In Anchorage, along with every other city in the US, carpet cleaning and rug cleaning is one of the most competitive industries to be in. There are quite a few people doing it and there are a lot of people who need their carpets cleaned.
Many carpet cleaners anchorage come and go in this particular niche. A large percentage of the local carpet cleaners will do anything they can to get a new customer. Some of them are less than ethical (ie. the bait and switch). The more informed you are as a customer the better position you will be in.
The bail and switch technique, as mentioned earlier, is a common trick many local carpet cleaning companies in Anchorage use. What is it? Since the market is competitive there is tremendous pressure to beat the other guy’s price. A business will advertise really low rates to get people to call them and schedule appointments. Later on though they are charged something completely different.
Keep in mind that when you see an extremely low rate there is most likely something up. No full size home in Anchorage can have its carpets cleaned for less than $200. If you see a lower price then you are setting yourself up if you fall for it.
You can find a lot of reviews about companies online. The BBB is a great place to look. I love that organization though I refuse to join. I just cannot see paying almost $500 a year to be part of their “elite” organization. If it were a little bit more reasonable I would jump on it but they are gauging small businesses.
Here is some further advice.
When you call us, or any other carpet cleaner, do not just ask how much they charge.
Spell out in detail the job you need them to do.
This includes
- when was the last time you had your carpets cleaned
- time and date you would like the service done
Only after you give a carpet cleaning Anchorage business all the necessary details can he give you an honest and fair quote you both can live with. It is not pleasant at all when I am given HALF the information I need to make an honest estimate and I end up having to raise the prices later because I found out there was more to it then I realized.
Hopefully you have been educated by this post, or tirade, and will be in a better position to pick the best carpet cleaner this city has to offer.
Speaking of bait and switch, this is the reason I do not trust phone books. They do kind of the same thing. A large phone book company (3rd largest) in Anchorage called the Ram has been caught in alleged advertising fraud. Apparently they told their customers, small businesses, that they were going to distribute a certain amount of phone books. Well guest what? They lied. To cut costs they reduced their books by half and did not bother to tell anyone (wonder why?).
Ah, the old bait and switch…..
I guess the more things change they still always stay the same, even in Alaska.
