Clean It Up
UK Floor Cleaning Forum => Carpet Cleaning Forum => Topic started by: creighton foyle on March 29, 2012, 11:58:28 pm
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come on guys , which supplier would you like to put forward as someone who through dedication, hardwork, integrity and good customer service has contributed to our industry. no negatives just positives and reasons why.
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Alltec
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Whatever I would say to a question like this will always be viewed as favouritism. My view is when it comes to customer service I am so impressed by Cleansmart, who have supported us beyond any reasonable standard, free upgrades as development has continued on their equipment and Matt's enthusiasm for listening to ideas from his customers.
I would also commend Restormate, Hugh Crane (our local Prochem Supplier) and Alltec, who supplied our machines for many years and I still consider the Alltec Pro plus as among the best twin vacs ever developed. But it's those who constantly push the boundaries whether it's machines or chemicals and I call them 'boffins' they make our industry work. Powerburst is virtually an industry standard, and Kieth at Chemspec direct like many others is just a phone call away. I also think there are many carpet cleaners who feedback to suppliers that help all of us do a much better job because of their input. Ken Wainwright, Derek Bolton, John Bolton and Matt Flewitt (to name but a few) have all been or still are at the sharp end and are amoung the unsung hero's of our industry, regardless of any affiliation they may have, or as a user I may have, you could not deny their influence.
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Solutions for me (http://www.cleanitup.co.uk/smf/1333085910_Devil.gif)
I don't care about past financial problems if they are true.....
They have good products as in M power SPM and Fusion Clean, and it is delivered the next day..
Any problems with it and it is sorted out instantly....
That is what I class as good customer service..
Not had any dealings with any other supplier ( I used to use prochem stuff and got it from wherever I could ).
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Hydramaster UK, Restormate, Alltec
I've dealt with a few over the years, but the 3 above stand out above all!!! Not saying no one else is any good otherwise we'd all be using the above, this is just my opinion!!!!
If we are talking about people, then Paul Pearce has to be one of the top guys on there, He's an all round lovely bloke, i've never heard a bad word said about him!! Always willing to help, always calls you back, i got a lot of respect for him!!!
Derek West, why mention him? I'm glad you asked! Its no great secret that Derek and i are friends, but anyone that as met me will say i'm very unbiased on things ( or i try to be), if i think somethings wrong i'll say!! i would say it on here more, but to be honest i got to be in the mood for typing and i'm not in the mood very often ;D , I mention Derek because this guy has not been in the industry very long, but has changed a lot of peoples views in a very short space of time, and i'm sure he will have a long and very successful career in this industry, Tacca has gone from a debate on a forum to what it is today in a very short space of time!!! and i'm excited about what the future holds for it!!!
I'm still a member of the NCCA and just applied for the IICRC, and will continue to be member of all as i think it makes me different from others in my area and makes me stand out from the crowd!!!
Right thats my longest post of the year!!!
back to short pi**taking ones!!!!!
;D ;D ;D
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Prochem by a mile
When I started out in this business 23 years ago they were providing first class training through Ron Tilley. Many of the long term carpet cleaning professionals who are still around today will have been through those Prochem schools. Even back then they supplied a complete range of well made equipment and quality but safe cleaning solutions. They developed a large distributor network so that their products were available over the counter everywhere.
I can't think of any company that has contributed more. I am not saying they are my favourite supplier and I only use a small number of their products. However you cannot ignore their contribution on the whole.
Nigel
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The water and electric companies we could buy a machine from anywhere but without water and electricity.
I can only talk from my own perspective "cleansmart" restoremate are a good company and solutions UK too
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Before I answer, whose hiring? ;D
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Nigel's right - Prochem wrote the book here first in a professional sense - metaphorically speaking and in actuality as RT's stamp is all over the Prochem C and Uph Manual that each student gets given on finishing - it used to look pretty rubbish - dont know if they have had it properly typeset and designed yet it was really crying out for it but as for the information in it first class - met Ron Tilley when I first did my training at Chessington - he was a pioneer (an often abused word that one but in this case true) he saw the future and stuck at it - hence the Royal Warrant - you dont get one of those without someone having done some homework on them. I dont get much from them now either but their agentt network is hard won and successful and old fashioned but it works - they look in the prochem catalogue first - I dont think they have been willing to innovate of late but you cant take away the fact they professionalised the carpet cleaning business AND resisted the temptation to go down the franchise yellow poop road - hence giving indies a flag to wave...
dave
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considering most of the equipment we use comes from the USA, I think the biggest contributors are the companies who see a need then have the motivation to bring it across from the states,
John Kelly saw the need for a small affordable truckmount so brought us the Prowler
Nick V saw a need for a more powerful portable to brought across the eclipse then the Recoil
Craftex are also worth a mention
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Ashcombe ;D
Shaun
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Chemdry Northern and southern limited , they have made us all more visible and pushed up prices for us all.
