[Richard Cole]

Richard C
OK what should I be using and at what temperatures if nt SPM or M-Power

Paul

I would rinse extract first as others have said, don't believe any customer when they say nothing has been done to a stain.

Next I would try Solutions Extreme after testing on an area of carpet that does not show, extract and repeat if necessary.  If they was still some stain showing i would also try M-Power Spotter and depending on your expertise you could then move on to things like Solutions Magic but as its a bleaching agent you would need to be very careful and not attempt it on customers carpet without practicing first on your own off-cuts.

Personally i would walk away from this one, or if the lady is going down the  insurance route say you will attempt to remove stain providing insurance company give a disclaimer in the event that you do not remove or make the stain worse, doubt they would go for it but you never know.

[benny d]

I would also say avoid as it seems to much of a risk.

You may be loosing out on a job, but you will not be poop*ing yourself tomorrow afternoon/evening waiting for the call to say -
 "You made it worse" - "it smells really bad" - "There is another stain which wasnt there before you came" - "There is a gap from the grippers". " Your the worst cleaner I have ever used" I get that one all the time! 

Go out and do some leaflets or letters to other customers, and learn to judge the ones to steer clear of.
It aint worth the gray hair!

[wynne jones]

I bet there's someone reading this who is part of a national network to do insurance work like this and are praying the phone dont ring on this one. 

[Steve Barnett (Carpet Care Plus)]

Playing devils advocate for a moment ...........

Here is a woman who has had a very bad experience with a previous tradesman and is wanting certain assurances in advance of using another one, albeit in an aggressive manner.

There is an opportunity to attend site under strict guidelines that an attempt will be made to remove the stain at no charge and for a set period of time, maybe even in return for a signed disclaimer before any work is undertaken.

A customer who has spent £12k on new carpets could be a valuable asset if handled correctly at the outset.

Having said all of the above, and with the greatest respect to Paul, maybe this is one occasion where fortune doesn't favour the brave.

[Paul Moss]

I bet there's someone reading this who is part of a national network to do insurance work like this and are praying the phone dont ring on this one. 

I believe there is a supplier that has  work from an insurance company for their network. but its only hear say 

[nevil]

Sorry if it's already been said but I think you need to make yourself heard right from the beginning. Allowing people to control the early dialogue and tell you what they expect should never occur. You are the one that tells them what is possible and what is not and at no point does the responsibility and ownership of the problem pass from them to you. Once you have informed them that they may have done permanent damage by not taking care of their carpets they can decide if they want to go ahead. I tend to play down the chances of success as I prefer not to put additional pressure on myself but that’s just my preference. Whatever you charge for a job like that it will be a fraction of what the cost of replacing the carpet is so it's not much of a risk on the customers part to try cleaning first.

[wynne jones]

I bet there's someone reading this who is part of a national network to do insurance work like this and are praying the phone dont ring on this one. 

I believe there is a supplier that has  work from an insurance company for their network. but its only hear say 

I would have done it but that £100 was invested in LOTTO scratch cards. 

[*Hector*]

pity they were the ones where the jackpot had already been won though Wynne

 

[Paul McHugh]

Thanks for all the posts lads, believe me I wont be going near this one 12k+ carpets and woman who clearly will not let you off the hook if it goes belly up no way.
However there is a point to this post for all, that excepting the principle of rinsing  the stain  first, the treatments and products recommended from the experienced boys did appear to vary quite a bit.
To a new guy that's a bit confusing as we newbies sort of hope you all say pretty much the exact same procedure, so we know we are pretty safe???
paul

[Neil Williams]

I would use sod met on this, surely thats the only thing with any chance? or try acid spotter.

I would too, but with repect Hugh if you have no experience of these products then this customer is not the one to try these methods with.
Hugh you sound new to this game, and in a few years time you'll know easily how to deal with people like this, as it is you have walked into a minefield.
There is no shame in this game of knowing when to walk away from a situation that will cause more headaches than results. Even now after 13 years I still have the odd enquiry which I turn down for reasons too many to mention.
If you are still going to go to this job then buy some cotton buds and do tiny experiments on the stain with different products to see what is effective and what isn't. The last thing you want to be doing is adding one product, on top of another product, on top of another product in the hope you'll find one that works.

[wynne jones]

I would use sod met on this, surely thats the only thing with any chance? or try acid spotter.

I would too, but with repect Hugh if you have no experience of these products then this customer is not the one to try these methods with.
Hugh you sound new to this game, and in a few years time you'll know easily how to deal with people like this, as it is you have walked into a minefield.
There is no shame in this game of knowing when to walk away from a situation that will cause more headaches than results. Even now after 13 years I still have the odd enquiry which I turn down for reasons too many to mention.
If you are still going to go to this job then buy some cotton buds and do tiny experiments on the stain with different products to see what is effective and what isn't. The last thing you want to be doing is adding one product, on top of another product, on top of another product in the hope you'll find one that works.

Some great points there William. 

[AshWhite]

Some great points there William.

Weren't they just, Jon.

[jim mca]

Paul

When I started one of my first customers told me that her carpet cleaned up perfectly and it had been cleaned by every carpet cleaner in the area who where all crap after I removed all the dirt I found all the stains as her kids had a great party needless to say I am now on the list of crap carpet cleaners who failed to clean her carpet as perfectly as she expected.

[peter maybury]

I think that have you have had a bit of training you would have handled this customer a little differently. You do not sound confiident and certain about how you are going to treat her expensive carpet so. Why should she have any confidence in you?.
I make it quite clear with stain removal that I am very good and experienced at it but it is never a condition of payment and if they can find anybody stupid or inexperinced enough to make that guarantee they can go with them. If they ask me to go and have a look at it then they must pay a call out because I can look at it as long as I like, it is not going to tell you wether the stain will come out or not.
You as an "expert" need to be firm and precise right from the outset, it is a recipe for disaster if people's expectations are too high in the first place, they need to understand that whilst we can do some imp ressive things we are not magicians.
Peter
www.carpetcleanercardiff.com

[james roffey]

One thing however you got exactly right though, you asked on here first so that shows you were unsure and decided to ask, it does seem like common sense, even to people that are not carpet cleaners that it's unreasonable to expect a guarantee of removing a stain, can she guarantee removal of stains on clothing when and if she ever uses a washing machine, of course not, it is probably the one most important thing to remember, never guarantee to remove any stain, so when it does come out they think your amazing, when it doesn't they still think, well you said it may not come out.
Remember as others have said, they are calling you as an authority on what you are being paid to do, of course we all have to learn though but at least sound confident, use the forums for the wealth of info they contain and if you haven't already get some training under your belt.

[Kinver_Clean]

Follow your gut instinct- it obviously says NO or you would not have put it on here.
The only time I have gone against mine was a complete disaster and resulted in a big insurance claim which was not my fault as the woman damaged the sofa after I left. I should have walked when I first got there and felt the negative vibes, but I was hard up at the time.