Mikey P
Administrator
I suspect that's true. That is precisely the case with TCS, and Mike has to remind me every now and then that my "unique" bulletin board generated needs make him zero dollars, in the grand scheme of things.
Yes, most carpet cleaners could care less about education. They took what they learned from their former SS, Coit or Chem Dry job and applied it to their new OO job. Most don't want to grow beyond a helper for the summer and most are content with their situation. What is waiting for them when they can no longer swing a wand? Very likely their wive's pension from her real job, family money or living on social security and the 200k they managed to stuff under their mattress over the years.
Why confuse these simpletons with multitudes of presprays and specialty spotters, talk of CFMs and inches of lift, $500 lint filters, wands that cost more than $125, carrying two types of upright vacuum cleaners and all the other nerdy methods to our anally compulsive ways. While suppliers like TCS, Olson, CMS and the other independents dont give a squack about the "Bulletin Board" crowd, the bigger companies certainly do. Jon Don, Aramsco, Pemberton even, use the forums to predict the future buying trends as well as to better their own awareness of the issues we face as cleaners. Have you ever met a supply shop employee who knows more about cleaning than you do Marty?
We are the trend setters and the squeaky wheel. We inadvertently create and modify the tools and chemicals for this industry with our discussions and our complaints.
I give Mytee a lot of shit but do you think they would have ever ventured out of making just portables had Greenie not forced John onto MB? Not sure if it's possible, but would they care even less about quality control if not for the belly aching on the forums? We have made them a better company in a 1000 ways. Same for Rotovac, Sapphire, Interlink, PMF, Aerotech and a few other manufacturers that pay attention. We are their sounding board.
Now there are some cleaners who like to come on the boards only to talk shop from the perspective of how do I handle tomorrow's 4000 square foot job all by myself or how do I install an O ring in a QC. MB threatens and bewilders them away as guys like Tom King, Hanna, Chavez, Oz, Appleby and the like talk about running something as foreign and distant as running Sun Micro Systems or a BMW dealership.
I keep a mental record of whom we've lost over the years as the membership here grows more mature and the other sites stay on at a Jr High level discussion. It saddens me to see once active members digress to those sites out of fear or an unwillingness to venture out of their comfort zone. Misery loves company as they say
Last edited: