Clean It Up
UK Window Cleaning Forum => Window Cleaning Forum => Topic started by: Kev R on November 24, 2007, 11:54:14 am
-
I recently bought two 35' Omnipoles. One for use as a pressure washer lance and one for a support pole for my Omnivac. I decided to use one for wfp as thats what they were originally designed for.
As a power pole (pressure washer & support pole) I can't fault it really excellent bits of kit.
However for the wfp pole I have had some problems to say the least!
Omnipole supply as a standard a 16'' flagged oval brush on a gooseneck or a double trim American brush head. This is great if you like these brushes but you are unable to clean the sill. I prefer to use a non-flagged monofilament HI-LO sill brush and was told no problem.
They sent me a "reengineered" HI-LO. This was drilled so you would have to use upside-down. The HI-LO is designed to have one face touching the glass on the bottom face touching the sill. Which ever way you mounted the brush It would not work as designed. I phoned them up and they said thats how they do it. So I took it to work. After unintentionally washing the soffits on three houses I put it in the van. I phoned and was told thats how we sell it and thats what people like. I asked to talk to the managing director Glyn Howard. He also said that how they were supplied to fit their standard gooseneck. I said to him get a pole and a brush put it against a window and you will see the problem. He assured me he would look.
I received in the post a few days later a correctly drilled brush and another gooseneck at exactly the same angle, If you married them together the angles were still wrong! Also in the package was a straight bar. I took the straight bar to my local engineering works and they bent the bar to 103 degrees and now the gooseneck and brush works correctly.
I did some phoning around. Varitech have the sole rights in the UK to sell the Vikan HI-LO brush. I phoned Varitech. They said the brush could only be used one way. They also said that it was along with the Vikan rectangular monofilament brush the best selling wfp brushes. They supplied the HI-Lo to Omnipole which they "reengineered" to fit their standard gooseneck. I seriously believe that Omnipole never checked the angles involved before fitting the brush and if they did the engineer has never done wfp!
I am annoyed on two counts, One they have never obviously looked at the problem but will argue I am wrong until they are blue in the face (especially the receptionist who is obviously the best wfp operator in the world).
And secondly, What worries me is when I want a replacement I will have to go through all this again.
If you wan't a sectional, telescopic hard wearing pole its a good pole, but if you wan't to use the best selling brush with it my advice is forget it!!!!
I will be on the phone again on Monday to tell Omnipole of my findings.
-
Good post
I've never used the hi-lo brush but do use rec' vikans.
You have a good point & i too would be on the phone mon' morning. it p***es me off big time when a supplier, who should know every aspect of what they deal with churn garbage like this out. My biggest gripe with situations like this is that just think of the newbies to wfp who they have supplied these brushes to, trying to clean windows & thinking they are doing something wrong when infact, the people they have put their trust in have supplied them rubbish!
It's time some people got off their fat arses, out of the office & did some PROPER R&D! :o
tony
-
Well said Tony my sentiments exactly ;)
-
Hi Kev
I realy cannot understand the problem with the ledge and sill brush which we discussed at length a week ago .
Omnipole introduced ledge and sill brushes in 2001 after our window cleaning company used them for over a year trialing them , we still use them as our main brush.
We have supplied over 5500 ledge and sill brushes and it is our best selling brush all of them rengineered in exactly the same way.
-
I hope you didnt vote Glyn, in my poll!!!!! :)
-
A photo would settle this. Show us a photo of how the brush/neck is mean't to sit.
Easy.Next case.
Also omnipole has been mentioned as a hot system retro fitter. What are the basics of the system.
-
Hi Kev
I realy cannot understand the problem with the ledge and sill brush which we discussed at length a week ago .
Omnipole introduced ledge and sill brushes in 2001 after our window cleaning company used them for over a year trialing them , we still use them as our main brush.
We have supplied over 5500 ledge and sill brushes and it is our best selling brush all of them rengineered in exactly the same way.
