Does Your Carpet Cleaner Pass The 5 Questions Test?
You will learn the questions to ask and save yourself a lot of grief, because, it’s very easy to end up with a worse problem than before you started searching for a carpet cleaner and with a lighter purse to boot.
A while ago I was just finishing a carpet after deep cleaning. The Customer came in and said it looked lovely and did I think it would be dry by Wednesday? Wednesday? I said, today’s Monday! Yes I know she said, the last time I had it cleaned he said it was quite normal to take a few days before fully dry, we only rang him back because it was beginning to smell a bit ‘fusty’.
I told the Client even though it was wool and had been deep cleaned, it would be dry in a only a few hours. I then decided I needed to write this article so anyone seeking a carpet cleaner need not get ripped off if you ask the right key questions. Detailed video presentation on each point can be accessed at my website. Carpet Cleaning Somerset
1. What methods or systems do you use for carpet cleaning?
Ask this question first because it’s a non starter if they don’t answer either ‘Steam cleaning’ or Hot water extraction (HWE) which the technical term for steam cleaning. This in my opinion and in the opinion of most carpet manufacturers is the only proper way to clean a carpet.
Some companies will spout you their ‘dry’ or ‘low moisture systems’ are as effective. This in my view, simply is not the case for the majority of residential carpets. Although the drying time of under an hour seems attractive, it’s no wonder because it’s simply skimming the surface leaving high levels of soiling below the surface only to reappear in a short time.
2. Can you supply two or three testimonials from happy customers that have used you?
Let’s face it, the best way to pick a cleaner, like any trade is to ask a friend, family members or work colleagues. But sometimes you can’t get a recommendation so you have no alternative but to search the Yellow Pages, Google it or some kind of directory.
That’s dandy, but please don’t make a decision based on the biggest advert or the fanciest web site. Ask for testimonials. A large advert only means a big advertising budget, and a good cleaner will be getting most of their work from repeat customers and referrals.
3. Do you have both Liability and Treatment risk insurance (UK)?
Always ask whether they are insured or not. Or even ask to see a copy of the cleaners insurance policy. What you may not know is that there are a lot of part time cleaners. Some find the cost of insurance for the amount of work they do makes their ‘business’ unprofitable, so they skip it. Their are some highly professional, part time cleaners, but always make sure.
Treatment risk insurance is not always an option in some countries, but certainly here in the UK it is, but is an extra cost. This means the item the Cleaner is working on is also insured. Not so with just liability insurance.
4. Who will be cleaning the carpet?
Always ask who will carry out the cleaning. You will be gobsmacked by some companies who have very charming salesmen or women to do the quotation only for someone not so charming turning up to do the work. You will find the an Owner Operator company is always your best bet because they size up a job and they are the ones who will produce the goods on the day.
Worse still, some companies will subcontract their work out to an entirely different firm. An outfit you have no knowledge of their pedigree.
5. Do you offer a 100% money back guarantee on your work if you are not happy with the result?
I have saved this one till last. When you buy something it’s nice to know if your not happy with it, you can take it back and ask for your money to be returned, not that you want to, it’s just puts your mind at rest and helps you feel easy in your decision.
Why wouldn’t any reputable company give you that reassurance? Since I started writing articles about choosing a carpet cleaner, I’ve noticed many cleaning companies using the ‘100% delighted or you pay nothing!’ headline. Sadly, it now seems more of a marketing ploy for some, rather than a genuine attempt to stand by ones services.
I now recommend checking any clauses in their terms of business for details of the money back guarantee. More information can be found on the website Carpet Cleaning Somerset
Prepared with these questions you will be able to sort the wheat from the chaff and send the dodgy characters running for the hills. It may seem daunting and too much effort, but for if you take the trouble it will save you a lot of pennies and disappointment.
Find other videos and article at Carpet Cleaning Somerset.
c. 2009 D.C. Services
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