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Ashcombe ;D
Shaun
now theres a name i remberer
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My local Craftex and prochem distributor, good advise and now have their own chemicals. Next day delivery
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The developers and owners of these Professional Cleaning forums, must be rated.
The info newbe's gain from these forums, for FREE, is unquantifiable. When I started over 32 years ago apart from Prochems courses, there was nowhere else to go, to find out things. It was a case of slowly, slowly trial and error - find out for yourself. The ccs that were around didn't speak to each other, they kept everything a secret less the comp finds out.
Now because of the forums we all communicate with each other and share info, tips and ideas, so heres a big cheer for the forum owners who have made it all possible.
Dave.
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Prochem by a mile
When I started out in this business 23 years ago they were providing first class training through Ron Tilley. Many of the long term carpet cleaning professionals who are still around today will have been through those Prochem schools. Even back then they supplied a complete range of well made equipment and quality but safe cleaning solutions. They developed a large distributor network so that their products were available over the counter everywhere.
I can't think of any company that has contributed more. I am not saying they are my favourite supplier and I only use a small number of their products. However you cannot ignore their contribution on the whole.
Nigel
Ah, Ron Tilley, the father of modern carpet cleaning. Many may not know of, or heard of him, but the thriving industry we all enjoy today was pretty much of Ron's making.
Simon
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The developers and owners of these Professional Cleaning forums, must be rated.
The info newbe's gain from these forums, for FREE, is unquantifiable. When I started over 32 years ago apart from Prochems courses, there was nowhere else to go, to find out things. It was a case of slowly, slowly trial and error - find out for yourself. The ccs that were around didn't speak to each other, they kept everything a secret less the comp finds out.
Now because of the forums we all communicate with each other and share info, tips and ideas, so heres a big cheer for the forum owners who have made it all possible.
Dave.
As i'm only in the game a short while i'm still trying out various suppliers/products/companies so i wouldn't be
in as good a position as most ciu members to give a qualified opinion but i would have to wholehearthily agree with Dave's post,very well put.
Desi
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Alltec for me the best ...
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sorry and cleansmart .
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Whatever I would say to a question like this will always be viewed as favouritism. My view is when it comes to customer service I am so impressed by Cleansmart, who have supported us beyond any reasonable standard, free upgrades as development has continued on their equipment and Matt's enthusiasm for listening to ideas from his customers.
I would also commend Restormate, Hugh Crane (our local Prochem Supplier) and Alltec, who supplied our machines for many years and I still consider the Alltec Pro plus as among the best twin vacs ever developed. But it's those who constantly push the boundaries whether it's machines or chemicals and I call them 'boffins' they make our industry work. Powerburst is virtually an industry standard, and Kieth at Chemspec direct like many others is just a phone call away. I also think there are many carpet cleaners who feedback to suppliers that help all of us do a much better job because of their input. Ken Wainwright, Derek Bolton, John Bolton and Matt Flewitt (to name but a few) have all been or still are at the sharp end and are amoung the unsung hero's of our industry, regardless of any affiliation they may have, or as a user I may have, you could not deny their influence.
100% 2 that!!
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and Alltec, who supplied our machines for many years and I still consider the Alltec Pro plus as among the best twin vacs ever developed.
Great design and attention to detail in those machines for the time alright ...
Independent stacks , electronic cutoff , silencer built into body , handle forward/back ... etc
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Prochem by a mile
When I started out in this business 23 years ago they were providing first class training through Ron Tilley. Many of the long term carpet cleaning professionals who are still around today will have been through those Prochem schools. Even back then they supplied a complete range of well made equipment and quality but safe cleaning solutions. They developed a large distributor network so that their products were available over the counter everywhere.
