Carpet Cleaning by Sears

Sears claims that there’s “no hidden fees” associated with its carpet cleaning services. But a TINA.org staffer who sought out the company’s services to clean up a mess her sheepdog puppy created saw the $33 advertised on its website for a stairway and landing job jump to $126.56, though only after scheduling an appointment and receiving a confirmation email.

The staffer called Sears to see what caused the price to increase nearly fourfold and was directed to an inconspicuous link to a disclaimer on the offers page, which states in part that carpet cleaning services are subject to a minimum order of $99. Yet, five of the 15 offers on the page cost $50 or less.

The disclaimer also reveals that sale prices exclude a $20 service charge, which means that this “featured offer” marked down $25 is really only $5 off:

TINA.org reached out to Sears for comment on the hard-to-notice disclaimer. We have not heard back.

Find more of our coverage on cleaning products here.