Clean It Up
UK Floor Cleaning Forum => Carpet Cleaning Forum => Topic started by: kinder clean on June 04, 2008, 02:11:22 am
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Hi all
Just wondered if anyone charges differently for cleaning leather upholstery as opposed to fabric upholstery, had a feeling it may be cheaper to clean leather, is that correct?
Cheers Paul
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charge the same but sell a lazy leather cleaner on top.
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Is'nt that " slavery "
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Paul
Charge the same! Sometimes it can take just as long on leather as UPH. Ok, we dont take any machinary in so you can feel guilty thr first few times. But you are selling the service at the quotation stage so you shouldn't do!
Try and do a 'half and half' comparison if you can then this will reinforce in the clients mind what a great job you are doing and justify your prices ;D
Kev
p.s. did you get my e mail last night ok? You have to scroll down for replies - and the attachments?
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i use a host von schrader for show as i think you can do it by hand just as good
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When I started cleaning leather about 20 years ago, it was regarded as a " specialist "market and carried a premium. Products were few and varied and expensive, so it was easy to justify a premium price, but with so many new products it's a lot easier and much quicker to clean leather than fabric.
However..........the product cost per suite for leather is a lot higher, so I continue to charge more for leather.
There is also the repair side to leather which really does'nt exist in fabric suites.
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I agree with carpet guy, i charge more for leather as it still regarded as being more expensive, and have always charge more. So you use less machinery but it still takes the time and experience nedded.
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I did an introductory price for leather to get started which was under half what I charge for upholstery. I have increased it now but it's still £20 shy of what I charge for upholstery.
Even though I'm new to leather cleaning, I still find I can easily clean a suit in 2hrs but for upholstery it could be 3-3 1/2 hours.
Looking forward to doing more repair jobs on leather too.
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Hi Mike I thought it was just me that was so slow doing upholstery
john
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Hi John,
It takes me 2 1/2 - 3 hours for fabric and 2 hours for leather how someone can claim to do a fabric suite ( 3 seater + 2 chairs) properly in under 2 1/2 hours is beyond me and i would like to see it done.
Mark
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Mark , don't mind spending so much time doing upholstery , but I struggle getting a decent price for it , last week there was advert in my local paper 3 piece suite and any 1 carpet cleaned for £45 it makes it so difficult for me to get over £100 never mind the £150 they get down south
John
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John, Most of us have this type of competition, dont let them bother you most will be out of business in 6 months. I was speaking to graham at Olympic cleaning yesterday and he said his machine sales are up this year with newbys starting up as a sideline to a full time job to make the mortgage payments etc. seems they think they can buy some gear, get a small ad in local paper send a few 100 leaflets out and be rich in 12 months time. we know this wont happen. Regarding the prices we charge i do think that people down south expect to pay more. I charge an average of £85.00 to clean a 3pc suite and get plenty of work. We keep our marketing and advertising to a minimum as most of our work comes from referralls and repeat custom. I have very low overheads and i am happy with £85.00 for 3 hours work. I am however having a price increase of 10% accross the board from 1 July and also increasing min charge to £50.00.
Mark
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I charge the same £120 for leather or fabric,would rather do leather all day.
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For fbric upholstery i charge between £28 - £34 per seating area, for leather upholstery i charge £30 - £38 per seating area.
Richie.
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Mark
Sounds like you take your time and do a proper job. Surely you are worth £30/hr
Tis true custies have a real warped sense of pricing between carpets and upholstery.
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micheal, why do you need to take a machine in "for show"?
is'nt that a little bit deceptive?
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Mark thank you for being so honest with your pricing structure , your professional approach to carpet and upholstery is worth more than £85 for a 3 piece , and you now that , I work in a similar area to you and it.s hard work getting a decent price , Its all right for Mike to say that.s too cheap but I've not worked today, I wound of rather done 2 suites at £85 than nothing
all the best John
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John
I haven't work today either so you may have a point ;D
Having said that I've made 20 quality phone calls today been in and seen a few people. Picked up £130 spotting job and doing a demo for a care home next week which if succesful will be quite a good earner.
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Mike well done for being so pro active , I watched Jeremy Kyle. then This Morning .a bit of loose women , then went to the pub for dinner , Gammon chips and egg with a bit of pineapple. very nice
John
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John,
There is no point in coming on the forum and filling people with S**T, I will be creeping up my prices over the next 12 months dont think i will ever reach £100 an hour like some guys on here though ;D ;D
Mark
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That's why you would have been better off cleaning a suite for bvgger all. ;D
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Beats walking streets begging for work, i average £200.00 a day 5 days a week i know im prob a little on the cheap side but it beats sitting waiting and hoping for the phone to ring. How many times will the subject of pricing come up on here, remember its not what you earn its what you are left with after all your outgoings that matters.
Mark
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Mark
You are doing better than me at the moment so maybe I'm wrong, I'm certainly not knocking you I'm saying you could probably get more that's all.
On the other hand I'm committed to finding people who will pay what I want to charge, even if they are slightly more difficult to secure and I think this is just as valid way of building a business as working at a lower rate for longer, that's all I'm saying. :)
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Mark
I'm not getting involved in pricing arguments, as it's very difficult to determine what an individuals bottom line actually is.
What I will comment on, is three hours to clean a suite and your thought that it can't be done in less. When I started I took even longer than three hours on some suites, but would take half as long today, through using better equipment, better products and effective use of these.
For instance, there's no point in beating yourself up with thoughts that " you must thoroughly vacuum every corner of every suite, every time, when in many cases they don't need vacuumed at all, need only vacced in certain areas, only need a quick brush.
Also, it's not CHEATING or FRAUDULENT or WORKING TO A LOW STANDARD to only lightly clean backs and sides of suites ( unless of course they are heavily soiled )
Effective use of good presprays, proper aggitation and rinse / extracting with the most appropriate tools will also speed up the process and avoid overwetting.
The price you charge and the standard you work to, should be weighed up against your clients' expectation which will vary from client to client, but your average job ticket will increase by at least 50%.
There were four posts added while I was typing which were interesting to read, but I will refrain from getting involved in the pricing comments, this time.
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Hi colin i use my machine every time i clean leather in the 16 years i have cleaned, i do not deceive anyone
but done top jobs and change around the same price as richie