[wayne zabel]

Had a call back tonight regarding a job I did last week.Customer not happy saying the stains on a bedroom carpet are not cleared and theres a few dirty patches still on a staircase.

There are some stains on the bedroom carpet that wouldn't come out and looked like grease stains,these were pointed out at the time.

The stair case was absolutely filthy  with caked on mud and new paint stains.I got all the paint stains out and thought the job was a good one when I left,I now admit that part at the top are still dirty having seen it again.

I know i could get the stairs clean but the expectations for the bedroom are too high,so i told them I would give them their money back as i cant be arsed with doing the bedroom again and still not meeting the customers expectation.

Should i offer a full refund or only a part,as considering I got the stairs back to a level that I was very happy with apart from the dirty part at the top that I now admit should have been done better.I never expected to get all the paint out but did so.

The problems here are compounded in that the customer is Asian and speaks bad English and making myself understood is very difficult

[Shaun_Ashmore]

Wayne I would re clean areas pointed out, if it was that bad there could be some wicking but if you start offering money back you'll get a 'name' for yourself as a pushover, re clean only areas ponted out and point out that now that you have done them twice that if it isn't going to respond 2nd time it isn't going to 'period' then pack up and ship out!

Communication is one of the hardest part of the job, just take it as experience and also on how to deal  and put right awkward customers.

Shaun

[Simon Gerrard]

Wayne,
I'd just go back and fix the bits they are not happy with. Sounds as if you didn't qualify them as to the expected result given the condition of the carpets - but we live and learn, still a bit gutting tho.

Simon

[Mike Halliday]

did  you do the best job possible?

if so then they don't get a refund of any sorts, you have done nothing wrong...... they have

 if they allow their carpets to get into such a terrible state then the limitation of the clean is there fault not yours.

if they cannot understand this then tell them to get back in  touch when they have mastered the English language

[james roffey]

They are unlikely to be a repeat customer so get them off your back as quickly as possible you could go back and they may still not be satisfied, it depends what guarantees you offer regarding money back etc if not satisfied.
As they say you cannot please all the people all of the time.

[james roffey]

did  you do the best job possible?

if so then they don't get a refund of any sorts, you have done nothing wrong...... they have

 if they allow their carpets to get into such a terrible state then the limitation of the clean is there fault not yours.

if they cannot understand this then tell them to get back in  touch when they have mastered the English language

Mike how did that job at the united nations pan out

[Simon Gerrard]

I can't believe there are people who live in this country, who call themselves British and yet can't speak a word of English, it's outrageous.
As far as the complaint is concerned I'd probably go back and look at what they are complaining about and fix anything that wasn't done right, but also be very firm indeed about reminding them of how dirty the carpets were in the first place.

Simon

[Steve. Taylor]

Wayne i agree with the above posts never take a job on without explaining the limitations
your the cleaner they are the customer that let it get in that state. why should you end up owning it

If as you stated you could have cleaned certain areas better then go back and clean JUST those areas again then sleep tight & move on mate.

We have all been their fair play to you for comming on here and being honest.

[Shaun_Ashmore]

I must admit I was thinking of posting simular to Mike's but it in the scheme of things it doesn't help, I do believe that Mike's post is how someone with plenty of work would answer but Wayne is pretty much new and needs a more of a softer approach to customer service.

Shaun

[james roffey]

Wayne i use the NCCA carpet care form and i always state "clean to best advantage" on these forms whether this would get me off the hook in this situation has not been tested yet "touch wood" but best to always under sell what the results may be, that way the customer will be amazed when it looks great and not be too surprised if if does not come out as good as you would like,i am not saying this would have worked in this case some people are just difficult, but worth considering.

[Steve. Taylor]

This is what i write on the bottom of quote if in a state you mentioned

While it is not possible to guarantee all stains will be removed, we will endeavour to provide the best results possible.

And if they dont like it NEXT

[Shaun_Ashmore]

If the customer speaks little english then I wouldn't have thought that he can't read either, not sure how legal these disclaimers are and especially if the customer can convince the court that he can hardly read or write.

