[wayne zabel]

Had a job booked this morning - 2 beds and landing and stairs.Went in and I could hardly move for suff all over the lounge,prams,high chair,toys the lot.Woman of the house says that theyve been in the house for 4 years and the previous owners didnt know what a vac was for - talk about calling the kettle black.

Went upstairs to view the job and was met with 2 rooms with crap all over the floor and a kids bedroom literrally covered in toys.I was in 2 minds at this point but thought I'd give it a go as it would only take a few minutes to pick it all up and went and got all the gear in which was a struggle as the kitchen was a complete tip.

Went in the first bedroom and picked all the things up of the floor and was met with a sheet of dust on the floor an eigth of an inch thick.I proceeded to start to vac the carpet and was confronted by a used condom on the floor at the side of the bed.

It was at this point that I decided that I was off.

What do you guys do in these situations,I thought about ways of getting out without being rude in the end I texted my son and told him to ring my phone and pretend there was an emergency at home.

Would any of you had said to her that you didnt want to proceed because of the state of the house?

There are some disgustingly untidy and filthy people around.

[richy27]

wayne never walked before but been close to doing so.  if its just general clutter i just tell the customer i will put on the beds sofas etc.  if i came across a used johnny ( luckily not ) i would prob ask the customer if they would be so kind as to remove it .

at the end of the day if i am there in the house i want to make money , i know it can be irratating but soon forgotten when the money is in the bank.

[Warren Aldridge]

Why lie, you are just going to be expected to go back to the same mess

Tell her the truth. I get p1sstakers all the time and I tell them I'm not a domestic cleaner.
If they want the carpets cleaned the area needs to be cleared. Simple as that.

[Ferenc G.]

I think you made a mistake. You have to tell them the reason why you leave, that way you can't be blamed for not completing the job. They will call you again to finish the job and you will find yourself in the same situation. If you dont go back they migth start spreading you are unreliable.

I agree with you on the messy people though...

[Helen]

I think you made a mistake. You have to tell them the reason why you leave, that way you can't be blamed for not completing the job. They will call you again to finish the job and you will find yourself in the same situation. If you dont go back they migth start spreading you are unreliable.

I agree with you on the messy people though...

As Richard said about the condom. Why didn't you just say to the custie that you needed everythng off the floor beofre you could start, if she could see to that please, while you were setting up. If she was difficult about that you could have said ok, but it will be £x amount more as I have to clear it myself. Ball would have been in her court then...
what will you do if she re-books?

[derek west]

wayne
was this a phone quote and if so did you not qualfy the job when on the phone, i always ask the custy what they want, wether a full wall to wall or round furniture before i give them a price, if round furniture i always say to them to remove all the small objects, if you'd done all that and the place was like it was when you got there then youve got a valid excuse to up the price or request a revisit when the room is how it was supposed to be.

[Tom Moore]

I have read many posts, and not commented.
However I think it is time to join in.
YOU ARE A CARPET CLEANER !!
Why not do your job.......clean carpets.

[wayne zabel]

wayne
was this a phone quote and if so did you not qualfy the job when on the phone, i always ask the custy what they want, wether a full wall to wall or round furniture before i give them a price, if round furniture i always say to them to remove all the small objects, if you'd done all that and the place was like it was when you got there then youve got a valid excuse to up the price or request a revisit when the room is how it was supposed to be.

This was a phone quotation were she said we were doing walkways and round the furniture.

I assumed that if she knew the carpets were being cleaned that day then she would have had the sense to not leave the rooms  like a bomb had dropped.She was taking the p1ss.If shes any sense I think she will realise why the job wasnt done.

I never even considered asking for more money as I didnt want to do the job.

Tom Moore,I'm a self employed CC and if I feel that someone is insulting me by leaving the rooms as she did, then no I will not clean the carpets.

[wynne jones]

I would have done similar to what Richard and Helen said. Whilst it's maddening at the time and you just want to walk away, politely ask for the stuff to be cleared while you set up or it will be more. This way you can't lose.

