Why and how to hire a Professional Carpet Cleaner
I am asked this question almost every time someone is shopping for a professional carpet cleaning company: What makes you different than the other guys in the yellow van?
Before I answer that question, this is what the client is really asking. “Why should I pay more for your professional carpet cleaning service? They {the competitor} are offering 3 rooms of carpet cleaning for only $99 and you {Bluegreen} are quoting me 50% more!? What’s up with that?”
We have ALL experienced bad service. Whether it was a bad meal, rude cell phone customer service, long hold times for cable companies, or trying to get help at some big box store. In fact, I have very low expectations of customer service when I go to a big box store. If I actually find someone to answer my question about where to find chair pads, I got very lucky. I know that the next ten times I look for someone in home goods, I am going to have to go to the perfume department to find someone to get my question answered.
Or when I am doing a sink repair, I don’t go to a big box hardware store to find someone to answer my questions because the 19 year old boy that lives in his Mom and Dad’s basement wouldn’t know the first thing about what plumbers putty is to be used on or that it can’t be used on Corian™. Ace is the place for me™.
When shopping for a floor cleaning service company or any service company for that matter, there are three things a client is shopping for; quality, service, and price. You need to choose two. You just can’t get all three. A company can’t have the highest quality and the highest service at the lowest price.
If someone is truly doing carpet cleaning in 3 rooms for $99, then the quality will suffer.
This industry is absolutely plagued with bait and switch tactics. We have all seen the coupons in the penny mailer that states “Carpet Cleaning for ONLY $19.99/room” or “Three rooms of carpet cleaning for only $29.99!!”. If you want to see how this scam operates, watch this news station video segment exposing the fraud.
When searching for a professional carpet cleaner, the client should mentally prepare and rank which of these (Price, Quality, Service) are the most important to the least important.
Here are some questions the buyer or homeowner should ask:
- Is your company IICRC (Industry cleaning standard) certified?
- Are there different or additional cleaning options that may increase the bill?
- Does your company perform background checks on all the Team Members?
- Does your company follow the IICRC recommendations when it comes to cleaning?
- Is the equipment truck mounted (the most powerful and recommended equipment) or is it portable equipment (typically no heat, and weak vacuum)?
- Is your company referred by carpet retail stores that actually sell the carpeting?
- What is your guarantee?
In addition, there might be some convenience factors to consider, such as single or two man crews, time frame window (who wants to wait in a 4 hour window wondering when the company will show up), courtesy call prior to arrival, door guards used, shoe covers used (yes, some companies don’t wear shoe covers) and other factors that might be important to you as an individual.
So, no, a cleaner is not just a cleaner and the variances are huge. Be sure you and your client are well informed and prepared to ask the right questions when searching for a cleaning company to come into your home and take care of your floors.
If you are still not certain, please contact us and I would be happy to assist in any way possible!
