I few days ago I watched a video on YouTube about a carpet cleaning scam in the States. Carpet cleaning companies were leafleting residential homes with cheap offers of $9.95 a room. Well, here comes the good part of the test. NBC Action News reporters hid cameras in a house and… started calling the numbers on the leaflets inviting 4 carpet cleaners to come and quote for the cleaning of 2 rooms.
All carpet cleaning companies, apart from one (don’t forget that they all advertised their services at $9.95 per room), quoted prices much higher that $9.95 per room. Prices varied between $60.00 – $385.00!!!
When asked why they quoted more than $9.95 per room their explanation was that cheap price was for basic carpet cleaning only! However they did not explain what a basic clean was. Hmm… Strange.
Similar scams are being run in the UK. Have you seen the “half price”, “for 2 weeks only in your area” carpet cleaning leaflets (they all seem to look one and the same, don’t they) charging £9.99 per room or a whole 3 bed house fo £39.99? Same thing. When you call the “carpet cleaners” they will either quote a significantly higher price (the normal price for that job 
) or just wet your carpets with pure water going through the whole house for under 20 minutes. When asked why the difference in the price the answer is : this is the price for a basic clean with water only or you have pets and it makes it more difficult or some other ridiculous excuse.
Be careful who let in your home to clean your valuable carpets and upholstery. I have heard stories much worse than the average overpricing. Some of those “carpet cleaners” are not carpet cleaners at all but con artists who make a living stealing, deceiving and blackmailing people. My advice is to call a reputable carpet cleaning company member of the National Carpet Cleaners Association. If in doubt (some companies tend to use the NCCA logo without being members at all) call the NCCA or visit their website www.ncca.co.uk.
More information can be found in Anyclean’s consumer guide.
