[Ken Wainwright]

I know where you're coming from Mike, no offence taken.

However, screwing more from the customer? I don't look at it that way. Speaking purely for myself, but also suggesting others take note, I have a price review policy which I would resectfully suggest everybody else has too. In my case, I increase my prices every two years. One year it's carpets, the next it's upholstery. When I set my prices for carpets two years ago, this was taken in light of what I expected the industry's inflation to be. However, since that time, just using two examples, One Step has increased by almost 50% and Liability insurance has gone through the roof. Yes I've shopped around and obtained more competitive prices, but this will only be a short term fix until the new suppliers have increased their prices too. When you add to this all the other expenses, including some we were never obliged to have in the past (eg Health and Safety training etc.) Then it's imperative that we generate enough profit to cover all eventualities. The consequences don't bear thinking about. And, of course, a little extra in my pocket won't go amiss, because as we all know, household inflation has no resemblance to what the government tells us the rate is. (Anyone prepared to discuss Council Tax increases?)

Safe and happy cleaning:)
Ken

[Derek]

Mike

I think you are confusing the issue hence your remarks about 'screwing the customer' which would indicate to me that we should intentionally take them for a ride.

I wouldn't EVER clean a suite for £35. 00 or anywhere near for that matter.. for the following reasons:-

To follow the accepted rules/procedures it is going to take three to four hours to clean a suite properly.

Take into consideration all the costs that Ken has mentioned plus a realistic charge for your own time.

I consider taking the customer for a ride to mean that money should be taken without giving true value for the amount charged.... there's a difference!  

For a thirtyfive pound charge to clean a suite you may as well pack up and go and live off the State..... did I really advocate that any able bodied person should live off the State...wash your mouth out Derek

Regards
Derek

[safecleanlakes]

Hi Ken, my post wasn't a dig at anyone, far from it, i have gained an awful lot from this board and don't mind admitting it. The point i was trying to get across is that the equipment used is irrelevant, it is how its used and the knowledge of the operator. If it was down to buying the best, then snooker cues and football boots are way cheaper than any cleaning gear.
In regards to a different posting,with regards to £35 to clean a suite and £150 being a total rip off, then the thing i would love to know is, how long does it take do a £35 clean, what costs in materials etc, and can someone offer to clean half a suite and i will do the other half, and then i can see how the rip off takes place.
I am sure some interesting and lively comments will follow !!!

[Mike Halliday]

I used the term 'screwing the customers' purely to add a bit of controversy to my post

I would never suggest that anyone really does 'screw customers'

but I think that my last comment is totally valid. Once a minimum amount is worked out then any extra charged is about self worth, and i know a lot of carpet cleaners who do have big heads!, when you talk to them they think they're brain surgeons and charge accordingly

Mike

[Mike Halliday]

A few more points

Derek, you mention giving the customer true value,  if  you & me clean a suite to the exact same standard but I charge £95 and you charge £145 would you agree that you are not giving the customer 'true value'

Ken, your not fooling me with justification for increasing your prices :.  We've said in the past how economical One-step is, it could quedrouple in price and it would only make pennies differance to our price the same goes for the other items you mention when added to the yearly exspenses it does'nt make a lot of differance.

surely no one can justify increasing thier prices by anything more than the rate of inflation unless they are adding extra value to thier service.

Mike

[carpetmonsters]

hi

it takes me 4 hours to clean a suite . if i did 2 a day and charged £35.00 per suite i would be bankrupt in 4 weeks . i give value for money 90% of my work is repeat or referials.

steve

[Fintan_Coll]

I see Chem Dry are advertising a system for re- furbishing wooden floors which they call Razor. Wonder how it measures up to other methods.

