Clean It Up

UK Floor Cleaning Forum => Carpet Cleaning Forum => Topic started by: Paul Simpson on March 11, 2010, 05:42:04 pm

Title: Some people are never happy
Post by: Paul Simpson on March 11, 2010, 05:42:04 pm
Did a right minger today on behalf of the owner, tenant left it in a right state.
At least 2 other carpet cleaners refused to do it apparently.
Black areas as per the pic below in 3 of the 4 rooms. Hadn't seen it before today and told her its unlikely to be restored to original colour.
Said she wasn't interested in replacing and just clean them as best as I can.
Results after going over it 3-4 times as per pic.

Her comment, can you not get them any better than that  ::)
Title: Re: Some people are never happy
Post by: Mark_Jubb on March 11, 2010, 06:02:12 pm
Did a right minger today on behalf of the owner, tenant left it in a right state.
At least 2 other carpet cleaners refused to do it apparently.
Black areas as per the pic below in 3 of the 4 rooms. Hadn't seen it before today and told her its unlikely to be restored to original colour.
Said she wasn't interested in replacing and just clean them as best as I can.
Results after going over it 3-4 times as per pic.

Her comment, can you not get them any better than that  ::)
Seems like all 3 of you assessed the job pretty accurately.
Maybe the other 2 CC's assessed the customer slightly more accurately.
Like the title of the thread says "some people are never happy"  and some never will be.
Title: Re: Some people are never happy
Post by: Steve. Taylor on March 11, 2010, 06:05:59 pm
Paul you should of told her your second name is simpson not daniels ;D

Had a call from a customer just after christmas asking if i could get a cigerette burn out ::) ::)
Title: Re: Some people are never happy
Post by: derek west on March 11, 2010, 06:32:34 pm
Paul you should of told her your second name is simpson not daniels ;D

Had a call from a customer just after christmas asking if i could get a cigerette burn out ::) ::)

apple corer, block of wood and a mallet, put apple corer over fAg burn. then wood on the apple corer and hit with mallet till the piece is cut out, then do the same on the same carpet thats hidden in a cupboard or mat or with custies permission in a corner or under cupboard, then with new piece glue round the egdes and pop in the hole, leave to dry, trim if needed and  then voila, hey presto, fAg burn gone and a custy for life. ;D just one of my thoughts, always thinking.
Title: Re: Some people are never happy
Post by: robert meldrum on March 11, 2010, 06:42:49 pm
Derek

You can get a  round cutter which makes bigger plugs, can't remember who sells them but saw an advert recently but your idea is a good one.
Title: Re: Some people are never happy
Post by: Paul Simpson on March 11, 2010, 06:44:02 pm
Oh yeah, she had a burn also that she mentioned on the phone.
Turns out it was an iron burn along with probably 8-10 f*g burns.  ::)
Probably see a few of them near the drawers in the pic.
Title: Re: Some people are never happy
Post by: Steve. Taylor on March 11, 2010, 06:46:52 pm
Derek i did take a bit of carpet fron under the gas meter in the under stairs cupboard.
Super glued in place.

BUT THE APPLE CORER GOOD THINKING BAT MAN ::) ::) ::)
Title: Re: Some people are never happy
Post by: Neil Williams on March 11, 2010, 07:01:14 pm
This is all very well and looks great if the burn is on a new carpet.
On older carpets the insert of a 'brand new' piece of carpet will still show to some degree, but yes better than a black burn mark.

As for the origional posting. I'm always very warey when someone calls us into situations like the picture shown. Let's face it unless the carpet had cost £20/m (and you don't see those in rentals) the easiest and quickest option is just to pull it up and replace with something at £3 or £4/m
Having said that when someone says 'just do the best you can' who is to know what their expectations of that is exactly.
Title: Re: Some people are never happy
Post by: Mark Slaney on March 11, 2010, 07:33:27 pm
 

    Everyones favourite suppier, Woodbridge do the cutter.
Title: Re: Some people are never happy
Post by: JandS on March 11, 2010, 08:55:58 pm
What does it come under at woodbridge Mark??

