Who are you inviting into your home?

Ask the Experts. Hiring Omaha Carpet Cleaners? Who did you invite into your home?

By Scot Morris

I recently sent an email blast out to our carpet cleaning customers educating them and even warning them about an alarming trend in internet coupons. The coupons themselves are not the problems, and in fact they are terrific. The companies making the offers are where I focus my caution. We all know that we live in the information age, but even with more information available, people seem to be making less informed decisions. Please be careful about who you invite into your home!

The internet coupon trend is soaring. We have all seen them. And chances are most of us are subscribing to one or more services that email out daily specials. The idea is really terrific, and I cannot even find fault with the practice. These daily special deals are an interesting and effective way to introduce new customers to almost any business. I like the idea and I too participate as a service provider and as a consumer. My caution goes back to basic rule that we have all been taught for years. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

Many of the businesses offering services on the coupon sites are legitimate, reputable companies employing these discount programs as part of an overall marketing plan. The specials that are run present a great deal for the consumer, and the business is willing to offer something tangible, even at an initial loss, in order to introduce themselves to new, and hopefully repeat customers. As always however, it is up to the consumer to find out who they are going to be dealing with.

I have received an increasing number of calls over the past few months from people who have purchased a carpet cleaning package coupon from companies they never heard of, only to be disappointed and even shocked by what they received. One individual called me to see if I could come fix a sticky carpet left by a guy who showed up in his car, to clean her carpet, carrying a bucket. I am not kidding! She said she had gone to the company website and it looked great.

Professional looking websites, and the appearance of legitimacy are only a few clicks away on the internet. Websites are marketing tools, and can be quickly and inexpensively created to share almost any information whether it is accurate and true or not. Consumers must do their homework. My company offers a Consumer’s Guide absolutely free, to anyone who requests it. The purpose of the guide is help anyone thinking about hiring a carpet cleaner to know exactly what questions to ask. What method do they use? What certifications do they hold? Do they have references? Do they guarantee their work?

My advice is to be careful about what you buy on the internet, and be especially careful when hiring someone to do Omaha carpet cleaning, about who you invite to provide services inside your home. Be skeptical, be careful, and be informed!