Beware cheap carpet cleaning companies. They’re not what they seem.

They didn’t clean this couch but the customer paid!

But can’t you complain?

But can’t you complain and insist they come back if they do a poor job? You can try, but remember, they’re not making much money as it is, and now you want them to come back and do it again?  Go check the reviews that are out there for these types of carpet cleaners and you’ll find that they often just ignore you. 

Just look at this Yelp review for a company doing business here on Long Island in Copiague, Amityville, Babylon, Lindenhurst, Dix Hills, Melville and about 200 other cities across the United States. If you search in Google for carpet cleaner + your town, you may see them in the top position. And that means lots of poor, unsuspecting folks are calling them for their carpet cleaning because those top positions in Google get most of the clicks. 

Check out that Yelp page linked above for this company, and you’ll see many reviews saying they couldn’t get a reply, or couldn’t get money back, or even sometimes couldn’t even get their rug back when it was taken off-site to be cleaned! 

See the customer service section below for more info. 

Are all $99 deals bad? 

I’d be amiss if I didn’t add that there are also a lot of companies who do stellar work who also offer 4 for $99 deals. 

The difference with them is usually they are really, really good at sales. They’re damn confident that before they walk out they will have sold you on $500-$1500 of services (or additional “necessary” fees such as cleaning solution or agitation to get those spots out or even travel expenses). 

And if they don’t, because they’ve sold so many $1500 deals in a day with their multitude of trucks, it may not matter that much to them. You may still get good work, and you did indeed get a deal – unless they get a commission on sales, that is, in which case, they might be rushing the job to get to the next customer, and you’ll be left with spots or soap in the fibers, or both. 

Not saying that will happen, but at prices no one can live on, it has to go one way are the other. 

In the following example, he couldn’t talk the customer into paying more, so he needs to get out quick and onto the next job.

And here is an example showing even when they manage to acquire the upsell, they still rush the job.

So how good are you at saying no? If you’re not, but you really don’t mind seeing your original quote quadruple, then go for it. It may be a good company. At least now you know what to expect.

They May Not Have Trained, Background-Checked Technicians

There’s a lot that goes into being a good carpet cleaning. It’s much more than knowing how to push a cleaning wand around. An experienced and well-trained cleaner will know the different types of carpets and how to clean each one so they don’t damage them. They’ll also know which spots need what, AND which ones are hopeless – and they’ll tell you. That’s an extra perk with reputable companies. They’re invested in developing their reputation and earning repeat clientele –  not just getting paid.

At the prices they’re charging, cheap carpet cleaning companies can’t afford to employ educated cleaners. And neither will educated cleaners work for them at the wage they’re offered. 

So who is working for them then? It could possibly be those who can’t get jobs anywhere else, and if that’s the case you should worry about their background. Paying more for your carpet cleaning could actually provide you with security. That’s something you may not have considered. 

They May Not Have IICRC or CRI Certification

The CRI approves and rates chemicals and equipment, while the IICRC has ANSI-approved standards, approves instructors, tests and certifies technicians. CRI only certifies the best so if a carpet cleaner boasts that that’s what they use, you have another reason to trust they’ll give you your money’s worth. Same goes with IICRC training. Just ask your $99 cleaner what kind of certifications they hold. If they go silent, you know where you stand with certifications. 

They May Not Have Right Equipment and Cleaning Solutions

Aside from the CRI certification, cheap companies don’t have the financial muscle to invest in high-quality equipment – not unless they tack on a lot of extra fees after they get there to cover their expenses (see below). Instead, they’ll gather up some standard cleaning tools, likely even a consumer-grade carpet cleaner you can rent at the neighborhood grocery store, detergents and other agents that might even be harmful to your carpet or your floors. Also, it’s not uncommon that they will dilute the cleaning products to save themselves money. 

You can’t possibly get the same quality of service if they use inferior tools and solutions. But if your spots are inferior, maybe that’s enough for you. It wasn’t for Gracie:

They May Not Care for Your Home

Things can go wrong. Floors can get scratched. Furniture can get dinged. After all, carpet cleaners are lugging equipment around and walking on wet floors, etc. 

Pros – those who have calculated in the time it takes to do the job right and care for your property – will handle your items with extreme care. It’s standard practice. They want to leave your home in better condition than when they arrived. 

But it takes time to be careful. If you know you’re only making minimum wage at the end of the day, how much time do you think that carpet cleaner will take to make sure your home and its belongings are properly cared for? Is that a risk you want to take?

This poor homeowner was left with a lot of water to clean up as you can see below. She sucked this up with her own carpet cleaner after they left. (Source: Yelp review)

They May Not Offer a Satisfaction Guarantee

If a company is not reputable, you won’t hear them standing behind their work with a satisfaction guarantee. And if you’re not satisfied, it’s really financially tough for them to redo the job unless you pay them again, which of course you won’t. 

