I was asked to write a positive review after the carpet cleaning service today. I have been mulling over how to write my review truthfully yet positively.
3 years ago I had my carpets cleaned by a highly reputed company who did a wonderful job and charged me $225 total. My home is 918 square feet, not all carpet. I have living, dining, hall, one 8 x 9 bedroom upstairs; a small rec room 10 x 10 area (not all furniture moved), a bedroom with only traffic area (about 14 sq ft) downstairs; plus 11 stairs.
I owned a carpet cleaning company 30 years ago so I am familiar with the business and prefer truck mount thorough cleaning.
I decided to go with Carpet Doctor this time because I won the bid on an Auction Net GC value $149 for living/dining/ hall. I paid $112 for that GC. Unfortunately I missed the GC valued at $199 for living/ dining/ hall and 3 bedrooms.
I called Oct 20 to book the appointment, was told they could get me in Oct 23 in the morning. There was some confusion and misunderstanding in the exact appointment time as I had said I had fluctuating client appointments that morning. The fellow unfortunately showed up in the middle of a client appointment, and as he was booked the rest of the day, we had to postpone until today, November 6. I made sure to be ready this time. He showed up promptly at 1030 am as agreed.
When I had originally booked the appointment, I explained that I had the $149 value GC and asked if would I be able to top up to the $199 value and just pay the extra because I have a couple rooms and stairs. I was told that would be fine. I confirmed this agreement when he started work today that I would pay the extra on top of the GC. I signed the GC and gave that to him.
The tech was professional, efficient, and got some stubborn stains out of the carpets. I was quite happy with the work done. My carpets are more than 15 years old, so I was not expecting miracles, just cleanliness.
The misunderstanding and confusion was when he gave me a bill for $259, charging me for 4 rooms at $48 each and 11 stairs at $5 each. I pointed out that the extra rooms were not 4 rooms, and not even equivalent to 4 rooms. The GC was not shown on the bill. He explained that the coupon packages are different rates, and that he meant to charge 3 rooms. He explained that the rec room and traffic area of the small room, he counted as 2 rooms. (The area cleaned IMO was not equivalent to two full bedrooms). He corrected the bill to $208.95.
I suppose I mistakenly assumed that the total cost for the living areas and rooms would be $199, plus the cost of stairs, then the $149 GC deducted. I had assumed my total bill would be approximately $250 minus the $149 GC, leaving just around $100 left to pay. I did pay the $208.95 plus I previously paid $112 ($100 + tax) for the $149 value GC. I am appreciative that the job was done well, but the calculations and cost have left me quite disappointed. It is just not worth it to buy a GC to use against the cost it seems. For the work done, I would recommend Carpet Doctor. For the cost, confusing misunderstandings and overall experience, I will go back to the previous reputable company I had used before. The point of Auction Net is to give customers a chance to try out your company at a discount. The value of the amount bid goes towards your radio advertising. In my opinion, this is not an opportunity to change your pricing and packages just because someone uses a GC.
I have put in GCs from my business to Auction net. The value of the GC and my regular fees are the same regardless of a GC, so my clients get the value the are expecting across the board.
3 months later I realize that the proprietor has changed the response from the issue of the auction certificate to mentioning that we found ONE fresh dead mouse under the couch. (I have cats). Thank you so much for pointing that out for my wellness business and the sanitary conditions here, which I do my best to uphold. Is that something to be mentioned online? NO! UNPROFESSIONAL low blow! I definitely will NOT be using your service again.