Unscrupulous carpet cleaning companies today are ripping off consumers. There are many ways in which these carpet cleaning companies unfairly take consumers money but by far the most common method is with the bait & switch tact.
Bait & Switch is exactly as it sounds, these cleaners will bait you with a low price and switch a higher price at the completion of the job. Here is how it works: A carpet cleaner will advertise an extremely low price to clean your home, maybe $9 per room. But after the work is done, you receive a bill that is much up to 10 times higher than you anticipated. At this point the cleaner will try to pressure or even intimidate the consumer to pay the higher bill. They may even call back to their office and lower the price a little in an attempt to get you to pay a higher price than they advertised.
Protecting yourself is simple. 1) If a price sounds to good to be true, it is. With labor, gasoline and the time needed to clean your home, no company can afford to stay in business at those low-low prices. 2) Make sure you know what is included in the carpet cleaning process, before they come to your home. Find out what are some of the extras fee that could be incurred. 3) It is best to get a carpet cleaner that has been around for at least 5 years. That way you can ask for references from past clients. 4) Find out if the carpet cleaner is a member with the better business bureau and if they are, check for complaints. Finally, when a carpet cleaner does come to your home, get a written estimate in advance of any work be done.
There are many good carpet-cleaning companies out there; it just takes a little work and diligence to find them.
About the Author:
Jason Holt has been a professional carpet cleaner for over 15 years. He currently is the owner/operator of Holts Carpet Cleaning, Glendale Arizona (AZ).
http://www.holtscarpetcleaning.com
Mon, 17 Dec 2007 12:21:23 - 100%
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