why do so any trash talk Stanely Steamer?

Dolly Llama

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I know why chem-lie gets hammered...it's their deceptive marketing.
I know why some other franchises get pi$$ed on too...again, it's generally because of deceptive marketing

but why does SS get such a bad rap from most of youinz?


..L.T.A.
 
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They have such a turn over rate its hard to keep good techs. 12-15 hours a day 5-6 days a week. They are the fast food of the industry.
 

Becker

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Might be because they are one of the largest cleaners in the US.

Any large company like SS, COIT, ChemDry is going to have a large volume of complaints.

They may not offer the best service, but the volume of exposure plays a role in complaint numbers.

But, yes they are the fast food of carpet cleaning.
 
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Most people say the carpet was wet to many days and they work to fast .I pre spray with a hydroforce the client say stanley used a small pump up sprayer, Ive never seen it , don,t know what they use. The main issue is drying time and stanley takes to long for their jobs to dry.Also the client say my jobs stay cleaner longer between cleaning, I have some ideas , but oh well. I,m only intrested what I do.
jack z.
 
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JACK ZERKIE said:
Most people say the carpet was wet to many days and they work to fast .I pre spray with a hydroforce the client say stanley used a small pump up sprayer, Ive never seen it , don,t know what they use. The main issue is drying time and stanley takes to long for their jobs to dry.Also the client say my jobs stay cleaner longer between cleaning, I have some ideas , but oh well. I,m only intrested what I do.
jack z.


At SS its the norm not to do dry strokes and have the psi up to 800. That customer was lucky they even pre-treated, majority of the techs just slash and dash onto the next house. When I was there they used electric sprayers that weight 50-60 lbs when full, that they welded together themself. There you had 2 different pre-sprays, residential and commercial. The commercial was so bad smelling that it was impossible to use in any setting.

Truthfully, I did catch the crew cheif going through Brett Boone's wife panty drawer. He was related to the GM and everyone knew his little fettish. Tons of stories about that place.....
 

Chris A

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I don't bash any competitor publicly, truth is Larry, our Akron Stanley is a pretty tightly run ship, I suspect others are worse.
 

Al

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I don't bash them, although some of my customers have. I do hate it when a customer compairs us with them, I don't even consider them competition, I think they advertise 12-24 hours for dry time.
8)


But, yes they are the fast food of carpet cleaning.

Exactly!!
 

Jeff Madsen

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All of the above is true. I would also suggest that their success plays a role in it. I imagine the average franchise owner banks well - even better for master franchisees. Meanwhile, the average self-employed carpet cleaner is praying his wife doesn't lose her job, cause if she does, how will we make the house payment? :shock:

It is hard for a craftsman to reconcile with the success that can be had by a large scale industrial approach in any industry.
 

rick imby

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Jeff Madsen said:
All of the above is true. I would also suggest that their success plays a role in it. I imagine the average franchise owner banks well - even better for master franchisees. Meanwhile, the average self-employed carpet cleaner is praying his wife doesn't lose her job, cause if she does, how will we make the house payment? :shock:

It is hard for a craftsman to reconcile with the success that can be had by a large scale industrial approach in any industry.


So that is why this board is so hard on Snow and Cole....
Well said.



************************
Carpet and Upholstery Cleaning Idaho Falls Carpet Cleaning Carpet Cleaning
 

Dolly Llama

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Chris Adkins said:
truth is Larry, our Akron Stanley is a pretty tightly run ship,

Thanks Chris.
maybe that's why I have a different perspective of them.

I've talked to a few of SS grunts locally over the years .
They didn't impress me as shady .
matter of fact, I know some local owner/ops that are more shady and do crappy work.


Maybe it's just coincidence the grunts I've talked to appeared to be good employees


..L.T.A.
 

Jimmy L

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Jeff is talking about me I just know it.
My wife works and he's right I do worry about making the house payment.

And from this day on I'll be keeping an eye on ole' Jeff and he's made it on my "List"
At #10.


:shock:
 

Ken Snow

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We have a good franchise in MI.

I believe most times when someone takes the effort to trash someone or some business in public it is insecurity for a variety of reasons. All the bs they write is usually a smoke screen to over that up.
 

Torn

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Here in San Diego there is a huge franchise and market share. They run a lot of tv ads. A friend of mine used to be one of their managers. Apparently they all excercise every morning before hitting the streets.

I usually fix one there jobs around once a month. It all depends on the tech that shows up at your door. If you want to pay more you get pre-spray before every job...
 

ACE

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Am I jealous of them? Yes. Why? Because I know I do a way better job when I can find one. If they were a little less pushy with add on sales and did a good job they would own this industry.
 

