A month ago I wrote a column "Is Green Carpet Cleaning Really Green?" (www.startribune.com/dollars) comparing Zerorez and GreenClean carpet cleaning companies. A reader named Sue sent an e-mail saying that she had recently gotten estimates from both companies.

GreenClean came to her house for a price quote. The person performing the estimates makes a special trip to determine a price quote. No carpet cleaning truck is running, waiting for the customer to give the OK. If the customer requests it, an appointment for a carpet cleaning is made for a later date.

Zerorez, on the other hand, asks questions by phone. A quote is given after about six questions have been asked about size and number of rooms to be cleaned, stairs and condition. Sue described the price as "vague."

Several days after she received the quote, Zerorez showed up at her door ready to clean. Sue thought that Zerorez was there only to finalize the phone quote, not to do the cleaning. She described the experience as a "horror story," despite the fact that the Zerorez employees were polite as they left and she was not charged, she wrote.

Zerorez manager Michael Kaplan said that Sue received an e-mail confirmation that detailed what would happen at the appointment and the price quoted ($143).

I told Sue that providing price quotes by phone and not in person hardly qualifies as a horror story. In fact, price quotes over the phone are a fairly common practice and save cleaners money if they don't have to make two trips to the house. But Sue may be horrified by the practice if she has heard of consumers 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.

GreenClean provides free in-home estimates to make the price as transparent as possible, said co-owner Jason Schroeck. "I can measure the areas, discuss problem areas, furniture moving and set expectations," he said. "It's a way to avoid surprises and low-ball estimates."

Kaplan said that he can understand why Sue is cautious about phone quotes. 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 up-charge at those places, too.

Zerorez charges $143 for three rooms up to 15-feet by 15-feet each. 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 the minimum, $143, 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 would have charged her the same amount it quoted over the phone. That's hardly a bait and switch.

Zerorez is slightly less expensive than GreenClean. Both offer a green carpet cleaning alternative, but part of the reason Zerorez's prices are a bit less is 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.

John Ewoldt • 612-673-7633 or jewoldt@startribune.com. If you spot a deal, share it at www.startribune.com/blogs/dealspotter.