Bound carpet used as area rugs... Do you charge rug prices or carpet cleaning price?

[jcooper]

Had a lady call and freak out on the wife a few days ago.

She has a bound piece of carpet(used as an area rug), wife gave her area rug prices... She got upset wondering why I'm cleaning a room of carpet for $40 bucks and charging her $180 for the same carpet just because it's used as an area rug...

I called her back, and smoothed out the issues... But, I really don't appreciate someone trying to dictate a price to us.

Generally speaking, nice easy bound carpet used as area rug... Area rug prices or carpet cleaning prices? And how do you handle/explain this to them?

 

[ruff]

If it is tufted and has a pad underneath I charge roughly about 30% higher than wall to wall, due to the fact that it requires more work.
I do warn them them that if it is bound, binding cannot be cleaned well on location and that it does not wear well. If I have to do extra work on binding I do charge extra. If no pad underneath, I charge for a plastic sheet that I put under.

If it is woven, I charge like area rugs.
This is all assuming cleaning on location.

 

[Mikey P]

Are you cleaning it in the home or your shop?

If we have to move it, place plastic underneath, vacuum the back or anything else out of the ordinary then yes, we'll charge more than wall to wall for a bound rug.

 

[jcooper]

Thanks for the quick responses! It helps.

 

[Desk Jockey]

If in plant it's area rug prices, if on location carpet prices with the exception if were are just going for the rug then it's minimum charge $150.00.

Although we would make sure they got value and give them up to 300 sq/ft.

If she wants to cry about that, fook her!

 

[ruff]

If she wants to cry about that, fook her!

Is that Chavez's of the prairies new slogan?

Honest. To the point. I like it

 

[Desk Jockey]

That's why they keep me locked up and away from the general public.

Actually a good share of our clientele are very demanding people, we will do what ever they desire.....but it's gonna cost more.

 

[Dolly Llama]

Generally speaking, nice easy bound carpet used as area rug... And how do you handle/explain this to them?

welp, you can make up some phoney baloney story that it's somehow different from the rest of her carpet and requires different methods/procedures/chems.
(and pray she's not there to see you clean it exactly the same as the rest of her carpet)

or you can tell her it's over 4 time$ as much due to the additional minute and half it takes to wipe any wand over spray off the hard surface

or you tell her it's an additional $140 for the ten-fifteen minutes it takes to lay down drops or plastic under/around the perimeter to protect hard surface from wand overspray
(if too large to take to a carpeted room you're cleaning)

or you take it off site

cause unless they're REALLY stOOpit , you'll have a hard time justifying it to anyone with a half ounce of common sense


..L.T.A.

 

[Ron K]

If you are cleaning them over hard wood charge them what it would cost to re-finish the hard wood because eventually you'll be paying for one, even if you didn't do it.
Your insurance company will pay that claim even if you can prove it was the dog that got it wet.

 

[BLewis]

My pledge, to treat others as I would want to be treated. If it's just carpet I charge like a room charge, if they are small I'll do 2-3 for same as a room charge. If I have to pack them to driveway or if they want them put on the back deck somewhere I might charge a little more

 

[jcooper]

cause unless they're REALLY stOOpit , you'll have a hard time justifying it to anyone with a half ounce of common sense

Yea, I agree, Larry. Charged her 40 bucks(10x12) couldn't have been easier, rolling it up to put down plastic was the hardest part!

So, how do you guys handle someone wanting a general price for an area rug over the phone, well it's a buck a foot(or whatever) - but maybe less when I see it(assuming your cleaning carpet also)...?

 

[Ken Snow]

Re: Bound carpet used as area rugs.

Yep, though we do try to get them to bring them to us or let us pick them up. We clean about 100 a week in home.

Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk 2

 

[ruff]

welp, you can make up some phoney baloney story that it's somehow different from the rest of her carpet and requires different methods/procedures/chems.
(and pray she's not there to see you clean it exactly the same as the rest of her carpet)

or you can tell her it's over 4 time$ as much due to the additional minute and half it takes to wipe any wand over spray off the hard surface

or you tell her it's an additional $140 for the ten-fifteen minutes it takes to lay down drops or plastic under/around the perimeter to protect hard surface from wand overspray
(if too large to take to a carpeted room you're cleaning)

or you take it off site

cause unless they're REALLY stOOpit , you'll have a hard time justifying it to anyone with a half ounce of common sense ..L.T.A.

