The worst job ever

[Jason Whaley]

What is the worst job you or someone you know has done?

When I first started cleaning carpets I was 17 and I worked for a Service Master franchise. One day we cleaned a home in a upper class neighborhood. I was to clean the carpet and the main tech did 3 custom area rugs from Japan. The customer called back the next day and informed them that the rugs where brown all over. Long story short the rugs had massive browning and they were ruined. The total cost for the 3 rugs $50,000.


My biggest nightmare while being self employed was a commercial glue down carpet that had white powdery wicking problem. I cleaned the carpet a total of 3 times just to have it wick up every time. Come to find out the owner of the business used carpet fresh religiously, after finding this out I finally told them to replace the carpet or live with it the carpet was over 15 years old.

[hooterhunter]

I use to do crime scene clean up. Great money but very Grusome. Drug deals gone bad, old people dying and finding them 3 weeks later, brain matter all over walls, ETC.

Also dealing with family members on site can be a challage as well.

[Scott W]

Trauma / crime scene jobs were certainly the worst.

On restoration jobs, a fire job that left the power out and an extended time before we were able to get atarted on the job. All the soot had begun to etch surfaces; Anything in the freezer or refrigerator had a reallys trong odor.

For carpet cleaning the worst mistake I ever made was on a rug thatI was sure was rayon. Owner was certain it was silk. Retail price about $7500. He showed me the receipt stating silk and insisted it be cleaned as though it was silk.

I was intimidated and agreed to clean it the way he wanted it done, not the way I thought it should be cleaned. Ended up doing significant damage to an expensive ARTIFICIAL SILK rug.

Scott Warrington

[jrod]

I cleaned, or tried to clean, a b/r, l/r and hall. The customer was elderly and grumpy. I started by vacuuming the areas. The vacuum collected a bag full of dirt. Pre-srayed areas, etc. Proceeded to set T/M (he requested HWE) and started the cleaning.

When an area was cleaned I moved to the next. The customer walked on the "cleaned" area leaving a dark footprint coming to the surface. I went back and recleaned the area. The same thing kept happening all over again and again (he liked walking and inspecting eventhough I asked him not to walk on wet carpet). Finally, I lifted the carpet at the front door treshhold and discoverd a lot of fine dirt (sand) on the pad. I lifted the pad and found some more fine dirt (dust). The carpet, pad and under the pad were suturated with lots of dirt, sand and dust.

I asked the custy when was the last time he had the carpet cleaned. He replied, "never, this is the first time". He has lived there for over 10 years and the carpet was there when he moved in. Oh, and he had never vacuumed either, claimed his vacuum broke years back and he nevr replaced it.

[Frank DiGi]

Last year I cleaned one my better customers carpet who calls us every year around the same time. As I was cleaning my hose blew spraying (black death) all over her white silk like sofa. After we was able by luck to remove all the black spray from everything that it hit. Had to be one of the worst days in business for me.

[AllCleanExtreme]

Last year I cleaned one my better customers carpet who calls us every year around the same time. As I was cleaning my hose blew spraying (black death) all over her white silk like sofa. After we was able by luck to remove all the black spray from everything that it hit. Had to be one of the worst days in business for me.

getting ready to put 2 new pressure hoses in service to keep the ones in the house fairly new......... i fear the black death,,,,,,

[Richard Baldwin]

Remember Aja's hose trick! IF the solution line ever breaks, grab the vac line quick and stick the solution line inside!

My worst job this past season had to be the mexican tile lady, and my noobness not knowing to walk away from mexican tile with mop n glo on it.
On top of this she had two nasty dogs (Rhodesian Ridgebacks) that would NOT stop barking and trying to kill me the entire time I was there.
I had to keep going back trying to fix the mop n glo residue that kept seeping up through the stone while the dogs kept trying to kill me.
The phone never stopped ringing for three weeks, it was HER again, wanting me to fix what I couldnt fix. I thought I was gonna get sued.
Finally the owner of the flooring store that referred me had a talk with her and she finally left me alone, thank god.
4 Trips out there with a helper, dodging man killing dogs and hearing that grating whiney voice drone on and on about how the floor sucked.

Yes, I know most of it was my fault, but it was still the worst job of the year for me

[AllCleanExtreme]

Yea I remeber that, now if it happens will i remember that or run around like a chicken with his head cut off

[Certified Carpet]

Other than black death......I've done crime scenes with Service Master. I need to say no more.

[Joey J.]

Remember Aja's hose trick! IF the solution line ever breaks, grab the vac line quick and stick the solution line inside!

Sounds good in theory but good luck getting the solution line disconnected from your tool with scorching hot solution spraying everywhere. Been there, tried that.

I suppose it could work in the right circumstances but it didn't for me.

[cosway-canada]

In 1996 I had a lady swear I quoted her $15.00 for LR/DR/Hall yes this was AFTER I was done.

[ACD]

Man 15 years on the job mostly solo..where to begin??? My favorite worst job was this one.

Got a call for a smoke deodorization job. Gentleman purchased an attempted murder/arson foreclosure from the bank. It was a ranch style home with significant fire damage on the main floor. He planned to gut the house and wanted help cleaning/deodorizing the structure for the smoke odor. During the course of the inspection I asked whats going on in the basement? Is there any water damage from the fire fighters?? He had never looked having bought the property mostly for land value. So we opened the basement door, took one step down the stairs, and our foot got wet. That's right the entire basement was completely full to the joists with water. Upon pumping it out it was a fully furnished and finished basement that had been under water for 6 months. Mattresses, bureaus, couches, sheetrock, ceiling tiles, carpet, fuel tank, insulation, books, boxes, and who knows what. All laying in a festering pile of decaying toxic soup. THAT job was my favorite nasty job.

