Clean It Up
UK Floor Cleaning Forum => Carpet Cleaning Forum => Topic started by: Matt Read on April 15, 2005, 04:54:01 pm
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I see chem dry have been bought by homeserve ....I'm sure the only Homeserve i've seen in my area are the half price slap and dash merchants. Am i right ? or are they a prestigious company ?
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8)We learnt that Homeserve PLC,bought chem dryuk today, they are or were part of south staffordshire waterPlC but are now demerged and own many companies such as Highway windsreens servowarm etc
Cheers Nick brown -Chem dry Franchisee
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Homeserve are a huge organisation that supply all manner of services to homes and business's.
We would know them as supplying furniture stain proofing warranties and furniture repairs.Until Courts went under they were there main contractors.
The aquisition of Chem-Dry adds to the restoration service they already supply and gives them national coverage.They will probably offer the insurance companies a one stop supply service now including all fields of trades and claims management from start to finish.This will keep all suppliers in house and keep costs down.
Sevicemaster and the like will have to look very carefully over their shoulder from now on.
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We would know them as supplying furniture stain proofing warranties and furniture repairs.Until Courts went under they were there main contractors.
That was Regency, part of Homeserve. Courts were 28% of their turnover, the liquidation cost Homeserve £1.2 million. Ouch!
Highway used to be a franchise but they bought out all the franchisees and took it in-house. I can't remember if this was pre or after the Homeserve aquisition.
Bit more news.
http://www.yorkshiretoday.co.uk/ViewArticle2.aspx?SectionID=56&ArticleID=999623
I didn't realise 75% of Chem-dry's turnover is now fire/flood.
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LONDON (AFX) - Homeserve PLC, the home emergency company, said it will buy the fire and flood restoration disaster company Chem-Dry UK Ltd for 18.9 mln stg.
Chem-Dry has over 230 franchisees covering the UK with over 640 licences and has commercial arrangements with seven leading household insurers, Homeserve said.
In the year to April 2004, Chem-Dry reported an operating profit of 2.6 mln stg on turnover of 37.1 mln. Net assets are estimated at 4.8 mln stg.
Richard Harpin, chief executive of Homeserve, said: "The acquisition of Chem-Dry is a significant enhancement of our disaster restoration activities. It will broaden the services provided by Homeserve to household insurers and places Homeserve in a unique position to offer a fully integrated service to insurance companies."
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I find this interesting because I live 500yrds from chemdrys Uk HQ. I wonder if they'll centralise their headquarters and make redundencees in Beverley.
Nick B are you saying you only found out about this buy-out today?
Mike
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Will they opt out of the cc now do yo think ? or were there always diff franchises' one for cc one for restoration ?
Having done 5 years odd of intermittant restoration work myself i wouldn't want to be forced into that again if i was a chem dry cc franchisee.
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Matt,
That's one of the main reasons I left CD after 10 years, become a fire/flood business or p**s off, was the rather simplified version! ;D
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Yeah its not very nice work dennis...miserable customers and loads of hassle...sometimes money isn't everything ! altho i was only a sub contractor so i didn't make big bucks from it.. maybe if i had i would think diff.
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Does this aquisition apply to the UK only, what is the position in Republic of Ireland, does anyone know.?
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As far as I know it's still separate. John Green, I think his name is, runs the ROI master franchise (or at least he used to)
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Hi Lads
Thats why the Local Chem-Dry Cowboys are driving around with long faces.
Have a great weekend
Regards Kevin
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Thought Chem-dry are due in court soon follwoing the accidential death of a client. As rumour has it, someone left a petrol generator in a house to run drying equipment and the client went into the empty house and was overcome by carbon monoxide.
Is this why they have sold out?
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http://www.ypn.co.uk/ViewArticle2.aspx?SectionID=56&ArticleID=999623
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Does anybody know or how the chem-dri system works i have never seen them operating.do they use hwe method??
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to clean carpeting, they use a "carbonating" system which is a modified kleenrite extractor, with low vac performance and weak 60 psi pumps, there are 2 solution tanks, each containing a different solution -A and B, they mix just before hitting the carpet, causing carbonation, this system is used with either a standard wand or a modified RX20.
I have seen many better, more efficient, cheaper ways to clean carpets since leaving Chem-dry, but no better business system, or brand in the cc business.
In other words I have the opinion that they are the Mc donalds of our industry, you can all form your own opinon from that analogy, who here thinks Mc donalds make good food?