John
Title: Re: Some people are never happy
Post by: Mark Slaney on March 11, 2010, 09:00:35 pm


   John

half way down page, its called a cookie cutter.

  http://www.wcsuk.com/acatalog/Carpet_and_Upholstery_Cleaning_assessories.html

    Mark.
Title: Re: Some people are never happy
Post by: Tony Gill Carpet Smart on March 11, 2010, 11:03:46 pm
This is what I use when all else fails Cookie Cutter see link.

http://www.baneclene.com/catalog/cookie_cutter.html

Cheers Tony
Title: Re: Some people are never happy
Post by: John Kelly on March 12, 2010, 07:49:41 am
It never fails to amaze me the filth some people live in on a day to day basis.
Title: Re: Some people are never happy
Post by: Ian Gourlay on March 12, 2010, 08:44:46 am

I hope she paid you.
Title: Re: Some people are never happy
Post by: JandS on March 12, 2010, 09:27:56 am
Cheers Mark

At £33 it can remain at Woodbridge stick to Stanley knife.

John
Title: Re: Some people are never happy
Post by: Dave_Lee on March 12, 2010, 12:56:32 pm
Some years ago I did a lounge carpet for an Asian lady, it came up well. She then asked "Can you not get that out." An iron mark, burnt right through all the polyprop loop pile down to the hessian backing!?
Dave.
Title: Re: Some people are never happy
Post by: elliott cleaning on March 12, 2010, 08:36:27 pm
Cheers Mark

At £33 it can remain at Woodbridge stick to Stanley knife.

John

At £33 for cookie cutters you'll produce a far more professional result than you will with a Stanley knife - plus it will have paid for itself plus profit after only one use
Title: Re: Some people are never happy
Post by: Graeme@Access on March 12, 2010, 08:46:06 pm
Some years ago I did a lounge carpet for an Asian lady, it came up well. She then asked "Can you not get that out." An iron mark, burnt right through all the polyprop loop pile down to the hessian backing!?
Dave.

I was once asked why i didn't get "that" mark out.
What was it i replied
Battery acid

Nuff said.
Title: Re: Some people are never happy
Post by: garyfindlay on March 12, 2010, 10:10:19 pm
I cleaned 1 carpet for a student today. Phoned me saying the fire had put soot all over the carpet. I wasn`t looking forward to it. The house was minging. I could not see the sink for dishes, and pint tumblers. I counted 7 pizza hut boxes, amongst  the rubbish. The bathroom was full of knickers, grime and clothes. Powerburst, and rotowash, the killer combo, and the water was like tar. The carpet was 3 shades lighter, and you could now count the fAg burns. Everybody delighted. Job done.
Title: Re: Some people are never happy
Post by: murky on March 17, 2010, 08:11:46 am
Re f@g burns etc.

There is good money to be earnt at it. I used to be with SM so was taught the basics and then you trial and learn your self.

 I used to know a guy there that would happily repair something like a log burn on an Axminster, repair the backing, sew in the tufts green, red, black etc etc. Take him a week or so but the Insurance co where happy and so was the custy.
As we are all self employed you soon learn where to earn some extra money and when someone says can you fix that its good to know you can.

Carpet fitters arent interested in repairs, they dont get enough for it, they might do border inserts etc where they can seam an edge on etc, but thats about it.

Get some off cuts of carpet and practice by taking the tufts out and then sewing them back in, this way you can see how the carpet is made, you can get curved needles from haberdashers or upholsterers. (Dont practice on Axminsters or Wiltons, thats different work).

Re the corer and a piece of wood, you have to take the carpet up and refit it, with a cig burn just tease the burnt tufts out and re sew in new ones, simplesh, £50 or so if your good enough. I have tried cookie cutters but I found that as its under strain as it comes round it doesnt do a complete circle, it 'comes in' so its not perfect.


I did a course about 15 years ago with a guy called Barry Pierce from Leicester, he had been a CC'er but now only did Rug repairs for the Insurance Co's, he had a shed full of work, re dyed them ,re wove them to the same style and weave, brilliant work. I still have the work pieces we did there and I still show them to clients, hotels etc to show what I can do.

Those of us that have been to the Altec open days have seen there guy do it, dont be scared of it, it really is simple work, the more you practise the better you will be.

Good luck with it.

Murky
Title: Re: Some people are never happy
Post by: Colin Day on March 17, 2010, 08:17:15 am
Brilliant post Murky.... You kinda got me thinking :)
Title: Re: Some people are never happy
Post by: james roffey on March 17, 2010, 11:04:51 am
I recently went to price a job in a flat a guy had just moved in to, it stank, i could not see the carpet as the electric was not turned on and it was was freezing as he had no electric or gas i definately did not want it gave him the price which was about £6 a sq m, his response, it will only take 30 minutes  :o