[bcc]

Hi all, what’s it like in your part of the country, been in the business since 1991 and works never been so slow I am in Wales  

[wynne jones]

Sorry to hear that, and low on work too!

I think it's the time of year, soon pick up.

[Paul Moss]

Where in wales

[Mike Halliday]

this is my first week of the year that we have been fully booked  for the week (inc Saturday) thought the slow period would last a bit longer so booked a holiday last week,( going next week)

[derek west]

Sorry to hear that, and low on work too!

I think it's the time of year, soon pick up.

[AshWhite]

BCC you're not far from me. It's been quiet here too - all I've had last 2 weeks is repeats & referals, only 1 new customer (a few enquiries which haven't converted as yet).

[Paul Moss]

this is my first week of the year that we have been fully booked  for the week (inc Saturday) thought the slow period would last a bit longer so booked a holiday last week,( going next week)

Mike its always the way, ive just booked off the week after next and i bet it goes mad

[bcc]

Nr Bridgend

[Phil @ Extreme Clean]

dead even advertising in gazette and weekly news past 3 weeks not a single call 

[CraigHaycock]

Gloucester, exactly the same phone has not rung in since Friday, spending a fortune on advertising, dont know whats going on, must be down to easter being early

[clinton]

Sounds like its quiet with the early easter by some of these posts ..

Once the weather gets better am sure it will pick up for you guys..

[Simon Moat]

Jan and Feb were poor, March and April looking good.

Did a job on Monday and the couple had another cc whose just down the road from me doing the oven, he said he's not been as quiet as he is now with eleven years under his belt, he's wondering wether to call it a day.

[andy east sussex]

its not dead in certain areas down here but very slow

[wynne jones]

Its times like this people bring out their shaggy pile rugs the dog sleeps on and ring up about grease marks on 15 year old cotton sofas.

[andy east sussex]

i bet we aare the worst tho at cleaning our own carpets in quite times. dont get me wrong i do try to keep carpets cleaned with baby at home but god i have having to set up when not actually on a paying job lol

[Mike Halliday]

Easter is early??? when is it normally, in November?

how does an early Easter effect how busy we are? are they spending all their money on Easter eggs

[Joe W Brown]

Its been very slow for me, in Norwich.

[Doug Holloway]

Hi Guys

Easter is way off, the general economic situation and weather have been against us but you need to keep plugging away.

I am busy although having to work harder at converting enquiries.

Cheers

Doug

[Paul Redden Countryfresh]

All or nothing at the  mo, either stacked out with short notice work, or nothing. cheesed off with ....
"Can we have a discount as you know us"
"How much for cash"
"Trying to re-negotiate at end of job"
"Can you do it tomorrow?"
 

[M.Acorn]

Had a reg custy ask me to do her rug the other day,she is really minted,said I would do it for £32.50 as she is a reg and not a big rug,she said I was too expensive !!
Saw her brand new Merc compressor sports car outside the pub today,prob spent more on her lunch than what I was going to charge her !!

[andy east sussex]

but why do customers think were expensive is it because they see lots of very cheap offer or that they can hire a machine cheap or something wish we could get in the mind of the customer then we would know what to do

[Simon Gerrard]

For God's sake don't try and spend your way out of a quiet spell, it never works and just makes matters worse. Best bet is to cut your overheads and sit it out, in the meantime develop new marketing strategies for when things pick up.

Simon

[wynne jones]

Had a reg custy ask me to do her rug the other day,she is really minted,said I would do it for £32.50 as she is a reg and not a big rug,she said I was too expensive !!
Saw her brand new Merc compressor sports car outside the pub today,prob spent more on her lunch than what I was going to charge her !!

You should have said £90 given her a load of bullshht and told her how clever she is. That's what MB do.

[Deep Cleaning Solutions]

Completely agree with Simon. I stopped advertising as soon as the snow started apart from my websites and will drip feed it back when it gets near april then really bump it up in may.

I'm lucky as i have very little debts and i have kept a few quality office cleaning contracts after selling most of them last year and i'm starting to get a few commercial jobs a month.
I also do the odd deep clean and hard floor so i don't need to rely on advertising for domestic carpet cleaning customers.

Must admit though, i would not like to start up at the moment and i have lost count of the amount of people who want advice on how to start up as a carpet cleaner!

[Shaun_Ashmore]

I've booked in 6 jobs today worth £1100+ but all but one for after Easter perhaps everyone is waiting for the break?

Shaun

[Paul Moss]

Shaun thats only because they know its your Birthday.