Therefore, if their services don’t come with a risk-free label such as a “100% Satisfaction Guarantee”, be advised to look the other way. But be cautious anyway.

Guarantees cost a carpet cleaner time and money if they don’t do a good job. A reputable carpet cleaner with a guarantee, therefore, doesn’t want to have to come back to do it over again (and they will if it’s not right). So they make sure it’s done right the first time. They also know the value of a happy customer, and they work hard to achieve that. This means they make sure they calculate in the cost of their time to do the job right and make sure none of their clients ever has to call them back. Doesn’t mean that won’t happen even with the best, but at least the good ones can afford to take care of you. 

Cheap carpet cleaners, on the other hand, need to get onto the next job, and god forbid they have to return or they’ll be working for peanuts. They can’t afford to give you a satisfaction guarantee, certainly not stand by one. In other words, even if they have one, there is no guarantee their guarantee is what they claim it to be. 

Can they get in trouble legally if they don’t make good on a guarantee? Yes, but most people don’t think it’s worth their time to go to small claims court for $99.

They May Not Disclose All Applicable Fees

The devil is in the details! Cheap cleaners operate under zero regulations, so don’t be surprised when they charge you extra on the job. And this move of theirs is purely psychological; they’ll ask for the money at your office or home after you’ve already committed to have them there. Easier to make the sale that way. (By the way, you’re under no obligation to accept the job at that point. Just say no.)

That’s not how pros operate. A professional cleaner will send you a clear-cut, detailed, and well-explained quotation before the job starts.

Check out what happened to Arsh! Sadly, this is very, very common. 

And another (Source: Yelp review for the same company only in San Francisco): 

They May Not Have a Good Reputation

Does the company talk about previous successes? Do they have reviews and/or referrals to prove it?

If not, don’t let them into your house. There is an exception which I’ll talk about below.*

Also, be sure to check out the BBB, Better Business Bureau, website. This trade association pushes businesses to promote ethical and honest practices.  If a company is really bad, you’re going to find some complaints on their website from some very unhappy customers. Typically what you’ll find there are people trying to get their money back. Some are even trying to get their rugs back! Seriously! 

However, just because you can’t find a company on the BBB website, doesn’t mean you have a green light. It just may mean their customers don’t know about the BBB. And that’s why checking their reviews in Yelp, Google and/or Facebook is a smart idea. 

Clearly, this company made a lot of people mad: 

*The exception to hiring someone without reviews is if they are new. Of course they don’t have reviews yet, and it’s quite possible that they may even offer to do your cleaning really, really cheap so they can start to build them. Doesn’t mean they won’t do a good job! By all means help them out. Then if they do good work, leave a good review and refer them to friends. I would recommend you verify that they have a license and insurance first before you let them in your home, though.  

And for the new business owners who might be reading this, set yourself up a referral program so you can pay those customers back for helping you out! 

They May Have Poor Customer Service

Untrained, inexperienced, and cheap is the combo for bad-bad-bad service. Not saying this is true of all, but an ‘affordable’ company doesn’t mean it’s an ethical company, and if they’re not, whoever receives your complaint will have no ounce of care whatsoever. 

Ethics aside, though, think about it. They really don’t have time if they want to make a dime. A company that charges a fair price for their work has to figure in business overhead, and part of that is caring for the customer, fielding calls, doing it right the first time but even going back to fix a problem if it’s not.

TjM, sadly, didn’t hire the right carpet cleaner:

Your Carpet May Never Regain Its Former Beauty

If you fell prey to the company’s small-money talk, be prepared to live with a poor result. Cheap companies offer shoddy work, and when they combine that with inferior products, your carpet comes out of the wash looking awful. You may even need to buy a new one. Heck, if you sent your beautiful Persian rug away with them to be cleaned, you may never get it back! 

Last Words

Be Informed

A cheap carpet cleaner will pounce on a less-informed client and tell them how they will do the unimaginable to your carpet and make promises they can’t possibly keep. Don’t be that client. Be informed. Make a list of what you want to be done and be clear when expressing those needs to the carpet cleaner when you ask for a quote. Ask if there will be additional fees after they arrive. Tell them you need to know what those are now. 

Check Reviews or Get Referrals

And be sure to check their reviews. Some will have hundreds, but that doesn’t mean they’re the best. They may just have been in business longer, or they may have some tool that helps them acquire them, or they may have even bought them. (Yes. Sadly, that happens too.)  

But the company you choose should have enough good reviews for you to see a pattern and to know if you can trust them or not – like Clean ‘n’ Fresh. We have over 70 5-star reviews and would’ve had more had we had that fancy, schmancy software the other guys have to request them from their clients. Just look at some of our reviews below. We also provide links to them so you can verify they are authentic! (See our testimonials page.)