[Mike Halliday]

For the past month I have been targeting a new estate of very up market new homes, these are 4-5 bed detached homes.

I've done quite a Few quotes, but got very little work, usually I get most jobs I quote but this estate has been a complete bust.

The only difference I can see is these homes are occupied by youngish 'new money' homeowners (what some would call 'yuppies') not my usual older 50yrs+ clients.

I'm starting to think is all fur coats and no knicker, they are mortgaged up to the hilt and don't have the disposable income to pay for carpet cleaning ....unless its cheap.


Anyone else find the same?

[AshWhite]

Yes.

I've been speaking to a house valuer and an estate agent over the last few weeks, and they both said the same; 6 or 7 years ago they were getting about 5-6 repossesions a year. Now they are getting 50-60. This is largely caused by people mortgaging themselves up to the eyeballs during the boom, in the belief that rheir houses would continue apperciating. Now a lot of those people are up sh*t creek without a paddle, with nor more loans being thrown at them.

[Shaun_Ashmore]

Exactly.....

The old saying that they know the price of everything but the value of nothing comes to nothing, I have a simular estate near to me I used to live on it (infact you one met me there) it has the 2.4 children and 2 nice cars on the drive but to mention cleaning that costs £100 or more you'd have thought I'd have tickled their noses with my toe nails.

They are accessible to deliver to and also get calls from but all they want is a price and the old, "I'll let you know" demographically the age group is too young for my prices I'd rather clean for their parents.

Shaun

[Tony Rowley]

I have had 2 calls this week for people moving into houses this weekend and wanting the carpets cleaned on friday, no problem give them the price and you could hear the tumbleweed on the phone line and then a "oh ok just quotes at the moment I will let you know"

These were both standard 1930 terrace houses not far from me and I know how much they go for, around 250 to 300k and it amazes me that they almost faint at a quote for a couple of hundred quid to get rid of the previous owners crud out of the carpets, well if they want to live like that then thats up to them.

But your right some people just cant see the value in it...........luckily there is still enough who do to keep us in business.

Tony

[david@zap-clean]

I'm having a tough few weeks too...

On a positive note: for everyone who can't afford a quality carpet cleaners prices, there must be home owners out there who can't afford the new carpet they want, so they might consider getting it cleaned, properly.

Finding them is the trick - but don't ask me what that is, 'cos I don't know.

[Kev Loomes]

For the past month I have been targeting a new estate of very up market new homes, these are 4-5 bed detached homes.

I've done quite a Few quotes, but got very little work, usually I get most jobs I quote but this estate has been a complete bust.

The only difference I can see is these homes are occupied by youngish 'new money' homeowners (what some would call 'yuppies') not my usual older 50yrs+ clients.

I'm starting to think is all fur coats and no knicker, they are mortgaged up to the hilt and don't have the disposable income to pay for carpet cleaning ....unless its cheap.


Anyone else find the same?

Spot on mike  - I bet its the same nationally too.

[CraigHaycock]

before christmas i was converting 80- 90% since january i'm only coverting around 15 - 20% of quotes, it's all down to new born carpet cleaners (mushrooms) starting up with good redundancy money to spend on marketing and charging £125 for 3 & 4 bedroom houses complete with kitchen and bathroom carpets. they are earning more than they were when working in a factory or delivering pizza so they are happy, soon they will have broken down machines and no way to pay for the fix.
done a quote for £350 told that another person will do for £118. where does the £8 come from

[wynne jones]

For the past month I have been targeting a new estate of very up market new homes, these are 4-5 bed detached homes.

I've done quite a Few quotes, but got very little work, usually I get most jobs I quote but this estate has been a complete bust.

The only difference I can see is these homes are occupied by youngish 'new money' homeowners (what some would call 'yuppies') not my usual older 50yrs+ clients.

I'm starting to think is all fur coats and no knicker, they are mortgaged up to the hilt and don't have the disposable income to pay for carpet cleaning ....unless its cheap.


Anyone else find the same?

They tend to want someone young and dynamic to clean their carpets. 

[jasonl]

I have been shadowing a financial adviser as part of my training , we have been carrying out factfinds , in advance of creating reports recommending where people should invest/protect their wealth.

Most people I visited have got mortgages at the top end of affordability , and little spare income despite outwardly having all the trappings , one last week had 300k house 245k mortgage 35k car finance, 24k credit cards and loans, 1000 a month school fees , out of 4500 a month income, they were as skint as doleys , but have got huge pension pots, I did spot primark bags in the house.

If this is repeated , I think that service people need to look at pricing, as a lot of people do not care about quality , just the job carried ut cheaply as possible.

[Shaun_Ashmore]

Craig did you get the job? usually an onsite quote beats all but its that time of year and the economy is flat everyone is on a downer.

Shaun

[CraigHaycock]

No she went with the cheaper one, thing is she should know better seeing as she was a solicitor, she'll save in legal fees

[Shaun_Ashmore]

Sometimes a job can be done cheaply but as soon as the job although done corectly has a problem like a re occuring stain or a picky customer who would like you to have 'just another go' then profit can go to loss.

Shaun

[CraigHaycock]

very true, had 1 few weeks ago on some chairs, I recleaned just because i wasnt happy, customer though over the moon because it was me that said i wanted to redo them, customer for life now and suspect I will get lots more work from it as she was well to do with very wealthy oil industry friends. That little extra effort doesnt cost much extra in time but can bring bigger fortunes (hopefully)

[JandS]

Yes can't beat the oldies although they try the old
OAP discount thing and some still think £5 per hour
is a good wage...although they also think a pint of
beer is still 2s 6d.


£125 seems ok for a 3 bed house to me.
What is it? 4 hours max.
An afternoons work.
At them prices I would have plenty to fix machine.

[CraigHaycock]

its good rate if you have 2 jobs per day, every day, every week per employee and no quiet times, no marketing, no insurances, no phone bills, no paye, no tax.

[John Kelly]

I'm just wondering if theres a degree of Grouponitis within the younger community. Are they expecting everything done for next to nowt.

[jasonl]

I'm just wondering if theres a degree of Grouponitis within the younger community. Are they expecting everything done for next to nowt.

NEEDING everything done for nowt.

[JandS]

At that kind of price you'll convert a lot more
than if it were £250.
Your never going to get that kind of job day
in day out.
What I'm saying is that kind of price/timescale
is profitable if you can get the smaller jobs at
that price/timescale too.
If you can get the work in to fill your diary at
£25 - £30 per hour you will be profitable...based
on my situation as a sole trader that is.

[Lewis Newby]

Il happily take 2-3 3bed properties a day at £125-£130 . But I guess I'm one of those newer cleaners mentioned above by Craig

I know a few people who have £100k cars on a drive of a £500k+ house who are always claiming to be skint and buy £5 fuel at a time

Lew

[Kev Loomes]

I think your right John, I think most of them have no clue about the concept of 'you get what you pay for in life'.

Younger people can be impatient and live a fast lifestyle with everything available at a nano second on their iphone's etc. Because they are used to finding the cheapest product available (driven by TV advertising - and the recession for the last 5yrs) they tend to presume everything else is/should the same?

It can only get worse IMO as more and more youngsters get on the ladder. Give me an old, wise, understanding person who knows the true value any day of the week. The trouble is there's less and less of them. We used to have tons of older folk, but since the interest on savings isnt giving them a return - they aint spending!