[gwrightson]

aaaaaarrrrrggggggggg
just got back from surveying a 3 seater 3pc plus foot stool,
medium soiling , never been cleaned before .
do you ever get that feeling of "oh no" when you take the call, and book the appointment
well surveyed, did my sales bit, explained we dry before leaving, etc.etc.
so how much ??  £110   
thats a little more expensive than i thought she replied,my husband said around £20 to £30  ,(my instincts had been confirmed.)
i laughed to myself,and said well thank you for calling and considering my services.
apon opening the door to exit,  she asks"if i wash all the cushion covers,
would i do it for £25 "
thanks but no thanks
ever get that feeling
geoff
 

[stevegunn]

Just been to survey a suite(2x2 seaters) bought from an exclusive store £3000+ explained cleaning method gave her price of £95 thats expensive was the reply My next comment was do you think splash and dash will clean it correctly for £25 as you have just said it was £3000+ left her with a puzzled look i will ask my husband when he gets in. : 

[gwrightson]

funny that steve,
i got same , will ask husband,
im hoping they dont phone , if im honest
dont think they will though, usuall reply when they dont want ,
i did mention she could look in the local paper,maybe would be cheaper,
but warned  "be carful" 
no offence  Conrad  . i know you advertise in in local,
North road , if you get the call
geoff

[Big_Fish]

There will always be price sensitive people who will always choose the cheapest service. They are usually the type who don't have a good word to say about anything and are completely shocked when faced with a normal price and a quality service.

In my opinion, you can try to educate such types but it hardly ever works. They end up getting what they pay for and are "happy" to have something else to gripe about

There is plenty of decent work out there and I hope you are all very busy at the moment.

BF Nicky

ps. There are only 6 weekends left to Christmas and 44 trading days (including Saturdays & Christmas Eve)!!

[stevegunn]

She rang back after ringing the store where she purchased the suite who recommended servicemaster who told her they would shampoo it for her from £120 so guess who she rang me "because you seem to know what your talking about" :

[Big_Fish]

Well done Steve.
Do you mind me asking...
Do you usually charge only £95 for 2x2 seater sofa's?
How long does a sofa take you?

Hope you've made her wait!!

BF Nicky

[Dave Ingram]

There will always be a price objection were furniture cleaning is concerned, people  think it only takes a few minutes to clean a three piece suite. Try telling them the time it takes to clean a 3 piece properly you could clean a whole house full of carpet and earn more money! Then they may see it differently.

[Len Gribble]

I also had lady call today wanting a price reply 2 seater = £60 but if can sit 3 £75 what if I wash the cushion covers reply still the same price.

Give me carpets any day especially when they are selling and 2 estate agents arrive not together I may add.

Len

[stevegunn]

Well done Steve.
Do you mind me asking...
Do you usually charge only £95 for 2x2 seater sofa's?
How long does a sofa take you?

Hope you've made her wait!!

BF Nicky

My prices start from £45 depending on what method i use.I am going to clean this particular suite using my von shrader system which will take 2 1/2 to 3 hours

[Shaun_Ashmore]

it's fun isn't it selling upholstery cleaning.

I quoted a lady £147 to clean and protect her lounge carpet and she booked no problem, when asked about the 2 seater I said £50 on same trip she turned her nose up in disgust and that was after I had shown her the photo album and done the checks.

Shaun

[dave401uk]

well guys,i wont touch a 3pc for under £150 and that is a 5 cushion suite,yes i lose a few on price,but we could all fill our books with cheap work,but  inmo... we are better than that

[Big_Fish]

Hi Dave401

And so do we

BF Nicky

[mark_roberts]

For me upholstery pricing and cleaning is the worst part of carpet cleaning.  If I could develop another service and drop up. cleaning, I would.

No matter what I say and do they will always think it too expensive compared to carpet cleaning where even in the estates £40 is usually not a problem for a 12x12 lounge.

Mark

[dave401uk]

good morning guys and ladies, to continue the thread about upholstery cleaning,could it be that in your own minds you feel that the price you quote is to expensive,and that this is being picked up by the customer, it just a thought,also i try to do my on site quotes when both husband and wife are there together,this makes it easy to overcome objections on price,also i take around 10/15 mins to look at the suiteand check the foams ect,talk to them about it,tell them its a very good suite,(they bought it,they own it) admire it,make them feel good about it again,
then price is not an issue

Dave.

[ian richards]

Hi Guy's

Dave'

I do the same as you, and i dont usually have a problem. Personally i hate cleaning the bleeding things, there's to much messing about, especially if you are drying them too! They take ages to clean, and i'm usually knackered afterwoods. I charge £25 per seating area+vat  and if they turn there nose up at it, then good riddence, i didnt want to clean the thing anyway!!! CARPETS, CARPETS, and more CARPETS.  Gentlemen, (and ladies) we all call ourselves carpet cleaners, when was the last time you ever heard anyone call themself an Upholstery Cleaner?   

[rs_cleancare]

hi,
i've had two calls today asking how much to clean a three piece suite. When i've told them £90 they say HOW MUCH i then explain that it will take about 3 hours to clean they are suprised but no sale bloody tight wads should try a day in my shoes cleaning the bloody things. I agree give me carpets any day and lots of them!

[John_McGavin]

Why not try lowering your prices very slightly? If for example you normally ask for £90 for a 3 & 2 seater, drop it to £85.

I done this a few months ago and has definately increased my sales. 9 times out of 10 they always round it up anyway and I get to keep the change I done the same with carpets and it has worked a treat.

I know some of the more establised cleaners dont need to worry about this but as a new business every sale counts. With 3 splash & dash's in my area competition is high so had no choice but to do this as I was losing too many jobs. At the end of the day I'd rather get 4 jobs at £85 than getting 1 or 2 at a slightly higher price.

John

[woodman]

I don't think £140 is an unreasonable amount to pay for an average 3 piece suite
considering all the work that goes into it.

 

[Nigel_W]

I don't really understand why any of us should accept a lower hourly rate for cleaning upholstery than we receive for cleaning carpet. As far as I can see upholstery cleaning is technically more difficult, riskier and physically more demanding. It defires logic therefore to charge less for it. Surely we should be charging more!

Am I missing the point?

Nigel

P.S, I accept that when you are starting out you might need to price cut to get business

[John_McGavin]

Woodman & Nigel, if you lived in my area you would not get any customers at all with that high a price. Even the CD in my area charges under £100 for a 3 seater & 2 singles.

I agree, it should be more highly paid than carpet cleaning. Personally I hate cleaning suites but "unfortunately" I am cleaning more suites than carpets these days.

John