[Martin_Riley]

I once read that the prices you achieve are based solely on your ability to sell them. If you have managed to educate your client to the value of using your services and they are totally happy then what is the matter with charging higher prices. The service industry in this country is littered with cut price operators who are preying on our clients ignorance of the services we provide. They often perform shoddy workmanship and sometimes operate shady business practises to try and relieve people of their money. It is my experiance that if you market correctly most people are willing to pay that bit extra if in their own mind they have convinced themselves that they are going to recieve value for money. You are not doing the client a disservice by charging higher prices if they feel you are worth the extra.
Mike, try not to be so cynical all the time. Most of us have good intentions towards each other and our industry and we ought to be more positive towards each other.
I hope I have'nt offended anyone with this post and I am not implying that cleaners charging lower prices are not doing the job properly
PS Happy Xmas

Martin Riley

[Derek]

Mike

I doubt if the work that you and I do when contracted to clean a suite is the same.

Irrespective of the actual cleaning process there are other processes that I personally carry out which are unique to me...I am sure that you have your own little touches too.

Clean....now that's a debateable word!

Ten different cleaners each clean a three piece suite....in each case the customer is entirely satisfied. They may even be at ten different prices.

Now which suite is the cleanest?

Isn't it all down to each persons perception of clean?

Maybe I carry a lot of baggage...I have been around a long time and I probably do many things that you don't. Some of these practices may be old fashioned but they work for me and I can be happy that I have achieved the best possible clean for my customer.

Back to the ten cleaners...perhaps they each have a different perception of cleanliness too?

Regards
Derek

[Mike Halliday]

Derek, I totally agree we must do things differently as I usaully take 2.5 hrs to clean a suite and you take upto 4 hrs.  

And I'll admit that you'll do a better job than me. but how much better? when I've finished cleaning the suite The customer & I inspect it to make sure they are totally happy, I never leave the house until the suite is totally dry and the customer is happy. what more can I do.

10 carpet cleaners will have 10 different ideas of what clean means, but if the customers believes it clean then we've accomplished our mission.

Mike

[Derek]

Mike

You are absolutely right.... Its just like machines... the same ten cleaners will probably all have different machines and each one of them thinks their's does the best job.

What is happening is that the cleaning technician is getting the best out of his/her particular machine and has probably adapted techniques to accomodate the machine...in a nutshell, it's the technician that produces the result NOT the machine.

We then come down to each particular cleaners perception of cleaniliness...thats for another post.

Have a nice Christmas
Derek  

[Ian Gourlay]

Mike Halliday.

Is the Chem Dry you  are refering to in shopping complex.

They also do Dry c;eaning.
POUNDSTRETCHER NEXT DOOR/


etc


i WILL HAVE TIME FOR THAT DRINK ONEDAY

regards

Ian

[Mike Halliday]

Ian, No but i know who you're on about .  they are just 1 of 5 Chemdrys near me

Hope you daughter's doing well at bishop Burton, I sent a letter to the college about the carpets at the Ridings accommodation, but never heard anything.

Leerob, I've always wondered do they they fill the Velda machine up with buckets of water from the customers kitchen sink?

Mike

[Jim_Lynch]

Leerob, I'm a little curious.
In a thread titled "Any ChemDry blokes on this forum", you responded on 14th December..."Yes, CD in North Lincolnshire"
Now, you say you are an ex-employee of a CD franchise, and have worked for most other franchises.
So, on 14th December, you were working for CD, not an owner/franchisee, but a couple of weeks later you're not, and have worked for most other franchises.
Just how long did you work for CD?
As I said, I'm just a little curious...I have no problem with bagging a system/franchise/method...but criticism without adequate knowledge is not helpful.

Jim

[ALEXDH]

I am interested in that question earlier.

Do the CD chaps fill there hwe machines from the customers water supply?

All the best Happy new year to you fellow CC's

[smokie]

I worked for chem-dry for years they are under so much pressure runing around doing insurance work that the job is often not done propely when it come to cleaning the carpets,result customer suffers,all you need is a

good extraction machine a buffer with bonets and a few
spray bottles and prochem training your as good if not better than chem-dry!