[John_Flynn]

Get your hand in your pocket and pay her out remebering to deduct for the wear that she has already had out of the original carpet, also you replace the carpet NOT the gripper and underlay!!

Then get on with your life and stop worrying, STRESS never did anybody any good.

[Dave_Lee]

This type of fitting a carpet was extremely common over 20 years ago when gripper rods became more commonly used. A lot of fitters were fitting the carpets in the same way as ring and pin fitting and laying the gripper an inch or so back from the skirting board. This gap was filled by hemming the carpet, usually bonded by adhesive. In those days it was because the fitters concerned just couldnt get away from what they had always done - turning the edge and hemming. Unfortunatly when wrongly using this method with gripper rods, the carpet is not secure, just merely sitting on top of the gripper and easilly lifted off. This method of fitting is always bad news when it comes to cleaning, but when its also a B/W it a no, no. give it a WEEK before trying a restretch on to double gripper and trimming OFF the hemm with a normal compression fit.
Dave

[the red carpet]

thanks for that Dave
oh well at least iv got somthing out of the situation i wont be making the same mistake again,
and even if i do end up having to put my hand in my pocket i can use this as a learning experience i wont be touching anything im not 100% about if its fitted in this manor again.

Daniel

[Len Gribble]

Daniel

You are not alone I’ve shrunk one and it did go back with the right preparation  and later with the right tool and not only with a knee kicker and they paid me extra for a job well done, totally gob smacked!!

Regardless of type of carpet and if fitted correctly or not, I wonder how many people lift to hide cables (guilty my lord) is it fitted back correctly I think so??? But will wait till I have it cleaned!!

Is there a British standard for the claw of the knee kicker (draft marks)

Len

[conallon]

Red, your looking around 100 poundish plus fitting for replacement,some of these guys are well convincing me it can be put right,that carpet fitter sounds a right w----- ,see if you can get a copy of the british carpet fitting standards,maybe off the net.

good luck Con

[Steve Weatherley]

With regard to John Flynn's comment about replacing the carpet but deducting an amount to take into account previous wear and tear on the carpet....................

In principle I agree with John but wonder how the customer feels if she has to shell out some cash to have the carpet replaced. After all, she wanted it cleaned (not replaced at extra expense to her).

Maybe one way of resolving this would be to replace the carpet but deduct the price you had initially quoted to do the clean. this way she has a new carpet at the same price she agreed to pay.

I wish you good luck - put it down as a learning experience, in the long run this extra knowledge will save you money.

Best regards

Steve

[the red carpet]

yes i agree i wouldnt dream of deducting money for wear and tear as this will do nothing for customer relations she would almost certainly never use or recomend me again, i am going to try to get the carpet refited and if no joy will have to either refund her for carpet or arrange a replacement.
Once the situation is resolved either way i will still be expecting payment from her as she was willing to pay in the first place for a cleaner carpet and she will end up with either a cleaner carpet or a brand new one so she has no reason to be anything other than satisfied.

one question i did ask guys wich nobody seems to have answered - anybody know how much would this carpet cost to replace?

Daniel

[Steve Weatherley]

sorry I don't know how much........just pop into your local carpet shop to get a price per metre sq.

[Chris R]

With regard to deductions for wear and tear.

Did you know that if you did claim on your insurance, for this or any other damaged carpet or suite, THEY WOULD DEDUCT MONEY FOR WEAR AND TEAR!!
The only insurance that pays out new for old is domestic house insurance.(competition between insurance companys for your business is the reason why)

All commercial policys pay out to the value of the item at the time it was damaged.

If you crash and write off your 5 year old van would you expect the insurance to buy you a brand spanking new one!!

So if you shrink a 10 year old carpet the customer will be paid to the value of a 10 year old carpet!

I assume that this will stand up in a court of law, so if you do have to pay out, and considering that she will never recomend or use you again anyway, WHY PAY THE FULL PRICE?

Chris

ps If the room is about 15 x12 I would think £300 to replace + fitting

pps having re-read my own posting, and if, in this case, it does only cost about £300 to replace it with a new one, I would pay the £300. But,,,,,,,,, if it was a claim for £2000,,,,,I would deduct for wear and tear ! 

[John_Flynn]

OH heck Mr R, at last we agree.

But still would not have wasted so much money!!

