Can I negotiate a housecleaner's quote?

[cdlamis]

Is it rude and not acceptable since she already quoted me a price?
I had a housecleaner come by today and she quoted $95/every 2 weeks which is higher compared to other quotes of $70-80. She seems nice and responsible- haven't seen her work yet. She comes well recommended by a friend but is it worth the extra $50/month? Can I ask her to come down to $80/every 2 weeks?

Any suggestions? TIA!

Daniella
Mom to Julia 6/02
and Bella 12/04

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[LD92599]

I would. What have you got to lose?

Laura
Will is three...and doesn't sleep :-(

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[kijip]

Fine for any future cleanings but if she cleaned today, I think you need to pay her the $95. I would pay her and say something like "I love your work and really want to have you back, however the other quotes I have recieved are $75/two weeks, would you be willing to reduce your price for future cleanings to say $80?" If she says no, then you can decide if she is worth the extra money. You could always have a cheaper service do the next cleaning and compare. She might actually be worth more $$.

[jgriffin]

You could try to negotiate a lower price, but be prepared for her to say no. My housecleaner was just telling me last week that she went to someone's house for an interview recently. After quoting them her weekly price, the potential client said something like "Well, our neighbor gets his house cleaned for $xx a week," implying that her quote was too high. Her response to that was that he should ask his neighbor who cleans his house and get that person instead. (I know she sounds really bitchy, but in her defense this couple sounded pretty rude overall, and this was just too much.)

She may be worth the extra $50. I know our housecleaner charges more per visit than a service, but she is dependable and knows our house and our habits. Since you got a recommendation, ask your friend why she thinks this person is worth the extra money.

[ajmom]

I negotiated once and the housekeeper agreed, we set up a day for her to clean and she never showed up, never returned a phone call, nothing. Guess she didn't want to negotiate after all.

I have also chosen a housekeeper recently. One lady was going to charge about $15 a week more than the going rate. IMHO, there are enough people out there that you shouldn't get overcharged. If you're willing to pay it, then by all means... Personally, I'll find someone else more reasonable.

[oliviasmomma]

I don't think it is rude at all. DH owns a landscape and lawn service and his prices are generally a bit higher than some of the places out there. He will negotiate sometimes, but when people ask him to reduce his price and it isn't an option, he explains why. The housekeeper might be factoring in work that other services consider "extra". The other issue is reliability--DH feels that the fact that he is highly reliable and does quality work warrants a premium. You want someone who will be there every week at the appointed time--often the person who is reliable charges more because they are approaching it with a business attitude and value the service they provide.

Maybe have a written quote or two handy when you talk to her and make sure you're on the same page as far as the work to be done.

[dhano923]

It depends -- is she going to do things that most cleaning ladies don't do, like cleaning the fridge, laundry or windows? Do you have a lot of stairs in your house? Or does your house take longer to clean (like mine) because it's dustier/more hair on the floors, etc?

You can always ask her for a lower price, but I would tell her that you've gotten a couple other quotes of $80, so you're wondering how she came to the $95 figure. It's possible she does some things on a regular basis that the other ladies only do once in a while or when requested.

[dhano923]

It depends -- is she going to do things that most cleaning ladies don't do, like cleaning the fridge, laundry or windows? Do you have a lot of stairs in your house? Or does your house take longer to clean (like mine) because it's dustier/more hair on the floors, etc?

You can always ask her for a lower price, but I would tell her that you've gotten a couple other quotes of $80, so you're wondering how she came to the $95 figure. It's possible she does some things on a regular basis that the other ladies only do once in a while or when requested.