This question came to light following a recent telephone enquiry.
The prospective client wanted to know if I could clean a Suede Sofa. I explained that I would need to inspect it before offering a quotation, primarily to determine whether or not it was in fact genuine Suede, or an imitation.
The prospective client offered that a professional carpet cleaner had come to clean it and had promptly told him “I can’t clean that, it’s Suede and it can’t be cleaned. You’d best get rid of it.” To which I replied, “Whether or not it is genuine Suede or an imitation, both fabrics can be cleaned albeit using different methods.”
It became apparent following a few more of my questions, that the sofas were an fact an imitation Suede and not the real thing. It also became apparent that the “professional carpet cleaner” was anything but a professional. If he were, he would have been trained to identify the fabric the sofas were upholstered in and choose an appropriate cleaning protocol to restore them.
So I pressed the prospective client further. “What was it that convinced you he was a professional cleaner?” The reply quite frankly shocked me. He said “Well, he’s got a website, he’s got good reviews on Checkatrade, and he was wearing a logo’d Polo shirt.”
This got me thinking to myself: “Is this attitude common? Does everyone think someone is a qualified professional if they’ve got a website, a few good reviews and logo’d workwear?”
Let’s deal with this one at a time.
Websites. It is very easy to build yourself a website, or indeed have one built for you quite cheaply. Websites can be misleading, leading us to think we are dealing with a professional person when in fact we may not be.
Checkatrade reviews. Again, it is very easy to be misled by reviews on any site. Reviews can be left by friends and relatives to make someone appear reputable, and some listing sites can actively discourage negative reviews.
Logo’d workwear. Well, we all have to wear something to work don’t we and logo’d workwear is really cost effective. It has the added benefit of appearing to add credibility to a company. All the big companies and retailers do it, so subconsciously it builds trust without even trying.
It’s not all negative though. Many reputable tradespersons also have websites, Checkatrade reviews and logo’d workwear. But how do you separate the wheat from the chaff?
By all means do all of the above, look at their website, read their reviews and notice their appearance/uniform. You need to go a few stages further though. Ask to see their Treatment Risk Insurance Certificate. Only a properly trained cleaner is allowed to purchase Treatment Risk Insurance. Ask to see their Training Certificates and their NCCA Membership Certificate. Talk to your friends and colleagues and ask who they have used, or if they’ve heard anything about the company you’re thinking of using. Ask them for a quotation. Most properly trained and professional cleaners will not quote without visiting to assess and identify what it is that needs cleaning and to discuss the cleaning protocol that will be used. If they quote over the phone and then turn up and announce that it can’t be cleaned, chances are they are not properly trained.
So what happened to my prospective client? After an interesting telephone conversation I arranged a quotation visit. I visited and inspected to find it was as I suspected an imitation Suede. I provided a quotation which was quite a bit more than the other guy had quoted. When they got used to the price they booked the cleaning and are now a satisfied client.
Please take the time to do some homework. Find out as much as you can about the cleaner you are thinking of engaging. Ask to see the documents I mentioned. Only when you are truly satisfied that you are dealing with a qualified and trained professional, go ahead and use their service.
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