Central Chem-Dry

This is a response to "Overexpensive ..." . I am Diane Baker, owner of the company. As we run the company ourselves, I talked to this customer to set up the appointment and to try and resolve these issues. I am very sorry that he was not happy. We have built our business on repeat customers, so this is a very unusual occurence. We used the Chem-Dry Legacy system to clean his carpet. This system has been perfected by Chem-Dry for over 30 years. Our procedure when we have a complaint is to go back on site to view the problems and see what needs to be done to correct them. The customer refused. He stated the carpet looked fine when we were done. There were no spots that did not come up. We did offer to re-clean everything at no charge. Again, the customer refused. As to the dry time, since we were not allowed to go back into the home, we have no way to verify how long the carpet was wet. Drying times could be affected by many things including temperature in the home, humidity, air circulation, the content of the carpet fibers, etc. My best guess from 10 years in this business is that he had a traffic lane that was treated extra heavy (at no extra charge) to make sure it looked just as good as it could. When we do extra treatments it can take longer to dry. The customer stated he could have had his carpets cleaned for 1/10 of the price. I find it hard to believe that a reputable company would clean his carpets for $20. As for being on time, he was the first appointment of the day! We work hard to run on time to all our jobs, but it's certainly not for lack of work! The customer did not offer us $50, he only offered $20. And he disputed the charge on his credit card. The credit card company reviewed his dispute and found it not valid. They would not remove the charge from his bill. In all, our company stands behind its work and strives for customer satisfaction; however, we don't return money on a cleaning when the carpet looks great. more

I'm an average homeowner that has had carpets cleaned plenty of times before, and the only reason for choosing this company was due to a coupon advertisement that stated very quick drying times. Worst mistake of my life. Take my advice and stick to regular carpet companies that use a real steam unit and vacuum. First of all, I was quoted different pricing over the phone and in person. I was also told that furniture areas will be deducted out of total sq. footage to determine final price, but the cleaner said it was a policy to charge for the whole sq. footage of the room. A regular carpet cleaning is 1/10th the price of the Chemdry system and seems to clean the carpet just the same as Chemdry. Basically, the Chemdry system involves an employee spraying some "patented" cleaner all over the carpet, then he goes over it with an orbital buffing unit with a mop head. He finally finishes with brooming the carpet and removing loose carpet fibers. When I say brooming, I literally mean a standard broom with a wide head. I honestly don't see this system thoroughly cleaning a carpet. All this takes less than 10 minutes per room. I think they spent more time getting the equipment from the vehicle then actually cleaning my carpets. Anyway, back to the main point. I chose this service since I needed it to be completely dry within the same day. Well, it took over 1 1/2 days to dry completely and it still didn't look clean. So, I called the company to ask for a refund since the carpet cleaning didn't clean my carpets or dry in the advertised time. After arguing for awhile, I even suggested they keep $50 for their time (1 hour of actual cleaning), fuel, and troubles. They wouldn't agree to that. They kept suggesting I allow them to clean my carpets again, and I told them that was out of the question. What type of reputable company will not accept a return for valid reasons. So, basically I paid over $200 to clean two rooms that weren't really cleaned. Pros: On time - probaby because they don't have much business Cons: Expensive, no guarantees with cleaning or dry-times more

First of all I will say I am really picky. I called around to several carpet cleaners before deciding on this chemdry. I spoke with Diane which was friendly and seemed like she really wanted my business. Many places I called just wanted me to schedule an appointment without telling me why I should. Diane asked for apromixmate sizes of my rooms and then gave me a price. I had a forty five dollar off coupon I got in the clipper magazine. The technician they sent was about a half hour early. I didnt really like that for I wasnt ready for him yet. He offered to wait in his truck but I let him in. The price was close to they quoted over the phone. He cleaned for about two hours. I thought It would of taken longer. I will say the carpet looks alot better than expected. There was a red stain from a drink that didnt come up. Most of it did but not all. After two hours the rooms were dry but not the steps. It does take alot to impress me. I will have them next time. Pros: carpet looks good Cons: was early more

We had Central Chemdry clean our carpet last week. I was amazed. The carpet looks way better than I or my husband thought. We will definately use them again. Pros: On time Cons: took a little longer to dry than the 2 hours they state more