I can't think of any company that has contributed more. I am not saying they are my favourite supplier and I only use a small number of their products. However you cannot ignore their contribution on the whole.
Nigel
Ah, Ron Tilley, the father of modern carpet cleaning. Many may not know of, or heard of him, but the thriving industry we all enjoy today was pretty much of Ron's making.
Simon
I was fortunate enough to have Ron Tilley train me in 1996 - Prochem are known worldwide. I would agree that a lot of their products are duplicated or no bloody use at all, however, I use PureClean, Powerburst and Ultrapac - and those 3 products alone make Prochem a force still to be reckoned with.
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Steve
I remember it well.
The guy sat next to me in Ron Tilleys class had worked the night shift in a factory in Nottingham and then driven down to Kingston for training. He had heard you could earn £25 per hour as a carpet cleaner. He was fast asleep through the afternoon session. I would love to know what happened to him and whether his dreams came true :)
Nigel
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As much as it pains me to say it but Nick at Solution for me did more than any other supplier as he gave other suppliers a kick up the backside and made them realise they couldn't just take us for granted,so they all seemed to pull their socks up and start giving the service we are entitled to.
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Steve
I remember it well.
The guy sat next to me in Ron Tilleys class had worked the night shift in a factory in Nottingham and then driven down to Kingston for training. He had heard you could earn £25 per hour as a carpet cleaner. He was fast asleep through the afternoon session. I would love to know what happened to him and whether his dreams came true :)
Nigel
Ron was my instructor too during my last year in the army, when I was doing the Prochem courses as part of my civilian resettlement.
I remember that the first part of these courses was the scary bit, when Ron explained about the all the fibre and dye tests, and what could go wrong.
There were always a few who didn't bother turning up for the afternoon session, after being scared off, no doubt through beforehand thinking there's nothing to it, and then realising actually there is.
Dave.
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Dave,
I bet most of the guys who have been in the business 20 plus years were trained by Ron. I guess the modern day equivalents are Paul Pearce and Derek Bolton. Thing is Ron set the standard for equipment, chemicals and training in a time when our industry was pretty poor. As the years wore on other suppliers played catchup and new ones were formed. The reality is that Prochem are still top of the pile after all these years despite what other suppliers have to say. I would hazard a guess that their turnover in the UK would be more than all the other suppliers put together.
Nigel
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Steve
I remember it well.
The guy sat next to me in Ron Tilleys class had worked the night shift in a factory in Nottingham and then driven down to Kingston for training. He had heard you could earn £25 per hour as a carpet cleaner. He was fast asleep through the afternoon session. I would love to know what happened to him and whether his dreams came true :)
Nigel
Ron was my instructor too during my last year in the army, when I was doing the Prochem courses as part of my civilian resettlement.
I remember that the first part of these courses was the scary bit, when Ron explained about the all the fibre and dye tests, and what could go wrong.
There were always a few who didn't bother turning up for the afternoon session, after being scared off, no doubt through beforehand thinking there's nothing to it, and then realising actually there is.
Dave.
i did the prochem course first, even before i had any equipment, and yes, after the first day i nearly walked. ;D glad i didn't though. ;)
theres a lot of good/excellent suppliers, cleansmart, hydramaster, restoremate, but to answer the real question, who do i think has influenced the industry in a positive way?
for me i'd say robert saunders has given a lot with his fast track style marketing and his IICRC training. don't get me wrong i'm not a fan of fast track but the fact it encourages higher prices means for the likes of the rest of us, its not as hard to get reasonable ones. i think it was chemdry who pushed these boundaries to start with and alltec introduced it to the indipendants. might be wrong though as ive only been in the industry a short while. but thats just my (if not slightly ltd) opinion.
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Its interesting to see how Prochem operate today - I do feel they have contributed most in the past but are not innovating the way some other newer companies have and you may say thats why they have lasted the course but more important than that they have IMO lost touch with their mojo in terms of how they communicate with grass roots customers - they do not have the Gottsian touch thats for sure. There is a pervading feeling that the race is run and they have matured as a company and can just progress with no fuss and little real regard for whatever else is going on around them - they use a pr company for issuing press releases for any new products and for patting their agent network on the back - I am sure they (probably) communicate with the agents really well - BUT they have lost touch with ordinary foot soldiers like me thats for sure...
