Carpet company charging for "TLC"

breaking_free

I've just ordered two rooms of carpets from Tapi and the invoice included £20 for "TLC".

I emailed to ask what this item was and received the reply: "Our TLC service covers delivery of the product plus hoovering and clearing away of any scraps of carpet and taking away. This does not include uplifting old flooring."

But here's the rub: Tapi contracts the fitting of carpets out and only supplies the materials. The fitter invoices and is paid separately by the customer (me). The carpets will be delivered by the fitter and the fitter will clean up afterwards. I would fully accept if the carpet fitter charged for TLC but can the company charge for a service it is not supplying?

MisterBaxter

Can't you just tell them that you don't want or need the TLC service and that you will vacuum and clean up the scraps yourself; then tell them they can simply remove that item from your invoice. I don't see why you would pay for something that you don't want and won't get. Be polite but firm with them. Perhaps they find a lot of customers just pay it without asking; if challenged they may just back down.

If there is a charge for delivering to the fitter then they should be up front and say so; if the charge is for something else (can't think what) then they should just say so. I'd imagine a lot of people would turn down the TLC service. If the £20 is to make up a minimum order value or something like that then it should say and should be clearly stated that they have a minimum order. It seems to me that they just want an extra £20 for something or other.

breaking_free

I'm most definitely going to challenge it as it does seem like they're charging £20 for nothing.

There's no minimum order and I will tell the fitter that I'll do all the clearing up myself.

Be interested to hear other people's opinions on this and whether a TLC charge is common in the carpeting or other industries.

daggy

Girlfriend's dad is a self-employed carpet fitter and they don't clean up scraps as part of the service, but they do usually hoover up (although the latter hasn't always been the case).

To give a bit of balance.. if they do clear them up they then need a waste disposal license as they can't rock up to the local tip in a work van for free.

It's not right that the company adds it on without asking though.

breaking_free

Info much appreciated thanks Daggy.

McKneff

Ive had many a carpet fitted in my life and have never heard of this.


Any carpet fitter has always taken away scraps and cleaned up. Any larger scraps which I could make us of I have kept.....


Robbing sods, I would certainly not be paying it.

breaking_free

UPDATE

Good news. I challenged the charge and they've told me that they "...will not charge you this one time". How very gracious of them. That's another win for this money saver. :beer:

Thanks to all who replied.

McKneff

That's a bit of a daft thing for them to say because you are not going to shop there again if the case is that they are going to charge you a fee for nothing, idiots.

firefox1956

McKneff wrote: »

Ive had many a carpet fitted in my life and have never heard of this.


Any carpet fitter has always taken away scraps and cleaned up. Any larger scraps which I could make us of I have kept.....


Robbing sods, I would certainly not be paying it.

Agreed...........
The things some outfits try & get away with these days !!!!

dbriggs

I bet only 1 person in 100 challenge them on this and the rest either don't notice or won't challenge it. To be honest, how hard is it to vacuum a carpet and clean the scraps yourself anyway?

Well done breaking_free! As you said; another win for a money saver

chappers

Carpet fitters that take the scraps away are the exception rather than the norm, in fact it's pretty much industry standard to leave the rubbish for the client.
IMHO I would happily pay £20 to get the carpet taken away, my time is worth more than that.