Now now Glyn.. 5500 sold and all of them wrong for the job (I think not) :) I love these rants that some people put up about suppliers like yourselves. Come on you,ve only been supplying for 10 years ;D
-
(http://i112.photobucket.com/albums/n193/Omnipole/ledgeandsillbrush.jpg)
Photo of our standard re-engineered brush on a PowerPole.
Kev
It should be taken into consideration that Varitech dont actually clean winsdows, while on the other hand we clean the windows at 180 estates, approxamatly 100 commercial properties, Transport for London depots and as of last month approx 300 houses a month all with ledge and sill brushes.
We do have an excelent working relationship with Varitech and mutually supply one another with a variety of equipment.
I am fairly certain they will tell you that Omnipole turned down Vikans opportunity to distribute the new range of brushes which they then took up.
-
some pictures as requested. As its dark outside I have used an internal wall for the purposes of the pictures
Firstly your picture Glynn is good and If my re-engineered brush worked like that I would be very happy.
Ok the next pictures show Omnipoles standard vikan 16 inch flagged brush. Please notice the position of the jets (straight toward the wall- fantastic)
-
Next the re-engineered Hi-Lo as sent to me. Please notice the jets point slightly upward. My problem was unintentional soffit washing and the bottom of the brush was at slightly the wrong angle to clean the sill.
-
In my opinion, Omnipole are stuck in the past with their poles, not their systems, just their poles, Luke
PS. That brush is a joke and they should sort it out, Luke
-
Next two pictures of re-engineering....a technical term for having at a brush head with a freehand drill...quality as you can see.
Please remember that omnipole due to their extensive re-engineering charge £48 for a sill brush!!!
-
Hi Kev
Thats the second brush we sent. The first one was identical to the one in my picture.
What if you turn the brush around so that its the bottom end is at the top.
Glyn
-
Next after my frustration a re-engineered gooseneck made locally.
Please note the jets are now pointing in downward position. This prevents soffit washing. And also the brush is the correct way up and the sill part is in the correct position.
Omnipole want a standard gooseneck that fits all, and thats as proved is not always possible. Some times a little re-design work is required.
-
Kev, doesnt that gooseneck mean you have to work very close to the building, seems to be 90o , Luke
-
Hi Kev
Thats the second brush we sent. The first one was identical to the one in my picture.
What if you turn the brush around so that its the bottom end is at the top.
Glyn
The first picture is of the first brush you sent. both brushes have the same problem due to the angle of the gooseneck. If you turn it around the angles are wrong and you either wash the soffits or you cant brush or wash the sill.
-
Hi Kev
Thats the second brush we sent. The first one was identical to the one in my picture.
What if you turn the brush around so that its the bottom end is at the top.
Glyn
The first picture is of the first brush you sent. both brushes have the same problem due to the angle of the gooseneck. If you turn it around the angles are wrong and you either wash the soffits or you cant brush or wash the sill.
If you come out from away from the building you get better coverage of the sill. the angle is 103 on the gooseneck.
-
Hi Kev
Thats the second brush we sent. The first one was identical to the one in my picture.
What if you turn the brush around so that its the bottom end is at the top.
Glyn
Both brushes were monofilament non flagged not flagged like in the picture, if thats what you mean Glyn
-
Kev
I must protest about your sexist comment.If you had spoken to Keith,Jean-Pascal,Nick,Jules,Pat,Bob or Con you wouldnt have refered to them as the receptionist
The "Receptionist" you spoke to was actually our Workshop Manager whom all the staff report too. She has cleaned windows with wfp, and why wouldnt she have their are many female window cleaners now days.
She can and does deal professionally with all queries.
The original brush and gooseneck that was sent to you was identical in production to the one I posted a photograph of, you insisted it was upside down( even though thats how we have made them for seven years) so we sent you another drilled exactly as you asked we also sent a shorter gooseneck and a straight gooseneck.
I cannot now see why you have any reason to complain about our service.
