[Doctor Carpet (Ret'd)]

I mix and match.

Cleaning based on area but for fiddly stains (even on the same carpet) I charge on a time basis.

All fully explained before I start-and quantified!

But there again how many of the fiddly stains which take time do we get? Most stains either come out as part of a general clean, or simply won't come out because of what they are, how old they are or what the customer has done to them.

MOst jobs often take less time than you may have thought (yes I did read your post Mike) so this more than makes up for the odd job where you miscalculate the time, and therefore the earning capacity price.

How many clients would think you  were working more slowly than necessary if they knew you were charging on a time basis? And what if you have to take/make a phone-call, umpteen trips to the van or even chatting with the client?

[Mike Osbourne]

All I do is work out in my head how long it will take, then give them the price and wait for an answer. 

[Shaun_Ashmore]

In an ideal world your first carpet should be say £80 regardless and then discounts after for multiples because it takes you time and fuel to get there.

Shaun

[David_Annable]

Hi

By the same principal as above our minimum charge should be £80.

Dave

[diamond]

"I've made a couple of cock ups this week when it came pricing based on the size of the rooms, one job I ended working 2hrs for £70."

Might need to sell one of the ponies at that price. £35 an hour!!  Are you rubbing everyone else nose in it that you earn top whack.

[Mike Halliday]

please tell me you are joking : :

in 2 hours I can clean a 3 bed house, So charging £70 is a good price for a 3 bed house, considering I'd be earning £35 an hour

if you are earning only £35 an hour you are either cheap  or very slow.

[Russell Morgan]

what cleaning process do you use mike, i charge on average £150-£200 for a 3 bed house, takes about 4 hours

[Mike Halliday]

I have the new XR turbo dirtbuster T/M. 2000 times more powerful than  electric machines

[Russell Morgan]

thats nice for you then, try sucking up some of the comments you've made on here then!!

[ross12345]

i like to earn around 100pound perhour

[Mike Halliday]

Russell anyone inperticuler?

Ross I'd like to earn £200 an hour but I can't see much chance of it but £100 is achievable maybe not on every job but some

[Russell Morgan]

mike, how do you clean a 3 bed house in 1.5 hours, do you pre-vac? move furniture?

[Mike Halliday]

Russell I said 2 hrs not 1.5.

but no I don't prevac, but I will move any furniture the customer wants moving

If I'm completely honest not every 3 bed house get done that quick but I did one last week in that time

the point i was trying to make to Diamond is we need to be aiming higher than £35 an hour.

[Russell Morgan]

i agree, but why dont you pre-vac, it get a lot better results when i pre-vac, and less comebacks

[Mike Halliday]

I can't remember the last time I was called back to a carpet, and I carry a commercial vac on the van but I can honestly say I don't see any difference in the final result when I have pre-vacced the carpet.

when I bonnet clean I use the vac but with the T/M I rely on the high flow to flush out all the dirt.

[craigp]

If your earning (Dimond and anyone esle) £35 an hour your never going to run a profitable business, remember your only actually in someones house cleaning 1 to 5 hrs a day, unless your real slow, so a quiet day your looking at £35 good day 175 so unless your busy all the time your going to struggle. Is that what you find?

£75 per hour is what you want minimum!!

not saying your hit it all the time but aim for that or above.

Craig

PS did not know there was a new model of the poopbuster out

[Russell Morgan]

fair enough, but just because someone can do a house in 2 hours, why lower the price for that reason, should still be same price as someone who does it in 3 hours like me, why buy expensive equipment to lower your price?

[Mike Osbourne]

I think I must be very slow compared to some of you guys, but it could be the Truckmount thing.

Sometimes just filling up buckets can be a long winded affair with dribbling pressure HW taps. Then you get custy just wanting to talk or gets in the way.

prevac & aggitation could be dispensed with in many cases if had TM

Then theres spotting, I don't know how keen I am compared to others but I can be ages here too.

Takes me 10 mins to pack up and down so that 20mins on every job. 

Oh and then there's custy going upstairs to find their chequebook 10 mins!

[craigp]

I'd allow 3 hrs for a 3 bed, maybe down to 2 if straight forward.

its not a race, sometimes if i have a good price I take my time to ensure an expeptional job.

[carlton care]

If you're good at cleaning carpets, you don't get call backs...............never had one in 25 years, but you must qualify your expectation, with the client's expectation and ensure the gulf is not too big.

I have made a habit of TELLING THE CLIENT how well their carpets have come up and TELL THEM the marks have all gone, even " that one " you had doubts about!

If you give a FALSE or EXAGGERATED EXPECTATION and fail to get a decent result, how can you expect to get repeat business, which is what a service business is built on  and how can you expect someone to pay you 4 or 5 times their own, or their partner's hourly rate.

If you LOOK THE PART and SOUND THE PART and do an excellent job and have proven yourself over at least a couple of years, you are justified in charging a higher rate than JOHNNY COME LATELY'S, including those with their little bits of paper