Warning about Website Companies & IDS Websites

[rhino1]

This is the 2nd time in 2 months that I have had this happen to me. I get a call from someone representing a web development company. The script is the same : they promise to deliver a custom, original website from scratch per your directions, give you all kinds of free features, perform SEO, and market it for about $200.

The call was from a very nice sounding lady from Idaho or Minn. somewhere. The company was called IDS. I went around with the saleslady for about 2 weeks explaining what I wanted, I didn't let them take my current domain (thank god) I just wanted another site that had a different feel to highlight the services in a different way. Holy cow, they sent me a jacked up copy of the same website I have, full of misspelled words bad grammar. What a freaking embarrassment! I had to spend about an hour on the phone with the lady again to give her the same directions I spent 2 weeks going over with her before. It's been about 10 days and the site hasn't been touched.

I sent a nice e-mail to customer service with all kinds of inferences to legal action for their failure to comply with the terms of our contract and causing our business image to suffer by their publication of a substandard site without getting approval, and for stealing images and concepts from our other site without permission. I'm waiting for a response.

I wouldn't have gone for this if I hadn't gotten such a good deal from our current site host/designer who set us up for free.

 

[Bjorn]

http://www.idswebsites.com/

are these the culprits

 

[daniel@procarpet]

Well as with anything you get what you pay for.

 

[rhino1]

http://www.idswebsites.com/

are these the culprits

Yep, that is them. The best thing on the site they developed for me was THEIR logo, which was also the most prominent thing on the page.

 

[Brian R]

I get calls from companies like that all the time.
I tell them I can't take sales calls on that line and they should email me.
If I needed help I would check out whatever website they had and go from there.

Talk is cheap, results are what matters.

Sucks that you got had...but it happens...learning experience.
Been there...I had some crappy Carpet Cleaning Board that I was paying $5.00 a month for....what a crock! :mrgreen:
I nipped that in the budd right away. :wink:

 

[rhino1]

Well as with anything you get what you pay for.

Jeez, I am really tired of that old cliche. It's really not true anymore, ask JP -

I already have a decent, revenue producing site that cost me a whopping $50/month. The design was FREE. So going by what you just inferred, a $200 design should have blown me away.

 

[daniel@procarpet]

Your video is pretty good and check out the green horn. The video is better quality than the site imo. I would have the video already loaded where all the customer has to do is hit a play button. Well I am impressed.

0]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R4rA9FzKxIE0]

 

[daniel@procarpet]

Well I submitted too fast. The video and message are good but the music doesn't match. Well I am trying to say in a nice way the music sounds like something from a bad porn video.

 

[rhino1]

Well I submitted too fast. The video and message are good but the music doesn't match. Well I am trying to say in a nice way the music sounds like something from a bad porn video.

I wondered why all my customers answer the door wearing nighties...

 

[Ron Werner]

3 things about the vid.
Corner guard. they put it on that center post but failed to put one coming into the living room in the very next scene
Booties. who wears booties "while" cleaning? I wear them only after I've cleaned.
Cleaning the traffic area. I noticed they showed the very entrance and in the after shot they were further into the hallway. Oh, showed using the grandi groomer for gorroming in the first vid of cleaning, but in the hall traffic area they brought in the Host machine.


Wrt to people calling about websites, I get about 6 or more calls EVERY month. Irritating. Sitedudes offered to build the site, host it, give me access or abiltiy for unlimited changes, wouldn't do the SEO though, all for $50/month, with no end. They kept saying I needed to have a "pretty" site.

 

[tmdry]

The video looks great.

I noticed no pre vac?

That's a pile lifter not a host machine, he removed the bag. It would be more effective if the carpet was pre vacced, sprayed, than crb-ed. That pile brush machine is too heavy for residential and does an ok job, i've used the same one to pile lift cgd than prevac, since all it does is lift the pile. Rhino, I'd use a Sebo Duo or Drimatic, same one Ron has(i have one 2), it's much lighter, has 2 brushes, and doesnt weigh a ton. Even a GLS will do it too, extra weight but probably lighter than the pile lifter.

We also get a bunch of those type of calls for sites, leads, etc.

 

[Brian R]

I noticed ther corner gaurd thing as well.
Still a decent video for what they are trying to show.


And bad porn movies are some of the best....well that's what I heard anyway.

 

[Ron Werner]

to the uneducated, that video shows professionalism



I did notice no prevac, forgot to mention it. hacks. :wink:

 

[daniel@procarpet]

Now this is a crappy video. The woman in the background is annoying to say the least. Someone help me out. What am I trying to say? Maybe too JP.


b]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cctctDgSbx0b]

 

[bensurdi]

Well I submitted too fast. The video and message are good but the music doesn't match. Well I am trying to say in a nice way the music sounds like something from a bad porn video.

I wondered why all my customers answer the door wearing nighties...

Chris you have something going for you with the whole "Rhino Carpet Cleaning" deal. If I were you I would make that Rhino known well around the cities you live in! Brand that sucker man! Your site just is bland and like everyone else's... BUT that being said, if it's makin the phones ring than let it make you some money until you can pay me to make you a nice image, site, marketing material and whole package to make that Rhino Stomp your competition!!!

(Sorry) I get excited when I see potential.