-
Firstly I'm not a sexist, however every-time I phone Omnipole she answers so its a fair assumption. Also I employ a female window cleaner that actually cleans glass and doesn't answer the phone. If you phone our office either my wife (receptionist) or I will answer the phone.
Lets face it Glynn just because you have produced something in your workshop for some time doesn't make it right. Didn't you recently sack someone for supplying us an Omnivac that was wired in a particularly dangerous fashion. You know as I do it could have killed someone. Would you like me to post the pictures?
Varitech are the sole suppliers of this brush, they supplied you "FACT". They said its upside down too. So you have made all those brushes that don't work as a HI-LO should!!!
To be honest the service I have received from Omnipole has been horrendous to say the least. I have spent in excess of £4000 with your company and all I get from your "workshop manager" is "well everybody else has no problems"
My company survives on good will. We provide a quality service and people refer us to others. I have been incredibly patient I said nothing after the Omnivac fiasco as I thought mistakes do happen but now, I don't get my telephone calls returned and have to take unintelligent remarks from your "workshop manager" I draw the line.
:(
-
I see where you are coming from Kev, was a bit confused at first but having a look at the brush with the adapter you will see it is on the long end http://www.gardinerpolesystems.co.uk/acatalog/Brushes.html
If I'm correct you are saying Omnipole put it at the short end. Am I wrong or right.
If so the question should be asked to Glyn as to why they thought it better to reverse the brush or maybe , might be wrong his staff may have assembled some brushes incorrect which sometimes does happen, which he may not be aware of.
-
We reverse the brush so it will clean window sills as well as the glass when fitted to our standard 12" aluminium goosekneck. The Omnipole goosneck is set at the same angle as Tuckers, Ionics and Unger and Brodex.
It would be far simpler for us to just supply the brush as standard as Varitech do.
The truth is the standard brush is designed for cleaning vehicles with the angles set for this purpose.
Kev had always bought his brushes from Varitech so thats what he is used to nothing we say or do will change what he believes. Varitech say we supply the brushes the wrong way round but as I have pointed out varitech dont clean windows.
As I stated before we have supplied more than 5500 of the ledge and sill brushes and this is the first time any one has taken issue with the design.
-
I had a run in with omnipole over a trolley system i had bought of them.The reel broke after 4 days when i phoned them they werent helpfull to say the least also all the usual stufff we have sold loads of these your the only one thats ever complained then somebody posted on here with the same problems so take everything that some suppliers say with a pinch of salt also that muppet brightnclean was the first guy on sticking up for Glyn.Another thing i have nothing against Glyn or Omnipole just stating the facts.
-
It is impossible to break an Omnitrolley wheel in normal use. They dont break bumping up and down curbs or steps.
Why would we replace somthing that has been broken through misuse for free.
If you crash a four day old car or motorbike the dealer doesnt give you a nerw one for free and why should they.
If you clean someones windows and four days later a bird drops one on them would your customer expect you to clean them for free!
I realy cant believe the things people write sometimes.
-
Glyn get your facts right it was the hose REEL that broke after 4 days and when were talking about the wheels on the trolley it was the mark3 trolley the one were the batterey and pump sit on top with no cover were the rain can get into it i also complained at the time that the picture of the trolley on your website is misleading as it dosent show the trolley with pump and battrey sitting on top uncovered.Getting back to the wheels the front castors are a complete joke and cant take the weight of the trolley.The trolley is now used as a van mount as the castors are totally knackered there was another guy on here i remember reading that he uses his trolley from the van because he had the same problems as me.Maybe he was talking crap to.
-
Did we send you a hose reel?
-
NO,i got cleantech to fit a proper hose reel on it and they must of contacted you also at the time i told you the lid dosent close because it keeps on rubbing against the battery thats still the same, the battery is not secure on it,anyway i ended up buying a freedom trolley.
-
So you bought the trolley from Cleantech? and we would have paid Cleantech to supply you the new hose reel.
I am therefore unsure what your point is.