When you pitch up at Chessington its like you have entered a soviet style Ministry of Carpet Cleaning Supplies - there is no personal touch in terms of Hi Hello - hows things going? It appears they literally could not give a toss - its nothing personal and they are all very nice and straightforward in terms of receptionist and the people who work for them and do things for you in terms of machines but no-one makes an effort to find out who you are, what machines you are running, how the industry is going - for all they know I might be buying five everest hp's! I had a nice chat to another cc bloke from the Isle of Wight (Hi) and that was it for interaction with another human sole apart from the guys in the service department
When I was there I had rung for advice beforehand and had a good chat with the service manager who was very helpful on the phone - when I got there it was a different story the same bloke was fiddling with some crappy little electric machine and just palmed me off to a (knowledgeable) lieutenant - its not like I want my arse licked or anything its just the way things are done you get the impression it is such a large company now there is a big them and us worker management thing going on and the workers do not feel empowered to make a difference - if I am right (who knows) they could be a mature company on a slow downward spiral - I am sure the chemical brewing(!) packaging is a VERY profitable enterprise but how long can they support their huge range of products when microsplitters seem to be taking over the world... maybe the royal warrant is fully justified recognition of their services to carpet cleaning supplies in the UK but they defo need to beef-up their social skills viz a viz the grass roots to survive for another 40 years... they are not reaching out to the many ccers who use their products day in day out - they have no forum for discussion so it appears the information revolution has passed them by - if they had a forum like this one or CT then they would at least be able to establish an avenue of communication by answering simple tech and chem questions etc
Just my take on a british company that I think needs new direction (IMHO)...
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There hasn't been a cleaning specialist magazine from them for nearly 2 years now, that used to be a good way for them to communicate with the independants.
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Ron Tilly did the carpet and upholstery Chessington with him many years ago before I seriously got into CC.
About 8 years ago did a Prochem sales course and Ron, who seemed to have health problems, came out of retirement as tutor. Fantastic course and the Ron Tilly written course manual is a blueprint for sucess IF put into practice. Which I haven't I must confess fully done.
All the others mentioned are great and we are lucky to have such passionate suppliers in our industry.
Mark
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Its interesting to see how Prochem operate today - I do feel they have contributed most in the past but are not innovating the way some other newer companies have and you may say thats why they have lasted the course but more important than that they have IMO lost touch with their mojo in terms of how they communicate with grass roots customers - they do not have the Gottsian touch thats for sure. There is a pervading feeling that the race is run and they have matured as a company and can just progress with no fuss and little real regard for whatever else is going on around them - they use a pr company for issuing press releases for any new products and for patting their agent network on the back - I am sure they (probably) communicate with the agents really well - BUT they have lost touch with ordinary foot soldiers like me thats for sure...
When you pitch up at Chessington its like you have entered a soviet style Ministry of Carpet Cleaning Supplies - there is no personal touch in terms of Hi Hello - hows things going? It appears they literally could not give a toss - its nothing personal and they are all very nice and straightforward in terms of receptionist and the people who work for them and do things for you in terms of machines but no-one makes an effort to find out who you are, what machines you are running, how the industry is going - for all they know I might be buying five everest hp's! I had a nice chat to another cc bloke from the Isle of Wight (Hi) and that was it for interaction with another human sole apart from the guys in the service department
When I was there I had rung for advice beforehand and had a good chat with the service manager who was very helpful on the phone - when I got there it was a different story the same bloke was fiddling with some crappy little electric machine and just palmed me off to a (knowledgeable) lieutenant - its not like I want my arse licked or anything its just the way things are done you get the impression it is such a large company now there is a big them and us worker management thing going on and the workers do not feel empowered to make a difference - if I am right (who knows) they could be a mature company on a slow downward spiral - I am sure the chemical brewing(!) packaging is a VERY profitable enterprise but how long can they support their huge range of products when microsplitters seem to be taking over the world... maybe the royal warrant is fully justified recognition of their services to carpet cleaning supplies in the UK but they defo need to beef-up their social skills viz a viz the grass roots to survive for another 40 years... they are not reaching out to the many ccers who use their products day in day out - they have no forum for discussion so it appears the information revolution has passed them by - if they had a forum like this one or CT then they would at least be able to establish an avenue of communication by answering simple tech and chem questions etc
Just my take on a british company that I think needs new direction (IMHO)...
