Clean It Up

UK Floor Cleaning Forum => Carpet Cleaning Forum => Topic started by: gort on December 18, 2005, 06:25:16 pm

Title: 118 trades
Post by: gort on December 18, 2005, 06:25:16 pm

Hi

I have been approached by 118 trades to advertise although i feel i dont need it I thought I would ask if anyone has ever tried it or has an opinon about it.

Ta Rob

Title: Re: 118 trades
Post by: brookie12 on December 18, 2005, 06:35:18 pm

STAY AWAY YOU WOULD GET MORE FOR YOUR MONEY IF YOU FLUSHED IT DOWN THE BOG......
WASTE OF TIME MATE I HAVE BEEN WITH THEM FOR THE LST 11 MONTHS AND NOT ONE CALL...

ALL THE BEST

MATT

Title: Re: 118 trades
Post by: batterbee on December 18, 2005, 06:42:16 pm

Hi rob if you look on the window cleaning issues on the 9th 0f december you will see a big debate on this issue i think this will definetly answer your question, i personally have no experience in the matter but after reading this it certainly helps make your mind up if approached by this company. regards john.

Title: Re: 118 trades
Post by: David_Annable on December 18, 2005, 07:05:00 pm

No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No NoNo No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No 

Dave

If theres anypart of the above you dont understand please ask

Title: Re: 118 trades
Post by: gort on December 18, 2005, 07:29:00 pm

Thanks all I really appreciate your help and advice. I take it you mean no dave.

Rob

Title: Re: 118 trades
Post by: scott. on December 18, 2005, 08:25:35 pm

Rob
I've been plagued by them over the past 12 months, and got fed up after 8th time they called this year!
I told them to p off and stop calling..I also reported them to the TPS as we are registered, and hopefully theyll get a heafty fine.
As for their advertising, youd prob have more luck advertising in readers wives ;)

Title: Re: 118 trades
Post by: Kinver_Clean on December 19, 2005, 07:58:44 am

I ad with Yell P and I am now reviewing my ad strategy. I ad in a few local mags and parish mags. They are cheaper and LOCAL. I am fed up with travelling all over the W Midlands and I think I will concentrate on the area around me----in other words keep off the big area boys suchas 118 and all the rest, you will be paying to ad in areas too far from home. I put an ad in a local directory, £22 per 3 months, as I opend the first copy the phone rang with the first job and then the second.
Makes you think.

Trevor

Title: Re: 118 trades
Post by: Park Cleaning Services on December 20, 2005, 10:00:28 pm

these so called 118 trades phones me the day.  Pushy or wot?  i told them i may be interested....BIG MISTAKE!!!  they wanted bank details over phone, would not take no for an answer, they even kept asking me if i believed if this deal was cosher!!!!  this concerned me somewhat...

anyway........after at leaset 2 calls a day for over a week, i finally told them to **** off and stop calling me or i would report them, shock...no more calls..........In my opinion..STAY WELL CLEAR.

Kind Regards...........Ian

Title: Re: 118 trades
Post by: Jason Hedges on December 20, 2005, 11:47:31 pm

They have been hastling me recently as well. The first call I had was about 2 months ago and their sellng pitch was "WE ONLY CONTACT RECOMMENDED COMPANIES, YOU HAVE BEEN RECOMMENDED BY A PREVIOUS CUSTOMER OF YOURS, WE NEED 2 REFERENCES FROM OTHER PREVIOUS CUSTOMERS AND YOU'RE IN"

When I asked who recommended me they didn't have the persons details to hand surprise surprise!

In the last week they've called me 4 times, each time I've said not at the moment thanks I'm far too busy to take on more work which I am (sort of!!!).

Whenever they phone it sounds like they're in a roudy noisy pub because there's shouting and cheering in the background, when I asked if he was in a pub he responded by saying "NO OF COURSE NOT, OUR PEOPLE ARE TYING UP DEALS ALL THE TIME AND ARE HAPPY"

I can't work this company out, they're very persistant and not overly professional in their selling or communications.

