Hi Fellas
This is my response sent for what it is worth.
WITHOUT PREJUDICE
I find it hard to understand how such an apparent intelligent lady, with such eloquence of words can stoop to such a level of damaging your own carpet cleaning industry.
This type of advertising (for want of a better word) used in your web site, is negative in its entirety, and is unfortunately seen by a worldwide audience rather than just a local newspaper. Have you stopped to think that even your dear husbands carpet cleaning business could suffer the long-term fallout of this type of malicious scare mongering tactics? The IICRC and other industry trade bodies spend a great deal of time, effort, and money in trying to raise the profile and status of professional carpet cleaning, and I would have assumed that your husband being affiliated to such an organisation would be somewhat more sensitive to creating a poor image of his chosen profession.
People may talk about the issues you raise, as unfortunately bad news travels fast, but you may be shooting yourselves in the foot , in that your own cleaning business may also suffer being categorised with this disgraceful poor generalisation of carpet cleaners being spread. Maybe I am giving to much credit to the impact that your transparent, negative advertising will have on sensible rational people, but please remember that good reputations take time to build, but they can be so easily damaged.
Personally, there is nothing more that turns me off than when one company or tradesman starts bad mouthing the competition. These cheap swipes categorising carpet cleaners as dishonest, uncaring, shoddy workmen, and even putting the fear in customers of carpet cleaning sexual deviants is to unbelievable for words. I think that the IICRC would be very interested to see your disgraceful marketing ploy, especially when using reference to your affiliation to them within the content of the advertising.
What I would ask is that you think long and hard what the implications of your actions may be in your quest for financial returns. What you are doing is at the expense of the integrity of a whole industry (my industry). In fact ‘in my opinion’ you are bordering on being as unethical as the very nature of what you are endeavouring to portray about carpet cleaners within your advertising.
I think that you can gather that I am extremely angry, as are many other 'professional carpet cleaners' that you are categorising, insulting, and potentially damaging.
You could find that collectively the people affected by this damage doesn't just stop at carpet cleaners, but also their chemical and machinery suppliers, and trade organisations, who would probably have a little more legal clout when it comes to people damaging their industry. I think that the Advertising Standards Authority would also find the content of your advertising claims to be of significant interest. This is just something for you to consider, and who knows may even help prevent you from any potential legal repercussions.
Hopefully I have put this to you in a positive way, that will make you think a little more about the major disservice you are doing to 'our industry', and the potential long-term damage to its integrity.
Yours sincerely
Robert Olifent