If she clears up, great, if she is prepared to pay money for you to pick up after her fine. If she is not prepared to do either then you can walk with a clear conscience.

[Tom Moore]

Wayne
You are not self employed at all ,,,, nor is any body else,or you are deluded.
you run a business that belieive it or not needs customers.
Customers/Clients employ you/us to do things they do not want to do!!!
That is called service.
If I want my carpets cleaning I ain.t gonna employ some clown for £150 for 2hours who expects me to move everything too make his/her life easy,
This is a very simple job..do not make it to be complicated....it ain.t

[Helen]

wayne
was this a phone quote and if so did you not qualfy the job when on the phone, i always ask the custy what they want, wether a full wall to wall or round furniture before i give them a price, if round furniture i always say to them to remove all the small objects, if you'd done all that and the place was like it was when you got there then youve got a valid excuse to up the price or request a revisit when the room is how it was supposed to be.

This was a phone quotation were she said we were doing walkways and round the furniture.

I assumed that if she knew the carpets were being cleaned that day then she would have had the sense to not leave the rooms  like a bomb had dropped.She was taking the p1ss.If shes any sense I think she will realise why the job wasnt done.

If you must assume always assume the worst scenario....other than that assume just makes and ass of u and me!
Why do you think she was taking the urine?

I never even considered asking for more money as I didnt want to do the job.
Other than the mess of "things" on the floor, it was just a straightforward carpet clean, so why would you not want the work?

Tom Moore,I'm a self employed CC and if I feel that someone is insulting me by leaving the rooms as she did, then no I will not clean the carpets.

Sorry I don't understand why you were insulted

[Steve Rothwell]

Hello Tom or whoever you are....  

I see you have now mastered the bestselling book

"how to win friends and influence people"    

[wayne zabel]

Wayne
You are not self employed at all ,,,, nor is any body else,or you are deluded.
you run a business that belieive it or not needs customers.
Customers/Clients employ you/us to do things they do not want to do!!!
That is called service.
If I want my carpets cleaning I ain.t gonna employ some clown for £150 for 2hours who expects me to move everything too make his/her life easy,
This is a very simple job..do not make it to be complicated....it ain.t

Tom

£150 for 2 hours work................I think you are the deluded one

I do not want to work for people who insult my dignity and intellect by leaving a room as she had left hers today and being self employed I took the decision that I was not going to work for her,perhaps as others have commented I could have done things differently in terms of sayng why I didnt want the job.

[Steve Rothwell]

I'm with you Wayne

[Neil Williams]

Wayne
You are not self employed at all ,,,, nor is any body else,or you are deluded.
you run a business that belieive it or not needs customers.
Customers/Clients employ you/us to do things they do not want to do!!!
That is called service.
If I want my carpets cleaning I ain.t gonna employ some clown for £150 for 2hours who expects me to move everything too make his/her life easy,
This is a very simple job..do not make it to be complicated....it ain.t

Interesting set of initial postings from yourself
Yes we are carpet cleaners, and we clean carpets. We are not there to tidy up for them and equally what are the chances that this or another customer will ring you up later and accuse you of either breaking something or god forbid stealing something....all because you had to move half their household items before you can start doing what you are there for.
I make it clear I am there to clean their carpets and I would appreciate it if all small items could be removed from the working area...hasn't failed for many years.
I did once have a childs bedroom that was full of kit all over the floor. I promtly built a tower of these items on the childs bed and I joke not....it was almost 12 inches from the ceiling and left it there for them to sort out later.

As for the condom. Embarress the customer by asking if they could remove an item from besides the bed. I would then say that I was going to spend 20 minutes setting up the kit so would appreciate it if you could move all items from the working area.

[wayne zabel]

wayne
was this a phone quote and if so did you not qualfy the job when on the phone, i always ask the custy what they want, wether a full wall to wall or round furniture before i give them a price, if round furniture i always say to them to remove all the small objects, if you'd done all that and the place was like it was when you got there then youve got a valid excuse to up the price or request a revisit when the room is how it was supposed to be.