Many happy returns mate for your 50th

[Len Gribble]

Went out suited and booted today looks like I got the contract for next year (April) sadly no good Friday till Sunday for me this year, commercial a harder nut to crack

Already sent a pro former invoice 

[Shaun_Ashmore]

I feel 50 but 21 will do!

Must admit business usually flows at this time of year my mate who is a joiner is usually months in front and he has come to a stand still.

Shaun

[AshWhite]

My mate who's a plumber is flooded.
My other mate who's a rower is up sh*t creek.

[derek west]

its so quiet at my mates acupuncture shop you can hear a pin drop. 

[*Hector*]

My mate who's a plumber is flooded.
My other mate who's a rower is up sh*t creek.

[Simon Gerrard]

My mate said he was ped with his life, I said, 'just throw yourself into your work, he said, ' I can't , I'm a grave digger!'

[*Hector*]

[Paul Moss]

My mate sells hearing aids and he said its gone really quiet

[derek west]

got a friend who repairs lifts and he says things are up and down.

[Simon Gerrard]

My mate applied for a job as an Astronaut, one of the questions on the application form was, 'are you prepared to travel.' He put, 'no!'  '

[Neil Jones]

I'm reading a book about anti-gravity. I can't put it down.

[Neil Jones]

I have a mate who's addicted to drinking brake fluid. He says he can stop anytime.

[Paul Moss]

Simon told me his son was a lawyer.
Found out today that he is a brick lawyer.

[Paul Moss]

Ok thats enough now.

Mine was the funniest.
I won 

[AshWhite]

My friend works for Dyno-Rod. He says their business is going down the drain.

[Shaun_Ashmore]

Dave Cameron says he's busy......dining nothing!

Shaun

[Simon Gerrard]

Ed Milliband the next Prime Minister

[wynne jones]

Ed Milliband the next Prime Minister

Someone told him the public think politicians lie every time they open their mouths. That's why he speaks through his nose.

[derek west]

my mates a percussionist and he's been doing everything possible to drum up some business

[Deep Cleaning Solutions]

I lost my first job as a Psychic. I just did not see it coming.
Then i changed career completely and started work in a Viagra factory, but found it too hard.
I then got a job across the road at the vibrator factory, i found it a great buzz but a right pain in the arse!
Then i worked as a lumberjack, but I just couldn’t hack it, so got the the axe.
I went from job to job before working in an orange juice factory, but i couldn’t concentrate, so left.
I wanted to be a barber, but I just couldn’t cut it,
so studied to become a doctor, but I didn’t have any patients.
After all these failures i decided to emigrate and applied for a job in Australia,
but it seems I don’t have the right koalifications.
Then finally i found my vocation and set up as a carpet cleaner, i love getting old smelly rugs wet and now i'm cleaning up!!!!!
 

[Paul Moss]

 

[hotsteam]

Very good, is your name Tim Vine   

[The Great One]

Just wait until after next january, thing might go dead with the influx 

[Craigp]

Don't laugh Simon, thats the most likely out come 

[Craigp]

Oh he's giving a speech later today to tell us how they got it wrong on immigration but at the same time won't tell us what it is they got wrong and are not going to do anything different in the future. It's just lip service to help his position for the next election. Surely the public see through this..

[Derek_Walker]

I started work as toilet attendant, but everyone kept taking the p1ss 

[Simon Gerrard]

Don't laugh Simon, thats the most likely out come  

No chance.
There is no way on gods merry earth that the people of this country are going to put the fate of the nation in the hands of Ed Milliband and Ed Balls. If David Milliband were leader that might be different and that is the most likely outcome.

[Craigp]

I agree Simon, I don't want him in but they are top of the polls, cons are way down. Conservatives have not won a majority at a general election since 1992  and now they are unpopular again.

[Simon Gerrard]

The trouble is Labour's answer to the debt crisis is more debt, whereas David Cameron has the thankless task of sorting out the mess Labour left us with. Plus, all Labour are doing is heckling from the side lines and never tell us what they would do and all that does is breed doubt and insecurity which just feeds a lack lustre economy which I think is deeply decisive when actually we all need to get our heads down and sort this mess out once and for all.

Simon

[jim mca]

The real problem is immigration and no party is willing to stop it the more people who come here and claim benefits the bigger strain on the system that cant afford it yes some people come and enhance this country but most don't they clog low paid jobs stopping young British people from getting a start.

Jim

[Hilton]

The real problem is immigration and no party is willing to stop it the more people who come here and claim benefits the bigger strain on the system that cant afford it yes some people come and enhance this country but most don't they clog low paid jobs stopping young British people from getting a start.

