Bait and Switch Common in Carpet Cleaning

Minneapolis, MN, August 17--- Scam artists are prevalent in many service industries, but the carpet cleaning industry has more than its share. If you get scammed by an unscrupulous carpet cleaner, you lose your money but you could also end up with a house lined with ruined carpet, according to the Pioneer Press. Carpet cleaning is one area you want to trust only to a professional carpet cleaners that charge "by the room" are the bane of the industry. They advertise with coupons that promise "Three Rooms and a Hall, just $24.95." Do not believe this. Those coupons just scream "bait and switch." The cleaners will arrive and start charging extra for pre-treatment, for every spot, for deodorizer, flea control, stain protectant and all kinds of unimaginable add-ons. And what happens if you don't agree to the new price that can be 10 times the price on the coupon? Vengeful coupon carpet cleaners have been known to soak the carpet with dirty water and leave without extracting it, or spray sticky detergent on the spots and then have an unexpected emergency call them away. Reputable carpet cleaners typically charge by the square foot and usually don't give you a price over the phone. They measure each room first and then give you a detailed, written estimate. A cleaner who tries to give you a price over the phone is not a professional. Good cleaners include pretreatments and spot cleaning in their price. They vacuum your carpets before they get started. The cleaners you want will prop your furniture up on little blocks (for no additional charge) to give the carpets a chance to dry. Find out the type of equipment the service will be using in your home. The most experienced cleaners have truck-mounted equipment with extraction capabilities that leaves the cleaned carpet nearly dry to the touch. Carpet that remains wet for a period of time can develop mildew, which will make you yearn for the days when your carpet was merely dirty. So, how can you find a reputable, professional carpet cleaner that will give you excellent service and stand behind his or her work with a money-back guarantee? Get a referral from a friend or neighbor. Or call your local Chamber of Commerce. Reputable organizations get involved in their communities and have solid reputations. Check with the Institute of Inspection, Cleaning and Restoration Certification at www.iicrc.org to see if those referrals are listed or to find one in your ZIP code. Or call the institute's toll-free consumer help line at 800-835-4624 to locate a certified cleaner in your area. Interview a couple of companies before making your decision. Ask open-ended questions about the kind of equipment they use, how they charge, what their estimated dry time is, what products they place under furniture legs after cleaning, what type and brand of cleaning product they use and so forth. Being a savvy consumer is hard work, but the payoff is worth the effort. You'll fully appreciate that the next time you have your carpet cleaned, you'll know exactly what to look for and whom to trust.

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