• Or maybe the cleaner at hand is just too stOOpit to explain to the client that there is a difference, particularly if one needs to deal with the binding.
• Or maybe just too stOOpit to know that there is one.
• Or too stOOpit to know that you can actually charge more if you work more (kinda fair, ain't it? Particularly if one is lucky enough to have in the neighborhood of half an ounce!)
• Or too stOOpit to know the difference between tufted and woven and the risk associated. Or assume that most clients are too stOOpit to understand that you get what you pay for.

But they are not stOOpit. And they do understand.

So Larry, here is the deal, it is very simple logic and it works for simpletons like me:If I know in advance that the job takes more time I charge more. And if I know it will take less I charge less. If I made a mistake or under estimated, that's my fault and I stand by my estimate.

So, the ones that have not cleaned their carpet since the Johnson administration, rebuilding their motorcycle's engine on the living room's carpet, are gonna pay more than the boy and girl scouts model carpet citizens. Cause I ain't fair otherwise and I ain't stOOpit enough to charge the same.

 

[Dolly Llama]

Ofer, do you give estimates or pricing over the phone?

cause if not, I don't see how anything you said (which i mostly agree with) would apply to Jerry's situation.
and everything you said would apply whether wall to wall or cheap throw rugs that can be tossed the washing machine


..L.T.A.

 

[Dolly Llama]

Yea, I agree, Larry. Charged her 40 bucks(10x12) couldn't have been easier, rolling it up to put down plastic was the hardest part!

So, how do you guys handle someone wanting a general price for an area rug over the phone, well it's a buck a foot(or whatever) - but maybe less when I see it(assuming your cleaning carpet also)...?

Jerry, it's perfectly appropriate to charge additional when additional time/work is involved .
(as in laying the plastic) or a different type rug that does indeed require different chems and/or process
Most folks understand that


how do "I" handle phone pricing??
I give ball park "estimates" over the phone and explain that "one size don't fit all" cause everyone's needs/wants can different
(BTW, Doesn't matter if area rugs or W2W)
i use examples they'll understand like room size, moving all furniture, some or none.

It's really a mater of knowing what questions to ask and knowing the homes in your service area to get real close or on the money

in your particular instance, i may of said it's an addition $X amount to lay coverings to protect the hard surfaces .
perfectly appropriate and most prospects would understand that
Though, if you charge $40 for a 10x12 w2w room, you'll be hard pressed to justify an additional $140 to clean same carpet and the only thing you're doing different is setting up plastic .
She may not of freaked over an additional $40 , $50, or even $60 for set up, but $140 additional seemed excessive to her, and rightly so


..L.T.A.

 

[ruff]

Larry, here is what Jerry said:

She has a bound piece of carpet(used as an area rug), wife gave her area rug prices... She got upset wondering why I'm cleaning a room of carpet for $40 bucks and charging her $180 for the same carpet just because it's used as an area rug...

Generally speaking, nice easy bound carpet used as area rug... Area rug prices or carpet cleaning prices? And how do you handle/explain this to them?

And the answer that some of us gave was that we charge more for an area carpet. We do not charge like we would for area rug, but more than wall to wall.
Why?
Because, unless you can just easily toss it in the other bedroom and do nothing about the binding (that as we all know, do not clean that well and require some extra attention) it does take longer. No reason to go from $40.00 to $180.00 but charging a little more in my book is justified and dare I say: sMaaart.

I never give on location estimates only phone approximations. Easy to do, all you have to do is ask a few question and about 99.9% of the time I am right. You may call me the brain surgeon of carpet cleaning, I am just talented that way

 

[Vivers]

Bound carpet used as area rugs... Do you charge rug prices or carpet cleaning p

Depends on if the binding needs some attention but typically we will charge more for that rug

 

[Dolly Llama]

No reason to go from $40.00 to $180.00 but charging a little more in my book is justified

EGGZACCALLY
and that's why the lady frEEked

I never give on location estimates only phone approximations. Easy to do, all you have to do is ask a few question and about 99.9%
of the time I am right

I can dig it..comes with experience on knowing what questions to ask
.... but I'm not a brAin surgeon, I'm more of a sOOper hero...



..L.T.A.

 

[ruff]

.... but I'm not a brAin surgeon, I'm more of a sOOper hero...
..L.T.A.

Very true

.
And who knows it better than us MB BDCC's