Resources + Tips

10 Tips to Avoid Carpet Cleaning Scams

Unfortunately, the carpet cleaning industry attracts a lot of scammers. They seek out consumers in search of a good deal, and may use heavy handed sales tactics to walk away with your money. At best they may leave you with a poor cleaning job, and at worst, significant damage to your home.

Home services scams come in many forms, but the top three we hear about are:

Online & Social Media Scams

Kijiji and online Facebook buy/sell groups are favourite places for scammers online. They may use a legitimate or well known company name, but insist that you communicate with them through a Facebook profile or email address that does not seem linked to the company. If they are offering a deal that seems too good to be true, and asking for a credit card deposit to secure your appointment, it’s a good idea to avoid.

High Pressure, Illegal Telemarketing

If you are on the Canada Do Not Call Registry, and receive a telephone call from a company who you have never done business with, it is illegal, and a sign that the company is not above board.

Door to Door Sales Scammers

Scammers may come door to door offering a deal that is too good to be true, only to pressure you to buy confusing upgrades, or they may insist on coming inside, and then pressure you into high priced services without giving you time to think. Most reputable companies do not use door to door sales, but if they do, will have uniformed employees with official IDs, and a company vehicle with identifying logos.

Things to consider when choosing a carpet cleaning or furnace & duct cleaning provider, or if you are concerned you may be dealing with a scammer:

Check out their reputation – look at a number of sources – the BBB tracks the reputation of members and non-members and provides a rating based on what they find, as well as based on consumer complaints and reviews. Review sites such as Google, Yelp, and Homestars can show you not only what customers are saying, but how the company responds when a customer has a complaint.

Insist on talking to them on the phone. A legitimate company will be able to provide a local number to reach them during business hours.

Choose a company who has a quality/satisfaction guarantee.

If you suspect a company may not be legitimate, request a WCB Clearance letter to show that they have obtained the proper insurance to do work for you.

Request the company’s GST number and verify they are registered in the Government of Canada GST Registry

Call your city’s business license department to confirm if they are licensed to operate in your city.

NEVER provide credit card or paypal deposit online to secure a carpet or furnace cleaning appointment. In Alberta there are strict rules around pre-paying for services.

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What Our Customers Have To Say

Excellent work on a major set of carpet issues that were severely underloved as a result of pets, kids, and life in general. Nick did a really great job getting them to their best level and I'm really pleased with the result!Services: Clean area rugs, Clean carpet

- Lara Ripkens

The technicians who came to our home were extremely courteous and conscientious. They did a fantastic job and completed the job very efficiently. Our carpet looks brand new! Will definitely use Alberta Carpet Cleaning again.

- Tania Hrebicek

Excellent service and great quality results! Ronald was professional, polite, and provided the absolute BEST carpet cleaning service I have ever had. A couple other companies took no precautions to protect flooring, corner casings/baseboards, or banisters resulting in damage and my long hiatus from doing a long overdue cleaning. Alberta Carpet Cleaning and Ronald were beyond reproach and their guarantee - guarantees it! He laid drop mats to protect the tiled floors, placed corner guards where required, and even raked all carpets when finished, not leaving any footprints! I had 5 spaces done, which included stairs, one chair/stool and StainShield will protect them until the next cleaning is needed. My carpets are "like new." Thank you, Alberta Carpet and Ronald. I recommend you without hesitation and will ONLY use your services going forward. A very particular and satisfied customer.Services: Clean carpet, Clean upholstery

- Linda Keep

We've had our carpets cleaned by Alberta Carpet Cleaning twice in the last 3 months. Back in May we had our carpets cleaned for the first time since we bought our house 8 years ago. Our carpets smelled like animal pee. we recently got a dog and she peed on the floor multiple times so we asked for the bio chemical treatment. The gentlemen that did our cleaning was on time and very nice. However he was not here very long, 30 minutes at the most from start to finish. Our carpets were left soaking wet and they took many, many days for them to completely dry, and when they did they were crusty to step on. The positive was that our carpets didn't stink at all any more! The bio chemical treatment really does work. We decided to get our carpets cleaned for a second time before winter hits. Alfredo showed up on time and was very nice. He was here for about an hour from start to finish. We asked for the bio chemical treatment again that we really didn't need but I like the smell of it. Our carpets were completely dry the next evening and the now look and feel brand new. Alfredo did a fantastic job and we were very happy with the work he did.Services: Clean carpet, Remove pet stains & odors

- Tahnee Cardinal

These guys provided extremely good customer service. Right from the time I phoned them to make an appointment to showing up to do the work, and an after service call to make sure everything was to my satisfaction.I highly recommend them the next time you need carpets cleaned. Very, very courteous and professional.Service: Clean carpet

- Todd Junck

Had carpets cleaned by Alberta Carpet Cleaning. They did a great job. The technician, Mark, was very personable and professional. He got the job done efficiently and was very friendly. Carpets look great!I had rebooked my appointment, and that process was really easy too. They also do Saturday appointments, which is really helpful!I'll be using them again in the future.

- Katherina Hynes