A month ago I wrote a column comparing Zerorez and GreenClean carpet cleaning companies. Reader Sue sent an email saying that she had recently gotten estimates from both companies.

GreenClean made a trip to her house to quote her a price. The person doing the bidding doesn't have the carpet cleaning truck running, just waiting for the customer to give the OK and start cleaning. He schedules an appointment for a later date, assuming the customer requests it.

Zerorez, on the other hand, asks questions by phone. A phone quote is given, although Sue described the price as "vague." Sue received a quote, and then several days later Zerorez showed up at her door ready to clean. Sue thought that Zerorez was only there to finalize the phone quote, not do the cleaning. She described the experience as a "horror story."

Zerorez manager Michael Kaplan said that Sue received an e-mail confirmation that detailed what would happen at the appointment.

I told Sue that providing price quotes only by phone and not in person hardly qualifies as a horror story. She told Zerorez that she thought they were there to finalize a bid, not clean her carpet. Zerorez left nicely, she wrote, and she was not charged.

This brings up an interesting point. Consumers have heard horror stories of getting phone quotes and then being nickeled and dimed with up-charges. That's the fault of both parties--but mostly the cleaner. Consumers should ask about possible incidental charges, especially if they have pet stains or problem areas. Most companies charge extra for urine stains, deodorizing, stairs, furniture moving, and more. But any good carpet cleaner will ask those questions.

Kaplan said that he can understand why Sue is cautious. Some unscrupulous cleaners will charge extra for really dirty carpet, calling it a "restorative" clean rather than a "maintenance" clean. "Sometimes the restorative clean is triple the original price quote at those kinds of companies," said Kaplan. Berber carpets and L-shaped rooms might merit an upcharge at those places too.

Zerorez charges $143 for three rooms, each up to 15-ft by 15-ft. A set of 10 to 15 stairs also counts as a room. Customers who have less area to clean than 225 square feet are still charged $143, the minimum charge, said Kaplan. The final price is given before the cleaning starts and the customer can decline the service at that point, no charge.

Zerorez is a good carpet cleaner in my opinion. Sue may have a legitimate beef that phone quotes can be vague and in some cases artificially low, but Zerorez was going to charge her the same amount they quoted over the phone. That's hardly a bait and switch.

Zerorez is also slightly cheaper than GreenClean. Both offer a green carpet cleaning alternative but part of the reason that Zerorez's prices are a bit less is the because price quotes are done by phone. If that is a concern for you, insist on a home quote. But don't call a company a "horror story" because they offer phone quotes. As long as they are accurate, I have no problems with that.

Have you gotten a low ball phone quote from a carpet cleaner? Let me know.