Clean It Up
UK Floor Cleaning Forum => Carpet Cleaning Forum => Topic started by: josephus on November 01, 2005, 10:50:01 pm
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so i did a job today. im busy right now with windows but felt id better do it anyway.
i got thier heard the sad story of thier bad estate, and did 2 rooms for 30 quid and a rug free.
i was nice when i was asked if her husband could drop the money off tonight.
then i got the call.
"the stains came back" the hair dye wouldnt budge. the rug you did then placed over a cabinet fell off 3 hours later and broke a mirror. the hose broke a chunk of plaster.
this from the woman who left her baby upstairs crying next to my ninja while she ate halloween sweeties.
god i hate her.
you try to be a good guy and what do you get ?
you must be using cheap machine and chems since your cheaper than everyone else (i used crystal green). no you nasty cow i was doing you a favour cause i had a 200.00 quid factory that afternoon and didnt need the cash.
i hate theses type so much right now
jo
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Respectfully Jo, you don't need um, don't do favours because they just end up costing you!
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cheers
from now on everybody pays or the machine stays in the van. i mean,,,, to slag me off cause i didnt charge her !!!!
i bet i get a letter claimind damages. any thoughts on how to react if i do.
jo
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Sounds like they were after a free clean. Unlikely they'll take it further. Put it down to experience and move on. Its happened to us all.
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Jo
In hind sight...
If you had charged full price would she have had the job done!
£30, not a lot for 2 beds and a rug, and all that hassle.
Chris
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Had one not so long ago. Nasty piece of work. Initially she was fine and said "Ive got to pop out, while Im out I'll get your cash but wont be back until late - can you pop in tomorrow and pick it up. Dont worry you will definately get your money"
Reluctantly I said ok, so (you guessed it) I went back the next day and was told by her 10 year old that she wasnt in (yeh right). So now Im getting the severe hump. I tried about 7 times even ringing her all to no avail. I should have guessed it when I saw the type of house (single mum - council house), but it just didnt register at the time because we were running late.
That cost me £140.00.
Learnt my lesson on that day. I threatened her with court action in a letter - but NOTHING. I hate scammers just like all of us, but now Ive put it behind me. Got to think positive!
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for £140 i would consider taking it further, you can retrieve court costs and it needn't cost you the earth.
ben
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about 10 years ago i cleaned the carpet in a takeway which i later found out was a notorious non payer ,needless to say it was black with grease etc.did a fantastic job with the white part of the pattern gleaming.whilst packing up the gear the two brothers who owned the takeway decided to move one of the sofas and proceeded to tell me they were not paying as the pile did not look the same as under the sofa ie brand new.
i took excepting to this obvious attempt to rip me off and as the machine was still standing on the carpet told them if they did not pay 40 litres of dirty water would be given back to them.
THEY PAID
ps i am 6 ft 4 so i don't know if this had anything to do with it.
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Dirtbusters, Dave 401Uk had the same problem with an Asian restaurant only he "Did" dump the water on the carpet and extracted it after the shocked owner coughed up the full amount. ;D ;D ;D ;D
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All of these examples are the exceptions, I had one myself who complained after I cleaned a cat urine saturated carpet that stank to the heavens.The whole house which was huge stank from top to bottom of cats mess, not nice if your allergic to cats like me :(
I explained there was no guarantees and she agreed, I cleaned and the stains as predicted did not come out but the smell went.
She duly paid up but 3 days later rang to say I has made the stains worse than before ::) but the smell had not returned.
She wanted me to call and clean again (normally not a problem but I knew it wouldn't end there) if not contribute to a replacement carpet ;D
I told her there was no chance of that, I did not want her as a client as gave her a full refund with out prejudice. End of
I don't want this type of business she was trouble and a conwomen and I would rather get shot of her asap and move on.
Think about all the clients that love you :-* not the ones that try it on and do there best to ruin your day,week,month what ever these clients are 99.9% of your business so why worry.
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I know these things happen but they are rare. Have only one customer who did not pay me this year so far and that was for a stairs and landing. Not worth going after. They live in a real posh house all the same and I know the lady and her mother and her grandmother. Did work for them all, never a problem, so you never really know. On the other hand, unlike formula6, I have often cleaned for single mothers in Council houses without any difficulties.
