Clean It Up
UK Floor Cleaning Forum => Carpet Cleaning Forum => Topic started by: Mr Dvae on November 29, 2009, 08:47:39 am
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With all this talk about pricing, was just wondering how domestic carpet cleaning prices varied around the country?
For example take a 21 by 12ft lounge, I'm in the midlands and i would charge about £60 how much would you charge?
Note this is not an opportunity to take the pee out of anyone, just a genuine interest to see what's happening in the carpet cleaning community. so come on guys if you charge £9 or £900 let us Know!
Dave
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I'm not far from you (Warwick), I think you are a little on the low side, I'd be looking for 10-20% more.
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I would charge £60 and hope to be done in an hour.
Mark
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I ususally go for around the £90 mark, alot of cleaners may go for how bad it is and how much furniture etc etc so there isn't a definative answer.
Shaun
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I go on how much I can get away with, an old woman who I can bully a little bit I'd charge her £300 ( and I'd march down to the cash point to get the cash NO CHEQUES!! )
or if it was a honey who was willing to show me a bit of special attention I'd do her for free.
Did a blind woman's last week just turned on my machine then read the papers for an hour charged her £150 because the carpet was dirtier than I expected,
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I go on how much I can get away with, an old woman who I can bully a little bit I'd charge her £300 ( and I'd march down to the cash point to get the cash NO CHEQUES!! )
or if it was a honey who was willing to show me a bit of special attention I'd do her for free.
Did a blind woman's last week just turned on my machine then read the papers for an hour charged her £150 because the carpet was dirtier than I expected,
;D ;D ;D
For example take a 21 by 12ft lounge, I'm in the midlands and i would charge about £60 how much would you charge?
My price would be £100 (down south)
Mark
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Two Clients with 21x 12 carpets charge same price?
Custie 1
You turn up for the quote and park on their big drive, you are welcomed in and shown a synthetic pile carpet. It's not bad at all and point out a few marks, she says 'Well if they come out they come out if they don't they don't. We're not expecting miricales just want a freshen up really, oh and we will take all the furniture out the night before so you can get straight to work then I'll make you a tea and leave you to get on.
Custie 2
21x12
You turn up, it's a one way narrow street with terrace houses you have to park down the road a bit and parralel park. You knock on the door and hear lots of dogs barking. What seems like five minutes later a woman answers the door and she on her mobile but beckons you in. She points at an off white wool berber which has loads of different types of staining, there's a slight whiff off dog pee although she denies her pouch has done anything. There's dog hair everywhere. She then says it's not bad is it, and that will come out won't it, oh and I want you to pull out that cabinet with the china in cos it hasn't been cleaned behind ther for years.
Oh and can you just run over these rugs as well (although will probably wait and demand on the day)
She continues jabbering on and a ten minute quote takes 20 minutes cos you can't shut her up.
Still charge by the square foot?
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Personally I would charge around £75 (30p per square foot)
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on a serious note, for a normal clean with no real problems £75
I find a disgusting carpet only takes an extra 10mins from an average soiled carpet, so really only furniture makes a difference to my price. even type of carpet makes no difference ( unless its seegrass etc)
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Still charge by the square foot?
Yes! cos the way i see it is this.
if you charge different prices to similar properties and these people know each other, they will want it at the same price. this way you aint seen as ripping them off (in their head). you risk losing the job and there aint no amount of explanation that will sway them.
also we all take the rough with the smooth, so if your price right (not silly cheap) its not that bad really. then when you get a scenario like your first example, then this makes up for the crappy ones like you say on the 2nd example....dont be fooled into thinking that the 2nd example will want it cheaper just because its a bit simpler. if they see it as a quality job then thats what they would expect to pay.
Mark
p.s. £150 to clean & protect
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Mark
So you would overcharge the person with a relatively easy clean that takes half the time and feel happy about that?
Personally I don't see why they should effectively subsidize the awkward clean. That's what the rough with the smooth philosophy feels like to me. Each job is priced based on what needs to be done, not what makes calculating a price easy.
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£ 82.00
Steve
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£75 for us
steve
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Mine would be about 70 pounds..
There again as mike osbourne said if its in a bad state and parkings a problem etc i would prob be a lot more and if i was busy wouldnt be bothered if they said no!
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If it was an over the phone quote £70 plus vat = £80.50 clean only
Depending on how close/far away it is and overall condition (on seeing it first) I might add or deduct a few pounds.
I believe a lot of us are guilty of really hyping up some job prices because we don't want to do them, but if we get them then big bonus.
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£10.56 for me.
unless its really dirty then it would be £10.76
derek
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£102.47, 45 minutes.
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Mike... I wouldn't even arrive at the 2nd type of job you describe, I'd have it sussed on the phone as soon as she called!!