I wholeheartedly agree with all of that
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Did Prochem courses at Kingston around 1990 still got manuals etc. Was a real step in the right direction after only knowing Extracta training.
Who was that canadian guy who helped Ron Tilley?
Mike
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Its interesting to see how Prochem operate today - I do feel they have contributed most in the past but are not innovating the way some other newer companies have and you may say thats why they have lasted the course but more important than that they have IMO lost touch with their mojo in terms of how they communicate with grass roots customers - they do not have the Gottsian touch thats for sure. There is a pervading feeling that the race is run and they have matured as a company and can just progress with no fuss and little real regard for whatever else is going on around them - they use a pr company for issuing press releases for any new products and for patting their agent network on the back - I am sure they (probably) communicate with the agents really well - BUT they have lost touch with ordinary foot soldiers like me thats for sure...
When you pitch up at Chessington its like you have entered a soviet style Ministry of Carpet Cleaning Supplies - there is no personal touch in terms of Hi Hello - hows things going? It appears they literally could not give a toss - its nothing personal and they are all very nice and straightforward in terms of receptionist and the people who work for them and do things for you in terms of machines but no-one makes an effort to find out who you are, what machines you are running, how the industry is going - for all they know I might be buying five everest hp's! I had a nice chat to another cc bloke from the Isle of Wight (Hi) and that was it for interaction with another human sole apart from the guys in the service department
When I was there I had rung for advice beforehand and had a good chat with the service manager who was very helpful on the phone - when I got there it was a different story the same bloke was fiddling with some crappy little electric machine and just palmed me off to a (knowledgeable) lieutenant - its not like I want my arse licked or anything its just the way things are done you get the impression it is such a large company now there is a big them and us worker management thing going on and the workers do not feel empowered to make a difference - if I am right (who knows) they could be a mature company on a slow downward spiral - I am sure the chemical brewing(!) packaging is a VERY profitable enterprise but how long can they support their huge range of products when microsplitters seem to be taking over the world... maybe the royal warrant is fully justified recognition of their services to carpet cleaning supplies in the UK but they defo need to beef-up their social skills viz a viz the grass roots to survive for another 40 years... they are not reaching out to the many ccers who use their products day in day out - they have no forum for discussion so it appears the information revolution has passed them by - if they had a forum like this one or CT then they would at least be able to establish an avenue of communication by answering simple tech and chem questions etc
Just my take on a british company that I think needs new direction (IMHO)...
I wholeheartedly agree with all of that
And so do I, sad but true. You get the opinion they couldn't give a toss and the phonecall istaking up their time.
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And another thing!!
It seems very strange to me that - even though Prochem have probably trained more people than any other single company or organisation - they did not see the need or advantage of setting up an 'old boys' network of people's names and addresses for relationship marketing going forward - to me that just does not make economic sense to have all those people passing through the doors going out into the cc and hard floor community and them not being arsed to maintain a list and to use it for canvassing opinions and the like - I get the (very) occasional impersonal mailshot and the mag done by peter muir from them but no RM as such - even if they did it in a not very sincere way they might fool us into thinking our opinions and experience of using their products meant something to them... very puzzling for a big company to miss a trick like that
Sorry Mike dont know who the canuck was
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Could it be Robert Harris? ;D
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Solutions all the way, good machines good products and good customer support, also used craftex for the odd thing or 2 who seem to be very good,
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And another thing!!
It seems very strange to me that - even though Prochem have probably trained more people than any other single company or organisation - they did not see the need or advantage of setting up an 'old boys' network of people's names and addresses for relationship marketing going forward - to me that just does not make economic sense to have all those people passing through the doors going out into the cc and hard floor community and them not being arsed to maintain a list and to use it for canvassing opinions and the like - I get the (very) occasional impersonal mailshot and the mag done by peter muir from them but no RM as such - even if they did it in a not very sincere way they might fool us into thinking our opinions and experience of using their products meant something to them... very puzzling for a big company to miss a trick like that
Sorry Mike dont know who the canuck was
I think a lot of these companies are interested in recruiting New Carpet Cleaners who have just come out of the forces , been made redundant, had a small inheritance , or just come out of prison and now need to spend the loot.
So once they have sold the machine the training course it would be pointless continuing to send mail shots as Chemical supplies get spread across the industry. That said they should harvest email addresses. I know when I get one from Alltec it pulls all the emotional triggers.
