[Colin Day]

At around 9:30pm last night, the phone rang and a prospect asked if she could book an oven clean in...

"Certainly, please be aware that our minimum charge is now £50....."

"No, it says on your website £28!"

"Yes, that's the price list, I clean racks for £2 per rack, but you wouldn't expect me to turn up 15 miles each way for £2... Would you?"

She says, "I run several holiday lets and we were just trying to see if you did a good job really, then we could employ you to do all our ovens"  : (Not that old chestnut!)

She went on... "Someone may report you to trading standards you know, in breach of trade descriptions act and all that! Could you not do it for less?"

"I'm sorry, but there are other oven cleaners in the area, you'd better ring one of those!"

Perhaps I am in the wrong, am I in breach of trade descriptions act for stipulating "Oven Cleaning From £28"... but explaining BEFORE I book someone in, that my minimum charge is £50?

[John Kelly]

I think you may be on sticky ground Colin. It can't be from £28 if you are never going to charge that.

[Colin Day]

I think you may be on sticky ground Colin. It can't be from £28 if you are never going to charge that.

I did do at first, but obviously cleaning an oven at this price wasn't really worth it...

I will ditch the leaflets and I'm already in the process of ditching the web site, then there will be no mention of the £28....

Surely though, as long as I don't carry out the work and THEN produce a bill for £50, I'm not ripping anyone off.... Hence, I always infrom the prospect of the minimum charge BEFORE I get the diary out......

[PaulKing]

probably wise, just change the amount on the website if its bringing you work.

[AJB]

Just add a line in the website stating the minimum booking price.
If you were there cleaning the carpets how much would the
oven clean cost then. If £50 then you are in the wrong. If £28
then you are ok.

[Geoff Jewkes]

Yep that could get you into trouble. There was a similar thing on watchdog last night ( although on a grander scale ! ). Either ditch the prices or put ` oven cleaning from £50 `. It only takes one awkward customer to drop you in it  :.

[MAX Carpets]

Add small print  "All work carried out is subject to a minimum charge of £50.00) Better still (£49.99) sounds better.

[Colin Day]

I do honour the £28 charge on lots of occasions, for instance, if a custy gets a quote for all their carpets cleaned, I will offer them a single oven clean £20-£25 which often clinces the deal.



 

[benny d]

Hi Colin,
Perhaps you can put on the website that there is an opertunity for the customer to have an oven cleaned from £ 28-00 when they have carpet/upholstery cleaned at the same time...Or words to that effect.

[garry22]

Colin,

It sounds like she may be slightly awkward but you may have inadvertantly caused yourself a bit of bother with some accidental "bait and switch".

Maybe Benny d's suggestion is the simple answer.

Do it at £ 25.00 and then you could make a big feature of the "half price full oven clean" when they book something else. Not a bad upsell?

Garry

[Gary Humphreys]

Truth is.... Oven cleaning from £28 oh and by the way -  minimum order value is £50 is misleading to be generous to you. Wouldnt feel comfortable doing that myself. Sorry old chap.

[Neil Williams]

I see this on your website
A minimum £35 charge applies to oven cleaning!
So she hasn't read that bit anyway.

I would say that you're setting your prices in stone so to speak without using the word 'From.'
I don't know much about ovens except that they come in either gas or electric and can be small or flippin huge, so get the word 'From' in there if only to protect yourself from some litigation smart alec out there.

[Gary Humphreys]

I cant remember the last time I saw something advertised at ''from whatever'' was then sold to me at that price.
If i see that anywhere, I think I can smell a con. It just seems such an outdated way of marketing now and will bite you in the bum. Ive done it lots in the past but wouldnt do it again.

[Doctor Carpet (Ret'd)]

Leaving aside debates about "from" one thing I do remember from my basic law studies are that a price "ticket" is called "an invitation to treat". The contract is formed when the potential customer in response to the "invitation to treat" makes an offer and the contract is completed when (as in this case) Colin agrees to provide the goods/service at the price offerred by the client.

So in this case, as Colin says he makes it clear he has an invitation to treat of "from £28". The client makes an offer of contract wanting to pay £28. Colin says "no, £50 minimum". She declines the price/confirmation so no contract is formed.

(Whilst many shops will let you buy goods that have been mis-priced as good customer relations they are never legally obliged to have to sell you something that may have inadvertently been mis-priced.)

Case dismissed m'lud.

Rog

[Shaun_Ashmore]

Contrary to popular belief he's a handy fellow to know that Carpet Doctor

Shaun

[Adam P]

i'd say you're safe colin for the exact reason rog has said. how can you be blamed for anything if you haven't agree to do any work?

[derek west]

ovens cleaned from £28

customer, "i'd like my oven cleaned, how much"
col "what sort of oven is it?"
cus "its a gas oven and hob"
col "well that will be £50"
cus "it says on your website that you clean ovens from £28"
col "thats the price for a microwave oven love"

[wayne zabel]

 
Derek that made me chuckle

[Shaun_Ashmore]

Must admit when I saw the title "Rude Woman" I was expecting a picture

Shaun

[Fintan_Coll]

Good idea Shaun.