This was a phone quotation were she said we were doing walkways and round the furniture.

I assumed that if she knew the carpets were being cleaned that day then she would have had the sense to not leave the rooms  like a bomb had dropped.She was taking the p1ss.If shes any sense I think she will realise why the job wasnt done.

If you must assume always assume the worst scenario....other than that assume just makes and ass of u and me!
Why do you think she was taking the urine?

I never even considered asking for more money as I didnt want to do the job.
Other than the mess of "things" on the floor, it was just a straightforward carpet clean, so why would you not want the work?

Tom Moore,I'm a self employed CC and if I feel that someone is insulting me by leaving the rooms as she did, then no I will not clean the carpets.

Sorry I don't understand why you were insulted

Helen you really had to have seen the mess to understand why I felt insulted and no it wasnt a straight forward carpet clean as I said there was a layer of dust all over both carpets that wouldnt even vac up properly and would have been a nightmare.

[gwrightson]

 A Couple of points i have to make,

1 .   the main reason for when ever possible to arrange a survey before booking in the job, you know exactly what you are dealing with ,what to expect and can explain to custy exactly  what needs moving etc.

2.    i cannot really understand even though you quoted over the phone, the reason for not stressing how you would like the room as empty as possible.  

and as a pure coincidence i turned up at a job yesterday morning to the amazment of custy, floor shrewn with toys ,bit and pieces ..... only i had misread diary ,first time evr i might add,  and should have been another 4 miles away.  
went back today at the correct time and date ,rooms were imacculate ,only 2 settes still in room, vacced ,curtains tied up      

as for  Tom... seems to intent on stirring it for some reason!!!!!!!!!!  why ? is this just another wind up merchant ?  

Geoff

[Steve Rothwell]

as for  Tom... seems to intent on stirring it for some reason!!!!!!!!!!  why ? is this just another wind up merchant ? 

Geoff

there are a few about at the moment Geoff, they come and go though   

[Tom Moore]

Blimey
you really are a queer lot
you must live in a carpet cleaning world that I have never been in!!
All your customers clear rooms or you walk away !!
If not you charge them more !!!
They do exactly what you tell them !!!
you get insulted by dirty carpets !!
oh and you earn loads of money !!
I meet people like this in pubs on Friday nights ......with holes in their shoes

[Neil Williams]

All your customers clear rooms or you walk away !! Did I say that? I give them one chance then I do it my way which is to stack as high as possible
If not you charge them more !!! Who said that?
They do exactly what you tell them !!! Who said that?
you get insulted by dirty carpets !! What planet are you on?
oh and you earn loads of money !! Only between Mondays and Wednesday then I take the rest of the week off because I can afford to

BTW who are you really because not many appear on here and launch into arguementative postings straight away

[Colin Day]

I nearly walked last week. I got an address wrong by going to Glebe Ave instead of Glebe Drive [For example]. I ended up being 5 minutes late and this stuck up cow said "Bloody hell, where have you been? Have you got no brains...?" I held my tongue though and proceeded with the job.

"I'll need to write you a cheque, how much for cash? And can I have a receipt?"

She left me to it as she had other plans and as I was packing my kit up, I could smell burning... I investigated and found that she left her glass hob on full heat with junk piled on top of it....

And the silly bitch had the cheek to ask if I'd had any brains....

[Tom Moore]

If potential customers read these posts who do you think they would employ ??
The people on here moaning about mess or toys on the floor and expecting  a clear room or ....allegedly a stirrer who will provide 100% customer service and a provider of service without condition
that is why most of you knockers are poor !!

[Colin Day]

I have read many posts, and not commented.
However I think it is time to join in.
YOU ARE A CARPET CLEANER !!
Why not do your job.......clean carpets.

The whole point of me being my own boss, is so I don't have to work for tossers... But if I really must, they WILL pay more...

