[Matt Lindus]

There is too much consumer filtering. I will give you an example...

100 customers have dirty carpets,
40 change to a new carpet or wood floor,
30 hire a machine,
20 buy a machine,
10 call round for quotes on having it done by a pro,


A lot of potential customers are filtered off to Carpet fitting trades, Retail or DIY.  Because their is a choice for them, unlike a regulated skilled trade.

If you are a heating engineer, your customers are not filtered by choice, they have to use you because of regulations and fear for safety.

Matt

[wynne jones]

Matt

Great insight, I totally agree.

The truth is though, some carpet cleaners are thriving whilst most are crying on their rollups. So the real question is what differentiates the thrivers from the soggy tab brigade?

[absolutecleaning]

I don't know about the rest of the UK, but in my area prices are going down and down. When I first started I could quite easily undercut the competition and still make a decent amount, but it has become harder and harder to do so because everyone seems to be lowering their rates and there are a large number of people offering cut price services.


 

You've lost me...

Sorry Matt I did think that after I'd posted.  What I was trying to suggest was that prices (at least among some groups of ccs as opposed  to the Enterprises of this world) would possibly remain stable at a decent rate if people werent forever trying to beat the next man on price.

The bits I highlighted were to try and show that its a possibilty you have, in part, been responsible for driving prices in your area down.

Hope thats a bit clearer as you're right I didnt really explain well with my earlier post.

Cheers

Simon

[Matt Seymour]

I don't know about the rest of the UK, but in my area prices are going down and down. When I first started I could quite easily undercut the competition and still make a decent amount, but it has become harder and harder to do so because everyone seems to be lowering their rates and there are a large number of people offering cut price services.


 

You've lost me...

Sorry Matt I did think that after I'd posted.  What I was trying to suggest was that prices (at least among some groups of ccs as opposed  to the Enterprises of this world) would possibly remain stable at a decent rate if people werent forever trying to beat the next man on price.

The bits I highlighted were to try and show that its a possibilty you have, in part, been responsible for driving prices in your area down.

Hope thats a bit clearer as you're right I didnt really explain well with my earlier post.

Cheers

Simon

Oh right, I'm with you.

I've never gone out of my way to lower prices, but there have been many occasions where I have come in well under some of the quotes provided by the competition. I'm one of the cheapest, but certainly not THE cheapest by any stretch of the imagination.

I've said plenty of times that I think some carpet cleaners take the wee wee with their prices. I honestly don't see how anyone can justify charging £100 or more for a living room.

[Neil Williams]

Back to the beginning, I don't give a jot what someone else has gained the job at.
All I was doing was testing the water to see if mine was a 'normal' price, afterall there are some on here who only work on jobs where they can achieve £100/hour, and on that basis those people would have done all the carpets in a 2 bed property in 45 minutes.
Now if someone wants to earn £75 for 2 to 3 hours work plus fuel plus chemicals plus calculating wear and tear, plus tax, NI etc then so be it.
As for site visit with a chance to baffle the customer with science and all that, all the guy wanted was a price there and then, we all get them and most us know we won't get them. I phoned him back up knowing I didn't get it but wanted to know why.
Hope that's sorted that then

[Robert Watson]

 I'm very suprised the carpet cleaner would do it so cheap, specialy a top floor flat! Someone from this forum too....... :

I hope your not insinuating that was me.