[John Kelly]

Cinemas, train and bus companies are the same. Cinema seats get "cleaned" every 2 -3 years if you are lucky. They don't even get vacuumed in between. Same with most trains, only get cleaned occasionally.
You are basically sitting on filth. People should complain more about it and maybe they'd buck their ideas up.
Its exactly the same with the fire and flood industry. The insurance companies now employ procurement companies to buy services on their behalf. Basically people who haven't a clue about the industry who's only brief is to get the contract as cheap as possible, stuff the quality.
Next time you go into a scruffy place make the manager know about it. If we all do this maybe things may start to change.
Someone should start a Facebook page "scruffy places".

[wynne jones]

Someone should start a Facebook page "scruffy places".

I think that's an excellent idea John. It would have the same affect as Watchdog when someone has been getting nowhere with a big company, then they suddenly leap into action and make out its a one off when national TV shames them.

[Simon Gerrard]

The real problem is that the buyers don't know what they are supposed to be buying and as far as they are concerned carpet & upholstery cleaning is just carpet & upholstery cleaning. Plus, they have a budget that MUST be stuck to and buy to the budget and not on the basis of need, which is ludicrous imo.

Simon

[Paul Clapham]

Photograph the dirty chairs and upload them to Costa Coffee FB page, like wise for Starbucks etc etc etc , and ask the general public to do the same via the FB page .

[Alby]

Hi Lads,
I'm pretty sure that a lot Costa Coffee shops are Franchises, so the franchise owner would be responsible for booking their own carpet cleaners.  which is probably why they are left to get into a bad state with stains etc. And end up using the cheapest quote and poorest service.

Russ, I'd go back into that branch, they might of changed their mind on refurbishing. because of budgets, new management  etc.  

Years ago through my ex wife who worked for the Abbey National bank i used to clean the carpets and Upholstery in all the branches in Liverpool on a Saturday afternoon, only started off with one, but the manger passed my number onto his colleagues, each branch had it's own budget at the time, and if the job was under £500 the branch manager had the authority to go ahead with the job. And pay out of the branches petty cash budget.
I was always paid on completion. It was brilliant. until head office had a brain wave and gave the contract out to a national company and took away the branches budgets.
This company i forget who they were now, used to work of a night, one day ex wife phoned me said the company had been in the night before, although the carpets were dry the chewing gum was still there and the branch stunk of "fish" when they complained they were told it would be a week before they could get back and re-clean it. Thought it was only a matter of time before i got that work back, but despite many complaints nationally they kept the contract with the Abbey.

Alby.
      

  

[wynne jones]

Hi Lads,
I'm pretty sure that a lot Costa Coffee shops are Franchises, so the franchise owner would be responsible for booking their own carpet cleaners.  which is probably why they are left to get into a bad state with stains etc. And end up using the cheapest quote and poorest service.

Russ, I'd go back into that branch, they might of changed their mind on refurbishing. because of budgets, new management  etc.  

Years ago through my ex wife who worked for the Abbey National bank i used to clean the carpets and Upholstery in all the branches in Liverpool on a Saturday afternoon, only started off with one, but the manger passed my number onto his colleagues, each branch had it's own budget at the time, and if the job was under £500 the branch manager had the authority to go ahead with the job. And pay out of the branches petty cash budget.
I was always paid on completion. It was brilliant. until head office had a brain wave and gave the contract out to a national company and took away the branches budgets.
This company i forget who they were now, used to work of a night, one day ex wife phoned me said the company had been in the night before, although the carpets were dry the chewing gum was still there and the branch stunk of "fish" when they complained they were told it would be a week before they could get back and re-clean it. Thought it was only a matter of time before i got that work back, but despite many complaints nationally they kept the contract with the Abbey.

Sounds familiar. On paper good on the ground poop.

  

[Andrew Briscoe]

I think JK's idea is a good one too, if we all start a group in our area called
Scruffy Dirty Places Wherever, it might push things along a bit.
Customers wouldnt know who was behind group either, and you could post advice and get your info over in a way that isnt pushy.

[Buckland]

Unfortunately a sympton of couldn't care less Britain. Bet this doesn't happen in Germany.

Or the US - I was in Vegas recently and saw three truckmount systems working on Caesars Palace (where we were staying) - all were direct drive systems and all vans were locked up and humming away with long hose runs going up into upper stories of the buildings - no-one in sight on the street level! I am sure the prices were keen but they were at least doing it properly - there are acres of lush carpet in the hotels and casinos there. Also when we were there there was a flash flood and water poured into one part of the main casino - it was roped off at midnight and ankle deep - by 7 the next morning it was extracted and drying with turbos - actually it was back in operation by 9 but I noticed there was a bad smell from wet carpet there for several days afterwards.

Wynne you are a cynic - but I like your thought process there

dave

[C o z y]

Unfortunately a sympton of couldn't care less Britain. Bet this doesn't happen in Germany.

Oh yes it does!!  The market here is wide open for carpet cleaning for the simple reason that cleaning firms here cover all sorts of cleaning. Maintenance cleaning is regulated here. You must have a sort of City & Guilds sort of set up before you're allowed to offer that sort of contract work.
Anyway, to explain it simply, all these firms do all sorts of cleaning, and that includes carpet and upholstery cleaning. A firm where I once worked as a foreman, would send whoever was in the building to a carpet job with a selection of detergents and a Kärcher 100 to go and clean some hotel reception area or some old biddy's livingroom.
No proper training or any idea about the job and methods at all.

Seen loads of really funny cleaning methods here!

[John Kelly]

Yea but Chris are the places clean. Ive been to Dusseldorf, Frankfurt, Leverkusen and Cologne over the last few years and I can't recall seeing seats or carpets in the state you see them over here.

[C o z y]

lol, yeah, you're probably right there mate. I've not been back to UK for years, so don't know really.  I just know that there aren't many, if any, experts here with the knowledge and experience that you blokes seem to have.

We've had real vehicle problems here this year and the costs of these have put our carpet and upholstery plans back 12 months. We're getting ready for spring 2014 to swap all our business over to the German market and away from the army customers over here because they will all be gone in a few short years.