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Little know fact Extracta's Trainer of many years ago was a man named Peter Hall. He had been doing CC since the sixties and a very nice bloke and very knowledgable, His son Lee Hall who is a local playwright, wrote Billy Elliot amongst other things, can always remember him coming into to the shop and I told him saw a good drama on the BBC last night and Him saying "our Lee wrote that"
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i would have to say chemspec / prochem
the newer suppliers eg restormate / alltec / cleansmart / solutions all deliver great customer service but apart from the odd machine they have built are simply distributors.
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paul pearce does not use this forum does he?
has he in the past?
gary
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I'd like to bet he's lurking, as are many others who have a name for themselves ;)
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It has been very Interesting reading all the articles Re:Prochem. Perhaps as a distributer i should not say this, but i have to agree with everything said.
They make some very good chemicals, have very good training course's, have some very knowledgeable chaps in the service department, but unfortunately i do get the impressing they are resting on there loyals.
If they don't start investing in new machines and some customer service they will continue to lose clients, as better machines are available on the market, with a lot better back up. We try to give the best service we can as a small business this is paramount to survial, but i think Prochem have got very large under Ron's guidance and everybody seems to be riding the wave......well the wave is starting to flaten out.
It is a shame and as a distributer perhaps i should not speak out, but i have never been able to keep my trap shut, even though it has, and still does get me into trouble, but hay ho.... i speak as i find.
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Paul - you have only expressed your opinion - its not like you have dissed them or anything - and lets face it they do seem to come from somewhere near smug corner and give the impression they have run their race and are sitting on laurels! I am sure they talk to lots of people at european and uk trade shows who may take confidence from the size of their stand but then pass on and stop at some of the smaller stands where fresh new innovators are plotting the future...
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Just like to thank Jamie @ CSUK for sending me a nice 2l pump up sprayer and a micofibre mitt, free gratis, for the Facebook competion he ran.
Thanks Jamie, used them both this am on a suite which came up a treat, the green raised stripe running through it really got into the creases and nooks n crannies.
Andrew
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what comp?, i missed that one. :'(
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I dont think you would of got the answer right anyway Derek, it was a tough question for knowledeable people 8) , unless you had asked Billy for the answer of course. ;D
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I dont think you would of got the answer right anyway Derek, it was a tough question for knowledeable people 8) , unless you had asked Billy for the answer of course. ;D
Paul Moss had the right answer. I just liked Andrews one the best.
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I dont think you would of got the answer right anyway Derek, it was a tough question for knowledeable people 8) , unless you had asked Billy for the answer of course. ;D
Paul Moss had the right answer. I just liked Andrews one the best.
you mean andrews was so wrong that you felt sorry for him. ;D touche' ;D
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;D I knew i was right all along, as i know Billys tongue impressions. :D
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Jamie have you still got the cimex for sale
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The Cimex is the Truvox reps demo unit.
She collected it when I was away on holiday but still has it if interested.
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Its interesting to see how Prochem operate today - I do feel they have contributed most in the past but are not innovating the way some other newer companies have and you may say thats why they have lasted the course but more important than that they have IMO lost touch with their mojo in terms of how they communicate with grass roots customers - they do not have the Gottsian touch thats for sure. There is a pervading feeling that the race is run and they have matured as a company and can just progress with no fuss and little real regard for whatever else is going on around them - they use a pr company for issuing press releases for any new products and for patting their agent network on the back - I am sure they (probably) communicate with the agents really well - BUT they have lost touch with ordinary foot soldiers like me thats for sure...
