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MLS

  • Posts: 28
Why so cheap???
« on: May 02, 2008, 06:19:58 pm »
My mum had a flier through her front door yesterday from a well established Plymouth company, Ocean Clean, offering to clean every carpet in her three bedroomed house, with a truckmounted machine and Prochem chemicals, for £50. That's three bedrooms, a lounge, her stairs passage and landing, her dining room and two bathrooms ...... all for £50!!!!

I thought my prices were good, but there's no way I could spend enough time in someone's house to clean that many carpets for £50.

I'm a contract cleaner, covering a lot of window cleaning, carpet cleaning and day to day cleaning for night clubs and with nineteen years experience under my belt I really can't see how they can offer such a price and make any money. I know it's up to them what they charge, and I'm sure they're very busy at that price, but I'm far happier doing less for more.

On the other hand, maybe they're not busy and are getting desperate!!

Just my opinion  ??? ??? ???
We know we're the best, you know we're the best, I guess we can't both be wrong!!!

Re: Why so cheap???
« Reply #1 on: May 02, 2008, 06:28:42 pm »
May get some jobs now but will find it impossible to keep these new clients when the prices go back to normal  ::)

lands

Re: Why so cheap???
« Reply #2 on: May 02, 2008, 06:31:51 pm »
Bet they don't move furniture either

MLS

  • Posts: 28
Re: Why so cheap???
« Reply #3 on: May 02, 2008, 06:36:43 pm »
I'm not convinced they clean the carpets either!!!  ;)
We know we're the best, you know we're the best, I guess we can't both be wrong!!!

*paul_moss

  • Posts: 2961
Re: Why so cheap???
« Reply #4 on: May 02, 2008, 06:57:39 pm »
MLS think you have hit the nail on the head.

On the other hand, maybe they're not busy and are getting desperate!!
Paul Moss  MBICSc
www.mosscleaning.co.uk
REMOVED FOR POSTING OFFENSIVE MATERIAL

davep

  • Posts: 2589

Susan Dean (1stclean)

  • Posts: 2064
Re: Why so cheap???
« Reply #6 on: May 02, 2008, 07:13:22 pm »
we would do them for 60 pounds and make a good liveing  ;) trying to up them too 75- 95  for full houses as from next week

elliott cleaning

  • Posts: 778
Re: Why so cheap???
« Reply #7 on: May 02, 2008, 07:16:47 pm »
It might well be as Paul Moss says.  They aren't busy & if they have day to day outgoings, better to get something in than nothing. Who knows what further recommendations they get from doing this work.
Last summer I had a woman phone me because she had spilt red wine on her off white carpet. She was clearly very upset about it. Told her I would come & have a look at it between 2 jobs I was doing. When I got there, The stain was barely 2" in diameter. Cleaned it there and then in 10 minutes. Didn't charge her for it as stop off was on my way & felt sorry for her.
That stain removal has brought me in £3,500 in turnover over the last 8 months from her recommendations.
How do we know that these cheap price merchants don't get recommended on & gradually increase their prices along the line

M.Acorn

  • Posts: 7223
Re: Why so cheap???
« Reply #8 on: May 02, 2008, 07:21:41 pm »
Jesus that`s too cheap ! i have had a cracking week nigh on £1200.just me working i am charging .25 per foot.Thing is i know i need to put some away as it`s just so up and down ! taking my phone to greece with me already taking booking for when i get back,soon be time to get me a t/m if it keeps up.might get a rotavac first then t/m if it carries on
What goes around comes around

elliott cleaning

  • Posts: 778
Re: Why so cheap???
« Reply #9 on: May 02, 2008, 07:28:17 pm »
I'd do it the other way around.  Get the t/m first & then decide which tools you need to compliment that specific machine

M.Acorn

  • Posts: 7223
Re: Why so cheap???
« Reply #10 on: May 02, 2008, 07:43:10 pm »
Ok mighy try that then , i need so much more stuff though.Only from being on here and seeing what the other peeps are using to get amazing results.Had a really hard slog on a white bedroom carpet today,not fixed down joins not stitched together not on grip rails really really bad draught marks,they had rugs down so clean patches and really dirty patches,first pre=spray gold the fib and fab rinse ,no joy,then ultra pac renovate and hand brush,some joy but i was  not 100% happy was going to get the double clean out but carpet was getting too wet,only got 1 vac motor working at mo since one blew the other day ! typical when i am busy.
He had also used 1001 on some cat sick .wool berber it was a tiny amount of sick in 2 places which he sprayed it spread out to about 1 sq ft ! when i started cleaning the carpet went the same colour as the bit he treated ! i shat myself (must get that treatment ins !) there were so many cobwebs and so much dust , never seen anything like it ,(how come it`s always the real filthy houses where the customer wants their 20 year old carpets to look new , when the have cats and dogs and kids and don`t take their shoes off Ahh...Customer was happy and i said that i would come out again for free if it didn`t dry whiter.Double clean or bleach if thats the case ! Would it be possible to oxibrite a big 200sq ft bedroom carpet ,or is that not poss ?
What goes around comes around

