Over the last year, we’ve seen a change in the residential AC cleaning market in the UAE. A few of our competitors have begun to do something rather strange…… Charge for Inspections!
Weird Huh? For example, if you wanted to know how much new curtains would cost; or how much a new sofa would cost, would you feel comfortable in paying money upfront in order to know how much the price would be?
No Chance!
The theory behind this, however, is (somewhat) logical.
As a service company, we undertake a lot of inspections. Some are won; some are lost and some go nowhere. This is business in general. You never win all the potential work that you quote for. The famous phrase goes “You have to speculate to accumulate” meaning that you must outlay some degree of risk in the chance that may not win the work, to bid for work. A charge of AED 500 for someone to come and give you a quotation at least lessens the risk that, as a company your time is not totally wasted. They do however knock the inspection fee off the total quote amount.
We recently came across two examples of service companies in Dubai (lets call them company X), where this strategy did not go so well for the customer:
Example 1
A client in Jumeirah (Dubai) had a wardrobe that was covered in mold at the rear and in addition a wet wall caused by a leaking pipe. Quite a widespread problem, the client called a company X who said they specialized in Mold cleaning (which wasn’t all true since they weren’t NADCA certified). This company came to her house, inspected the room and charged AED500 for the inspection. Company X said they would send the quote the next day.
A day passed by and the quote still had not arrived. The client got in touch with the inspector who said they would send the quote. Another day passed. The inspector said she was busy and would send it later that day. Another day goes by and another excuse. Finally, after 10 days of waiting for the quote, the client called us, for a trusted mold cleaning service, and a day later the job was completed. Unfortunately, the client was down AED500 before she started and still never got the quote and report.
Example 2
A client in JLT (Dubai) had mold in a kitchen cupboard; below their sink and in their AC system. The client called company X, who inspected the property, produced a simple report and quotation. This was then sent to the client. However, it was twice the market price for similar work. Now, put yourself in the position of the client. Since they have already paid AED500 towards the work and made a financial investment, they are basically being forced to use company X. This is even before you start asking:
- Is the scope correct?
- Is the price competitive?
- Are they qualified to conduct the work?
A bad experience could leave a client with a negative notion of how the industry works, which is why, we, at Envida, make sure to put our customers as the first priority and work with complete transparency, which makes us who we are!
To avoid such bad experience while looking our for your home maintenance services in the UAE, here are some tips from us:
1. First, Do Not Pay for An Inspection
A good company will always back themselves to win your work. Because they simply believe they are the best.
2. Always contact a NADCA certified company
Be it for Mold cleaning, AC Duct cleaning, Kitchen duct cleaning or a simple inspection; all NADCA certified companies have to sign up to a code of ethics. If this code is broken, a member has to be held accountable and can lose their license. You can check NADCA certified companies here.
3. Get Referrals and References
In this day and age, the internet can be your best friend when you are looking out for a referral. Don’t be afraid to look on Facebook and check with your friends/ colleagues to see who is good. Chances are one of them have had problems with their AC/ Mold or some other Indoor Air Quality Complaint.
4. You can always check the NADCA website for purchasing advice (click here for a homeowners guide) or call us for advice, we don’t charge 😉
So in conclusion, we’d like to add that you must not only check the certification of a company but also its values. At Envida, our promise is to make sure you’re in the right hands and well taken care of, when it comes to all your Indoor Air quality services.