When you pitch up at Chessington its like you have entered a soviet style Ministry of Carpet Cleaning Supplies - there is no personal touch in terms of Hi Hello - hows things going? It appears they literally could not give a toss - its nothing personal and they are all very nice and straightforward in terms of receptionist and the people who work for them and do things for you in terms of machines but no-one makes an effort to find out who you are, what machines you are running, how the industry is going - for all they know I might be buying five everest hp's! I had a nice chat to another cc bloke from the Isle of Wight (Hi) and that was it for interaction with another human sole apart from the guys in the service department
When I was there I had rung for advice beforehand and had a good chat with the service manager who was very helpful on the phone - when I got there it was a different story the same bloke was fiddling with some crappy little electric machine and just palmed me off to a (knowledgeable) lieutenant - its not like I want my arse licked or anything its just the way things are done you get the impression it is such a large company now there is a big them and us worker management thing going on and the workers do not feel empowered to make a difference - if I am right (who knows) they could be a mature company on a slow downward spiral - I am sure the chemical brewing(!) packaging is a VERY profitable enterprise but how long can they support their huge range of products when microsplitters seem to be taking over the world... maybe the royal warrant is fully justified recognition of their services to carpet cleaning supplies in the UK but they defo need to beef-up their social skills viz a viz the grass roots to survive for another 40 years... they are not reaching out to the many ccers who use their products day in day out - they have no forum for discussion so it appears the information revolution has passed them by - if they had a forum like this one or CT then they would at least be able to establish an avenue of communication by answering simple tech and chem questions etc
Just my take on a british company that I think needs new direction (IMHO)...
Agree with all your comments, they are so big they don't have to worry too much about new business ! it's short sighted though.
For me i dont care who i buy my chemicals from, if they are the best and a few of Prochems are the best i will buy them, but i only use a handful of the prochem range, stopped using the acid rinse as its not at all economical, i told the supplier this and he told the dealer while i was in the shop, its rubbish as are quite a few of the products, but powerburst still ticks all the boxes and like most on here its regarded as just about the best
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maybe the royal warrant is fully justified recognition of their services to carpet cleaning supplies in the UK
The Royal Warrant is earned by serving/supplying the Royal Household for a minimum of 5 consecutive years.
Its not representative of UK sales it just means that (for example) the porters in a palace use £x of Prochem products every year and have done for the last 5 years.
Well done to them.
I have been thinking about this question for a while now Prochem are by far the biggest with the most comprehensive range and I can remember my father using their products when I was just a boy then later selling them but I would have to say Robert Saunders/Alltec gave the cc'er the most comprehensive range of products/services (franchising excluded)
Marketing Programmes, Maintenance Plans, Success Coaching, Training Courses, Products, Machinery, Equipment.
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;D I would like to Nominate Ashbys! :o :o :o :o :o :o :o :o :o :o :o :o :o :o :o :P :P
for being great
in ripping people off,money grabbing,in general not nice to deal with,beware there dog even bites at dartford!
and haveing all the answers ! without solveing there problems! and its your fault the machine will go wrong!
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Of course its your fault they go wrong.
If you did not use the machine it wouldn't happen ;D
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Let's hope they're not the litigious sort as well!
You've had a bad experience mate but this can't be the norm otherwise they would not have lasted very long in business. I'm not up their ar*e or anything, far from it, but we all need to be careful about publishing libellous statements on public forums :)
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;D I would like to Nominate Ashbys! :o :o :o :o :o :o :o :o :o :o :o :o :o :o :o :P :P
for being great
in ripping people off,money grabbing,in general not nice to deal with,beware there dog even bites at dartford!
and haveing all the answers ! without solveing there problems! and its your fault the machine will go wrong!
We have had an email from Asbys about the scandalous posts made by terry and they have said the will take the matter further unless the litigious claims made by john are not removed immediately.....
......they categorically deny that their dog has ever bitten anyone
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Let's hope they're not the litigious sort as well!
You've had a bad experience mate but this can't be the norm otherwise they would not have lasted very long in business. I'm not up their ar*e or anything, far from it, but we all need to be careful about publishing libellous statements on public forums :)
Jim that's just the thing it is the norm going back as far as 2003 when I had my ninja with pump problems their customer service is shocking Martin mainly.There are so many new start ups in this business there will always be a steady stream of new customers for people like ashby's absolutely fantastic to deal with right up till the machine is delivered then they don't want to know
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True enough, if you know what you want and can fit it yourself, Ashby's can deliver it, (if they stock it) but you'll likely get it cheaper elseware, just depends if you want it quick and simple. I haven't had anything they have supplied go wrong.....yet!
I listened to an Alltec webinar the other day, and replied to the email given after it, nothing, a week later asked for details via main email address (outside office hours so couldn't phone) still nothing. Maybe I'm based too close to someone in the Alltec network? dunno, but if a customer emailed me twice, I have already lost the job. Why do the marketing then not follow up the leads?
The most reliable have been Cleansmart and Solutions.
Richard.