Ruth, Thank you for the kind words. You and your husband were a pleasure to work for. My wife and I are praying your adoption goes well. The next part is in reply to customer 987654321. My wife Diane is typing the rest. I based my estimate on the fact that Ashley?s home was about 1200 sq. ft. Framing, inside walls, and tiled/wood surfaces reduce the actual cleaning square footage. When giving estimates over the phone, it is impossible to know the exact price without the dimensions, so I said the technician would measure and give her a price upfront. When it comes down to it, her rooms were bigger than I had estimated. Ashley was very polite in her dealings with us, and I am deeply saddened that she feels she was taken advantage of. We do not give low quotes over the phone to get bookings. As with any purchase, the customer can refuse service if they do not like the price. Making inaccurate estimates over the phone would waste our time, tie up valuable appointments, and wear out our technicians with bogus appointments, not to mention our cost in wasted gasoline, man hours, etc. If you call us with exact room dimensions, you will receive an exact price. If you do not know the room sizes, I will ask you questions to determine an estimate. We will measure your square footage and give you a price before we start. If the price is too much, we will call it a free estimate. The majority of our work comes from repeat customers which is a testament to the way we do business. Ashley, I am very sorry that you had a negative experience with us. This is certainly not the norm for our business. As for Richard C. working for us. He worked for chemdry of franklin at the time in question. You can call them at 615-373-5044 and ask for yourself. more

I used Central Chem-Dry this week because my upstairs carpets were filthy, and I have to say, I was VERY pleased with the results and the service. Darrell, the owner, actually came out and cleaned the carpets himself. He was so nice and friendly, and very knowledgeable about carpet care. He gave me some great tips about how to preserve my carpets and keep them cleaner longer, which was especially helpful because I have pets. As far as the pricing, the quote he gave me was within $20 of what was quoted to me over the phone. He was even nice enough to give me a $45 discount because of a coupon that had been in the Sunday paper, even though I don't get the paper. The carpets look fabulous now! Really, they look virtually new, and that is not an exaggeration. I will definitely use Central Chem-Dry again, and would highly reccommend them to any one in need of a good carpet cleaning company. Pros: great customer service, prompt scheduling, knowledgeable technicians, fantastic results Cons: carpets are wet for a few hours after cleaning more

I would venture to believe that the review posted 4/27/2007 is factual with an error on the names listed. We had a similar experience this week with this company. I was given a verbal quote by the service representative (a.k.a. the owner's wife) of $150 not once but twice. I chose this company over others based on the woman's courtesy on the phone. Once the service technician arrived at my house he measured and provided me with a new quote of $254.20 for substantially less carpet once measured that what I had requested be quoted over the phone. I had no other choices but to go forward with their service due to a short time frame. I called the service representative (the owner's wife) back and she offered only an explanation that she had misunderstood. Upon the second call she informed me that I could have rejected the service without charge, a fact I was unaware of until that point. This is our first time using a carpet cleaner and while I know that inexperience played a role in this error I also believe this company makes regular practice of providing low quotes over the phone in order to obtain service. I feel that we were taken advantage of in a tight situation. If you choose to use this company expect to pay more for your service than their "phone quote". This couple is very nice and possess great customer service skills, the selling factor for me with this company. I was charmed by this and it cost me over $100 extra in services. The actual job was fine but we will neither utilize service nor recommend it to any of our friends or newcomers in the area. **the owner is Darrell Baker and this listing is the same as the other Central Chem-Dry in Franklin with a different address---I know because I called both phones and the owner was identified on this phone number as "Darrell" Pros: Great phone customer service skills Cons: Major discrepency in verbal quote versus actual cost of service more

My wife and I own Central Chemdry. I assure you We have never been to your home to do work for you. For one, we dont have a Richard or ever had a Richard work for us. You need to be aware that there are 13 Chemdry franchises in the Nashville area. Secondly, we have no office manager in which to take a complaint if you had called in. You see, my wife and I own the business and we are the only ones that answer the phones. I am sorry if you had a company clean your carpets for you and you werent happy. It just wasnt us. I suggest that you fine your copy of the invoice. That will tell you who really did clean your carpets. On another note. Why would you have a bait and switch company clean your carpets. If a company does that to you TELL HIM TO GET OUT OF YOUR HOME. I have been in the carpet cleaning business for 14 years. We run a honest company. And reviews like this which has no foundation of truth can hurt a business. JUST UPDATED! We found that Richard C. worked for Chemdry of Franklin at the time in question. You may call them at 615-373-5044 and ask for yourself. more

I scheduled to have 2 rooms cleaned that had minor stains and was given a quote over the phone of $96.00. When the technician (Richard) arrived I was told it would cost $190.00. He said that quotes via phone are estimates. I had used the dimensions of each room from the builder floor plans. I called the office to discuss my frustration and was told by the Office Manager that someone would call me back. It's 4 days later and I'm still waiting. The result is a mediocre cleaning job and and extra $100.00 more than I had planned to spend. I'll use a company other than Chem Dry next time. Pros: Pleasant Technician Cons: Bait and switch technique using a discount coupon more

Prompt!! I like it better than steam cleaning. Dries in about 2 and a half hours. They say it will stay cleaner longer. I will have to wait and see. more