[Helen]

wayne
was this a phone quote and if so did you not qualfy the job when on the phone, i always ask the custy what they want, wether a full wall to wall or round furniture before i give them a price, if round furniture i always say to them to remove all the small objects, if you'd done all that and the place was like it was when you got there then youve got a valid excuse to up the price or request a revisit when the room is how it was supposed to be.

This was a phone quotation were she said we were doing walkways and round the furniture.

I assumed that if she knew the carpets were being cleaned that day then she would have had the sense to not leave the rooms  like a bomb had dropped.She was taking the p1ss.If shes any sense I think she will realise why the job wasnt done.

If you must assume always assume the worst scenario....other than that assume just makes and ass of u and me!
Why do you think she was taking the urine?

I never even considered asking for more money as I didnt want to do the job.
Other than the mess of "things" on the floor, it was just a straightforward carpet clean, so why would you not want the work?

Tom Moore,I'm a self employed CC and if I feel that someone is insulting me by leaving the rooms as she did, then no I will not clean the carpets.

Sorry I don't understand why you were insulted

Helen you really had to have seen the mess to understand why I felt insulted and no it wasnt a straight forward carpet clean as I said there was a layer of dust all over both carpets that wouldnt even vac up properly and would have been a nightmare.

Wayne I'm not having a go, but people live how people live and If I let that interfere with our business, then we would be bankrupt.
How many times have we all been asked to clean because:
Toddler has finished potty training now (yuk..thanks for that)
Someone has thrown up (and worse) over the floor (turns my stomach the thought of it!)
Pet has been sick, had an accident etc etc (was it really the pet? )
But.....when I hear this I make sure there is an addition on the price.

Layer of dust over the floor that wouldn't vac up.....have seen many of these and with a little hard graft you can get it up, it's just you really didn't want to do it...... I've lost count of the times we've been to these sort of jobs, just deep vacc'd and the custie had gone "wow" they look good......

My guess is that you have had some good ones lately that had everything ready for you and were basically an easy clean........therefore this one was just a disappointment.........we've all been there, but you just have to dig deep and remember you are there to clean the carpets, be they dusty,filthy, stain ridden, or even quite clean
It's just part of carpet cleaning that's all

[Warren Aldridge]

LOL. So if you had a carpet cleaner over to your house you would happily leave your crud lying around everywhere for him to clean up after you?

Some people....

I dont think he's moaning about the dirty carpets, I think its more the fact that there's items left everywhere for him to deal with

[Steve Rothwell]

or ....allegedly a stirrer who will provide 100% customer service and a provider of service without condition Huh

how do we know that you are a carpet cleaner ??

and not just some random chancer who stumbled in here by accident and saw a wind up session ready for the making

[Helen]

I nearly walked last week. I got an address wrong by going to Glebe Ave instead of Glebe Drive [For example]. I ended up being 5 minutes late and this stuck up cow said "Bloody hell, where have you been? Have you got no brains...?" I held my tongue though and proceeded with the job.

Good for you, but this is what I call being insulted......

"I'll need to write you a cheque, how much for cash? And can I have a receipt?"
Should have said £10 more as charges are higher in the bank to pay cash in

She left me to it as she had other plans and as I was packing my kit up, I could smell burning... I investigated and found that she left her glass hob on full heat with junk piled on top of it....

And the silly bitch had the cheek to ask if I'd had any brains....
You were there to clean carpets, not play firefighter, should have left it alone.......TONGUE IN CHEEK REMARK

[Tom Moore]

All your customers clear rooms or you walk away !! Did I say that? I give them one chance then I do it my way which is to stack as high as possible
If not you charge them more !!! Who said that?
They do exactly what you tell them !!! Who said that?
you get insulted by dirty carpets !! What planet are you on?
oh and you earn loads of money !! Only between Mondays and Wednesday then I take the rest of the week off because I can afford to

BTW who are you really because not many appear on here and launch into arguementative postings straight away

I,m sorry
Perhaps I should ask first.
You have summed it up in a sentence ,,well done

[richy27]

although i think mr moore maybe trying to stirr who cares. in some ways i think he is right .  If i expected every job to be perfect clear without any complications i dont think i would be in business very long . i have done a few jobs before where i nearly felt sick after but hey ho who cares . as long as they are happy and pay my bill i dont care.

like colin mentioned sometimes on the very rare a occasion a customer has been a bit rude i tend to to just rise above it and carry on.  I have one client who basically lives in squaller is rude to me but i have been back 3 years in a row. work is work

[Neil Williams]

how do we know that you are a carpet cleaner ??

