Chem-dry

[Wayne Miller]

I don't have a pony in this race anymore, and I'm not quite sure why I'm poking my nose up now, but for what it's worth.....

As a long-time customer lamented, again, last week, the company she called while we were gone left her carpet wet for four days. I don't even know how you do that. Her pleas for assistance were met with, "put a fan down" and "it'll dry." Nice, huh?

After two-plus years, who do you think she brings up everytime she calls?

The million dollar question is could anyone else have been anymore effective at planting the seeds of "why risk steam" in her mind?

Her aunt called the same company and had the same experience except this time they did loan her a fan so it only took a couple of days to dry.

Three others told me they were unhappy enough with the experience they were going to replace their carpets with hardwood rather than clean them again.

Does anybody not hear the same sort of complaints?

Is it really a struggle to understand why people call Cleaner, Drier, Healthier?

For as long as I've been in this business consumers have been looking for relief from overwetting, wicking and resoiling. Some companies, like CD, are paying attention.

Behind every instance of overwetting, wicking and resoiling there's a technician who didn't do his job very well. So, when you see some marketing you feel excoriates your preferred method of cleaning and you wanna throw something.....don't forget about him.

I get a chuckle out of the "all CD's are hacks" and "I clean up after them all the time" routines because I'd put the guys saying that up against folks like Steve Smith, Albert Lazo, Jim Lynch, Billy Reynolds, Brian Robison, Kevin Bunce, and Sam Patton, just to name a few, anyday of the week.

In my own little corner of the world, CD is just another competitor. I can't think of a single instance where anything they do or say has any impact on our business. Besides, we're really too busy to care. I'll send work to my old CD buddies when I'm too busy, they do the same for me. Despite our best attempts to drown each other out, as far as I can tell nobody of consequence is paying much attention to who's saying what.

Just MHO having seen it from both sides, life is short and your energies are better spent minding your own business. If you're doing your job you've got little to worry about and you won't be giving your competition ammunition to use against you.

 

[royalkid]

Brain, you have to get your facts right...

1. "Veld"...it's Velda (named after Robert Harris's Mom)...and it was a POS...that's why they now use the Powerbase-10....great heat, extraction and bubbles Much better than the very old velda....you're living in the past bro

2. Who makes our TMs? Hydramaster....just a lil' Mom and Pop shop that does a little tinkerin' with TM's, did a decent job on ours.

3. "Repeats came form the tech being able to speak really well to the customer and convince them it was a good job"...so basically, you're calling ALL CD custys' idiots...because they can't tell for theirselves if their carpet is clean or dirty, come on man, is that the best you can come up with???

4. "Mike the idiot" Our equipment is NOT an "under-powered" RX-20 with a "powerhead"....the machine is callled the "POWERHEAD" and it does the same that an RX20 does, but has a couple added (patented) features that you don't have on your RX20....get your facts straight before (too late) you look like an idiot.

Daaaamn.......oh no he didn't... yes I did

 

[royalkid]

oh yeah, i forgot....very well said Mr. Miller. See, if the rest of you guys had that kind of attitude you'd be much happier, less stressed and probably more successful. I bet Wayne does very good with that kind of outlook.

 

[Mike Draper]

Brain, you have to get your facts right...

1. "Veld"...it's Velda (named after Robert Harris's Mom)...and it was a POS...that's why they now use the Powerbase-10....great heat, extraction and bubbles Much better than the very old velda....you're living in the past bro

2. Who makes our TMs? Hydramaster....just a lil' Mom and Pop shop that does a little tinkerin' with TM's, did a decent job on ours.

3. "Repeats came form the tech being able to speak really well to the customer and convince them it was a good job"...so basically, you're calling ALL CD custys' idiots...because they can't tell for theirselves if their carpet is clean or dirty, come on man, is that the best you can come up with???

4. "Mike the idiot" Our equipment is NOT an "under-powered" RX-20 with a "powerhead"....the machine is callled the "POWERHEAD" and it does the same that an RX20 does, but has a couple added (patented) features that you don't have on your RX20....get your facts straight before (too late) you look like an idiot.

