How do you guys tell them....

[EDS]

....That: no freaking way are we going to rearrange your furniture in your rooms.

This morning I personally have used a handful of Styrofoam blocks and 154 plastic tabs in a two bedroom living room/dining room house. After moving everything at least twice (for vacuuming and hwe after that) I was ready to snap and reveal to them that: sorry you're sol, I'm only putting things back where they were.. as it is already an excessive amount of furniture to move.


So what's your nicest English word combination to save yourself time and gtfo of there?

"no soup for you!!"

Felt that this week as well. Stuck it out and still had the lady call back the next day and I spent twice the amount of time there as usual. When she told me she was going through menopause I should have bolted...
hashtag#therapeutic carpet cleaner#

 

[Nate The Great]

Price for cleaning $250..... Do you need furniture moved?!? Ok, Price to clean and move furniture $400.... Price it to make it worth your time.... Or you can just move a few pieces and total is $350... We just charge a higher SF for furniture moving.... .15-.20 cents more.... We walked a few jobs that they had piles of clothes and shit all over the place.....DuckFat!!!!

When we bring rugs back from being cleaned, the ladies who know where they want the stuff is fine with me....... It's the ones who act like interior decorators that piss me off...... I'm helpful and offer to move stuff for older clients who you know can't move it themselves.....

 

[steve_64]

I have no problem telling a customer its extra to rearrange their furniture even while in the process of cleaning. I just tell them the more work I do the more I charge. They usually just walk away and leave me alone to work then.

 

[Bob Savage]

During our initial walk through when we arrive at the job, we ask in every room what they want moved, and that's where we settle it.

We're making good money, so I don't mind moving a few things, but, there are things we will not move, and I've yet to have a customer balk when we tell them we are not moving your piano, full china hutch, beds, heavy dressers, etc. On the heavy stuff I put the blame on our insurance company telling the customer we are not permitted to manipulate heavy items. That usually settles it.

We tell them we are there to clean the carpet that is walked on and tracked up (traffic lanes), and under that heavy stuff is only going to be DUSTballs.

We use sliders and that makes moving things rather easy.

PS - I did walk away from a job a few years ago, where the house was nothing but clutter and they wanted every stinkin' piece of furniture put outside so the carpet would dry. Do you see North American Van Lines on the side of my van?

 

[Mike Draper]

Price for cleaning $250..... Do you need furniture moved?!? Ok, Price to clean and move furniture $400.... Price it to make it worth your time.... Or you can just move a few pieces and total is $350... We just charge a higher SF for furniture moving.... .15-.20 cents more.... We walked a few jobs that they had piles of clothes and shit all over the place.....DuckFat!!!!

When we bring rugs back from being cleaned, the ladies who know where they want the stuff is fine with me....... It's the ones who act like interior decorators that piss me off...... I'm helpful and offer to move stuff for older clients who you know can't move it themselves.....

Who leaves duck fat on their living room floor? I'd charge more as well.

 

[Old Coastie]

We don't move beds larger than twin sized, but we do vacuum under them. Ditto large dressers, hutches and so on.

For me, it isn't a confrontational or defensive issue; Miz Burdick is right about setting expectations and Marty is right about being in the mood. I do ask people to "give me as much access to the floor as you can" and then offer to put a bit more out of the way once on site. (makes 'em happy).

If I like them, I offer to set things where they'd like, but "if you need to adjust it a little, wait until the carpet is fully dry."

More of a conversation, really.

 

[Gman48]

When we book jobs, we ask customers up front to move the smalls and breakables . and we explain we move "most items" except bookcases ,china cabenets,and antques. But still when I get on site ,still end up moving the extra stuff . sometimes it no problem, but other times its 50 yrs of colectibles and chairs with what seams like 8 leggs each. Had a customer last week like that 85 legg protectors . 35 blocks ..

 

[WillS]

Nothing with glass or electronics on it is moved by us due to "liability" nor do we dissemble beds, etc. We move couches over, clean under them and push back. Table chairs, etc. can be moved by us, but mostly we tell the customer anything they are concerned with should be moved before we arrive. We always have 2 technicians, but tell let the customer know anything they can move ahead of time will allow us to get in and clean and finish. Never really had issues with people being to crazy with furniture moving.

 

[jwfoulk12]

I tell the customer to remove as much as possible to give me as much open area to work as they possibly can. I don't mind sliding sofas and chairs around but they need to have all the little things out to give me room to do so. If I feel they haven't tried very hard to prepare for me I charge an adititional 12 cents psf. I find that I tend to move more for the little old lady that can't then the young guy that just didn't want to. But in the end I tell them we are a cleaning service, not a moving company.