Because he talks a good storey like the rest of us do

[Helen]

LOL. So if you had a carpet cleaner over to your house you would happily leave your crud lying around everywhere for him to clean up after you?

No, I am the sort of person who cleans before the cleaner arrives

Some people....

I dont think he's moaning about the dirty carpets, I think its more the fact that there's items left everywhere for him to deal with

He didn't like the fact that underneath the mess there was a thick layer of dust, which was hard to remove.....his words
The items on the floor issue was easily get roundable

[wayne zabel]

Helen Ive had my fair share of doing work in not very nice houses and when I started off full time I got some bad ones that I mentioned about on here.Believe me this was the worst Ive had.

I actually enjoy cleaning dirty carpets more than the cleaner ones so its not that I wasnt up for a challenge.

[dave123]

Calm down Tom  Wayne is fairly new to all this so he has a lot more to learn, which he will in time . I've only ever walked once in 12 years . There has been a few times that I've emptied my dump tank on peoples carpets after a heated argument about price ,I've cleaned carpets that have been absolutely sodden with s*** ( incontenent couple )which was arranged by the social workers .So in that time seen it done .Still a long way to go Wayne but I am sure you will stick at it and know in future how to resolve the problems you will come up against .
Tom I see you are in my neck of the woods .

[Tom Moore]

or ....allegedly a stirrer who will provide 100% customer service and a provider of service without condition Huh

how do we know that you are a carpet cleaner ??

and not just some random chancer who stumbled in here by accident and saw a wind up session ready for the making

And thats all you worry about ,,,is it
Why not get yourself a boy/girlfriend and have a conversation with some intellect

[Colin Day]

I think the only thing we can learn from this is, it's usually wise to do a face to face quote, at least you can price accordingly (Extra £20 for Johnny Disposal )  Most of us reasonable types can appreciate that it's not always possible to do a face to face quote though.

I had a job the other week where I hadn't gone to quote for an old dear, there was poo everywhere and her [So called carers, who she pays £14 an hour] left if for 2 weeks before they got me in, but told me it was a general carpet clean.

If I had gone to quote, I would have charged considerably more but I would have also hired a general cleaner to get this 94 year old's surroundings fit for a human. I did the best I could and went the extra mile, she was so embarrassed but very appreciative but I was just fuming that her carers would leave this poor woman, to live in her own faeces.....

[Steve Rothwell]

And thats all you worry about ,,,is it
Why not get yourself a boy/girlfriend and have a conversation with some intellect

Oh please ...
do not judge us all (me especially) by your own pathetically low intellect standard.......

It gives me brain ache just trying to think down to your level.....

[richy27]

I will give it ten minutes  ......................

abra cadabra




















































and it vanished along with thomas  lol   

[Colin Day]

Tom... Just calm down a bit fella. We're [nearly] all pretty friendly really and most of us use this site to "LEARN" from other people's experiences.

Were you a Sargent Major or something? You seem to have a rather abrasive way with words.....

(I reckon it's Joe in disguise folks.... )

[dave123]

After doing those sort of jobs Colin I just want to go home and clean the machine and dive in the bath .Does make you wonder what some of these social workers do all day .

[Colin Day]

After doing those sort of jobs Colin I just want to go home and clean the machine and dive in the bath .Does make you wonder what some of these social workers do all day .

I disinfected the machine with Fresh-Guard, I did consider using some as bubble-bath

[Helen]

Helen Ive had my fair share of doing work in not very nice houses and when I started off full time I got some bad ones that I mentioned about on here.Believe me this was the worst Ive had.

I actually enjoy cleaning dirty carpets more than the cleaner ones so its not that I wasnt up for a challenge.

