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Carpet Cleaning Scams Like every
industry, the carpet cleaning industry has its share of bad companies.
Although the majority of the companies are honest, their are some that are
looking to scam the consumer. This article will help you identify the
unethical carpet cleaners and help you avoid getting ripped off by a scam.
Bait and Switch
This is the classic carpet cleaning rip-off. In this scam, the customer
is lured in by a ridiculously low priced carpet cleaning. Often the
advertisement you read will offer carpet cleaning in the neighborhood of
$5 per room. There is no way that a company can be profitable selling its
services that low. But the companies usually have no intention of leaving
your home with only the advertised amount. So how do they increase the
bill after you have taken the "bait" of the low price?
Preconditioning
Scam
One way they will increase the bill is by selling you preconditioning.
Most legitimate companies include this in their pricing. That low price
they offered probably didn't include it. It may have been $5 per room to
clean it with water only but pre-conditioning will cost you an additional
25 cents per square foot. Considering an average room size of 150 square
feet, that would be $37.50 per room extra. So a 5 room home would go from
the advertised carpet cleaning price of $25 to $212.50. Quite a
difference.
But what if you just refuse to pay for the pre-conditioning? Chances
are you will get a substandard cleaning or a rush job, but their is
another way that they can try to force you into paying for the
pre-conditioning. They may offer to do a demo for you. This isn't
necessarily bad, many good carpet cleaning companies do demos. What Bait
and Switch companies will do however is clean an area in a highly visible
area. If you decide to not pay for the extra service, you will have an
extra clean spot in the middle of your carpet that will stick out like a
sore thumb. By doing this you are forced to pay the extra price.
Extra Room Scam
Another way for Bait and Switch companies to increase their bill is
through extra room charges. If you use a coupon, you must read the fine
print. Some companies will charge extra for rooms over 100 square feet of
carpet for example. It is hard to find a room in a typical home under that
square footage, so that means the typical room will count as two and the
typical living room or family room will count as three or even four rooms.
Protection Scam
Almost all carpet cleaning companies offer protection at reasonable
prices and carpet protectors themselves are good products. This doesn't
become bait and switch until a company uses high pressure tactics.
Customers may be told that their carpet will be ruined if they don't have
protection applied. This is simply not true. Protection will certainly
extend the life of your carpet and make future cleanings easier but it is
in no way necessary. |