Jim

No Jim, the real problem is being part of the EU, everything else stems from that.

But dont get me started 

[wynne jones]

The best way to get away from all these bloody immigrants is to emigrate to Australia. 

[Craigp]

Agreed Hilton, we need to get out!

[Simon Gerrard]

The real problem is immigration and no party is willing to stop it the more people who come here and claim benefits the bigger strain on the system that cant afford it yes some people come and enhance this country but most don't they clog low paid jobs stopping young British people from getting a start.

Jim

What we should be doing is making it so new migrants to this country have no entitlement to the NHS or Social Security until they have been a British taxpayer for two years and not simply been resident in the UK for that time and if we did that it would take away two of the main reasons for coming here in the first place.

Simon

[Craigp]

This will upset you Simon, it's not up to us, the EU have told us we must treat all citizens the same.

That means they must have equal rights to our benefits, schools, hospitals.. ect.

So we cannot do that if we wanted to, unless we left the EU.

[Simon Gerrard]

Sod the EU then.
They way it is going is beginning to look like the rise of the Fourth Reich, German domination of Europe, albeit by more peaceful means than the Third Reich.
http://www.newstatesman.com/europe/2011/11/germany-european-economic

Simon

[Paul Moss]

And thats why we need to vote ukip, there is only Nigel Farage that has been banging the drum about coming out of europe.

I know where my vote will be going.

[derek west]

The real problem is immigration and no party is willing to stop it the more people who come here and claim benefits the bigger strain on the system that cant afford it yes some people come and enhance this country but most don't they clog low paid jobs stopping young British people from getting a start.

Jim

What we should be doing is making it so new migrants to this country have no entitlement to the NHS or Social Security until they have been a British taxpayer for two years and not simply been resident in the UK for that time and if we did that it would take away two of the main reasons for coming here in the first place.

Simon

sounds good to me.
I'm voting for Simon Gerard, the carpet cleaning party.

[Paul Moss]

The real problem is immigration and no party is willing to stop it the more people who come here and claim benefits the bigger strain on the system that cant afford it yes some people come and enhance this country but most don't they clog low paid jobs stopping young British people from getting a start.

Jim

What we should be doing is making it so new migrants to this country have no entitlement to the NHS or Social Security until they have been a British taxpayer for two years and not simply been resident in the UK for that time and if we did that it would take away two of the main reasons for coming here in the first place.

Simon

sounds good to me.
I'm voting for Simon Gerard, the carpet cleaning party.

LOL thats prob against the human rights act, passed by Brussellssss lol

[Allan Simmons]

Would that be "The Monster Raving Carpet Cleaning Party"  or the "CCP" party?  Got my vote whichever.

[bennymon]

They keep telling us not to waste our vote . Then you go and vote and and end up with something not one single person had voted for.infact the libs got les votes than predicted Finnish 3rd and then get to choose who runs the country CRAZY . Del

[Craigp]

Yes Paul you gotta love the guy, look at him rip into Gordon brown; 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E1waGanUNt0

[Simon@arenaclean]

I admire UKIP but I can't see them progressing all that much further, maybe the odd by-election here and there. The only way to sort it is a clear referendum vote on Europe ie IN or OUT, and then maybe they can apply pressure.

[Hilton]

Right you have started me off now  

Your right UKIP will never have a majority you have to be around a few decades to build up that kind of support but they could hold the balance of power as the Libs have done, Eton Dave could be looking to UKIP as possible coalition partners we will see then what Nige will really be about.

The EU is one massive gigantic humongous scam perpetuated on the people of Europe by an elite who's agenda was and is the complete economic control of Europe under one government for the benefit of a tiny minority.

Britain's elite could not miss out on the club so were eager to sign up at any cost, eventually conning the British into joining under the traitor Ted Heath who as part of the deal signed over Britain's fishing fleet (waters) to European control.Not even Nazi Germany managed to control our seas but Ted Heath with the stroke of pen handed them over in one day.

Its been down hill ever since costing the country enormous amounts of cash and the loss of our sovereignty (although this is denied) 80% of all laws come from Brussels not Westminster, including mass immigration. You see, its obvious if you dilute a population ( by removing border control) of its natives you reduce resistance to foreign interference in government (Brussels), in otherwords the government of the day has to appeal to all sectors of the community old and new and some areas of this country are now dominated by east europeans so if Timmy Tory wants to keep his cushy MEP job he had better vote the right way when in the EU.

