Spring cleaning season is well and truly underway, and many of us like to include a professional clean of our floors and carpets in our annual deep cleanse. However, not every carpet cleaning company actually does what they claim to do on their websites, and their too-good-to-be-true prices are just that – too good to be true! Unfortunately, this is an industry that’s largely unregulated, and it’s far too easy to sign up for much more than you bargained for. Here are some of the most common carpet cleaning scams you should be aware of.
1. The bond guarantee
Many professional home cleaning services promote a ‘get your bond back guarantee’ on their websites that claim if you use their services, you will 100 per cent get your bond back, OR the company will reimburse you the cost of the cleaning. This is a tricky little deal that almost never pans out in the renter’s favour. There’s usually a whole lot of fine print, criteria and clauses that will negate the deal so they never have to pay you back a dollar.
2. Too good to be true prices and deals
If you’ve seen an unbelievable deal online, such as three rooms professionally cleaned for one low price – buyer beware! While they make this claim online, once they show up to clean your carpets they may claim the rooms are too large to be covered by the online deal, leaving you significantly out of pocket. ALWAYS try to get the deal in writing, and ask how much the job will cost before they so much as plug a vacuum in. If you aren’t happy with it, or it isn’t the agreed upon price, feel free to send them on their way.
3. Eco-friendly products
The green scene of cleaning is one that is rapidly growing in Australia, however eco-friendly cleaning products tend to be a little more expensive that their chemical-laden alternatives. Due to this, cleaning services that claim to be ‘green’ will continue to use chemical-based cleaners, or swap a few of the more expensive green products for cheaper synthetic versions without clarifying this with their clients. If you’re very specific about having your home cleaned with eco-friendly products, ask the company what brand of cleaners they use, and do a little research before hiring them.
4. “It’ll look better dry”
If a carpet cleaner tries to tell you the carpet will look cleaner once dry, or the stain will be less visible once the carpet is dry, they’re lying. Wet carpet actually has a much more uniform colour that hides stains more adeptly that dry carpet. If you can still see a stain on the carpet, or you’re unhappy with how it looks wet, don’t pay any invoices until you’ve seen the carpet dry, just to ensure you are, in fact, getting what you paid for.
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