Daaaamn.......oh no he didn't... yes I did

Royal Douche, Nowhere in my debate have i said your rx-20 was the same as a steam cleaners, nor did I say I owned one. Had one once, It cleaned more poorly than any other tool I've owned. ( wands, drag wands, encap machines, Rv-360) it was a POS, and because your machine is called a power head doesn't mean it has power. I've sat and watched chem-lie clean dirty apt's 2x with the almighty powerhead and that was enough for me. it was laughable at best. And yes, Custy's may think you do a great job cleaning carpet because they've never experienced a good cleaner and they don't know any better. Your hm truckmount is underpowered and that is all there is to it. Tell me about your blower....how many CFM does it produce, lift? What type of lawnmower engine do they have strapped to that slide in? You do know it's called a slide inn don't you? I'm sure you have no clue, you had better call headquarters and ask them for some help. None of this really matters.......my only fact is that we can out clean any chem-lie franchise, and leave the carpet neutral and have faster dry times. I personally think your system and marketing is pathetic, as well do most other steam cleaners.

 

[XTREME1]

The fact of the matter is Chemdry, stanley steemer, sears etc market to a mass audience and have their sytems in place for the masses.
If you have a trashed apartment they will not do a good job or go the extra mile because they aren't set up for that nor do they want that.

Basicly what the chemdry guy is saying is "hey we are steam cleaners just at a lower psi than you guys and the guys who haven't updated their equipment suck"

I posted this because it was sent to me from a friend in FLA and I saw this crass chemdry guy here so I decided to post it.

 

[royalkid]

Hey Mike, your high horse called, needs you to get down immediately. Jealousy can be a funny thing, don't you think Maybe one day you'll experience a fraction of the success of CD and people will try to belittle you, but it's all good. Says a lot of a person. Once again, well said Mr. Miller

What's the difference between a pole smokin', egomaniac, douche-bag AND Mike Draper??

No punchline, serious question...is there a difference??

 

[Art Kelley]

Despite our best attempts to drown each other out, as far as I can tell nobody of consequence is paying much attention to who's saying what.

Just MHO having seen it from both sides, life is short and your energies are better spent minding your own business. If you're doing your job you've got little to worry about and you won't be giving your competition ammunition to use against you.

It wouldn't bother me at all if not for for the fact they have built their entire 4000 unit franchise by bashing and lying about the competition.They have been doing this crap for decades. Here's from their current website:

"Who wants wet carpets? Other cleaners use high pressure to force water down through the carpet backing, straight to the pad. Gallons of water are left behind in your carpet, leaving soapy, dirt-attracting residue deeply imbedded. Spots return, new dirt is trapped by the soapy residue, and the carpet becomes a breeding ground for mold and bacteria.
Who wants to experience the frustration of having their family and home held hostage, waiting for their carpets to dry? With The Natural, your carpets are sparkling clean and casually dry in 1-2 hours - not the 1-2 days common with conventional steam cleaners. Learn more about how your carpet can be drier than with any other professional or do-it-yourself cleaning process."

They have lied and smeared their way to become the biggest franchise in the country. They are a blight in our industry and deserve to be disparaged whenever and wherever possible.

 

[lance]

I feel sorry for anyone who believes that success is measured by the size of their wallet. Thinking that jealousy is the main reason for the ill thoughts towards CD is not very rational.

Do the people in charge of chem-crap really care about having each franchise doing all they can to give each customer the cleanest carpet possible. I say no. Harris research knew that you don't make millions of dollars off of rebellious and independent thinking people....that would cost too much and take too much time and effort.

If you can get people to become like robots and have them sign a contract that is very one sided, you now hold the key that controls the money, conduct, thinking, and expectations of those that put their trust and money in your hands.

Because Harris research was so "successful" and had so much money, why didn't they develope the attitude and foresight to produce a cleaning system that was second to none? They should have been way out in front of all other cleaners....even today, where does their TM stand in comparison to others? Is it designed to its potential in giving the operator the ability to positively clean each job beyond what any other cleaner could possibly do?

A lot of cleaners on this board with a lot of years of experience would say no. Even today, their equipment is not top-notch and they have thousands of former customers who are happy to find someone else to do a better job.

The franchisees are prisoners not only because they are locked into a contract but even if they become aware of how to do a better job, they cannot use that knowledge unless the parent entity gives them the ok. And if the parent entity says no they have no recourse as they are bound by the contract that they signed.

I have seen their work and I was not impressed. Granted, there might be thousands of cleaners who can't or won't do as good a job....leaving the carpet wet for days for example. But they don't have the resources behind them that the CD owners have. So you would expect CD to be able to exploit this advantage and grab a huge share of the market based on the comparison to the "average" carpet cleaner.