Aaron

[ghlemke]

After 15 years these jobs sound all too familiar. a towel in your back pocket will keep the spray down while you shut down your pump. Yes it makes a huge mess, so try to keep your newest hoses and fittings inside the house. As far as the worst job I ever did, I would have to say the 2 month old decomp hoarder was the worst. Body fluids went through the basement ceiling and body fats had soaked into the interior walls in some places about 4 inches from the floor. 6 day job, but $17,220.00 insurance job. I think I hate hoarders worse then a shot gun to the head. Then when you combine the 2, the difficulty of the job just multiplied by about 10.

[Bradleyp]

had a few bad jobs but i wanted to share a recenlty funny job. I had an indian customer who was really trying to get the most bang for his buck. Everytime i turned around he had pulled out a spotter from my case and was spotting things that were not needing them. I finally grabbed it from him and tryed to explain the issue. What really made me laugh was when I went upstairs to grab some soultions and when i go back down the idiot was on top of his very expensive white 100%Cotton Sofa steaming it with my quad jet prochem wand. The heat had to be somewhere at 230 and he had been hitting it for about a minute. This couch had been turned dark brown and black in areas of the trim. I believe now that it had haitian cotton seeds or something of the nature. He demanded that I fix the problem and do it for free. I wasn't sure how to fix something this bad and did not want to either. Got my stuff and my check and never looked back. Needless to say this cust. was erased from the newsletter list asap.

[ghlemke]

No shortage of nut jobs in this business are there. Makes you wonder what planet some people come from.

[Frank DiGi]

getting ready to put 2 new pressure hoses in service to keep the ones in the house fairly new......... i fear the black death,,,,,,

I agree!

[sam miller]

getting ready to put 2 new pressure hoses in service to keep the ones in the house fairly new......... i fear the black death,,,,,,

ya I buy a new lead hose every 6 months still it happens!
Never ruined anything had a lot of pack out dirt in entry ways you just show the custy the damage and do your best no gaurentee! living in desert areas does that with high wind and no grass!


Another customer I had! runs a dog rescue or more like animal torture.
She rescued bull terrior's spud mackinzie dogs and had 5 or 6 outside, and 10 in kennels in the house and ya urine, sand, stink, and even a few holes in the subfloor! I would hand pipe the entry and fill my 405 debree basket with sand and dirt! I would always say rip it out and get tile but she's still out there I have'nt gone in years. Thank God!

[ghlemke]

Just had to walk away from a job that had multiple animals living in the house including the customer. There is no way I could have ever done enough to get that clean much less make it smell healthy. When your pets are using your house as a toilet and you don't see a problem with it, there is something more wrong with you then a carpet cleaner can fix. There is a point where it becomes a restoration project instead of a simple cleaning, and then they want to know if you can match the competitions $99.00 3 room special. I am still in shock. I take pride in the fact that I have cleaned some really dirty stuff with great results, but I am not a miracle worker.

[sam miller]

The key thing is never buy some else's problem if its a wax coating on tile they did or them using your EQ on the sofa and ruining it thats why I'am the professional dont touch my stuff period!
I did go to a job today I walked away from! the guy tried to save some money on installing his carpet and did it himself! How hard can it be? He wanted me to fix his mistakes! he had a peice running up the stairs and in the middle of 2 steps he needed seams done!

Ya know I dont see alot on seams on steps not good! then in the master he never chalk lined the back and free cut through the top of the carpet between an open bath and master bedroom leavinga gap and crooked area that needed serious help!

the hall and master needed a seam in a double wide doorway he actually tried just glueing it down! the other bedroom doorways and closets needed seam help and a patch he had a patch peice that would fit in the bathroom but was a 1/4 inch short on both sides!

I said you need a bigger peice he said I have one at home how big should it be? I was thing measure it you idiot I'm not fixing your botched attempt If I did I become responsible for his mistakes also there's a reason you need a licensed contractor when something goes wrong this guy's gonna get sued and he has no leg to stand on.

not smart!

[ghlemke]

The key thing is never buy some else's problem if its a wax coating on tile they did or them using your EQ on the sofa and ruining it thats why I'am the professional dont touch my stuff period!
I did go to a job today I walked away from! the guy tried to save some money on installing his carpet and did it himself! How hard can it be? He wanted me to fix his mistakes! he had a peice running up the stairs and in the middle of 2 steps he needed seams done!

Ya know I dont see alot on seams on steps not good! then in the master he never chalk lined the back and free cut through the top of the carpet between an open bath and master bedroom leavinga gap and crooked area that needed serious help!

the hall and master needed a seam in a double wide doorway he actually tried just glueing it down! the other bedroom doorways and closets needed seam help and a patch he had a patch peice that would fit in the bathroom but was a 1/4 inch short on both sides!

I said you need a bigger peice he said I have one at home how big should it be? I was thing measure it you idiot I'm not fixing your botched attempt If I did I become responsible for his mistakes also there's a reason you need a licensed contractor when something goes wrong this guy's gonna get sued and he has no leg to stand on.

not smart!

I lik your quote at the end Sam. When I trained techs on a daily basis one that I useded to use still sticks with many of them even though they have moved on to different things. I used to say work smart not hard. The job is already hard enough without adding extra stress.