"Went in the first bedroom and picked all the things up of the floor and was met with a sheet of dust on the floor an eigth of an inch thick.I proceeded to start to vac the carpet and was confronted by a used condom on the floor at the side of the bed.
It was at this point that I decided that I was off."
Wayne you started the challenge, so what defeated you, the condom could have been safely been hoovered away. I agree it wasn't nice, but as others have said we have all seen worse

[Colin Day]

Yeah Wayne, man up, you should have popped it over your head, blown it up then ran around saying "Look at me, I'm an alien" 

[derek west]

we cleaned a pig sty, (actually do quite a lot) and iwas prespraying a landing and put an extra squirt on some hard chocolate in a corner, i then heard vommiting noises coming from my helper, he'd run the enviro dri over the "chocolate" only to find it was 5h1t with a crusty shell and when he scrubbed it the whiff was absolutely disgusting, i laughed my t1ts off while he was gagging, anyway, cracked on, job done.

[richy27]

we cleaned a pig sty, (actually do quite a lot) and iwas prespraying a landing and put an extra squirt on some hard chocolate in a corner, i then heard vommiting noises coming from my helper, he'd run the enviro dri over the "chocolate" only to find it was 5h1t with a crusty shell and when he scrubbed it the whiff was absolutely disgusting, i laughed my t1ts off while he was gagging, anyway, cracked on, job done.

poop happens    aye derek

[Colin Day]

we cleaned a pig sty, (actually do quite a lot) and iwas prespraying a landing and put an extra squirt on some hard chocolate in a corner, i then heard vommiting noises coming from my helper, he'd run the enviro dri over the "chocolate" only to find it was 5h1t with a crusty shell and when he scrubbed it the whiff was absolutely disgusting, i laughed my t1ts off while he was gagging, anyway, cracked on, job done.

 

I'm like her off "How Clean is Your House..." I always feel the need to sniff at stuff, even if I know it's gonna be bad

[wynne jones]

we cleaned a pig sty, (actually do quite a lot) and iwas prespraying a landing and put an extra squirt on some hard chocolate in a corner, i then heard vommiting noises coming from my helper, he'd run the enviro dri over the "chocolate" only to find it was 5h1t with a crusty shell and when he scrubbed it the whiff was absolutely disgusting, i laughed my t1ts off while he was gagging, anyway, cracked on, job done.

 

I'm like her off "How Clean is Your House..." I always feel the need to sniff at stuff, even if I know it's gonna be bad

That was George Michaels last defense. 

[markpowell]

I am my own boss, i will do the jobs i want to do and leave the jobs i dont to someone else.
I thrive on dirty carpets and love a challenge, but im no mug neither,
well done wayne to walk, i would have just got in the van and left after first inspection, without giving an explanation wotsoever.
Mark

[Tom Moore]

or ....allegedly a stirrer who will provide 100% customer service and a provider of service without condition Huh

how do we know that you are a carpet cleaner ??

and not just some random chancer who stumbled in here by accident and saw a wind up session ready for the making

This is a random chancer accoring to the poster?

[Tom Moore]

My mate and me who employ 4 staff talk about taking on more ,
however all we meet are the same negatives encountered on this site,
everybody talks about what they can.t do instead of what they can do,
I would not employ any of you........unless you move furniture and realise the customer is king

[markpowell]

My mate and me who employ 4 staff talk about taking on more ,
however all we meet are the same negatives encountered on this site,
everybody talks about what they can.t do instead of what they can do,
I would not employ any of you........unless you move furniture and realise the customer is king

When you have been at the job 20 years you may look at the job in a different light.
The customer is only king if its a customer that you want to keep for life.
There is many customers out there that will try take th P**S time after time.
Mark

[Tom Moore]

ash
my response to Random Chancer was to defend my character from slander
Random chancer is a phrase and accusation perpetuated by Hector M
He is the sole owner of this slight and owns the rights to this or otherwise

[peter maybury]

Tom if you are happy to advertise yourself as a carpet cleaner and go into jobs where you are unable to even see what you have been contracted to clean then carry on and good luck. When I have customers on the phone I stress my investment in equipment training and how valuable my time is.
I explain that I am in a different league to your average carpet cleaner. When people see me turning up they do not see a general dogsbody they see a professional. If I have failed to get this across to them, I apologise for my mistake and go on to the next job. 