But the members here want to be better than the average CC'er and some of them are the cream of the crop. They put CD to shame time and time again. Day in and day out, these members are seeking knowledge that will make each job better than the last. They want the best for their customers....they have built a business(es) based on this simple concept.

Chem-crap has not. Some will say that CD has even made a strong attempt to keep their franchisees in the dark so that they will march in step with the parent entity full speed ahead. Damn the customer, our marketing will be our savior.

 

[Mike Draper]

Obviously, you are jealous!

 

[renegade_cowboy]

Obviously, you are jealous!

Another zinger.......Where do you keep coming up with these?

 

[Mike Draper]

Obviously, you are jealous!

Another zinger.......Where do you keep coming up with these?

you should go back in your room and finish watching Michael Moore propaganda.

 

[royalkid]

Lance, very sound logic indeed...NO CD cleaners want to be better than average...there's 10,000 CD techs (world wide) and NONE of them....only other O/O's want to be better. You are now are the biggest idiot on this thread...and that was stiff competition with Mike having input....Congrats.

P.S. Don't worry Mike, you're still one of my favorite hacks.

 

[renegade_cowboy]

[quote="Mike Draper":3dqcpdfa]Obviously, you are jealous!

Another zinger.......Where do you keep coming up with these?

you should go back in your room and finish watching Michael Moore propaganda.[/quote:3dqcpdfa]


Which one?

 

[Brian R]

Brain, you have to get your facts right...

1. "Veld"...it's Velda (named after Robert Harris's Mom)...and it was a POS...that's why they now use the Powerbase-10....great heat, extraction and bubbles Much better than the very old velda....you're living in the past bro

2. Who makes our TMs? Hydramaster....just a lil' Mom and Pop shop that does a little tinkerin' with TM's, did a decent job on ours.

3. "Repeats came form the tech being able to speak really well to the customer and convince them it was a good job"...so basically, you're calling ALL CD custys' idiots...because they can't tell for theirselves if their carpet is clean or dirty, come on man, is that the best you can come up with???

I know it's called a Velda. I just misspelled it...just like you misspelled my name. It happens


I would like to try that version of the Hydromaster.

I'm not saying they are idiots...just not carpet cleaners who can tell them what is happening with their carpets...they tend to believe them.

A custy isn't just going to know if their carpet is clean or not. The cleaner can make them look clean and still not be clean....you should know better than that.

My facts are straight. Yours? Not so much.

 

[renegade_cowboy]

Blah, blah, blah, blah. Anyone with half a brains, knows that flushing residental carpets with hot water is the best way to clean the said carpets. Wash and flush. It even sounds sexy.

Peter its great that you are loyal to CD and I am sure you do the best you can do.

You want to know whats next for CD. A patented washer and dryer. Just you wait and see.

 

[Ron Werner]

I really don't GAS about CD as long as they do what they say they are going to do. I hear comments on both sides; I love CD-they did a great job, but also; The spots came right back and I'll never call them again. I hear the same comments from a SS-like company here in Victoria. It all depends on the tech.

AS for their marketing! Good grief.
a]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kUerGFm5dEAa]
When put crap like this out there it makes me want to bash them. Any time we're talking marketing on this board someone mentions about focusing on the positives and the benefits. CD just PMO.
Let them keep spending 25% of their profits on marketing. They need to in order to replace the customers they lost!

 

[steve frasier]

some local chem dry companies have boxxer machines in their vans

local supplier was pretty pissed when I took pictures of them

 

[truckmount girl]

The HM Tm's that CD uses are the same as the HWE units with the exception of the pump is removed and a 100 psi compressor driven "Pepsi sprayer" tank system is put in for the CD chems. Personally, I would rather have more rinsing action than that set up is capable of....and some CD guys use Water Otters and bypass the CD Pepsi tanks.

The CD RX20 is choked down to 1.5" hose, has there holed skids and undersized jets. With 2" hose and high flow jets they would get a better one pass clean and still be able to recover the extra water. Teflon glides instead of skids would recover better, be easier on the carpet, operator and machine and wouldn't mar hard surfaces, furnishings and baseboards.

Other than those mods they are the same units anyone can buy. CD is forcing out the guys with the Legacy (bonnet) systems slowly but surely.

Take care,
Lisa

 

[Brian R]

That commercial is BS on the "using less water" thing.
I have used that machine and it uses a ton of water.
I used it with the last portable that CD had for a while "powerhead" I think they called it. :roll:

When I went from that, set up to just the Ninja, I had better pressure, more vac and had to fill way less often.