Ian Rochester

  • Posts: 2588
Re: Why so cheap???
« Reply #11 on: May 02, 2008, 10:00:20 pm »
Mark et all,

Firstly let me say that we are neither in the £50/house bracket nor the £400+/house bracket. We sit somewhere in between.

However you will find that a lot of people (potential customers) look in their local supermarket or DIY superstore and see a Rug Doctor to rent for the weekend for £16 + chemicals, all in for around £30.  This is what they therefore perceive as the going rate for cleaning their house carpets, they do not appreciate or comprehend the difference between a Rug doctor and a TM machine, all your doing is cleaning a carpet, aren't you??????  What can be so different?

In a lot of areas this is the market you are competing with, often council houses, low income, cleaning is secondary to living, priority is not in having a clean carpet, priority is about paying the essential bills, if they can get the carpets cleaned within cost then fine, if not then we'll hire a machine. 

Susan may not be charging big prices but I'm sure her diary is constantly full and her staff can probably knock out 3-4 of those every day.  Why?  Because people can afford her and she can still turnover £150-200 per operator every day.

Remember the saying:

"You need income to make profit"

There are a lot of people out there who believe they are worth £xxx per hour but who are sat at home waiting for the phone to ring, there are others who think it's better to be working for less than not working at all.  Again I sit somewhere in between.

I'm off back to my glass of Shiraz  ;)


Shaun_Ashmore

  • Posts: 11382
Re: Why so cheap???
« Reply #12 on: May 02, 2008, 10:22:21 pm »
Having had 2 vans on the go I can see the point of view, trying to pay someones wages with no money coming in and with all of the overheads still to be paid regardless a few £50's will keep the bill collectors at bay until things turn around BUT I do think £50 is a stupid price, 50% off would have been better IMO.

Shaun

spencer davies

  • Posts: 651
Re: Why so cheap???
« Reply #13 on: May 02, 2008, 10:49:50 pm »
I agree with Shaun, we charge a minimum of £55 now, I did a coffee stain last week for that, anyway, I suspect peoples perception of 'a good living' will differ hugely around the country.


Regards



S

Shaun_Ashmore

  • Posts: 11382
Re: Why so cheap???
« Reply #14 on: May 02, 2008, 11:08:08 pm »
I have a flexible call out of £59 but do lower it to £49 but in the south where the air is thicker the pay packets are heavier and are used to paying out more wedge! look at the average wage in your area and there will be a formula between average price to average wage.

Although you can always go for the more affluent.

Shaun

spencer davies

  • Posts: 651
Re: Why so cheap???
« Reply #15 on: May 02, 2008, 11:36:36 pm »
Shaun,

Keep checking your links for broken ones, some of those links you have I binned because after a while, because they turned into one way links to them!

Also the recip links were on crappy non ranking pages.


Regards


S



I might try filling in your add a link form myself later  :)

carpet guy

Re: Why so cheap???
« Reply #16 on: May 03, 2008, 09:04:40 am »
A good post from Ian, but, there is a great misconception about where the money is.

There is often a great deal more money going into council homes nowadays than the 1-2 or 3 bedroom estate houses.

Also and this has been common knowledge for decades.............poorer people tend to be cleaner than their middle or upper class ( so called ) neighbours, not everyone, obviously, but in general.

With small mortgages, or low rents there is much more money available from todays working class than the social climbers, most of whom struggle, year after year and you are just as likely to find C/D in a council estate, as elsewhere.

When we priced at a similar level, ( about 50% higher ) to Susan we were doing, not 2 - 3 jobs per day, but on average, 7 per day, occasionally more and always busy.



davep

  • Posts: 2589
Re: Why so cheap???
« Reply #17 on: May 03, 2008, 09:46:37 am »
Is there a difference in the time it takes someone to do a house for £60 compared to say someone who charges £180?  Time is moneyafter all...

lands

Re: Why so cheap???
« Reply #18 on: May 03, 2008, 09:57:11 am »
that depends if there simply blasting the carpet with double clean or vaccing, pre-spraying, agitating, extracting and all this having moved furniture. I would say that equates to treble the time of the former.

Pete

davep

  • Posts: 2589