Peter
www.carpetcleanercardiff.com

[Neil Williams]

ash
my response to Random Chancer was to defend my character from slander
Random chancer is a phrase and accusation perpetuated by Hector M
He is the sole owner of this slight and owns the rights to this or otherwise

Ok you've had your laugh, now there's nothing to see so please move on
Or least if you have carpet cleaning experience
Let's see you answer an actual question on carpet cleaning from any number of questions posted on here.

[Jim_77]

Totally agree with Mark

From the sounds of how it looked when you walked in, I wouldn't have even started the job.  If it was easy to srt there and then I'd have offered to "giver her a hand" which involves starting off helping and then sitting in the van having a smoke for 10 minutes

If it was awful I'd have politely asked her to call me when she'd sorted the rooms out ready for cleaning.

I have actually done this, and as long as you're professional and polite what can they say?  I've never had a call back from a couple (the ignorant ones I wouldn't want as customers), and a couple of others turned out fine (the customers I like to keep).

I turned up to a massive house on a Friday morning to do carpets throughout for the new owner, and the old people hadn't gone!  They had stuff all over the floor in every room, could only see 25% of the carpet and most of that was stairs.  New owners due in on Monday morning.  I had to come back on Saturday after another job I already had booked in, didn't finish till 8pm on a Saturday night!!

[james roffey]

I have read many posts, and not commented.
However I think it is time to join in.
YOU ARE A CARPET CLEANER !!
Why not do your job.......clean carpets.

The whole point of me being my own boss, is so I don't have to work for tossers... But if I really must, they WILL pay more...

I would be ashamed to have someone come into my house and it be in that state, it shows no consideration sorry if that offends some of you, but i agree i love being my own boss and if i decide if dont want to do a job , WHY DO I HAVE TO DO IT ? i choose what jobs i do what is wrong with that.

[james roffey]

Tom if you are happy to advertise yourself as a carpet cleaner and go into jobs where you are unable to even see what you have been contracted to clean then carry on and good luck. When I have customers on the phone I stress my investment in equipment training and how valuable my time is.
I explain that I am in a different league to your average carpet cleaner. When people see me turning up they do not see a general dogsbody they see a professional. If I have failed to get this across to them, I apologise for my mistake and go on to the next job. 

Peter
www.carpetcleanercardiff.com

Peter i could not agree more

[chrisjohn]

Wayne

Correct decision,SIMPLE AS THAT.

Chris

[garyfindlay]

I posted a while back same sort of situation. Gave a price then went to do job, and roomss had acquired a couple of more large stains, and floor covered in bras, toys, clothes etc, and took pelters for increasing my price. At least I stayed.

[AshWhite]

The correct decision is whichever one you make. If the fee for the clean is money that you need, then do it, if it's money you could live without, then don't. Some will do it, others won't - you don't have to justify yourself to a forum of strangers, only you were in the room and know how you felt.

The condom woulda tipped it over the edge for me personally - It's just plain disgusting! I hate em, but maybe thats why I have 8 kids..

Ash

[derek west]

 

[from edge2edge]

Morning Wayne You made the right decision for yourself and thats why you are self employed.I tell people i work with people and not for people and many a time go out of my way to move things etc especially when i am working in less able peoples properties but always have the right to walk if i think they are rude or taking the p which is extremely rare ........Regards Alan(swindon)

[Mr Dvae]

hi wayne did exactly the same thing myself 2 days ago,
i only make money when my wand is passing over the carpet, if the custy pays my hourly rate i'll gladly do the dusting , moving of crap etc so long as they don' mind me charging them £60-70 /hr for it.
things like can you move your van a little, wait while i go to the bank (should have already been) etc. all cost time so charge the customer for it .
i clean carpets... not tidy rooms.
Well done wayne.

