HELPFUL HINTS WHEN HIRING A HOARDING CLEANUP COMPANY:
A good company will rely on their knowledge, experience and customer service to attract and book new clients. However, on the other side of the coin, when hiring a hoarding cleanup company you will have companies who will try underhanded tactics to book a job. It is unfortunate, but we have seen it happen, to the great dissatisfaction of the client. This goes for any industry.
This is not to say that “everyone is bad except us.” To the contrary, there are certainly a number of good companies out there. We have simply provided some tips and things to watch out for when seeking a hoarding cleanup company to provide hoarding clean-up services, so that you are not taken advantage of and that you get the best service we’re sure you want.
1) Some hoarding cleanup companies will “low-ball” estimates. They may tell you it will take 3 days at $X. Initially, this seems like a good deal until they begin work and tell you something along the lines of “it’s worse than we thought. It’s going to take us longer and will cost you more money.” Any hoarding clean up company worth its salt should be able to determine fairly closely, if not exactly, how long a hoarding clean out will take and how much it’s going to cost. Get an exact price and make sure they are going to stick to that price.
2) Another tactic some companies will try this: They bring a big truck or dumpster and tell you it will cost $X per truck load (or dumpster). Again, this may seem like a low price until you find out – when it’s too late to decline – that it took 15 truck loads to complete the hoarding clean-out. Again, get an exact price and ensure they will stick to it.
3) Beware of companies that tell you “this is a Stage X hoarding situation,” or somehow try to classify your situation. A true hoarding cleanout company has no business classifying anyone or any hoarding situation, and honestly shouldn’t even care. They’re there to tell you if they can do the job and how much it will cost. They may compare it to other jobs they’ve dealt with, which is fine, but they are most likely not licensed psychologists and so have no right diagnosing or classifying anyone. If they do try this, chances are they are just trying to impress you with fancy lingo.
4) Every hoarding situation is different. There may be a number of similarities between hoarding scenes, but the circumstances are different, and almost every client’s needs and wants are different. A good hoarding cleaning company will find out what you want done and adjust their scope of work accordingly. Steer clear of companies who tell you what needs to be done as they may just be adding additional and needless work at a greater cost to you. You may want to ask their opinion of what needs to be done and their take on it may be spot on, but watch out for those who enforce their opinions on you.
5) Some people request references before hiring a hoarding cleaning company. This is perfectly normal and is advisable in any situation where you are not sure of a company. Any experienced hoarding cleanup company should have a supply of references easily accessible.
6) Posting photos, this is a tough one because potential clients want to see before and after photos, rightfully. We believe that in our industry these things should be private, almost every person to call in for hoarding cleanup has been embarrassed, ashamed or overwhelmed. We wouldn’t want the most embarrassing details of our lives posted on the net for the entire world to see, so we won’t post our clients’. It’s one thing to show photos to someone else going through the same or a similar hoarding situation, but it’s entirely different to post photos for the world to see and judge, criticize or form opinions about. Sure, we are very proud of our work and would love to share it – but as a point of integrity, courtesy and respect we only do so upon request by potential clients and with our client’s permission. Our clients are very welcome to post their job photos on our Facebook page, yelp page etc. But we don’t do it.
Cendecon not only provides the above guidelines, but also, as you would expect, follows them. Our estimates are always an exact price and on a “Not-to-Exceed” basis. We realize that hoarding can be a sensitive situation not only for the hoarder, but also for any family or friends that may be dealing with it and, as each hoarding situation is different, we tailor each of our estimates according to each individual client’s needs.
We are available for and encourage any questions you may have regarding our services or hoarding cleanup services in general. Call us today.
If you are looking for a hoarding cleanup company call us at(877) 800-8110.