On a TM? I don't know. But the thing still uses a lot of water.

CD is still just HWE or maybe Warm Water Extraction with BUbbles WWEB.



Do they really only use 100 psi with a truckmount?
That is more Retarded than eating only veggies your whole life.

 

[joe harper]

Why would any one think that "CHEM-LIE".....would leave any rEsIdUE :?: :?: :?: :?:

That could never happen :roll: :roll: :roll: :roll:
They just PRE-SPRAY the carpet for 3 years....Then you just have to EXTRACT 8) 8)

 

[Ron Werner]

Nothing against Brown's CD Fred. Just their ad is so full of crap as are most if not all CD ads. The only truth they have in their ads is that there are SOME cleaners out there that are that bad. But all their bragging is just PR BS.

Client the other day was telling me how confusing it is to choose a cleaner. She goes through the yellow pages and they all sound the same. I think she has even tried the CD. Thats why I put little comments in my ads that I'm not cheap and that I take longer, hoping to stir enough curiosity so I can at least talk to them or get them to my website where they can be educated as to what HWE is really about.

 

[royalkid]

nice pics Joe...we get the same results...probably just slower due to lower psi. Lisa said it best...the system we use anycan can 98% duplicate. Get a decent TM, and RX-20 with glides and go get some of that knock-off carbonated cleaner and you could market the same way....also right about the phasing out of spary/buff (except on commercial carpet)...Thank God!!! When folks like Brian speak about telling a custy their carpet is clean (when it's not)...I would 100% agree when it comes to spray/buff method...it is ok on light-medium soiled carpets...but in no way can compete with HWE on heavily soiled carpets.

 

[Brian R]

Then shut the hell up. :mrgreen: :wink:

 

[Papa]

How many of you guys do this buffing business with all your cleanings? This seems like more work and even worse overkill!

If by "buffing business" you mean agitation....you really ought to try it sometime...really helps in cleaning a carpet... :wink:

By buffing I mean running a pad over the clean carpet as a last step in the cleaning process.

 

[alazo1]

and some CD guys use Water Otters and bypass the CD Pepsi tanks

:shock:

I agree with Jim saying that we owe a lot to CD. It brought a lot of awareness about the importance of a dryer carpet. I'm glad to have been CD for 5 years. Actually taught me a lot and even now I'm still trying to work out my regular tm.

Successful CD's rather hire salespeople vs cleaners. It's where the money's at. If the shit is too dirty they simply would charge extra for a restoration process. Or bypass the system alltogether.

The carbonation for the rinse does no better then most other soap free cleaners out there. For a pre-spray it needs a boost in the same way we add citrus, peroxide or other pre-sprays.

I think as lonng as a company can use one ingredient that is safe, they go all out and advertise the hell out of it as it being safe. Same goes with Zerorez. Around here their radio ad says that they clean with water only. Yeah right. I've read on the boards a few times where one of the techs are buying all kinds of pre-sprays.

With all that said, I don't think I can clean any better then anyone out there. yeah, even cd. Too many times I had customers with the wet for days stories. I'd bet Peter can clean just as good as any of us and I wouldn't go out and say I'm any better then him (specially if he knows how to squew the system a bit)

The website idea is good. www.chemdryfacts.com is still up for grabs.

 

[Mike Draper]

I don't think I can clean any better then anyone out there. yeah, even cd.

Then that would make you a hack, cuz Chem-lie sucks and their work is only mediocre at best. Just about anyone who really knows how to clean well can out clean them and out dry them. I would be ashamed and humiliated if I could not do a better job than those guys.

 

[Brian R]

That's a pretty generalized statement.

There are so many franchises out there doing CD, you have no idea how well they are cleaning.

For all we know, they are steam cleaning with a truck mounted unit.

Oh wait.

 

[Papa]

I'm still not sure why you have a video of you cleaning carpet on a carpet cleaning website.?

 

[Brian R]

I'm still not sure why you have a video of you cleaning carpet on a carpet cleaning website.?

Who Me?

 

[alazo1]

Then that would make you a hack, cuz Chem-lie sucks and their work is only mediocre at best. Just about anyone who really knows how to clean well can out clean them and out dry them. I would be ashamed and humiliated if I could not do a better job than those guys.

And there you have it. Another closed minded individual.


Albert