-
The point is when i bought the trolley you,s couldnt be more helpfull as soon as things started to go wrong you,s didnt want to no i dont no who i spoke to on the phone but i thought he was an arrogent wee sh-t.
-
We reverse the brush so it will clean window sills as well as the glass when fitted to our standard 12" aluminium goosekneck. The Omnipole goosneck is set at the same angle as Tuckers, Ionics and Unger and Brodex.
It would be far simpler for us to just supply the brush as standard as Varitech do.
The truth is the standard brush is designed for cleaning vehicles with the angles set for this purpose.
Kev had always bought his brushes from Varitech so thats what he is used to nothing we say or do will change what he believes. Varitech say we supply the brushes the wrong way round but as I have pointed out varitech dont clean windows.
As I stated before we have supplied more than 5500 of the ledge and sill brushes and this is the first time any one has taken issue with the design.
Varitech don't clean windows but still the hi-lo is equally their best selling brush in the format they provide it in.
Maybe I am used to cleaning windows with their set up but remember I have been cleaning windows a long time. Your brush in your format makes window cleaning difficult because soffit washing is too easy especially with your standard 1 mm jets.
I showed Mike from Varitech today the brushes and he laughed!!!!
The mini pole I bought from you has the same arrangement as supplied from Varitech so if their wrong why are you using their format on that pole?
Simply you have Bodged a hi-lo to fit your standard gooseneck neck. The other suppliers you mention don't fit a Hi-Lo to that design of gooseneck as a standard simply because the angles are wrong. If you had told me this when I bought the brush I would not have bothered buying it and having this trouble. Maybe thats why you didn't tell me???? Lets face it I'm starting to understand that you'll say anything to get a sale!!!! :( :( :(
-
You didnt buy the trolley from Us.
When you had a problem you had to go back to the supplier that you had paid.
I would have thought this was obvious to anyone, how is it our problem when you didnt pay us. I cannot say what happened in the journey from London to Clentech and then on to you by the carriers perhaps the trolley got crushed.
At the the end of the day you got a new hose reel supplied by Cleantech and we paid Cleantech.
If you didnt get a replacement hose reel you would have a valid complaint.
-
Kevin
Who do you think Varitech copied? Who used to supply Varitech?
Please read this as its the last thing I will post on the subject of a brush.
We and the other thousands of users across the UK and indeed the World are obviously wrong and Mike who has never cleaned windows is right.
-
Please be aware that until you have the decency to phone me (apparently your out of the office but can still post on this forum) I will not be paying your Invoices. ;)
-
Glyn dont want to keep this going but what do you want me to do go to cleantech 70mile round trip everytime something else goes wrong with it.The castors are totally buckled they dont even move they cant take the weight of the trolley FACT.The trolley wasnt damaged when i got it so dont blame it on that just put your hands up yous designed a stinker.
-
Just to put a bit of balance back into the thread. Obviously I can't comment on the experiences that others have had but I've always been delighted with the service I've had from Omnipole. It's not always been perfect but if something has gone amiss, they've always gone the extra mile for me and put things right very quickly.
I don't know if the the sill brush referred to is the same as mine but mine seems to work OK. However, it may be a different type. Mine is made by Vikan I think and has green and red bristles. The one in the pic only seemed to have red bristles.
As for the trolley in question, I have seen them but never used them so can't possibly comment on that.
Aftersales is very important and I personally have not had a problem with this company. I'm not trying to say that they're perfect but I am surprised to read the stuff I've been reading.
-
I recently had a few major problems with an Omnivac which have been sorted to my satisfaction by Glen.
However I am at my wits end with the latest saga. If they returned my calls I would not have even posted here. Maybe the brush is a different design I don't know but a problem sorting phone call would be a good place to start and not from the jobs worth "works manager" "receptionist" who sounds like a broken record.....thats how we always do it .....thats how we always do it......
I am a patient man to a degree, I have been patient and fair with the Omnivac...I could have taken legal action over the faulty and dangerous rewiring job but chose not too. Now Glyn won't even return my calls :( :(
-
I would say the first hi-lo picture is right, you need the bristles square to the top of the frame, instead of the splay pointing upwards, the angle of the actual pole in pic 2 has been placed steeper than pic 1.