Dave

[clinton]

I would have done the same too wayne..

I have done it in the past and would do it again..Your your own boss..

After even a few more years in business your client base will be even larger so dont wory..

[robert meldrum]

Right decision Wayne and Tom Moore from Kent.....................I don't know how long you've been in this industry but from your posts I'd guess you are really a house cleaner who does the odd carpet cleaning job.

Most on here a CARPET AND UPHOLSTERY CLEANERS who've either been around a while or done some training in not just cleaning but marketing.

As a result, they have met other industry pro's, read a lot, experimented a lot and found that certain things allow them to be competitive but still make a good profit.

One of these is the logistics of arriving, preparing and completing the task. In my and I'm sure the vast majority on here have no problem if a few items need to moved and returned. That's usually beds, MOVABLE bedroom / livingroom units which only take seconds to move.

The " bomb site " scenario is a totally different state of affairs and can easily double the time you have to spend clearing up someone's mess.

In my early days I came across some very untidy rooms and if they were not too bad would move stuff around, but the service we provide is the cleaning of carpets and upholstery ( which can be another nightmare ) and if someone wants their carpets cleaned they'd have to be pretty thick not to realise the carpet surface has to be available to clean.

[Simon Gerrard]

I had a very similar situation as Wayne, the house of an eccentric who collected old newspapers and seemingly everything else she came across on her travels. I took one look at the job and decided I needed to escape and so told her I'd left my wand at the last job. I didn't like lying to her but I couldn't bring myself to tell her I didn't want to do her job because her house was a tip (and that would have been the polite version) No need to hurt people's feeling, I think.

Simon

[derek west]

first thing i would of said to her wayne, "have you got carpet under there love" with a cheeky smile of course, i then would of gone on to compensate the time spent moving all the crap by not vaccing, and not agitating, just spray and go. it might sopund like i'm lowering my standards but lets face it, the results i'd achieve from a speed clean would probably look fantastic in a house like that, same hourly rate, same amazed look on the custies face. everybody happy, but i think its the condom that broke the donkeys back in waynes case, personally i'd of tried it on for size, joooooooke, joooooke, i'd of probably would of got some gloves on and chucked it behind the cupboard. but it doesn't mean wayne was wrong in not doing the job, its his business and he's doing okay up to now so who can knock the guy for walking.
ive only ever walked once.

walked in to inspect, and it had a dirty great big coffee stain in a wool carpet, not one cup but over the years his wife (so he told me) had spilt coffee of the bedside cupboard loads of times. same exact spot.
his exact words were, "its only coffee, that'll come out no problem" i knew then i had a problem, after explaining to him that there might be a chance that it won't all come out, he then said "i thought you was a carpet cleaner" i politely declined the job to a barrage of abuse, of which i smiled politely and said good day.

[Phillip Mold]

One small observation ................

If you visit homes to quote rather than do it over the phone this sort of thing would be either avoided or priced accordingly!

[garry22]

Wayne,

As a self employed person, you have a precious thing called CHOICE.

It's a lovely feeling to stick two fingers up to a person or situation; something employees cannot do.

If you are happy with your decision then fine.

[wynne jones]

I had a very similar situation as Wayne, the house of an eccentric who collected old newspapers and seemingly everything else she came across on her travels. I took one look at the job and decided I needed to escape and so told her I'd left my wand at the last job. I didn't like lying to her but I couldn't bring myself to tell her I didn't want to do her job because her house was a tip (and that would have been the polite version) No need to hurt people's feeling, I think.

Simon

Probably hurt her feelings more waiting for you to come back. Think you are rationalising that one Simon.

But your right, that one would be a job for the council. 

[Simon Gerrard]

Mike,
She knew I wasn't coming back and seemed grateful for my being delicate enough to spare her blushes. No need to embarrass people.
Simon

[Mr Dvae]

nice one Simon. i like your attitude.

Dave.