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Think i'll use that Macdonalds analogy on my quotes in future ! Helps they aren't as cheap tho ...........
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Jasonl
What you are implying by “there re 2 solution tanks, each containing a different solution -A and B, they mix just before hitting the carpet, causing carbonation, this system is used with either a standard wand or a modified RX20.” They are misleading customers? trading standards here I come. ;D ;D
Len
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Len, in what way are they misleading customers, relatively speaking, mcdonalds are not cheap in a lot of ways, blueberry muffin= 79p in Greggs they are 39p.
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If Chem Dry are using Low Vac how do they get the carpets Dry so quick.
Is the equipment mentioned their current equipment.
I saw my local Chem Dry with a small Yellow Karcher at a bunglow the other day. The French doors were open
Not sure what he was doing as it was not in use as I passed.
But I did not think they hired equipment
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If Chem Dry are using Low Vac how do they get the carpets Dry so quick.
Same way as you and me, plenty of dry passes and air movers!
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I will never feel Inferior to Chem Dry again in fact I am Superior
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They get the carpets dry as the -according to them- carbonating solution has gas, hence less moisture in it,,,,, you are probably a better cleaner than CD ......but you do not have 600plus vans or thier marketing skills, that is my point its not about the method, people want a brand they know what they are getting from. My question is, can the little guy create that locally?
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hi folks i have a chemdry franchise altho im not particularly happy about the amount of cash they milk out of me every month :'( the cleaning system has been good and the carpets come up brilliant :) my problem is finding the work i advertise everywhere but a lot of it seems to be throwing money away exept the yellow pages.
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I will never feel Inferior to Chem Dry again in fact I am Superior
Are you coming to the seminar at Hugh Crane in Acle tomorrow?
If you are I'll tell you all the Chem-Dry secrets! ;) ;D
I'll even let you touch a training manual if the price is right. ;D
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Ok i understand the system now but do they all charge the same eg a 12 by 12 lounge carpet what do they charge???
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fibre reviver
One-way to find out is call in two or three of there franchises for quotes!
Ian
Karcher may have been his spotting machine; I know some cc that use George as a spotting machine.
Jasonl
By your statement “they mix just before hitting the carpet, causing carbonation this system is used with either a standard wand or a modified RX20” on there RX picture can just make out two solution hoses, standard wand one hose? :o
I for one am very happy they are on board, who else would I recommend to a potential customer Mr ½ price!
Len
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I think anyone who is not in the cleaning profession but is a good business builder is made for chemdry!
A good brand name, more or less simple system to use and more marketing you could shake a stick at, they've covered every eventuality!
But what happens to the personal touch when you or I personally clean our clients (who you know by name) carpets, Ok you can't duplicate yourself, well not yet, but the knowledge you posess from knowing how to deal with Mrs.Smiths randy poodle to getting an awkward stain from her best Royal Kashan puts you ahead of Chemdry in the 'long time' stakes where the larger companies may send different techs out on each occassion therefore not always forming a bond with the client.
Depends what you are wanting from your cleaning empire.
Shaun
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Dennis,
It appears I never received an invitation,
Dereck did mention it at Milton Keynes and I did receive a mailing from them and faxed back interest in Hugh Crane about Xmas time.
But i have got caught up in the General Election so have been very much peoccupied. After three weeks knocking on doors and getting insults I am beginning to wonder why I bother. You do meet a lot of nice people aswell.
Would have Like to come as I would have loved to have a chat.
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the 2 solution hoses DELIVER A and B and they mix just before hitting the carpet, the extraction machine is 6k plus vat !!!!!!!!!11
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hi im a chemdry franchisee i work alone so i am in peoples houses dealing with them the same as the rest of you . we use the karcher as a spotting machine and the prices will be different with each franchise .the cheapest ive herd of is £2.80 psm and the most expensive £4.50 psm
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Jasonl
Not having a go, have you a picture of this wand as don’t think can be standard.
Bennymon
Can you throw more light on the type of wand Jasonl is talking about? I know you can get signal, double, triple etc but the method explained where the two agents meet, has me confused!
Chemdry franchisee keep up, the good word!
As dell boys says Len won’t be a millionaire next year but will have a Coutts bank account if not that one with C Hoare & Co
Len
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the wand i use is standard the cleaning agents mix as they hit the hose :)
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Bennymon
So jasonl has got it wrong A and B don’t mix just before hitting the carpet. The machine you have got must have two solution tanks A and B, how dose the carbonation work through the jet/s work?