Let's get real about this, it's going to be a grin and bear it or tell the customer to sod off, I personally think grin and bear it be polite and professional and learn how to deal with it, if the customer was an old person who was frail and infirm would you give them the same answer?

Shaun

[Doctor Carpet (Ret'd)]

Wayne

At least you have already been paid.

I think the expression is "possession is 9/10ths of the law"

So you remain in control-it's what you are prepared to offer to them, not what they demand of you-they really don't have a hold on you.

That said, it usually pays to remain polite and professional when dealing with all people; even when you know you are in the right.

[Mike Halliday]

my opinion on this situation is that I always do the best job possible, if a customer were to ring me up and complain and ask for a re-clean then I would make a judgment call and ask myself.........

 would cleaning it again make any difference

and the truthful answer would be no...... because if it could have come any cleaner then I didn't do the job properly in the first place.

so then i will do either....... just  tell them I made the carpet as clean as it can possibly be made, but I want them to be happy so the best thing to do is make the clean complementary and give them a refund.

 With some customers  I know when I have done a good job no matter what they complain about and they have got good value for money so they get no refund.

But  if a customer is taking the pizz then my attitude is like they are thieves  trying to reach into my pocket and steal they money i would use to feed my children  

[Steve Chapman]

Mike, does that mean you've never been back to clean a carpet ?
I always think I've done the best job possible, but it's amazing what can happen to a carpet when it's dried, so I always go back and look and often re clean,
Most people don't want a refund they want a clean carpet and be reassured u done your best.
I have been back and cleaned what looks like a perfectly clean carpet and then the customer has been happy, that's really what matters at the end of the day
Steve

[Mike Halliday]

Steve I have re-cleaned carpets but often i know they won't look any different but I do a reclean because i value the customer and that's what will make them happy. but this is after i've explained to them that I don't believe the carpet will come any cleaner and have offered the refund, if they chose for me to re-clean they don't get the refund i offered.

[nevil]

I don't like the idea of giving a refund. After all we are paid to apply a process on their mess. Their mess doesn't suddenly become our mess or even our problem when we take on a job. As long as you haven't mislead them about what is achievable.

As others have said the key to it all is the quality of the dialogue that takes place before the work is carried out. If you tell them what sort of results to expect but go on to say that you can make them as clean as they can be. I don't see any reason to give a refund.

[creighton foyle]

all my experience with our colonial cousins in my last life as a decorator is that they allways want something for nothing and they allways look for a reason not to pay or to pay less, dont fall into that trap, if you explained your expectations stick to your guns. i am sure there are lots of people on here that have had positive experiences with them but for me i usually try and give them a miss.

here is a typical example a young asian girl recently bumped my wifes car whilst it was parked, she had not long passed her test and wanted to avoid insurance as her excess was £500. anyway the father got involved and would not let her pay the £200 quoted wanted to pay £150 result it went to the insurance company had a hire car for 5 days bill must have been near to £800 at least so bang went the excess and probably a huge loading next year ,sorry if its a bit off subject but that is  typical of my experinces with our asian friends, no i am not racist just realise their way is totally different to ours.

[wayne zabel]

Thanks for all the replies.i have decided to give them the money back.we are not talking a lot of money anyway.

I could have done a reclean and got the stairs to a level that is acceptable but know for a fact that the bedroom will not come as clean as the customer thinks it should.

When i went to see the job the stairs were covered up as they were being painted so I didnt realise how dirty they were.

As has been said its all about communiction and telling the client what the best is they can expect and on this occasion I should have done that better.that said I thought the carpet would be a doddle but as I cleaned it and got soil out the stains/marks seemed to appear from nowhere.they were just patches that looked like grease marks and I couldn't shift them.

Anyway I will put this down to experience and learn from it,I have only been full time now for a month and still learning how to deal with the public in a confident way.

With regards to Creightons comments he is right about the way Asians are in dealing with things,but at present I would say that asians are about 30% of my client base so I cant complain about them.

[Stu.Clem]

if you do your best then you can do no more!! dont stress about it and keep your money, because you have earned it.  Maybe hone your under promise / over deliver sales pitch?  and bobs yer uncle in future - as long as you always DO your best!!!

Stu