I'm giving them a miss and think anyone else should do the same!

Kind regards and happy Christmas.

Jason.

Title: Re: 118 trades
Post by: Ian Gourlay on January 18, 2007, 03:39:41 pm

Had a call today.

I was offered £10,000 of advertising for £1800in I directory going to 750K market homes in Norfolk.

It appears a Large company had pulled out and they were giving me the space just to close the directory and fill the page.

45 minutes later and 29 attempts to close the price was £850 plus Internet and a page in another directory as-well.


Cant remember if the third was also agreed.


I have never seen these directories so I turned it down

Now have I turned down 20 K of advertising for £850 ?

 Has anyone seen these directories

Title: Re: 118 trades
Post by: sparklecleaning on January 18, 2007, 03:49:14 pm

Quote from: Ian Gourlay on January 18, 2007, 03:39:41 pm

Had a call today.

I was offered £10,000 of advertising for £1800in I directory going to 750up market homes.

It appears a Large company had pulled out and they were giving me the space just to close the directory and fill the page.

45 minutes later and 29 attempts to close the price was £850 plus Internet and a page in another directory as-well.


Cant remember if the third was also agreed.


I have never seen these directories so I turned it down

Now have I turned down 20 K of advertising for £850 ?

 Has anyone seen these directories

Exactly ive never seen one!  ::)

Title: Re: 118 trades
Post by: prodry on January 18, 2007, 04:35:43 pm

They were on bbc watchdog last year.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/consumer/tv_and_radio/watchdog/reports/homes/homes_20060321_2.shtml

they are a waste of time, as most directories are. they used to be all over advertising, football grounds etc and the top page of the search engines, however they are rarely seen anymore.

Title: Re: 118 trades
Post by: AquaMagic on January 18, 2007, 07:37:29 pm

Avoid like the Plauge!!!, i had them call me last year, i did a search on the net and it appears thier Director was arrested for obtaining funds by deception, i also took the opportunity to call some of the companies who were using them (allways a good test) they all told me that the hadnt had a single enquiry, when i confronted the sales guy with this info he was speachless and never returned my emails call demanding for an explanation why he was trying to rip me off.

Title: Re: 118 trades
Post by: murky on January 18, 2007, 08:16:15 pm

Also watch out for anyone who is doing advertising from any address near Morecombe in Lancs.

They are usually dodgy.

Re my insert last year about this, allways ask them to send you a copy of previous work so you can check any companies out for degree of response.

I got caught a few years ago for nearly £200, only after they didn't return my calls I stopped the standing orders and got out.

If your not sure. DONT.

Title: Re: 118 trades
Post by: will01 on January 19, 2007, 12:37:07 am

I know its not 118 but I've advertised in yp for years and  this is my first year without them. In my area the yp brought in just enough work to cover the cost of advertising with them.

IMHO flyers work but you have to KEEP AT IT and deliver them to the same addresess every 2 months or so.
Keep your design layout the same but just change words/graphics accordingly dependant on time of year.
This will make your company familiar to the potential customer and some will, in time employ your services.
So get your butt outta bed @ 0600am and deliver flyers like there's no tomorrow. I deliver 200 flyers every morn from mon - fri and get 1 job a day plus recs without spending substantial amounts.

best rgds

Will

Title: Re: 118 trades
Post by: scott. on January 20, 2007, 02:54:01 pm

I think directories are becoming obsolete these days, as we move into a book free era...from what I hear, these companies are getting into a spot of bother because of it..It just amuses me, how much they lie and b**l***t about it on the phone...gives me great please to take the p*** back, over the phone....
I've found in the past year, a lot of repeat business, and recommendations from them....may just focus better on getting repeats back...also, I've found that sending out yearly service reminders to previous customers has brought them back too.

Using a different stratagy, I think that the best forms of advertising are the ones that dont come chasing you....work that one out ;)

Title: Re: 118 trades
Post by: des on January 20, 2007, 03:06:10 pm

While we are on this subject  ufindus no NO NO NO NO