[ian richards]

Mike Boxall did a post yesterday intitled THINK BEFORE YOU POST
He, as do other moderators, think that some of the topics that have been posted on here just of late, are somewhat regarded as unprofessional!!

I, like others , agree with him and his colleagues, that there is no place for those sort of topics and remarks placed on here, by those said certain individuals who have recently joined this foum.
They know who they are, and they are ruining what was at once, an extremelly good Forum  

So.....      Do we get rid of them or not??

Please, please vote


Ian

[eco freindly. peoples champion ron .sherlock]

ian it seems sad that cencorship on a forum is being exercized, ans whilst i feel that i may be one who has been over zealous in certain areas. that may be to the fact that it is new to certain people and maybe they need time to get into gear. if however because of remarks posted is not to everybodys thought of correct procedure then a forum does not act as a impartial point of view. i do understand that offensive or abbusive replys or topics can be harmfull. it is the general replys that should determine the outcome. we all learn from mistakes.and indeed they should be removed. but lets not be unfair. i for one have only used a computer recently. and therefor only been involved in forums for a short time. it does not mean that i am unable to say what i think. but maybe not with the finnesse of others. i am controversial but i also listen and learn

[Martin S]

Ian,

Voting is split at the time of writing this.

Maybe you should have added ''advice by the moderator/sponsor (by PM if needs be) on the etiquette required, and then impose a ban if they still fail to comply''

It's a difficult one, as people should have a right to free speech, but....................Consideration also has to be given to the fact that as this forum is sponsored by Express Cleaning supplies they would not want there reputation to be associated with derogatory or unprofessional words or behaviour.

That said, there is nothing wrong with a laugh and a joke, and more established members of this forum will in general criticize, disagree, or take the Mick' out of other members.  The difference is, that this is said, and meant, generally, in friendly banter and good spirit.

The newer members ought to be given the chance to get a feel for the way the forum runs, and adjust their approach accordingly.

People like Sherlock or Don (to name but two) do quite clearly posess knowledge, experience and ideas that would be helpful to other forum members, and whilst some of the things that have been said are IMO a bit near the knuckle, maybe they should be given the chance to redeem themselves.

That's not having a pop at you Sherlock and Don as individuals, but I'm sure you are aware that you, and others, are what the subject matter of this thread is directed at.

Regards.

Martin

[Karl Wildey]

Some people will have place posts on here whilst in a bad mood and they may then regret this, even the nice established and profession ones on here have rub people up the wrong way.
My understanding of Barry is that he is a very professional rug cleaner and has a lot of knowledge, we can all gain from, but his post 'con artiste', did not show this and maybe was a blip on his behalf.
Sherlock started out as being a total pain in the rear, but as time moves on he has started to stop winding people up and has made several good points.
Maybe a 3 strikes (or similar)and then your off system is needed.  A PM from the moderator, may make people realise that this is suppose to be a professional site not a joke, (excluding some posts for fun).

[ian richards]

Martin/Karl


You both make valid points. I think that the idea of 3 strikes and your out is a good one, and should be deemed by the moderator as to wether or not they get a warning. As you know, like others on this forum i dont mind having a laugh and a joke but it has to be said that there is being professional and there isnt.   Yes, we do all make mistakes, and that includes myself, but you do have to remember that the general public can, and do access this site.

Sherlock does obviously have a degree of knowledge, but to what degree i do not know!! Wet cleaning a jute carpet with extraction i mean now come on!! I feel that on to many occasions, he has been left with egg on his face. Remember you have quite a few newbies on here and the guy who posted the question about jute, or Duke as he refered to it, was about to clean the thing   if it hadn't been for others on here who told the guy not to go anwhere near it, the guy could have been in a right fix . Can you imagine if the guy would have acted on his first responce, he would have quite possibly, been left owning the thing
That to me says, that Sherlock isnt as experienced as what he makes out!!

Sherlock 

I realy don't have a personal problem with you, in fact i do find you quite funny at times, and the above reply is possibly the most sensible thing you have ever put on here.

