should be, why do the customers they service on a daily basis go to them?
Because surely if you could work that one out as a independent without there overheads "YOU WOULD BE ON TO A RIGHT WINNER" ;)
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Shocking price.. it must depend on the area/part of country you are in but i would of asked for £100 for that (depending on size of rug)
I think it is good having these high prices about, if i do a survey i suggest the customer calls Chemdry for a 2nd quote, can only help me get the job ;)
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I was only making the point that you should not worry about what others are charging.
Dont come across many Chem Dry guys in Yateley Camberley area so dont go up against them much. I always go to quote for people anyway so I always sell myself as well as my service.
Price should be around £250 for 2 1/2 hours work. I always try and get £100 an hour whilst I am out cleaning but if people get more than me then good on them.
The biggest thing for me when I started was getting over the pricing of what other cleaners charge.
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Dont get me wrong i would have been happy at Ollies price, but we shouldnt question how do they get away whith it in shock and disbelief from a negative point of view.
What we should question is how do they get away with it and how the bloody hell we can get in the same ball park.
Because people do pay these prices FACT
And theres more profit to be made by me or you at these prices than any franchise FACT
But what are me, you or Ollie gonna do about it?
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Its not the price thats the problem it getting the phone to ring at the moment, thats the problem.
Its the hardest 5 months I have had this year, Feb to June. Very hard times.
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First week iv turned a profit this year ::)
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But dont worry were only halve way through, this time next year................................................................................................................................................................... ::)
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Anyway goodnight all, wife has told me its bed time ;)
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Red i don't know if it would be possible to get in the same ball park as these franchises look at the amount of money they must spend on marketing etc no sole trader could compete with that for a start. Also think of the mass of vans they have working all over the country constantly advertising there name, i cant see how you can ever compete with them but who would want to like it has been said their overheads are phenomenal so they have to charge these high prices in order to make a profit but they are probably not making as much as you think they are. You are probably better of as a sole trader charging a good price with very low overheads then you are being a huge franchise charging stupidly high prices in order to cover your stupidly high overheads. It makes me laugh sometimes some people talk about earning £60,000 or so turnover then you ask what their net profit is and they say something like £20,000 whats the point surely the best way to run a business is to always be looking at ways of reducing your overheads and increasing your job value.
regards
matt
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I have no problem with chemdry, in the end they are just like us trying to make a future for themselves & there families.
But just one little niggle ;)
here is a company that has a national & international brand, every chemdry works to set procedure and will use exactly the same machinery & chemicals no matter who you call or were they are based, its a bit like Mcdonalds every burger is the same no matter which place you buy it..
If this year I get 2 quotes one from A&A Chemdry an one from B&B Chemdry (I've already said both of them will do the exact same job using the exact same machinery & chemicals) but they will not quote me the same price, Why Not? they are not like independents who will offer different services, they are exactly the same. how can they justify a higher price than the next Chemdry if they are doing the exact same job?
like that burger from Mcdonalds, same burger no matter where I buy it but more importantly it is also the same price.
you cannot portray a corporate image of professionalism and high standard without a set pricing structure,
Mike
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before someone says 'each Chemdry will have different overheads so will charge different' this is not fair on the customers, I bet every ford dealer ( who are also a franchise) around the UK has different overheads for their car dealership, but the price of a Escort stays the same, same goes for a set of tyres at Quickfit they have a national pricing structure. if you are buying the exact same service or product from a national company the price has to be the same, otherwise the customer is being ripped off.
Mike
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Mike, thats not quite right. Our last car was 3k cheaper from one dealer compared to another only 6 miles away. Same model, same spec, same company. Franchises like all businesses have different overheads. The franchise overhead is the same across the board, monthly license fee, minimum chemical spend, digi pen lease, tracker lease for your vans. But premises, wages etc are variable. You would still need to price accordingley. The main reason they are expensive is the high chemical cost of the clean, about £24 for an average carpet.
Spoke to one today who is totally peed at not getting any of the flood work even though he spends the same as the ones who are doing it all.
