Carpet Cleaning Issues - Carpet construction, upholstery cleaning, stain removal, equipment, events, etc.
Thick CustomersPosted by lenpg (lenpg), 18 December 2003
Hi all
Have any of you been in this situation, viewed a property last week (empty new owner moving in this Saturday) quoted for 3 double bedrooms and HSL, no major stains just generally grubby very easy job.
Customer happy with quote, agreed time and date for clean, arrived on time (yesterday) they were 30 min late, went in and thought I’ve got the wrong house here! There were hundreds of small wallpaper bits strewn across the floors sum stuck to carpets, I explained to them that I’m here to clean the carpets and not to do a builds clean, did they looked surprised! Any way we arranged that they would clear up, that I would fit them in today but very late afternoon.
We both turned up together on entry I could see nothing had been done, but now the new smell of paint the customer said no time yesterday and he would do it now, ok, then he unpacked a new vacuum cleaner (ok new house new vac) by the time I rigged up to start cleaning he had finished vacuuming the first room, on entry Picasso eat you heart out, even the Tate would have like it. Again I explained what I quoted for, his reply we only painted last night and it’s only emulsion. I gave up and walking away thinking not only is one born every day but two.
What is the moral of this I done a site evaluation and quoted, what if I done a phone evaluation and ask the relevant question, then found out the customer was misleading what would you do??
To all you happy cleaners have a great Xmas and a very profitable new year
Len 
Posted by Ken_Wainwright (Ken Wainwright), 19 December 2003
The public never fail to amaze me at times Len. I have a similar type of tale to tell.
In the early years of my business, I also eased doors for local carpet shops as part of my carpet care service. This gentleman just had to be Irish. (apologies to our Irish members). I arrived as per appointment at about 2.00pm. Nobody there. I look through the letterbox and see removed doors propped against the hallway wall, so it must be the right house. Leave a note and carry on to my next job. When I arrive home, there's a message, and my wife promises that I would return that day. (Please note, cell phones hadn't been invented at this time!) So I return early evening. However, Sir gets bored waiting for me, and rather than do nothing, he decides to kill time by painting the BL**DY DOORS 
I decline the job, painting a very vivid picture of the consequences of saw dust and wet paint, the cost to replace my clothing and what a circular saw dragged across the wet paint will do. Not to mention the probability of paint meeting carpet. As Sir is flying to Dublin the next morning, and the doors were required to be fitted because of the alarm system, he insisted that the work was carried out there and then, and all costs would be met. I was generously compensated but was it worthit? I think not.
Safe and happy cleaning
Ken
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