[Aquakleen Restoration Services]

Hi all,

Got a call from an Indian guy today who I did his restaurant for about a year back.

Because I have changed the way I quote for commercial (charge by the carpet size and not the time it takes) I told him I would need to measure up again and then give him a new price.

'Why do you need to do this' he kept asking. I said that I had changed the way I price up commercials.

He got quite stroppy with me after I told him it would be probably be a little more this time. He then said forget it. I asked if he wanted a number of another cleaner I knew who may be able to do him a better deal. He said 'No ill look in the YP as there are plenty in there'.

Im kind of relived actually. It was right in the heart of Newcastle city centre and is a bugger to get parked and is more hassle that its worth to be honest.

Cheers
John

[Aquakleen Restoration Services]

To be honest Im half expecting him to call back when he finds out what a lot of the bigger firms charge!!

[mark_roberts]

Form his point of view it does sound a bit strange what you told him about pricing.  Youd been better just to say you had a 10% increase in January.

But if you dont need the work then theres no worries.

Mark

[spencer davies]

We stopped cleaning carpets for this type of customer years ago, they always want a cheap deal and then don't want to pay, you have probably done yourself a favour.

Regards




S

[Shaun_Ashmore]

Usually the customers that want it cheap and straight away are the customers that are short term value and long term headaches, forget him and look out for the customers you want to work for, the restaurant guy will only tie your time up when you could be getting and cleaning for better customers.

Shaun

[from edge2edge]

my friend had a similar experience with an indian restaurant.He agreed the price £250 with the owner.Did a really top job then asked for his £250 only to have someone else try to knock him down to £150 . He got his £250  but it left a bad taste in his mouth so doesnt bother with this kind of work anymore.

[turneylogan]

Did my local restaurant 5 years back. Guy kept trying to beat me down in price. Eventually, I said 'Yes, but only if you throw in a free meal for my wife and I', which he agreed to but put a price limit on it.

I mispriced the job by a mile and was cleaning well into the early hours of the morning.

When we went for our meal we went over our limit by £1 and the restaurant owner took the pound off me. He therefore got no tip.

6 months later he asked me to do it for him again and I priced the job properly this time, explaining to him why.

He didn't go ahead but the next thing he was phoning me wanting to buy my £1800 porty for £100!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Needless to say he lost our regular custom...and never again.

[maxcarpets]

I have 3 Indian restaurants that I clean each one twice a year. They are not related in anyway, but the spin offs I get from each one are fantastic. Each of the owners have several rental properies which I clean and then family members etc. If you handle them write they can become very good customers in fact one family I would class as friends as I have been cleaning there carpets for so many years.

Justin

[spindle]

i think that with the present climate of carpet cleaners experiencing a downturn in business   most of you would/should take almost any work offered?? with out grumbling too much?

[Steve Chapman]

you have to remember these sort of clients do not do business the same way as english people do, its in their nature to beat you down on price even if you offered to do it for a pound 

It used to make me really angry, but now i know how they do business, i just barter accordingly, but always start with a fairly high price, and eventually it gets down to something were both happy with.

Normally if you do a good job, you will be recommended through there whole community, just imagine how much you will save if you had to market to get those customers?

indian restaurants are always hard work tho

regards
steve

[lands]

Agree with Steve, start high with these and allow them to have their negotiation played out to suit you. You have nothing to lose. (apart from about 20 litres of ultrapac reonvate or something similar )

Pete

[spindle]

i find the same problem but when you know that they will barter/haggle..................ramp the price up coz u know they gonna knock you back down .....then they think they got a bargin and recommend you to others........and you gome home with exactly what you wanted to earn from the job

[Len Gribble]

Last Indian restaurant I done (was run by Bangladeshi’s) wait till you deal with the Chinese. Never had a problem with payment perhaps it my demeanour.


Pete

Dwell time is the key (by the hour)

Chris

Got another school in August just round the corner from the last one. How are you with hwe rotary? :

Len

[spindle]

will call you len

[RAM Cleaning]

i have done a lot of the indian restaurants around my way and have to say as long as you let them beat you down on your price they always seem happy, which is why i always quote 20% over, i know but the time i leave it will be cheaper by 20% lol.

The chinese restaurants are a different kettle of fish, they always want it done for next to nothing, and its ok to say that when we are quiet we should turn down any work, but there has to be a limit, i made the mistake the first time i did my local chinese of quoting a way too low price, thinking it would take half of the time it actually took me, and after paying for the fuel, and the chemicals, i think i was on less than minimum wage, so it worked out at stupid money and i ran the machine for quite a few hours taking in all the crap for little to no return

[BergenB]

go in and try to bring the price down on a meal?

clean for curry?

[Jason Hedges]

I clean the carpets in several Indian and Chinese resteraunts (doing an Indian 1st thing Monday morning as it goes).

As said a few times above go in with a price above and expect to be knocked down. They love a deal

As for worrying about payment, insist on cash on completion of job.

I've picked up all these jobs from my first Indian resteraunt clean, great guy that ownes the place, gives my number out wherever he goes.

Trouble is he keeps on about me going there for a meal on the house with the missus, not such a bad thing but the food doesn't agree with me .

Do a good job & charge a reasonable ammount and they will use you time and time again and other work will follow. It maybe hard and sometimes dirty work but hey its work at the end of the day.

All the best,
Jason.

[murky]

Trouble is all my Indians and Chinese have BW's, they keep asking me to clean them, I give them expensive quotes so I dont get them. I have seen other cleaning vans in and around so everyone is probably thinking the same.

I have a TM so am tempted with very hot water but its just going to be a nightmare isnt it?

Go on somone agree with me please.

Murky

[Aquakleen Restoration Services]

Murky whats a BW?

[spindle]

belgian wilton??