[Timmy Boy]

Afternoon all
I have just won a contract to clean some offices local to me and have been asked to provide a quote for a deep clean & a cost for a carpet clean. I thought 200.00 for the initial clean (got the cleaning contract so this is more a token payment) & 795.00 for the carpets (over 4500 sq feet), good price I thought. He then rings me and says ' I can understand the pricing on the initial clean but my carpet cleaning price is too expensive'. I asked what he was comparing it to and he said that he finds it proposterious (guessed the spelling on that) that I would charge 25.00 per man per hour to 'just clean some carpet' I explained the knowledge, the equipment costs etc to which he said that he has bought his own machine & wants me to train up one of the cleaners to use his machine & do it as part of the clean!!
To give you some idea of the company involved they used to employ cleaners direct but have found that they can't cope. It really annoys me when arrogant people like this think cleaning & carpet cleaning can be undertaken by just buying the machine & reading the instructions. 
I am wondering whether the whole contract is now worth it if I am going to be dealing with people who think they know it all
Regards
Tim

[HQCS (John Kastrian)]

Tim,forgive me if this comes out all wrong.
He is partly right,if he just wants his carpets cleaned  by purchasing a machine and you showing someone how to use it,the carpets would be cleaned,maybe not professionally but cleaned all the same,but if things went wrong for whatever reason he would no doubt hold you responsible.
Pretty much a case of this is a cc machine,this is what you put in it,this is how you work it and this is how you empty it.
But back to your main point,I would tell them to shove the contract as I could not work with someone with an attitude like that,but it is down to how badly you need the income.
John

[Robert Parry]

Hi Tim,

I would explain to your prospective client, that it would be sheer folly to allow an untrained person to clean his carpets, because of the H & S aspect,coshh, risk of damage and or shrinkage etc, but also say that you have no objection to training one of the cleaners via Prochem or similair and the charge for all this would be x plus the higher labour bill, because this is a specialist service, hope this helps, regards

Rob

[colin thomas]

i wouldn't give him the time of day, he will lead to trouble, i can't beleive that you would do all that cleaning on the initial clean for £200, of course he thinks that is a good price. don't be a busy fool

colin

[calmore]

Good idea!

Charge him £200+travel to train his cleaner and simply send them on a Prochem training course!

 

[gerrystyles]

17p approx per sq ft, thats far to low. I would tell him to keep it

[Damian]

Tim. Why did his cleaners go etc? If he is arguing the price then this(personally speaking) sounds like he aint got the funds!? I would be well suss of a guy with this sort of attitude and demeanour as though he has a right to control price! He has of course got the right to lose all cleaners worthy of a PROPER job-as i suspect he may be-all fur coat and no nickers! Good luck but i wouldnt pursue the job as i would distrust and even loathe him to even start! Your call? 

[carpetguy]

Timmy B

There is really only one answer to this situation and that is to walk, but politely, by thanking the person concerned,  for asking you to quote and expressing your sorrow that the price was too high.

You retain your credibility and leave him the option to contact you, should anything change.

Robie

[Timmy Boy]

Thanks for the advice all, the amazing thing is that we cleaned some of his carpets 4 months ago at over 20p per sq foot & he was happy. To make matters worse we won that business off one of the big franchises which were charging him even more than that so I am confused as to why he is questining the price now. I think that he is trying to see what he can bleed out of me before I start the contract. I would tell him to poke the contract but it is worth 35k per yr, but I think it is going to be a rough ride!
Regards
Tim

[COLIN BRIGHT]

tell him to shove his contract up his ring

[stains-away]

tell him to shove his contract up his ring

Well said that man 

[Mark Lane-Matthews]

Hi Tim
Before telling him to take a running jump,ask him what he is prepared to do for you before you can consider lowering the price, at least that way there is room for negotiation 

                                                             Mark

[gerrystyles]

It may be worth £35k but it seems to me he is trying to screw you down on the margin. Bigger the contract the less they like you to earn

[PaulKing]

It's called nibbling, they just try and getthe price down he'll do it to everyone, every year. They think price should come down each year you want it to rise. Just rember if you drop your price from 35K to whatever the amount you drop comes straight of profit. And rember "Turnover is vanity but profit is sanity"

Better off not doing a £35k job if you only make a few hundered, as you coud clean a few sofas and make more with less work? MInd you i know it hurts to have to walk away from all that money, but done it a few times now and found somethng else always comes along.