Carpet Cleaning by Sears

What came first, the puppy or the mess? Either way you have to clean it up.

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.