Ed

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Because people hate when others are more succesful than them. The ones that throw rocks at multi-truck operations, franchsed or not, usually do not have a clue as to the actual day to day business/quality of the company they are trashing, or how much sacrifice the owner of that company made to get there. It just feels good to make yourself believe that it's because they are bottom feeding scum bags and not a guy or gal like you that just worked smarter and maybe harder than you did.

There are a few here that truly don't want that level of success, but most of the bashers would trade places in a flash.

It took me a long time to realize that different people want/expect different things from a carpet cleaner. The vast majority of customers simply want their carpet to look and smell clean. To them it doesn't look or smell any cleaner if the technician vacuums for 2 hours, wraps the house in teflon prior to pulling hoses in and performs a 29 step cleaning process followed by a fireworks show, or if a technician comes in, gets to work and leaves them with clean smelling and looking carpets, and with enough money left in their wallet to take their kids to McDonalds afterward. I've never experienced an industry teeming with more internet experts in my life. By the advice and posturing that goes on on these boards, you'd think the carpet cleaning industry had more millionaires per capita than the investment banking industry. Sadly most would be up shit creek if their wives lost their jobs.
 

ACE

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Sounds like I hit a sore spot Ed :D .

I can’t say I’m not envious of successful multi-truck operations but I also have a ton of respect for the independent companies that have become very successful. Although there are franchise owners that deliver excellent quality I don’t think franchises have any place in the service sector and on average offer lower value then independent companies.
 

Desk Jockey

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It just feels good to make yourself believe that it's because they are bottom feeding scum bags and not a guy or gal like you that just worked smarter and maybe harder than you did.
Way to ruin it for me Ed/debil!

So you're not a bottom feeding scum bag? :wink:

Good post!
 

ascrubabove

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I cleaned carpet for an ex ss employee a couple months ago, she worked for them about 3 years, said she had to do a month intern on a van so that she could understand everything when she worked in the office. I started to pre-spray and she asked me what that was and how much extra it was going to cost her :shock:
 

Ron Werner

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I don't know much about them, they're probably like Nationwide up here, well run company, poor cleaners, LOTS of turnover.

Here's a comment on my stair cleaning vid on youtube by a guy:

inurmind78 (1 month ago)
The difference between me and you ......... I dont Care about my Job nor Stanley Steemer. The company is a joke and i'm grateful that i only work there part time. see ya Mr Happy? Carpet cleaner . Hahaaaa
 

Ed

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Sounds like I hit a sore spot Ed

Not hardly Mike. I had to go back and read your post to see what the hell you said. And it's typical. I'm here to tell you that after over 25 years in the business, having been both an owner/operator and a franchise, there are equally as many, if not MORE crappy independents than franchises.

I don’t think franchises have any place in the service sector and on average offer lower value then independent companies.

I guess you make my point perfectly. It's guys like you that I'm talking about. They blade cuts both ways. It has NOTHING to do with an organization being a franchise, but more to do with the owners expectations.
 

Ken Snow

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Well said Ed- A company, whether owner op, larger independant or small or large franchise is as good or as bad as the owner's capabilities, desires and expectations are. Has absolutely nothing to do with the business status or size per sey.

Ever been to a supply house and seen some of the dirt ball looking owner ops with the broken down van and 30 year old rattletrap slide in? I sure wouldn't want them in my house. For me to then make the judgement that all owner ops are dirtballs, would be equally absurd.

Ken
 

Ron Werner

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Unfortunately, thats a truth about any industry. It comes down to personal ethics.
BUT, like the stereotype of ditsy blondes, there is a lot of truth to the stereotype where the larger the company the more the custy expects a half decent job at a low price.
ACtually, I'm not so sure that it is their expectation regardless of which company they call. Over 80% of our industry thinks that "good enough" is good enough.
 

Chris A

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Ron Werner said:
Unfortunately, thats a truth about any industry. It comes down to personal ethics.
BUT, like the stereotype of ditsy blondes, there is a lot of truth to the stereotype where the larger the company the more the custy expects a half decent job at a low price.
ACtually, I'm not so sure that it is their expectation regardless of which company they call. Over 80% of our industry thinks that "good enough" is good enough.

I'm sure that's true in YOUR opinion
 

Ken Snow

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I always expect better service from a larger company in any service or retail arena. I don;t always get it but I have more confidence on the front end.
 
G

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Ken Snow said:
Ever been to a supply house and seen some of the dirt ball looking owner ops with the broken down van and 30 year old rattletrap slide in? I sure wouldn't want them in my house.

:|
I don't look like a dirt ball. Now my van and TM... Ivebeensold
 

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