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Mike, not sure about the Burger thing, wouldn't a Madonalds burger say in Leicester square (London) cost more than in Hull.
I agree with what you say though, you would normally pay the same price for your car or tyres etc, I guess the dealership in London would pay more rent & rates but then he would also sell more cars than the village dealer.
Does any of that make sense? ???
Phil
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Phil, Mcdonalds have a national advertising campaign so I would think they need a uniform price structure.
John you might be right on that point perhaps they do have a need for price variation, but still its the customer who loses out, have can they ask the customer to pay more if another Chemdry down the road will do the exact job for a lower price.
Mike
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Did a quote today, lady said, do you know a company called Chemdry? Thought I was up against the big boys, then she said.
Some years back chap came to do a quote, when he came back to do the job he was dressed as a woman, makeup, hair etc. Apparently he did a good job.
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That was their Transvestite branch.
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Outlets like Macdonalds depend on volume, so, although their overhead will be higher in a city centre site the greater volume will compensate for the higher overhead.
Their staffing costs and material costs will be the same as the outlets " in the sticks "so they can sell at the same price as the others.
As I type this, it occurred to me that outlets will get a bigger discount, for having a greater volume
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When I worked for Servicemaster they used to have a price policy where there was a set price and based on th esize of the individual frachisee and calculated by them and headoffice they would times the set price by how big they were
ie 1 van 1 man would times that number by 1 and come out with the same figure
1 van 2 men would times it be 1.1
Shaun
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I do work for jon hartsons ex wife and when he was playing in scotland she called chemdry to clean her carpets and the guy stole football strips and souvenirs...he was prosecuted, so she never used chemdry since. This must be a downside to having a franchise too.. if one messes up they all get a bad name from that customer.
ollie
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Maybe the analogy with Starbucks, McDonalds and Chemdry goes on the following lines, and apologies in advance for anyone who thinks Starbucks & McDonalds are great.
Does Starbucks make the best coffee? I don't think so and does McDonalds make the best burgers, probably not.
Do Chemdry clean the best, I think we know the answer.
So why do people buy an inferior product, possibly they know no better and they go with safe. Surely our challenge is to show we can do better, that independent is better informed, has a greater desire to perform and yes we charge a price but you the customer is getting the best !
Just a thought
Nigel
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who do are ypu buying from?
Chemdry are marketed at being the best, a firm you can trust, who know what they do, a company with 'come backs'
does the smaller operator offer that? to the general public well may be may be not.
The Brand name is showting 'call the comapy you can trust, the nations favourite carpet cleaners'
Shaun
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hi there
chemdry, have a large product spread, and you can bet your boots, that with all of the flooding going on in the past few weeks, then the CARPET CLEANING is the last thing on their mind.
the local guys to us, seem to get called all over the place with the storms.
with regards to their pricing policy, they seem to work in a weird way, on the flip side, consider the man that puts the leaflet thro the door offering a whole house for £40.00.
there are examples of cmpletely two differing ends of the market,
where you as a service provider, sets your prices is dependant upon your overheads, wages and profit level requirements. and as long as you are happy with that, then you should be contented with it.
regards
martin
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You pay more for a Bugger King on the Motorway
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So does George Michael! But the end result is the same-BEHIND BARS!!!!! lol ;D
Damian.
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Under Eu law it would be illegal for a franchisor to fix prices for franchissees , that is why they have differing prices.
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Personally I think Chem-Dry do us all a favour by the prices they charge. What is more damaging to the industry is the bargain basements. Local paper yesterday carpets £8 and another any 2 items £25 I take it that means a suite and carpet.
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John My local chem drier is cheap. last i heard £1.70/meter
Cheers Goron
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Burger King, Maccy Dee's are allways more in Train Stations and Service stations, thats why when they advertise owt it allways says "in participating restaraunt", but i agree mike that they should have a price structure but with a little leeway, this way area's with higher business rates and living costs can also be franchised.
Dene
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Goron you local Chemdry will be on Propper job drekly rates. :)