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3 of us did 4000 sq m 125 miles from home. Quoted £2/ mt for HWE and was accepted. 7 days before job was due was told had to be dry not wet because of computers. Got a mate in with DF and did it over 6 alternate nights to allow for pad washing etc. Charged £3.8/mt. After being paid 1/4 money they said it should have been 90p / mt and thats what they would pay. Took from Feb to Dec to get the money but they paid after court case (cost them an extra £750 for court fees)
Then you get a lady who thought that we had worked very hard and paid us £150 instead of £100.
No telling is there?
Trevor
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People on council estate got carpet cleaned !!! :o :o :o
Ive only had one of them in the past 2 years!!
Youre privilaged mate ;D ;D ;D
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Hey Scott
What are you implying, I live on a Council Estate :o :o :o
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ME TOO :o
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me too!! ;D
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Not Me
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Nor me ;D
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SNOBS!! ;D
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There's nothing wrong with council estate people :-\....It's just a statistical fact with me, that I dont get any calls from them...just the one, in 2 years...and he was emigrating ;D...maybe they all have wooden floors around here ;D
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hey jo
Used to live over there..I know what theyre like...try extending your clientelle over the border...theyre nicer people...want it done for nothing...but theyre nice ;D
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Grew up on a council estate as a kid and lived in one for 13 years with my missus and kids, Don't live on one now, live on a posh estate. If you wish to learn about life you can not beat the council estate for that.
As for cc on estates, I very really get them, and when I do I am always concerned if I am going to get paid, espically as I run an ad ending 'or its free'. Yet to have been ripped off, but will do one day for sure, its life as a cc. Get over it and move on.
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hi in my area most council houses hav been brought and some of them hav lot more money than people on a private estate in my street theres only two what are still council so cant c a problem about getting paid for job from excouncil house imo
gary
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Some of my best customers are from council houses, you're more likely to get a tip from them as well. Of course there are rough people on estates, but they are a minority and on the whole most are decent and honest who wouldn't dream of ripping off anybody.
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Surely it does not matter where the people live if you do a carpet audit first and let them know the risks and potential pitfalls in the cleaning of some carpets.
I sense that some peole dont check this before they start cleaning. Another reason why you should go and quote every job.
You can normaly tell the sort of people that are going to be a problem so it is best to stay clear and not do the job. Some of the biggest problems come from the rich and not the council house types, If their is such a type.
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KARL
I have been running ads for 5 years with 'or its free', done work on Council Estates and NEVER once have I been asked for a FREEBIE!!!
Why is that you may ask, I answer, " Because I give customer satisfaction".
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Hi Guys,
These sort of problems are rare , I've had 3 in the last few years and eventually got the money from two of them.
The other was so small it wasn't worth losing my dignity for.
I rarely go and quote but do prequalify before starting the work.
Cheers
Doug
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hi fellow cleaners
Talking about being ripped off, i think mine was a classic, but as you say you don'y realise at the time
here goes
got a call from a couple to go and clean their house, when arrived i was told they had just moved in and had no funiture yet, so i thought great an easy job for what i was getting paid, anyway after 3 hours of cleaning all the carpets, they asked if i could stay in the house while they went to the cashpoint to get my money, no problem i THOUGHT, it turned out they had just moved out an was scamming a free clean for the landlord
you know the old saying once bitten twice as shy
as this happened to anyone else
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I did a quote for an italian couple ,when i told the lady the price she swore at me, told me i was trying to rip her off and told me she should get a discount as she was an oap. She told me the time id told her it would take to do the job was twice as long as it would take etc. she practically shouted at me until i got into my van. Anyway i went home and half an hour later the phone rang...it was the same lady telling me she wanted me to do the job AND quote for another two properties! ??? (i didnt do it..dont need customers like that!)
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Hi Lina
Where are you located?
This happened to another carpet cleaner in Hertfordhsire, he rang them on the mobile phone and they told him they were off and he wouldn't see them again.
His response was to REMOVE THE FRONT DOOR put it in his van and go ;D
with the house open to the elements and any of squatter or vandal who cared to come in.
He rang and told them this to absolute silence on the other end he said your could hear the panic in their breathing as they realised that the open house was their responsibility not his at it hadn't been handed over.
The guy asked if he could send a cheque ::) and was told to go some where not very nice ;D He was to frightened to meet face to face, so got his wife to meet the cleaner in a car park in the area who by the way had now also charged them for his wasted time.
They met up he got his money in cash and dropped the door on the floor by her car( which she couldn't get in as it was too big) and he drove away. ;)
(This story was told to me by another CC in 2002 and swears it's a true story)
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Trev',
Excellent. Revenge is sweet eh.
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hi i allways state cash only and and up front on rental prop or person moving out a prop if they dont i walk
gary