To avoid "washing the soffits" you need to stand further from the building and maybe get the wider jets fitted, i cant get on with 1mm, the first thing i do is drill them out to 2 or 3 mm.
Goosenecks are not always ideal for domestic properties due to the angle of the gooseneck being fixed.
I would say the brush is fitted the correct way, you will have lots of trouble the other way around.
Dave
-
Kevin
As you pointed out I dealt with the OmniVac problem instantly in fact I drove a 400 + mile round trip to sort it out as quickly as I possible could, the person responsible for the mistake was suspended by me and then chose to leave our employ.
The brush is a different matter so far we have sent two brushes , the first one re-engineered exactly the same as we have always done (the same as Shinners) the second drilled in the way you asked.
We also sent three different shape goosenecks.
If you dont want them simply send them back,its nothing more difficult than that. I was totaly unaware that you had called specifically to speak to me until this evening and to be honest you shouldnt need to only speak to me about an issue regarding a brush.
-
Glyn,
I was impressed with your initial customer service but I would have driven 1000 mile to correct a mistake of that magnitude. However in your defense you did go the extra mile to solve a few of my commercial guttering tooling problems free of charge for which I am grateful.
I remain unhappy with the gooseneck and Hi-Lo brushes configuration. I will return all the wfp components supplied including all goosenecks all brushes all tubing, extensions, collets, etc etc. and my omnipole will only be used as powerpole for pressure washing and a support pole as I intended.
I am happy with the Omnivac and the powerpole pressure lance and would wholeheartedly recommend these products. I also am impressed with the camera system.
I would have liked to worked the wfp Hi-lo brush issue out as i believe the poles would last longer in the hands of staff but alas I will never find out!!!!!!
Back to the simple world of universal angle goosenecks and hi-lo brushes ;)
-
Glyn,
I was impressed with your initial customer service. However in your defense you did go the extra mile to solve a few of my commercial guttering tooling problems free of charge for which I am grateful.
I am happy with the Omnivac and the powerpole pressure lance and would wholeheartedly recommend these products. I also am impressed with the camera system.
Thank god for that, I thought it was get at Glyn and omnipole day ;D ;D ;D
-
Glyn, there is a solution to all this complaining, just dont go on the forum then nobody has somebody to complain to in public, I think it would be better for your reputation, Luke
-
At the end of the day it`s not made for WC, from now on i`m buying brushes that were designed for WC i`ve had enough of those bricks they call vikans.
-
which ones do you like?
-
Message for Kev R:
As you live close to me, if you are after some Vikan HiLo or just plain Vikan brush heads drop me an email to arrange a meet and you can have all par one of my Vikan brushes at a very cheap price because I prefer Tucker brushes so they are going spare. I live in Kingsteignton by the way.
A little thought for the day.
It doesn't pay to be rude to people publicly on forums like Glyn of Omnipole, because all it does is show you up for your true colours. A little patience and clear communication normally resolves issues. You never know when you may need their help again and they try to be professional in helping you regardless of how discourteous you are towards them. How would you feel if all your customers treated you the way you treat others ???
-
Message for Kev R:
A little thought for the day.
It doesn't pay to be rude to people publicly on forums like Glyn of Omnipole, because all it does is show you up for your true colours. A little patience and clear communication normally resolves issues. You never know when you may need their help again and they try to be professional in helping you regardless of how discourteous you are towards them. How would you feel if all your customers treated you the way you treat others ???
This HAS to be the best piece of advice I've seen on this forum. Well said Wayne :) As my mother used to say "Don't go washing your dirty linen in public"
-
Yeah i`ve seen your pants. ;D ;D ;D ;D
-
Yeah i`ve seen your pants. ;D ;D ;D ;D
And it wasn't a pretty sight. NWH what was you doing looking at his pants in the first place? ;D