Europeans do not consider the British as European anyway,never have done, read anything by De Gaul on the subject, and the feeling is mutual, when I go to the States or elswhere and they ask where I am from I don't say Europe.

The people of this country are like a tanker turning, slowly coming round to the fact that we have/are been scammed. I have said it eleswhere, if you vote Labour Tory Libs or anyone else other than UKIP or indeed do not vote at all, then you have voted for open borders and mass immigration, you obviously wanted Romanians and Bulgarians to flood the country in 2014 to go along with the 700000 Poles that are already here.

I better not go on I could be here all day on this subject 

[wynne jones]

The Aussies have it right. You can come in if you will make this a better place. If you lose your job or commit a crime you go straight back where you came.

[Simon Gerrard]

Paul,
Yeah, it probably is. But what about the human rights of all the people who wait in line for operations having paid their dues all their lives, BEHIND immigrants who haven't paid an effing penny into the system.
Perhaps the younger generation don't realise that the only time the British people voted for Europe was the Common Market referendum god knows how many years ago. Somehow we now have come to a situation where 80% of the laws that apply to British citizens were made in Europe. If we had been told back when the only referendum on Europe was held that one day our country would be governed by a bunch of unelected bureaucrats in Brussels, we'd have told them to f off, which is what we should do when Cameron gives us our long overdue referendum.

Simon

[*Hector*]

The Aussies have it right. You can come in if you will make this a better place. If you lose your job or commit a crime you go straight back where you came.

Which is quite ironic really, considering most of their ancestors committed crimes to get there in the first place 

[Craigp]

Who was that politician I think he was an Australian? he used the term "Return to sender"  

Hilton agree with that, though I have nothing against people from Eastern Europe, I've made friends with people from Poland and Latvia in recent years, perfectly good people, but as Jim said earlier its the numbers, so many young Brittish are out of work.

[Shaun_Ashmore]

Immigrants are brought into this country to fill in the void of cheap labour that's why they are mainly located in the capital where minimum wage is a real issue but Eastern Europeans will have it all day long as we know if London stops moving then so does the country but our home grown children won't work for minimum wage because we parents want better for them.

We do need a system like the Aussies where we decide when immigrants come in and not claim benefits as we can't afford to keep them and us!

Shaun

[wynne jones]

Don't worry our politicians who know better than us are saying they are all going to Spain because of the weather. 

[Paul Moss]

I dont really care which party controls the country as long as they have got some balls to make some tough desicions and sort the country out. Not faff about with headline politics like gay marriage etc

[Andrew Briscoe]

I hate most of the top politicians we have at the moment.

Imagine you wher in the pub with your mates and Cameron, Milliband and Clegg where out with you, Cameron would be the posh boy who everyone ignored, Milliband would be the one you took the p*ss out of all the time, and Clegg would be the one you wanted to slap. Ok well all 3 would want a slap.

Boris for PM I say, at least you would have a smile on your face, even when things
where going tits up 

[Len Gribble]

It’s not always about benefits it’s also where to house them

I did rate Boris until he followed Ken’s low emissions 

[Paul Moss]

Yes Paul you gotta love the guy, look at him rip into Gordon brown; 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E1waGanUNt0

The guy just talks common sense, but most of all for me he has got a pair of balls and sticks to his guns .

[Len Gribble]

Come on Paul common sense what next you will be tell me Cornish pasty is the best 

[robert meldrum]

Thank God the British are wakening up to the realities of our sorry state and without even mentioning the other massive threat to our society.............

Starts with a capital I .....and ends in M.

Time is REALLY running out rapidly to stop this monster and send it back to the deserts of the East.

[Shaun_Ashmore]

Robert you may have a way out and that's independence unless Scotland's first minister goes all politically correct.

Shaun

[Barry Livingstone]

WOW Ukip are Just the BNP with a shirt and Tie! Hitler will be ping himself laughing saying See i was right!!

[Craigp]

Ahh don't believe want lib,lab,con tell you, it suits their cause to tell you they are BNP.

UKIP are the only party to ban any ex BNP from joining.

Ex BNP can join Labour or Conservative or Liberal democrats but not UKIP.

Some people don't realise their told lies by the 3 main parties.

[Simon Moat]

WOW Ukip are Just the BNP with a shirt and Tie! Hitler will be ping himself laughing saying See i was right!!

Well said Barry, for people who think Farage is the only one banging the drum for 'no E.U' think again and do some research!!

[Craigp]

Daniel Hannan yes I know.

and he's good, he basically says the same as Nigel but he's a conservative, he is good mates with Nigel though.

