Consumer Advice About Carpet Cleaners

Advice on how to avoid Rogue Traders

There are many good, honest, law abiding carpet cleaning businesses with a good knowledge of practical cleaning solutions, health and safety issues and their legal obligations and there are those who are less than all of those things.

Whilst it has to be acknowledged that not all good carpet and upholstery cleaners belong to the National Carpet Cleaners Association, the consumer should consider using carpet and upholstery cleaning technicians who have undergone and passed a training program like that of the NCCA and whose insurance credentials have been checked as meeting the minimums consumers should expect.

Here are some key issues which may help you decide how you chose a carpet cleaner:

• NCCA members have taken and passed exams in the subjects of carpet and upholstery cleaning.

• IICRC registered technicians have taken additional exams in additional subjects
  (but may also have taken IICRC carpet and upholstery cleaning exams).

• Woolsafe members have taken and passed exams in the specific field of wool fibre technology.

• NCCA members have insurance cover for
            a. Public and employer liability insurance
            b. Treatments Risk or Products Liability
                (this is the insurance cover for the item being worked on)

• One good final check before you let a technician into your home is to ask for Method Statements, Risk assessment and COSHH sheets or MSDS’s for each and every chemical solution on his van no matter how safe they may be. (COSHH – Control of Substances Hazardous to Health) (MSDS – Material Safety Date Sheet) If he has none on his van he is in serious breach of Health and Safety law. It is not good enough to have these at the office. They must be on the van.

Always Check

Always check your carpet and upholstery cleaning technicians credentials:

• Ask for a copy of their Treatments Risk (or Products Liability) Insurance policy cover note.

• Ask for their NCCA membership card or other NCCA identification.

• If in doubt contact the NCCA office or look up the NCCA’s website to validate the technicians membership.

• All NCCA members have a membership number which is required to be displayed with the NCCA logo and registered trademark. If they do not, contact the NCCA office or look up the NCCA’s website to validate the technicians membership.

• The NCCA logo cannot be used by any carpet cleaner who does not meet the NCCA’s current membership criteria. Membership criteria are intended to ensure that businesses in this industry meet minimum standards for the consumer. Carpet Cleaners claiming that they were previously trained by the NCCA or that they were former members of the NCCA should not be using the NCCA name or logo to promote their business.

• Ask for Method Statements, risk Assessments and COSHH or MSD sheets.

Remember, there will always be rogue traders who will try to convince you that they are trained technicians and affiliated to organisations like the NCCA, Woolsafe and the IICRC. The above checks should cover you adequately.

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Insurances

Many carpet cleaners go into this business because it seems an easy business to get in to. This would not be a million miles from the truth but as with most things, there is much more to these things when you look into them.

Other than the fact that Health and Safety law applies to all businesses, the law also requires a business to be insured. Unfortunately, most small businesses believe that public liability insurance is all they need. What they often forget or do not realise is that insurance cover for the potential financial losses incurred by the consumer for damage done to items they are commissioned to work on needs separate cover. That level of cover is optional and the lack of it means that where this insurance cover is not provided, in the event of a claim, the company and the customer have to come to a settlement which sometimes means going to court.

All members of the NCCA must provide details of their insurance policy to the NCCA every year to have their membership renewed. The specific insurance cover they are required to submit proof of is known as “Treatments Risk” or “Products Liability Insurance”.

Is “Products liability”/”Treatments risk” enough?

In our view it is not. The typical carpet cleaning business will take out the minimum. Here is a check list which ensures our cover is adequate for our customers. (Please note that these are specified in our insurance policy).

VCRS Limited - Treatment Risk/Products liability Insurance.  Policy covers:

• Carpet Cleaning

• Commercial Carpet Cleaning

• Upholstery Cleaning

• Curtain Cleaning

• Leather cleaning

• Transportation of curtains to and from customer site
  (single article limit of £2,000, total value limit of £5,000)

• Oriental rug cleaning

• Transportation of oriental rugs to and from customer site
  (single article limit of £5,000, total value limit £10,000)

• Storage of customer curtains and rugs (limits as above)

• Application of carpet and upholstery treatments (including protectors,
  flame retardants, dust mite treatments, anti-static treatments and insect proofing)

• Carpet repair

• Carpet re-installation

• Tile Cleaning

• Water Damage Restoration of buildings and contents (insurance work)

We carry a copy of our policy in each van for customer inspection. If we come across work which is outside our insurance cover, we contact our insurers with the specific details of the job and increase our cover accordingly.

Protect your investment in your soft furnishings and your property. Check your tradesman’s credentials. Don’t take their word for it.