[mark_roberts]

Ikea have just opened their largest branch in Europe on my doorstep.  Had a look on Saturday and to be honest its dirt cheap for suites and rugs but not the greatest quality Ive ever seen although 100% wool rugs are £100 because i bought one.

Do you get to clean many of these or are they throw away items.

Mark

[Deep Clean Newcastle Gateshead]

Cleand some as but I have charged more than the rugs worth and told them that, but they still go ahead saying that they like the rug and dont want to replace it, others just say they will buy a new one.
Customers choice in the end, but at least if something gos wrong you can replace it cheepley

[Joe H]

You know when the customer says "oh, and while your here can you just clean this for me".............
its a good chance it will be an IKEA type.
I approach them carefully.

[psg]

Hi Mark,       Hope you had a good New year.

Funny went to look this morning some stuff very 70's the suites looked like the covers had just come out of a washing machine ( full of wrinkles ) & were thrown on and the quality is pure s$*t I got an alergic reaction to the thoughts of being asked to clean most of them. They  looked more disposable than practical and I thought we were near seeing the end of dodgy cotton print.

Jim

[Joe H]

I'ma bit suprised you managed to find the exit and get out of IKEA and be posting on here this afternoon .

Mark - where you from - then we know where the biggest IKEA in Europe is.

[psg]

I think next time I go i will be taking the gps its a bit like the crystal maze without the excitment.

Jim

[mark_roberts]

The biggest IKEA is in Belfast.

Jim

Are you the PSG - Preferred Services Group in Dromara?

Hows tricks didnt think you cleaned suites and carpets anymore with all the insurance work you do.

Hope all is well.

Mark

[psg]

Thats the one, you don't know where I will popup. Wife runs a drycleaning shop so do bits & bobs for her. The Insurance & Leak Detection forms the core but watching what some of these guys are doing in carpet in uph is intresting and looking more plausable looks like the days of 3 rooms and a suite for 50 quid are gone and maybe some good work is actually present.

jim

[mark_roberts]

Still plenty of £50 guys about but the skill is in charging £150 and thats the secret.

Still chicken feed to what your doing

Mark

[Shaun_Ashmore]

The average job ticket for leak detection will be far greater than domestic carpet cleaning and also less competitive but the hours are probably better.

Shaun

[psg]

Shaun
You are probably right the average equipment outlay is huge compared to carpet cleaning and thank god the guys doing it aint doing 5 rooms for the price of 2. Its about time the £15 pound a room monkeys were run out of town " Ice cream wars at dawn "

jim

[psg]

Mark,
Just remember I started out 22 years ago with an extracta spirit the small one. I think business is about pure graft long hours, attention to detail & an eye for what your competion don't see. Its a bit like the magicians slide of hand and from time to time gambling on possibility.  I need to do something with these truckmounts I have 2 that I am using another thats been refurbed & shrunk wrapped & a further 3 that are in the bench being refitted & wired stage. Plus I have use of a mates if I am stuck 6TM need to find some work for them. The big problem is finding people to operate them not looking monkeys.

Jim

[Shaun_Ashmore]

Instead of looking for staff look for entrepeneurs who would rent the TM from you and also you could supply leads, you could train them and then rent them the machine at say £150 a week with leads supplied.

Shaun

[psg]

Shaun,

I like your style if your one of the elite tim halliday 200.00 an hour & I am renting a machine to you at 150.00 a week, do you think  because my beard is going grey makes me santa clause P.S. I suppose u want me to throw in free fuel as well.

jim

[Shaun_Ashmore]

After having staff I wouldn't recommend it unless you can give them incentives to get to work and do a good job but that comes at a cost. Say you were to pay them £15k a year plus a % of the job to get a good person and not a muppet and then there's the holidays and sick days and loss of items and breakage and insurance how much will he/she cost?

As for £200 an hour??

Shaun

[psg]

I believe the "Polish" are the in thing ? If you could train them need to be a bit of a ring master though.  The rest of the buggers looking 15/ 20k just to crawl out of bed. I hear what you are saying it isnt easy and the goverment don't help they tell you what you are going to pay them an hour, how many hours they are allowed to work, what holidays they are entitled to, were not even going to go to men taking paternity leave don't start me could go on for days.

Jim

[Shaun_Ashmore]

Domestically I think that you may have trouble with Immigrant workers as people tend to be protective in their own homes and prefer to see locally sounding workmen although this may sound like a racist statement it is not meant to be but in our line making the customer feel at ease in their own home is half the way to creating a relationship with them for repeats and referals.

Shaun

[psg]

Shaun
If I don't find work for the tms I can use them as posh anchors for those expensive boats in the harbours.

Jim

[Shaun_Ashmore]

Sell them to scrapheap challenge they'll make a car or a boat for you.


Shaun