Vorsprung De Technic  : : :

[the red carpet]

CHEERS CHRIS IF ITS WORTH £2000 IM GONNA DO A RUNNER  

SERIOUSLY THOUGH I SEE NO REASON FOR HER TO NOT USE ME AGAIN IF I HAD SOMBODY TRY AND CLEAN SOMTHING FOR ME AND THEY MENTIONED THAT IT MAY SHRINK AND THEN I SAW THEY TOOK EVERY PRECATIONS AGAINST IT, AND THE WORST DID HAPPEN AS LONG AS THEY SORTED OUT THE PROBLEM FOR ME QUICKLY I WOULD BE VERY HAPPY AND WOULD HAVE NO PROBLEM RECCOMENDING THEM ESPECIALLY IF I GOT A NEW CARPET OUT OF IT.
IN FACT I WOULD ASK THEM BACK TO CLEAN THE WHOLE HOUSE IN THE HOPE THEY WOULD SHRINK SOME MORE.

AT THE END OF THE DAY IF IT COSTS ME £300 ITS ONE OF THEM THINGS IV HAD £186 OUT OF HER LAST WEEK ANYHOW

[the red carpet]

THANKS CONRAD,
JUST REREAD THIS THREAD AND SAW YOUR POST I DIDNT NOTICE IT EARLIER AND THERE WAS ME SAYING NOBODY HAD COME BACK TO ME WITH A PRICE, THANKS

DANIEL

[John_Flynn]

Have you already been paid for the job???

If you have, that money will go towards the cost of the New Carpet!!

If you have not been paid you must ask the customer for the money the cleaning would have cost, after all she has now got a CLEAN new carpet.

If possible visit a PROPER carpet warehouse tell them you are trade and buy the carpet from tham and arrange your own fitting DO NOT LET HER GO TO ONE OF THE CARPET BARNS !!!, or you will get a right hiding!!!

[John Kelly]

Anybody wanting to find the price of a carpet try this site http://www.storeycarpets.co.uk/

Obviously doesn't have every carpet and prices will vary in different regions but a good starting point.
Use the carpet search.

[Doug Holloway]

Hi Red,

Two things spring to mind.

Firstly this customer is very unlikely to come back to you in the future , unfortunately you will always be the guy who shrank the carpet.

Secondly I notice on another thread that you always use a powerbrush.I would suggest a wand will give much more control over wetting.

Cheers

Doug

[the red carpet]

hi doug,

Thanks for your advice i have to say though i am suprised by it.
I find the scrubba leaves the carpets much dryer and i always get comments from my customers about how dry i leave the carpets compared to there last cleaner, i even use this as a selling point that i leave the carpets just damp and virtually dry.

Also in the extracta broucher, one of the selling points of the scrubba is that it leaves your customers carpets dryer as less cleaning passes are required meaning less cleaning solution is used meaning dryer carpets.

Daniel

[Ian Hare]

One of the selling points for every seller of every piece of cc kit is that it will leave the carpet drier!
Make your own mind up don't believe the sales spiel.

[John Kelly]

Regardless of how dry you leave the carpet, the problem with Belgian Wiltons is because of the design the water goes straight through the Polyprop face fibres into the backing. You could extract every last molecule of water but it wouldn't matter as the damage is already done.
The design of a power brush is such that the water is in contact with the carpet for slightly longer in order for the brush to agitate before the wand section extracts.
A wand extracts almost immediately.

[Prestige1]

I only clean the odd carpet no where near as many as you guys. it may sound simple to you guys but whats the best way to tell if its a Belgian Wilton? your help will be appreciated.
kind regards Phil

[John Kelly]

Phil

Go to this website http://www.storeycarpets.co.uk/ go to the carpet search facility. tick heavy patterned and woven boxes.
Here you will find a myriad of this type of carpet. Unfortunately they are also making plain ones now.
To identify them, turn a corner over and if there are white cotton strands running through the backing beware.
However the problem is the Polyprop face fibre which allows the water to reach the backing. On genuine wool carpets you still need to be carefull however the wool captures the water preventing it going through to the backing.
You need to do a burn test to distinquish the fibres. Handy to carry a little tin with a lighter and some tweezers. Also find a burn test guide off one of the websites, print out and glue this to the tin as a handy reference.
Wool smells like burnt hair and Polyprop smells like tar or burning plastic. Find a peice of each material and burn it to become familiar. Also don't forget those plain ones, always check the backing on every carpet.