[wynne jones]

Yes Farage is just like Hitler, he's always banging on about gassing Jews and invading Poland.

The comparison is idiotic.

[Simon Moat]

Yes Farage is just like Hitler, he's always banging on about gassing Jews and invading Poland.

The comparison is idiotic.

Of course not, your quote is idiotic and childish Wynne i'm afraid, but please look deeper into policy, UKIP is almost identical to BNP on socio economic ideals.

And BTW, find a quote/public address where Hitler mentioned gassing the Jewish people, my family suffered at the hands of the monster so perhaps I have a little more insight than your filpant remarks.

[wynne jones]

Yes Farage is just like Hitler, he's always banging on about gassing Jews and invading Poland.

The comparison is idiotic.

Of course not, your quote is idiotic and childish Wynne i'm afraid, but please look deeper into policy, UKIP is almost identical to BNP on socio economic ideals.

And BTW, find a quote/public address where Hitler mentioned gassing the Jewish people, my family suffered at the hands of the monster so perhaps I have a little more insight than your filpant remarks.

Obviously a sensitive subject for you I understand that but all the guy is saying is we don't want anymore immigration. In fact he's on record as saying people from the sub continent can't come over here who are doctors, specialist professionals because on eu and gov quotas, people that he would willingly let in because they are good for our country.

[Simon Moat]

Yes Farage is just like Hitler, he's always banging on about gassing Jews and invading Poland.

The comparison is idiotic.

Of course not, your quote is idiotic and childish Wynne i'm afraid, but please look deeper into policy, UKIP is almost identical to BNP on socio economic ideals.

And BTW, find a quote/public address where Hitler mentioned gassing the Jewish people, my family suffered at the hands of the monster so perhaps I have a little more insight than your filpant remarks.

Obviously a sensitive subject for you I understand that but all the guy is saying is we don't want anymore immigration. In fact he's on record as saying people from the sub continent can't come over here who are doctors, specialist professionals because on eu and gov quotas, people that he would willingly let in because they are good for our country.

Good on you Wynne, we/my family are not Jewish but secular, but stood up against Nazism in Europe and suffered as a consequence, (they helped the (Anne) Frank family, my point was, look at policy of UKIP and BNP, it is mirrored, but one in a suit and serious finacial backing, and one with a doc martin boot.

[Mark Lane-Matthews]

Hi Guys
Do not spend any more money on advertising when you are not busy and are struggling for funds.Put out business cards in public places such as shopping and industrial areas.Find out appropriate contact details and arrange meetings for survey and consultation.People like to deal with people where possible ,price is not always and often  the reason for bookings
                                                             Mark

[Jim_77]

I'm using a £20 note as a beer coaster

[*Hector*]

I have had the busiest start to a year ever, and since I am trying to retire from carpet cleaning I have not advertised at all......

Oh yes and they are mostly new customers too..


I wish they would stop emailing, and ringing me up, I am trying to write a self hypnosis course.. 

[Simon Gerrard]

And BTW, find a quote/public address where Hitler mentioned gassing the Jewish people, my family suffered at the hands of the monster so perhaps I have a little more insight than your filpant remarks.

And so the Jews decided to start a holocaust of their own, on the Palestinian people...disgraceful.

Simon

[Hilton]

WOW Ukip are Just the BNP with a shirt and Tie! Hitler will be ping himself laughing saying See i was right!!

Well said Barry, for people who think Farage is the only one banging the drum for 'no E.U' think again and do some research!!

What research is that, perhaps you can point me in the right direction.....

[robert meldrum]

If the Brits were more like the Jews we would NOT be allowing Eurocrats to asset strip the country and force us to allow Muslims to take over our country.

Simon your comment about the Jews and Palestine is foolish and will remind your smaller neighbours about your countrymen's behaviour in when expelling thousands of Irish and Scots from their homeland.

Not a road you want to walk down.

[Hilton]

I am still waiting for the 'research' which shows Nigel Farage as a Hitler sympathiser and UKIP as the Nazi Party.

(actually the EU are carrying out Nazi policies right now)

Anything will do just a snippit that might suggest some thing of the sort.

By the way work wise we are up 10% on this time last year.

[Simon Gerrard]

Simon your comment about the Jews and Palestine is foolish

So that  justifies the oppression of the Palestinian people and the illegal occupation of Arab lands that goes with it?

Simon
We are quite busy for the time of year BTW 

[Doug Holloway]

Hi Guys

I am going to lock this now as it's gone a bit off track

Cheers

Doug