[The Great One]

Hi guys

just got a leaflet through the door for carpet/upholstery cleaning and quoting a 4 bed house from £85...

Surley this a crazy price. They are yellow page listed and don't seem to be 'splash and dash'.

Of course the trick is in the 'from' bit. Not a carpet cleaner (yet) this is in the SE UK...

Regards

Martin

[Alan_Kennedy]

Hi Martin
I'm just starting in carpet cleaning. Opened the local newspaper to check my first ad and found a competitor advertising 3piece suite and two carpets for £50 - Special Xmas Offer.  At the other end of the scale a franchise in the area (SW Scotland) quoted someone I know 39p per sq. ft. (inc. VAT) to clean their carpet.
I'm pitching in at 25p per sq. ft.  Anyone found cheaper or dearer than this?

Regards   Alan.

[Dave_Lee]

Cheaper yeah, cheap as you want to go, YP listing means nothing in the way of quality, at that price TM or what ever it is splash & dash. I know a couple of lads in total diferent parts of the country whose base line is 56p per sqare foot Plus vat, and they are always booked out.
Dave.

[Dave Parry]

We get a leaflet in the freebie newspaper about 3 or 4 times a year, "In your area for the next 2 -3 weeks" (they're based about 10 miles away)
lounge £15, 3 seater £ 15,  3 bed house £ 50 thousands of satisfied customers each week !
Members of the guild of mastercraftsmen !

When they arrive they state, thats only for a water clean, your carpets need Shampoo, thats extra, infact everything is extra. A person I heard of had 3 rooms done, cost £145 and took 2 days to dry.  Most people realise " you get what you pay for".

[Dave_Lee]

Slightly diferent angle, but i did a job last week, TM on lounge and suite, had to call back next day to sort out a separate problem with a door plate. Client delighted with cleaning job and dry in less than 6 hours. It was then she told me the same items had been cleaned before with a Stain Beating franchise outfit (Get the Jist) using a guaranteed dry in 30 minutes slogan. They took almost FOUR days to dry.
Dave.

[Ian Gourlay]

Dave that it interesting as I have a slight complex about drying times and it is good to know these companies exagirate.

Ive also wondered what these bait and switch companies do to switch the price.


I saw a 3 year old DFS suite that had been ruined by one of these companies today and the response was tough. lucl
Client was amazed at my through clean of his carpet
He did not think I would get out all the stains etc

[poolking]

our prices for a 4 bed house is £57-50 , all cleaning chemicals included , no vat . obviously stainguards and cnditioners are extra to that . longes are £14-50, lounge/diners £24-50 and a 3+1+1 is £29.50.

we are certainly no fly by night company , in fact we have been in business for over 10 years and have 14 full time cleaners working 5 days a week !!.

beat those prices if you can !!  

[Derek]

No thank you

Wouldn't want to even try

Derek

[Mike Halliday]

Poolking How come with 14 cleaners you're not VAT reg' and what is conditioner? is'nt that what you put on your hair

I'm actually glad someone has come forward who charges your prices I'm getting sick of all the 'I'm charging £200 to clean a livingroom' talk.

all the new kids coming into the bussiness will think they have to charge the big prices to survive.

Mike

[A_to_Z_Clean]

HI martin-606

Don't worry be happy

If customer will use them for "cleaning" in my opinion it will cost them twice the money. First they will pay for” cleaning" and after that for proper carpet cleaner to really clean!!!


On the end of the day cheap is always crap!!!

I know this - 1 customer, done 1 off cleaning of 2 bed house and paid 60£!!!, after that I come and charge him 150£ to really clean

Adam
AtoZ Clean

[woodman]

All the new starts Mike would be out of business in very short time if they started out at Poolkings prices.

(£29.50 for a 3 piece suite :-/)

The figures just don't add up, to be able to remain below VAT threshold at £55k while having 14 cleaners working full time.

I don't think so.

[Mike Halliday]

Woodman there's lots of companies out there charging low prices who are still in business. a lad near me charges £35 for a suite and has been  going 6 years.

all they need to do is clean a suite and a  couple of carpet a day to make £70 this is £350 a week. a lot of families survive on much less.

i know we all have expenses but you don't have to earning £50k a year to keep your head above water.

once they claim Family income suplement, and all the other benefits they are entitled too they can make a comfortable living on £35 suite cleaning.

Also they fill a very large gap in the market, not everyone can afford to pay £130+ to have their suite cleaned. who else would clean all the low income or unemployed families if these companies did'nt exist.

Mike

[Tony_Browning]

Poolking...
Why do you find it neccesary to charge such rediculously cheap prices....3 pcs suite £29 ..2 Hours Labour, overheads for traveling, advertising, chemical and contigiency for repairs/new equipment etc...how's that work then??? :
(just imagine you could double/triple your turnover, without working any harder, and still not be the most expensive in town  
Rgds
Tony

[Tony_Browning]

In that case mike, wouldn't they be better getting a job at tescos and earning this rather than grafting so hard all day???
Rgds
Tony  :

[woodman]

Mike,

My back and my knees are worth a hell of a lot more than £30 a suite.

We all know suite cleaning can be hard graft, as Tony says I would rather stack shelves than face having to do 2 suites a day for £60.

If people charge those kinds of figures then more fool them but I wouldn't encourage any potential new business to start on those prices.

[Mark Betts]

Ok

Lets do some sums!!!

Assuming Mr Poolking is above board regarding his "accounting" and he is trading Legally just below the VAT threshold of £55k

So, 14 cleaners out in the field working 5 days a week (he he)

Divide the 14 cleaners by £55k assumed turnover, equates to a turnover of £3928 per YEAR per cleaner or a whopping £75 a week!!!!!!

Blimey book the cruise now lads I want summa dat!!!!!

hahahah.

I can only assume he is employing the 14 cleaners on a self employed basis and they are supplying there own machines and tools etc.

Even so I would be a bit worried about a little knock on the door from the vat man!!!!!

Mark

[John_Flynn]

When 1st started 4 years ago, I did some sub-contracting for a Splash and  Dash outfit, he paid me £70.00 per day I used my own vehicle (volvo estate) my own machine and provided the chemicals!!
One Saturday I cleaned 5 x 3 piece suites, 3 Hall/Stairs/Landings and 2 Lounges.
That was for £70.00 less all my expences!!

I have now seen the light and would not do it for less than £75.00.  

[Mike Halliday]

since when did Tescos start paying shelve stackers £350 a week , they Pay £5.10

start living in the real world. my wife is a nurse and after 17 years she does'nt take home £350 a week, perhaps i should tell her to go stack shelves.

How much tax will they pay on that £350? and Nat Ins at £5.20 for a PAYE employee to take home what these cheap guys are earning  they would be on £24k a year

this is assuming they are totally legit .

Mike

[Derek]

I remember a guy coming on a training course a few years ago who worked for one of these outfits.. he was horrified when we talked about three hours to clean a three piece suite

I asked how long he took and he said he was allocated fifty minutes.
He was  also allocated one hour to clean all the carpets in a house..  do peanuts and monkeys ring any bells here

Derek

[Dave_Lee]

All I can say, is this type of company is one of many, they are all basically the same, getting their work from the many thousands of cheap leaflets usually delivered with free papers. Usually no business address rarely an area code telephone number. Normally these prices but at the moment These half prices. They think they are doing it right, but they are ripping off the customer and the cleaing operator and the truth is THEY HAVENT GOT AN INCKLING WHAT PROFESSIONAL CLEANING IS ABOUT,
whatever they say - they are, Splash & Dash.
Dave.