A rugged looking man knocked on the door of my Outer Banks home and asked if he could give an estimate to clean my carpet. The man looked the job over and quoted me an attractive price. I replied, “Okay, that sounds good. Do you have insurance?” In his feeble attempt to cover my objection he stated, “I had insurance, but it got too expensive. I dropped it to keep my prices down.” I politely smiled and said I’d call him if I needed him.
No insurance? If the price is several hundred dollars cheaper it may sound like an attractive offer. But think about this: If he can’t afford insurance, can he afford to buy you new carpet if he ruins your carpeting? Even worse, don’t you think his family will sue you if he gets severely hurt while on your property?
And what are the chances that he knows how to properly clean carpet if he can’t afford insurance? Chances are, if he doesn’t have the money for insurance, he also doesn’t have money for proper equipment, proper training, etc. You really do get what you pay for.
If he doesn’t have insurance, I can just about assure you he has no workman’s compensation on himself. You can be sued if he gets hurt. If he doesn’t have insurance, you are providing the insurance for him with the discount he is giving you.
So, the question you should ask yourself is…
“Do I want to insure this man?”
Many contractors will lie and claim to have insurance when they do not. It is not unreasonable for a homeowner to ask to see a copy of an insurance deck sheet. Check the dates on the sheet to assure they are current. If it is a large job or a situation where you are at high risk, ask the contractor to have his insurance company send or fax you a current insurance certificate. This will assure you the contractor has not let his insurance lapse. Many unethical contractors put a down payment on liability insurance just to get an insurance deck sheet and fail to continue to pay their payments.
Insurance isn’t the only important factor. But, it is a good place to start.
Make sure he is NOT a criminal
Anyone can easily get in the cleaning business. There are over 40 carpet cleaning companies in the Outer Banks area. Career criminals often take side jobs as carpenters, drywall hangers, painters, and YES, even carpet cleaners. It’s one thing to have a criminal working in your yard. It’s a different fear when the criminal is working inside your house. Do a basic Internet search on the person who owns the company. As well, make sure the company has done complete background checks on all employees entering your home.
I once had a young fellow come to my office to apply for a cleaning technician position. He had plenty of experience working for another popular cleaning company on the Outer Banks. I spoke with him and informed him that we always do complete background tests and drug screening before we hire.
He had a felony record
He admitted he had a felony record for burglary, for which he served prison time four years ago. I couldn’t believe another cleaning company hired this guy with a felony burglary record. Working in an office, construction, or one of a thousand different jobs would be suitable, but NOT working in homes. People can indeed change. But, giving someone who has a felony record of burglary a job that requires him to work inside a home is NOT a good idea.
Don’t take it for granted. Know who you are hiring to be in your home. Make sure they are insured so you won’t be paying the bill if anything goes wrong.
If you can’t remove the spot, call us at 252-255-1477 – Outer Banks number.
We’ll fit you in our schedule.
You’ll get a trained technician armed our 12 step cleaning process as well as our 12 specialty spot removers to remove your stains. The technician sent out to your home is a spot removal specialist. It’s what he does all day.
So give us a try. It’s a lot better than staring at a HUGE ugly stain the rest of the time you have your carpet. Hire a cleaning company with a great reputation.
We Serve All of the Outer Banks…