 

[rhino1]

3 things about the vid.
Corner guard. they put it on that center post but failed to put one coming into the living room in the very next scene
Booties. who wears booties "while" cleaning? I wear them only after I've cleaned.
Cleaning the traffic area. I noticed they showed the very entrance and in the after shot they were further into the hallway. Oh, showed using the grandi groomer for gorroming in the first vid of cleaning, but in the hall traffic area they brought in the Host machine.


Wrt to people calling about websites, I get about 6 or more calls EVERY month. Irritating. Sitedudes offered to build the site, host it, give me access or abiltiy for unlimited changes, wouldn't do the SEO though, all for $50/month, with no end. They kept saying I needed to have a "pretty" site.

In the scene where the hose goes around the corner into the kitchen, the hose was just placed there to get it out of the shot, but the videographer still shot it....Oh well

We only use the Pile Brush on bad traffic lanes, as it has been said that thing is HEAVY!

We do wear booties while we're cleaning, the customers have never seen them and seem to like it. I also like the added traction so I don't bust my ass when I walk onto a tile or laminated floor. I have gotten some questioning looks if I run to the truck for something and come back into the house.... taking the booties off and on make for a better impression I think. We also carry a walk-off mat, but I keep leaving them behind!

We do have a Windsor Dri-matic, but it doesn't dig down like the pile brush does, I will spring for a nice CRB someday.

Thanks for all the comments on the video, I appreciate the feedback!!!

BTW, the guy who shot it only charged me $200.... go figure!!!

 

[KevinL]

So was this shot for other carpet cleaners or for potential customers? We know what you're doing with the rake but to a customer it looks like you're cleaning the stairs with a rake. You're cheap slider looks like it's about to break under that sofa leg. No air movers brought in to speed dry. Didn't see any dry strokes, especially in the hall. And you left the door wide open when you came in. You could just add more text explaining the steps you're taking so they don't think you clean the stairs with that rake. Try to look at it through the customers eyes. You are welcome.

 

[rhino1]

So was this shot for other carpet cleaners or for potential customers? We know what you're doing with the rake but to a customer it looks like you're cleaning the stairs with a rake. You're cheap slider looks like it's about to break under that sofa leg. No air movers brought in to speed dry. Didn't see any dry strokes, especially in the hall. And you left the door wide open when you came in. You could just add more text explaining the steps you're taking so they don't think you clean the stairs with that rake. Try to look at it through the customers eyes. You are welcome.

Now you've done it, you've gone and hurt the VERY LAST FEELING I had left.

I really like your website, when are you going to finish it???

 

[Wayne Miller]

I have to agree with Daniel. $200 doesn't go very far. How much do carpet cleaners need to make per hour to stay in business? What makes any other business any different? For someone to learn about your industry and your business, conceptualize, write copy, and build an amazing 6 page website in a couple of hours, and do a voice-over to run in the background, not to mention SEO, IMHO is a pretty amazing feat? Not impossible, just not very likely.

I hope you get things worked out to your satisfaction. If they promised to deliver a custom, original website from scratch per your directions I'd ask why some of these are so gosh darn similar.

http://www.dryconcarpetcleaningtricities.com/
http://www.absorbclean.net/
http://aandjsnorthwestcleaning.com/
http://www.goodshepherdcarpet.com/
http://cleanandfreshcarpetcleaning.com
http://ambwaterdamage.com/
http://procareofdenver.com/
http://www.continentalcarpet.com/
http://thecarpetdoctorca.com

 

[LisaWagnerCRS]

The video for the cleaning company in San Diego - looks like it was created by the IICRC because it references their certfied cleaner site ... so it has only been watched 109 times since May of last year.

Isn't the IICRC spending any money from their million(s) dollar war chest to market this? It's not the best video ever, but if all of their registrants linked to it, they could easily drive some traffic. I mean, if I can get a few thousand to watch a crappy restoration promo by me for FREE, then you have to work pretty hard to have numbers that low. Who in the world is running their marketing department?

Just want to know.... But maybe I'm not getting the entire picture here. I've been known to not see the whole picture before.

Lisa

 

[rhino1]

I have to agree with Daniel. $200 doesn't go very far. How much do carpet cleaners need to make per hour to stay in business? What makes any other business any different? For someone to learn about your industry and your business, conceptualize, write copy, and build an amazing 6 page website in a couple of hours, and do a voice-over to run in the background, not to mention SEO, IMHO is a pretty amazing feat? Not impossible, just not very likely.

I hope you get things worked out to your satisfaction. If they promised to deliver a custom, original website from scratch per your directions I'd ask why some of these are so gosh darn similar.

http://www.dryconcarpetcleaningtricities.com/
http://www.absorbclean.net/
http://aandjsnorthwestcleaning.com/
http://www.goodshepherdcarpet.com/
http://cleanandfreshcarpetcleaning.com
http://ambwaterdamage.com/
http://procareofdenver.com/
http://www.continentalcarpet.com/
http://thecarpetdoctorca.com

Holy Moly, what a bunch of Ass-monkeys. They are all the same freaking site, and it's just the same as the one they sold me!!!

I can't wait until tomorrow, I'm going to call all these guys and find out if they know they all have the same website!