When asked for pricing on cleaning low value rugs I've often been greeted with the objection of "Oh I could buy a new one for that!".
My thinking is that if you can't get it at what you'd normally charge for doing more expensive rugs, there can still be ways of cleaning it without loss to either you or the customer. If you're there doing carpets and/or upholstery and the rug is just an add-on, they might go for a special "half price" deal, or even leave it off the invoice and sort alternative recompense
You may as well get something rather than nothing, as long as you're not doing yourself down!
A neighbour of a customer I was just about to drive away from called me over to quote for her once. She was one of those real big-spending types, asking me to quote for cleaning half a carpet and...wait for it... a WHOLE armchair! She proudly showed me her Persian rugs. "Oh they don't need cleaning, they clean themselves".
I replied quite flatly "Oh really? Where do they buy their products from?"
I didn't win a customer there
