Whole House Special

I'm sure everyone has seen this type of advertisement, but is it what it says it is? Yes and no! Let's break this down and find out exactly how this works. Keep in mind it can be a bit confusing (and it is meant to be, on their part) so if at any time you get lost or lose interest, scroll to the bottom of this article for the "Instant Solution".

Thanks for reading,

Frank

Alright, lets say the ad states something like this (by the way, as of the publishing of this article, it is a real and current, yearly running ad!).

"Whole House Special $299.00" (up to 6 rooms) (it reads in barely legible print!)

Ok, so you have 3 bedrooms, a Living room, Family room and a Dining room you want cleaned (so far, YES!), but wait, there's more fine print! (Maximum room size 150 sq. ft.) (I know i'm getting older but, no joke, I could barely even read this with a magnifier! Intentional?). Now the real fun begins!

First we have to do some math here to figure out the cost per square foot.

Multiply number of rooms allowed by the square footage allowed per room (6rms x 150sq. ft. = 900 sq. ft.). This is your total square footage allowed under the "special" price.
Now divide the "Special" price by the total square footage allowed ($299.00/900 sq. ft. = .33¢ sq.ft.). This is your "cost per square foot". Hold on to this number as we will be using it further down the line.

Next we look at the rooms to be cleaned to see if we fall under the "Special" price. Keep in mind that this is just an example and your room sizes will vary, but I am using realistic numbers here. As a matter of fact, I am using numbers in the middle range, for demonstration purposes, not the upper end of room sizes.

The two smaller bedrooms are usually 10ft.x10ft = 100sq. ft. (YES)
Master bedroom: 12ft. x 18 ft. = 216sq. ft. (Uh oh..NO) (over by 66sq. ft.)
Living room 12ft.x15ft. = 180sq. ft. (NO) (over by 30sq. ft.)
Family room 12ft. x 12ft. = 180sq. ft. (NO) (over by 30sq. ft.)
Dining room 12ft. x 15ft. = 180sq. ft. (NO) (over by 30 sq. ft.)

So what happens to that "over by" square footage? Remember that number I told you to hold on to (.33¢)? ? This is when it comes into play! Again we need to do some math (isn't this just fun!).

Add together your "over by" footage (66+30+30+30 = 156sq. ft.). This is what is not included in the price since it is over the 150sq. ft. per room allowed.
Multiply the "over by" and the "cost per square foot" (156sq, ft. x .33¢ per sq, ft. = $51.48). This is your total overage on your "Special" price.
Add the result to your "Special" ($51.48+$299.00 = $350.48).
This is now your new "Special" price! $350.48

But wait, we are not done yet! I think you forgot a couple of things so lets add them in now, and oh yeah, they forgot to tell you, those stairs leading to the bedrooms you want cleaned....they aren't allowed to count as a room. they are priced seperately!

Stairs: 13 steps x $3.00 each = $39.00
Upstairs hallway off stairs: 3ft. x 15ft. = 45sq. ft. x .33¢ = $14.85
Downstairs hallway 3ft. x 15ft. = 45sq. ft. x .33¢ = $14.85
Add those to your "New" "Special" price for a Grand Total of $419.18

Now isn't that Special! And Confusing! And Costly! ( and I hope you don't have an in-law apartment as that would not be considered a seperate house and every room would count as being over the maximum rooms allowed and you will be charged the full price for each room).

"Instant Solution"

Do yourself a favor, and just call Frank at (603)493-2125 with your room measurements and I will give you an exact; no extras; no surprises quote for your carpet and upholstery cleaning needs.

(I love this, here comes the infomercial part)..but wait,... there's more.....If you call in the next 10 minutes, all first time customers will receive a 20% discount off your total cleaning cost. (Sorry, I couldn't help myself, I always wanted to say that, but it is true! Not the 10 minutes part though, please call at your convenience!).

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