I want to hear both sides of the argument. But I will give a couple of my own thoughts.

1. If you wont give a price until you look at it, I don't think it's fair to the customer if you demand they pay your minimum, if they turn down the job.

2. I like the idea of giving a price after inspection. I think it help de-commodicize the industry. What I mean by that is this. Commodities are basically products that are equivalent. Gasoline is gasoline, so it doesn't matter where you fill up your tank. The only difference to you as a customer is convenience and price. When carpet cleaning is treated as a commodity, all the customer cares about is if you can be fit into their schedule and if you have the best price. But if we tell the customer that we're going to customize there cleaning to fit the needs of their carpet, then all of the sudden we aren't selling a commodity. We're selling a customized service. At that point, they can't say one cleaner is better because he is cheaper.

Thoughts? Come on guys let's have a 10 page plus thread arguing about something that really matters.