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UK Window Cleaning Forum => Window Cleaning Forum => Topic started by: Walter Mitty on September 20, 2017, 10:34:58 am

Title: Is Omnipole still trading?
Post by: Walter Mitty on September 20, 2017, 10:34:58 am
Is Omnipole still trading?
I drove up there, in March I think, to buy some items with cash.  A few weeks ago I tried to phone them as they never posted the receipt. The phone was playing up.  Today I tried again and it's just giving the unobtainable number signal.
Doesn't sound so good but there may be an explanation other than 'no longer trading'.
Title: Re: Is Omnipole still trading?
Post by: Walter Mitty on September 21, 2017, 11:08:16 am
Is Omnipole still trading?
I drove up there, in March I think, to buy some items with cash.  A few weeks ago I tried to phone them as they never posted the receipt. The phone was playing up.  Today I tried again and it's just giving the unobtainable number signal.
Doesn't sound so good but there may be an explanation other than 'no longer trading'.
Replying to my own message here: The phone is still unobtainable.  I posted my query into a search engine and it linked me to here.  So be aware that your posts do show up on Google - if you didn't know that already. The first part of my post even showed up without needing a log-in.
Title: Re: Is Omnipole still trading?
Post by: STEVE-UK on September 21, 2017, 04:09:41 pm
I heard they closed down and sold their property to developers
Title: Re: Is Omnipole still trading?
Post by: Walter Mitty on September 21, 2017, 08:48:19 pm
I heard they closed down and sold their property to developers

That's a pity. I imagine they had an offer that was hard to refuse as you could fit a number of flats on there - and in a reasonable area of South London. I wouldn't call it a prime area, but pretty much anywhere in London attracts a high value.
Never did get my receipt. It wasn't for very much anyway.
Hopefully, they made an arrangement with their guys to carry on with the window cleaning portion of the business; it would be a pity to be out of work when they only need to adapt to being self-employed.
Title: Re: Is Omnipole still trading?
Post by: Soupy on September 26, 2017, 07:48:05 am
(http://www.cleanitup.co.uk/smf/1506408482_Screenshot_20170926-094639.png)
Title: Re: Is Omnipole still trading?
Post by: koopmaster on September 26, 2017, 07:28:52 pm
It says a summer break and a premises move
Title: Re: Is Omnipole still trading?
Post by: Pete Thompson on September 27, 2017, 12:33:23 am
Wouldn't surprise me if they'd gone under, they were always the "barrow boys from london" type of company, and there was something a little ropey about them.  Not unusual to see some of the guys on their stand at the cleaning show with a black eye etc.  Not to mention their stuff was the most cobbled together brick-a-brack from the furthest corners of the internet.

I doubt they could compete with the players in the market these days.

Even their omnitrolley thing that that they claimed they had the idea for and designed and pateneted etc, turned out to be someone else's product. (Google "Mantis Sprayer" and you'll see it)
Title: Re: Is Omnipole still trading?
Post by: Walter Mitty on September 27, 2017, 03:43:42 pm
Wouldn't surprise me if they'd gone under, they were always the "barrow boys from london" type of company, and there was something a little ropey about them.  Not unusual to see some of the guys on their stand at the cleaning show with a black eye etc.  Not to mention their stuff was the most cobbled together brick-a-brack from the furthest corners of the internet.

I doubt they could compete with the players in the market these days.

Even their omnitrolley thing that that they claimed they had the idea for and designed and pateneted etc, turned out to be someone else's product. (Google "Mantis Sprayer" and you'll see it)

Although I can see why some might have the "barrow boy" impression, my experiences with them were mostly positive.
I would agree that the poles and brushes were pretty dire in today's world.  When they first started making them that way, there weren't many choices. Too heavy (I had to switch as my elbow gave me grief), a gooseneck which had a fixed angle, and twist-style clamps that made it too easy to pinch my fingers. I felt that they didn't keep up with the rest of the market in respect of poles and brushes.
However, they were always very helpful in other areas.  If you wanted something put together a bit different to suit your way of working, they came up with creative solutions. When I was inexperienced, they got me out of a hole a few times. There was even one occasion they spent half an hour on the phone with me while they talked me through some tweaks until I got up and running. They even paid for most of the call as my phone was nearly out of credit. They didn't even charge me, though I was a regular customer so figure they made the money back, and more. You rarely get service like that.