[kinder clean]

Next time you get one of those phone calls ' Whats your cheapest price mate' Quote this to them:


The Common Law of Business Balance

It's unwise to pay too much,
but it's worse to pay too little.
When you pay too much
you lose a little money - that is all.

When you pay too little
you sometimes lose everything,
because the thing you bought was incapable
of doing the things it was bought to do.

The common law of business balance
prohibits paying a little and getting a lot,
it can't be done.

If you deal with the lowest bidder,
it is well to add something for the risk you run,
and if you do that you will have enough
to pay for something better.

John Ruskin
1819-1900

See they obviously had cowboy carpet cleaners in the 1800s too !!

" What instrument dust thou use to cleaneth my cloth floor sir " ?

We useth the all new Coal steam rug doctor mk1 thou cloth floors dryeth in just 16 days sir "

" Ahhhhh, away with thee, I shall rather use Mr Joe hatton the 3rd esquire, he has a cart mount " 

Paul

[Joe H]

Your right Paul - I used to have the original cart mount.
Shaun has it now - he gets his kids to pull it!

[Shaun_Ashmore]

I've heard that poem before it's so true I may use it next time I get a price shopper perhaps I could start a barbers shop quartet.

Joe the kids pull your old cart on thier days off and it's still working well and earns me money with the rent they pay on it for all of that fun.

Shaun

[Dave Roelants]

Shaun, it could apply to Butlers too,(saw your post on ICS) fancy importing? I do

[Shaun_Ashmore]

There was a guy in your old neck of the wood called Gary Stevens and he imported one but it came in an A team style van with a bloody big engine I think he got from job to petrol station to job.

Shaun

[Ian Gourlay]

Idealy we should all do home visits.

Price shoppers are a pain and so are carpet cleaners

There is one near me who delibratley charges £2 below my minimum charge

What  is stupid is its stopping both us getting  higher prices .

The point is when you are not in price war you can get good prices for cleaning a room or two.

I had a lady yesterday in an upmarket house  required moving very hevey funiture  removing loads of red wine stains etc

I charged the lady X which she had agreed to pay

At the end of the job  she said but the other bloke was only going to charge me £65

My price was a lot higher than £65

[fenclean]

Ian, i share your frustration at times.

After travelling a 20 mile round trip in the evening to quote a previous quality customer for several rooms to be cleaned, they pull out that 50% off leaflet and expect me to beat their price.

[derek west]

"yes love i can beat that price, but then i'd have to lower my standards down to theres, get rid of my truckmount and buy a rug docter and turn up in an escort estate car, leave your carpets soaking wet  and try and fob you off when you ring in a couple of days time asking why the stains have reappeared., is that what you want?, or do you want a proper clean for a more realistic price?"
derek

[daysdeepclean]

Taking a leaf out of Dereks book, I always explain exactly how I clean their carpets, from the pre vac to the drying using the whole room dryer! Only then do I tell them the price and they know that they get a good service and value for their money!

But if they start the old "I've been quoted £28........!" and I know I've got no chance I simply say,"How about doing it yourself? I can hire you a carpet cleaning machine for cheaper than that, and you can do your whole house!" But it is a last resort!