Those sorts of customers I'll scare off with the price in the first minute of the conversation, saves me a lot of hassle and a bit of money. Some of them do book in, most don't, fine by me gives me more time to concentrate on the people I like to work for :)
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So you would overcharge the person with a relatively easy clean that takes half the time and feel happy about that?
No, i would feel happy that i have given the 'relatively easy' clean an honest, high quality clean that she is entirely happy with and one that i feel i have given my all at. what is wrong with that ::), as for the harder one - i would feel, hey ho, its a toughy but im prepared to do it nethertheless.
This scenario wouldnt work if your working to budget cleaning, as you would feel peeved at working so hard for so little ::)
Dont forget, the person you gave a lower price to, will expect this lower price next time (even if its on a dirtier carpet), and will tell all her friends the price too. then when you go and quote, you have to try and explain to them 'why' its gonna be more. they will smell a rat - even though there isnt one.
Mark.
p.s. jim, same as me then on pricing ;)
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Depending on the area i was working within Birmingham (and surrounding areas) id charge between £58.75 - £70.50.
Richie.
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Mark
Personally I find it easier to talk to my customer about why it will cost x amount and strangely 99% seem to accept it.
How many neighbors have had you in and one who had a relatively clean carpet feels peeved you charged her the same as her neighbors really manky carpet. ;)
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My quote would come out at £88.00 @ 35 pence per ft
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£85 for us Yorkshire Boys
( Great result For the Mighty Whites at Kettering today,roll on Man U)
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can't believe some of the replies but certainly a good read!!! seems most of us charge about the same amount give or take a tenner??? how do some of you justify a slightly higher price?
Dave
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The end result justifies it! Simple.
chrisjohn... You call a draw against a non-league club in the FA Cup a "Great result" ?!!
We ran you all round the park, you should have put us away in the first half but managed to scramble back a 1-0 deficit and force a replay! Not a proud moment for a once mighty side ;)
Might come up to Elland road, nice warm up for old trafford after we finish the job we started today :D
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Prices are personal, a quote from some close to me
"Dad where does Santa come from"
Me, "The whole in my wallet son"
All depends on circumstances.
Shaun
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Jim
Considering we got beat by Histon last year,i was a little worried about today.Anyway, it should be a great day out for Kettering for the replay.Hope you bring lots of fans and enjoy yourselves.
Think playing Man U might be a step too far for you though!!
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We are the original giant killers, bring it on ;D
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Got some work to do at elland road in the next few weeks, would imagine its is to extract all the water from the ketteringham players tears. Could be a big job!
Marching On Together.
John
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£113.40
A good professional job deserves a good professioal rate.
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£70 but I have to say that when I price at £2.50Metre most people expect a higher price and are pleasantly surprised.
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So you would overcharge the person with a relatively easy clean that takes half the time and feel happy about that?
No, i would feel happy that i have given the 'relatively easy' clean an honest, high quality clean that she is entirely happy with and one that i feel i have given my all at. what is wrong with that ::), as for the harder one - i would feel, hey ho, its a toughy but im prepared to do it nethertheless.
This scenario wouldnt work if your working to budget cleaning, as you would feel peeved at working so hard for so little ::)
Dont forget, the person you gave a lower price to, will expect this lower price next time (even if its on a dirtier carpet), and will tell all her friends the price too. then when you go and quote, you have to try and explain to them 'why' its gonna be more. they will smell a rat - even though there isnt one.
Mark.
p.s. jim, same as me then on pricing ;)
Mark I'm with you on this one.
Mike I think Mark and i will have to agree that we prefer another way of doing things which is equally valid as your way.
I would just point out that in some way you will almost certainly be charging more even to the easy clean to reflect the time undertaken to do the quote although i appreciate that will also be reflected in the difficult one as well. I presume Mark and I if we are quoting over the phone will save both examples something on the overall bill because of this.
There are many examples where we take the rough and smooth for granted. Insurance premiums is one in that we all share in the overall costs of running the insurance company and although premiums will be different to reflect different circumstances there will still be an element of averaging about them, especially if you never claim then you will feel as if you are being ripped off.
A second example if you want to buy something, you research what you want and where you are going to buy it from. You buy it and are happy with the purchase. A week later the shop is now selling that very same thing at a cheaper price. Was the shopkeeper ripping you off? No he's just taken a hit on his margins instead.
So Mark and I are charging correctly for the easy clean but taking a hit on the difficult one. Those difficult ones are thankfully few and far between and so as Mark says "hey ho".
Dave, to answer your question and assuming everything about it was average and relatively straight forward then I would be looking for probably £60+vat.
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£156.24 and will hope to have it done in 45 minutes but 20% discount if completly empty