But you aint no John Bolton and you aint no Ken Wainright, so stop pretending to be

Ian

   

[Barry Pearce]

Karl.
I make no excuse for asking questions about "Just how do we clean the trade up?"--"What is accepable as working practace" etc, etc,I dont want to hear or read about the problems, I've over 30 years of practical experence of having to go out and deal with the mess, misery, and upset that these so called professional CCs have created, and the Public ask why?, Trading Standards, Insurance Companys ask what can be done?
And it is not getting any better
Barry

[paul@ctcs]

Barry,

Your post was not worded that way, It simply read if your doing ok from carpet cleaning then your a con man!!

You need to think before you type!

Paul

[strakercleaning]

I have been on the wrong end of fallout from a post that someone deemed offensive, so i know what transpires.
I did the honourable thing and withdrew from the forum. I was not pushed and would have fought back if that was the case. I left for my own reasons and to diffuse the situation. If someone is booted of the forum, then as we know, they will sneak back in with another name and ip address. Not everyone who sneaks in under an alias has evil intent but some do and probably will.
The 3 strike rule as pm to poster is a good idea and could have solved my situation without any animosity.
Let us hope that the persons concerned have taken some of these points, in the thread, onboard and act accordingly
ps. As Karl mentioned, not a good idea coming on here with the hump or when you roll in from the pub 

[Barry Pearce]

Paul@ctcs
CON, To trick, One with a persuasive way of talking.. I have never made a moral stand that I am something pure, Im not beyond claiming to be better than I realy am. For me to progress I need a customer to believe in me. And then there are claims and promises made by some  that are-----------beyond words.
Hypothetically. The worst thing that could happen to society but the best thing that could happen to the cleaning fraternity would be for high profile court case of a CC convicted of serial rapes, at a stroke every CC would be out of work for a week and only  the franchies's and the bona fide trade association members would survive, everybody would have to be certificated, numbered, and named, now that would be at its worst , but short of legislation, how do we clean our act up.
Barry

[Karl Wildey]

Barry,

Paul comments sum up your post and why it upset a lot on this forum, maybe you need to think about the wording in future.

But you are right to question the standards of this industry and I totally agree with your comments. However time served is not answer. I have been in the trade 18 years now, I started out being taught by my dad and read the ascombe distribors cc book, Thats all. 10 years later I went on my first course (IICRC at Royston). Before I attended the course I commented to a friend 'what can they teach me about carpet cleaning, I don't already know'. How wrong. I was embrassed by my lack of knowledge of anything to do with carpets, construction, pile, PH scale, chemicals, you name it.
I then spent a few years going on as many courses as possible (including rug cleaning) and now I am a professional cc.
In the first 10 years you could place me in the typical cc bracket.' I think I know it all, I have never had any training, but I have been in business x amount of years', so I must be good. No you are not.

Time served does not make you a good cc, its the training, with common sense that make you a good cc.

The problem is getting worse, due to the increase in unskill cc's, they are now more going on NCCA/IICRC course than every before,but the number of cc is growing daily. See how many newbies are on this site.
What we need to do is encourage the training and right ways to clean, not have all this craziness about cleaning suites with carpet wands, wet cleaning jute rugs, sweeting peoples tea because you did not like the person etc.
These people made mistakes, hopefully they will learn that this is not the way profesional cc work, before they ruin they own businesses.

[Matt Read]

I can't think of the names of trade associations for builders plasterers sparky's carpenters, the only one that springs to mind is corgi for plumbers and thats prob cos they can kill you with shoddy workmanship.

I think you should stop tarring all cc's with the cowboy tag barry, a good friend of yours held a cc seminar recently and he told of countless probs he's encountered over the years and i beleive he is a director of the ncca,,,it happens.

