Bait and Switch Techniques

Definition In retail sales, a bait and switch is a form of fraud in which the party putting forth the fraud lures in customers by advertising a product or service at an unprofitably low price, then reveals to potential customers that the advertised good is not available but that a substitute is. This term has lots of other meanings, even outside of the marketing sense. More information (wiki-pedia) In the Carpet Cleaning Industry Many unethical carpet cleaning companies would have you believe that carpet cleaning is cheap. Although having your carpets professionally maintained on a regular basis can save you money over time, the process of professional carpet cleaning itself requires very expensive equipment used by certified and experienced personnel. Here are some commonly used tactics in the carpet cleaning industry to get a foot in your door.

Although the scams discussed in this video are in the American Industry, the same principals apply to the Australian Industry.

Dual Process Cleaning

Many companies will bait consumers with a low price over the phone which sounds great, but once arriving to your premesis they will try to sell you on a more expensive dual process cleaning option.

The idea is that you can get their basic cleaning for the price quoted on the phone, or you can get their “Awesome Extra Deluxe Cleaning” for a price that is probably not even close to the original estimate. When you’re calling for estimates, make sure you ask if they offer different cleaning packages, and ask for the pricing of each of them. They’ll often be called something like “Our Clean, Cleaner, and Cleanest Packages”. If you don’t pay them what they want, they’re only going to do a ‘halfway’, clean your carpet. A good carpet cleaner should do a deluxe job for every customer, not just those that give in to their pressure tactics. An accredited carpet cleaner will usually not employ these tactics.

Coupons

We receive lots of coupons for all industries in our mailbox and newspapers. Watch out for those coupons which seem too good to be true. If a coupon is offering to clean your whole house or several rooms for one low price, beware. The price usually represents the minimum amount they will charge for very small rooms. Houses are difficult to quote for without knowing the size, a coupon claiming to clean the whole house for a set price sounds fishy.. Sometimes it doesn’t even include the detergent!
Do you have a big room or a carpet that’s actually dirty? That will cost more!

Charging by the area

There are many carpet cleaning companies which use the charge-by-the-area method, although some of them have an alterior motive.

Here is what they do: Consumer calls to get an estimate for a living room, dining room and a passageway. The Australian carpet cleaning company tells them about a special they have for “3 rooms for $59.95″. That sounds like a good price doesn’t it? Well, It is…..until they get into your home. What they fail to tell you on the phone is a room is any area under 20 square meters. Since your living room is 25, they’ll have to charge for another room. If your hall is “L” shaped, that’s going to count as 2 seperate areas as well. And by the way, that coffee spot you have in the dining room, that’s going to require a pre-spotter to get that out and that’s going to be an additional cost too.
Do you get the idea of how this tactic works? Make sure you insist on an estimate based on the total square meterage you want cleaned. It is the most accurate method of pricing in the industry. Obtaining the square meterage of your rooms is really quite easy and a good carpet cleaning company should be able to help you with it over the phone. This way, you will only be charged for the areas of the room you want cleaned. If you do decide to use a company that charges by the area, be sure to ask what the maximum is for one area and if there are any additional charges for extras such as spot removal.

The good news?

Well, fortunately there are several professional and honest cleaners in Australia to choose from. The main thing to be aware of is to as some basic questions. And remember, if it sounds too good to be true.. it usually is!

We have listed some of the carpet cleaners in your area to help you choose your carpet cleaners