[Darren O]

Derek sometimes you can remove up to 90% or more of the stain or spillage its when you cant get the last 10% or so what do you do then thats why i always charge for the call out but good luck anyway.

[derek west]

understand what your saying darren, and advice taken on board, but if i'm no where near the last 10% within half an hour then i won't carry on, this is my first insurance call out and i promise i'll learn from it, but at the mo ive made a promise to my custy and i'm sticking by it.
if its a wasted morning then so be it, its not the end of the world and like i keep saying, i'm no where near fully booked so its all a learning curve.
not disagreeing with your comments, i'm just saying ive all ready made my bed, and i'm a stand up guy so i'll honour it.
derek

[clinton]

I would leave it also derek.

I know you want to get the client for more work but its a difficult one..

[Buster Ingram]

Derek I admire your sentiment in the early days I too had the same view as you but after 30 yrs I can tell you things have changed.

My advice would be to go along with what you have promised and if the paint will not come out of the carpet ask the customer for their insurance details and ring  up while your there and ask their insurance which roote to take.

That way your starting the ball rolling on their behalf.

[derek west]

nice one dave, cheers for that.
derek

[colin thomas]

well derek, how did it go?

colin

[derek west]

col
wool berber, shed loads of paint, didn't even attempt removal, told them i could get the paint out but it would probably ruin the carpet and therefore not worth attempting, no charge for my advice or my letter to insurance company. rang the insurance explained, they were fine just wanted it in writing, will do the report in a bit, email it off. end of story.
customer was very friendly, had a brew, showed them the truckmount and told them the 3 houses i'd all ready cleaned  in there street. they asked for a card and i'm sure if they ever need a carpet cleaner, they will deffo call me first. thats the theory anyhoo.

20 mins driving and 5 mins doing the report. some will laugh but for me its marketting and experience. and like i said, i'm not flat out busy so i have the time.

derek

[markpowell]

Dont know if youre aware Derek that you can charge for an insurance report and the insurance company will pay for it.
Mark

[derek west]

i wasn't aware mark, was told i need a mandate, whatever that is? sounds a bit gay to me.
never mind, all done now.

derek

[colin thomas]

derek, when you are starting out i don't see any harm in taking on anything and everything to get experience, most customers who have a problem with their carpets are only too pleased that somebody had a go at helping them out. in the last week i have had been asked to clean 2 poo accidents, one was a dog, what a mess! and the other was a grandchild? this customer unfortunatley is not very well so i'm not sure the poor grandchild deserves the blame but hey ho, there but for the etc etc. i told both customers that i could only do what i could but that at the very least the carpet would end up cleaner than before i arrived, the dog one was probably 95% better and the other one 99% better. but 2 happy customers and i got a bit more experienced in poo removal!!!!  ah, what i way to earn a living, you listening dave?
    colin

[Mike Osbourne]

Glad you have come around to cuppa marketing derek. 

[derek west]

mike
been doing it from day one and getting quite a lot of stick for my freebies. but hey ho, wtf do they know, there innit for the money, short term. i'm innit for the fullfilment, long term

my new saying
"theres only so many customers you can shaft"

or what about
"a customer is for life, not just for xmas presents"

i'll get me coat.

derek

[Mike Osbourne]

mike
been doing it from day one and getting quite a lot of stick for my freebies. but hey ho, wtf do they know, there innit for the money, short term. i'm innit for the fullfilment, long term

my new saying
"theres only so many customers you can shaft"

or what about
"a customer is for life, not just for xmas presents"

i'll get me coat.

derek

I meant having a cuppa and a chat rather than going for speed cleaning records. It makes sense.

[colin thomas]

derek, i often do little freebies if it suits me, really good customer relations if you do it for the right person, some will say your a schmuck but i have had some really good referalls from people who i have done little favours for and anyway if it is only going to take you a few minutes, in the great scheme of things, why not?

colin

[Buster Ingram]

All ears Colin

Who said this isn't a crappy job

[Mark Lawrence]

I did a leather visit today - 'paint on leather' so i had visions of loads of it. went all prepared, and it was a small amount. siad that it would be £60 min and probably more if i had to re-colour.

well it came off with just a clean. The total time i was there was 5 mins. I said that i couldnt poss charge for it, (it wasnt that far out of my way anyway). she insisted i take a tenner and asked for my card. she was very very happy but i know she's gonna recomend me like mad. like derek said - long term gain. if i had taken the £60 she would have thought that i was ripping her off a bit, and i hate that.

Mark

[peter maybury]

Derek,
printers use alcohol for thinning inks so that product is particaurly good for removing ink. along with a lot of other things but meths does dissolve dried emulsion paint and is the thing to use on that.  White spirit is totally different again white spirit does not evaporate quickly, will not dissolve the emulsion and will attack the latex or rubbed backing if there.
I do a lot of this type of work and it is successful but you do have to be realistic. A  a lot of very dark paint on a white carpet would not be feasable or economically viable but a lot of situations are.
A lot of the time it is patience and perseverance but can always be made lucrative it is a matter of qualifying the situation. I have done work for insurance companies where the loss adjuster has felt that the spill was done in order to get a replacement carpet and have been successful.

Peter
www.carpetcleanercardiff.com