Len
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Len
The A & B solutions were fed to the wand through 2 seperate hoses. Where the hoses joined the 2 quick connects at the wand there was a black plastic chamber where the 2 solutions mixed so by the time the hit the carpet the carbonating action was at it's optimum.
Make sense?
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Dennis
Was confused before you have now confused me even more by the word WERE!
Think the only way to understand their HWE with carbonation is too get them out! I wonder who will be on candid camera, I have no doubt someone will distance them selves from him or her!
Len
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Dennis
Was confused before you have now confused me even more by the word WERE!
Len
I only used were because that was how it was when I left, but I imagine it's still the same principle although some probably use the modified RX20. bet you are more confused now! :o ;)
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Dennis
Very much so! Keeping in one back pocket for a later date, not I need too!
Len
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:) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :)chem-dry :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :)
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I used to hate it on the rare occation I was sent out to graft, I used to just wand everthing , then have a bath when I was done. 8)
don 8)
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all the carpets i have cleaned have come up really well :) as for price i would say im very competitive :) altho i have many overheads :'(
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ah the velda from chemdry what a piece of poope,two seperate tanks for a and b,heaters that never worked pumps that never worked i.e you never knew for sure your cleaning solution at point of delivery was ph neutral if one side wasnt working as it should you could easilly end up with a high acidity/alkalinity solution and not know about it,losy count of the number of times suites changed colour due to solution not being correct.also heaters used to overheat the solution and would scald you let alone the fabrics and they were forever tripping fuses etc.i never trusted it used to mix my a and b solution in a container and just extract with it mixed 25/75 with water...a proper dinosaur of a machine believe me guys stick with your ninja much cheaper/better
and yes i am an ex sham-dry employee
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derek bolton made a good point...love em or hate em they did drive up prices for cc,,,which is to the benefit of us all.
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to right ;)
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Hi all,
I see you all question Chem Drys ability to clean carpets? Not all but some - are you aware that Regency also purchased DRL Last year? Most of the DRL guys have truck mounts, and in the USA Chem Dry have gone Truck Mount Mad, Chem Dry are having a very well known brand of truck mount made in their own colours labeled up as a Chem Dry machine! Rumour had it they are brining them to the UK. (That is only a rumour though!)
Also rumour has it that Servicemaster are brininging 20 TM units to the UK direct from the states, also a well known brand. The Chem Dry units are real and exist i will try to attach a photo of the units on display at Connections in Las Vegas last year! Rest assured Regency are big and have BIG plans, but then again so do we all!!
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Hi Steve
May I firstly wish you all the best for the future..
Chem-Dry, as I have said before... love 'em or hate 'em... are masters at marketing, no one can deny that.
Servicemaster used to be number one years ago but I believe that their profile has slipped a bit in recent years, but they have diversified into other areas in a big way. Maybe a sleeping giant.
They both have the cash. organisations and influence to do it
It is not surprising that both are stepping up their profiles as I believe that the Insurance market is not so lucrative as it once was for them....methinks the domestic market beckons them yet again
There are several other organisations, including Regency, who are making great inroads within the industry... theres plenty of competition out there
Derek
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I've been saying for 2 years that CD are having TMs but they are only little ones with 200psi pumps.
Shaun
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HydraMaster
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hi the truck mount has been mentioned but only a little piece in a news letter they didnt mention a price but ive been told it will cost about 15 grand.
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I love quoting against Chem Dry operaters, there are 4 or 5 advertising in our yellow pages. This just confuses the customer. They all charge different prices, I have even heard of one franchise charging £200.00 for a suite, after he had given the customer a 10% discount. He didnt get the job, we did!
Also i can remember a lady telling me that they had physically thrown the Chem dry operater out of there house after he tried to charge £60.00 for 40 minutes work, the carpets were no better than before he started. Along we came another satisfied customer!
If Chem dry, Host, and the rest were any good dont you think Pro-chem and Chem Spec would have Jumped on the technology. As yet for dirty carpets you cant beat HWE, if you do it right the drying times are minimal. I Cleaned our lounge carpet last week within 2 hours it was dry and my 1 year old was crawling all over it.
These Systems Come These Systems Go, HWE Remains!
Happy cleaning
John