I personally think a forum like this is great for asking even the daftest of questions because at least that way newbies will feel more confident and hopefully practice techniques passed on by people like john bolton woodman and countless others who have been there and done it. No amount of training will make you a good carpet cleaner, it will just improve your chances of becoming one, and as this isn't a trade you can easily get an apprenticeship in, as most cc's work alone, then surely a forum like this, to log onto after doing a quote, to ask for some practical advice on a possible problem can only be good for the trade. It can also be a lonely trade and camaraderie amongst us all would go a long way to getting us cleaning to certain standards ,,the more you hear about microsplitters, different cleaning techniques ,drying times etc etc the more you want to improve and reach the heights of the seasoned profesionals who prob really don't need to make the effort to post on here. I have to say as a reasonably experienced cc that the first place i would go to ,after a couple of local cc pals , for advice would be here and mostly you can post just about any problem and you will get great replies and advice. I don't think one rapist/serial killing cc would turn the trade round either if anything, as to most people its just a news story, it would prob make more of the public aware that people do have their carpets cleaned ! I can't beleive i acknowleged that statement 

[windows_chepstow]

Hello

I am going, dont worry

I wont write anymore gay posts

John

John, if you go, you go; you know my feelings on your post, and they weren't negative.

This post is more than likely directed at those (like myself) who'll have a beer and then go way off the cleaning topic.  Also Duke, Graham 'Ghoul', MalcG are but a few regular posters who do it often.  But they also have a wealth of knowledge that they pass on in other more serious threads. 

Have a look at some of the moderator's back topics.  They've all been guilty of this (at least the mods on the window cleaning part of this site).

Many of us have started innapropriate threads and had them locked or deleted.  Even my avatar is a jibe at the way Philip (window cleaning moderator) has spanked me - on more than one occassion.

My personal thought is that a little bit of fun mixed up with the serious stuff keeps people looking in here and prevents the forum from becoming too dry.  I think that's understood by Mike Boxall; and he tolerates the fun.  As long as it isn't offensive to anyone or group of people; he generally lets it pass.

Anyway, that's my outlook on the matter.  If as you say, you've been PM'd by another cleaning site, I think I know with some certainty what site that is.  Especially as you say you've been told not to mention the name of it.

I can't speak for the carpet cleaning lot, but the window cleaning members are generally a friendly lot.  You'll do a lot worse at the other site.  There's already a negative sounding thread about your post there.

Stick with us mate, we're nicer.

[Ian Gourlay]

I would have voted to let them stay, but find for some reason I have been locked out.  but you might find a few more posts are deleted in the future.
I am also unable to review results.
I adjusted one of my own yesterday

I will just have to take the stick when people start complaining.

This section should only cover Carpet Cleaning Topics.

[stevegunn]

So will there be a section for other topics to be posted because it will become very dull if not

[Ian Gourlay]

Steve,

I understand what you are saying, and your football topic got a good response.

Perhaps we should have another pole


On should this section just have carpet cleaning related topics.

[Don Atkinson]

I do hope that I am not listed as a 'trouble maker'. Over the time I have posted some very informative info about correct marketing and how to kick start business.
I have always maintained a good professional standard in regards to my posts, never in my time have I ever posted anything derogatory or insulted anyone.

75% of homes now have Laminate flooring, people now buy to chuck carpets, 13x15 80/20 Carpets can now be supplied and fitted for £80.00, Hotels/Night clubs/Pubs NOW have professional cleaning equipment to DIY.

Im sorry but this trade is in decline and that is a very clear fact, in the next few years the only people who will be serving this industry will be the guys who have long established business with vast data bases and have firm relationships with domestic and commercial customers.
This said it makes me laugh so much when I read some of the threads regarding advertising on this site, I often wonder if any of you are professionals?

Your all like Milkmen in the 80s "No supermarkets wont affect us", Hard flooring is here to STAY and yes its going to have a massive impact all us unless you are willing to put up a fight. The next generation are drifting through now, all the elders who love carpet are soon going to be gone.

That's the last post from me, but remember that a blinkered opinion will see your business fail.
I will always make good money because I can sell very effectively and diversify to make deals but I do feel very sad and hope you people who walk the streets every day with leaflets find some luck someday.

Over and out, Best of luck
Don

[strakercleaning]

Don,
With that kind of approach............. you WILL be sorely missed 

[garyj]

20 mins after signing off your still here!!!!

[garyj]

 

Byeeeee

[Gavin Reardon]

Meow  ladies :