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Got a job to do hard surface cleaning at high end restaurant. I figured if I did a good job I would get the job doing the carpet. I was told that they had waxed the floor (concrete) and now they didn’t like the look so they wanted the “wax” removed. I thought I was getting into an easy job but boy was I wrong. It took me way to long to realize I wasn’t dealing with wax. Our wax remover seemed like it was taking one layer off at a time but the stripping pads (the expensive ones that are made to get through several layers of wax) were gummed up and there seemed to be layer upon layer of wax that I couldn’t get through. We started to scrape and peal of the finish. It would come off in pieces that looked and felt like heavy duty plastic. I finally told the manager there was a problem. We decided to clean up as best we could and I told him I would be back next week to finish up. It was a mess. Any clothing that product got on was ruined. Several pieces of equipment have this gunk all over them and I am not sure how to deal with it. I did do some research and found a product that I am hoping will work. But here is my problem. I am loosing a significant amount of money to finish the job but this is a real “nose in the air” type place and I can tell the manager isn’t going to go for the, “I didn’t realize” and ” I have to raise my price” to finish. If I walk away, it could be a bad business decision considering their clientele and we all know how word of mouth goes. It seems the best I can hope for is to get the job done right, take the loss and hope to get the monthly carpet cleaning job.
Does anyone have any experience with this? Any suggestions?
so if they told you it was wax, and it wasn’t, whose fault/problem is it?
The problem is people use the tem “wax” for anything that makes something look shiny. Was the stuff really a wax like the paste wax we have to put on wood floors or was it a product incorrectly called “wax” but is in reality a professional floor finish or the stuff they sell in stores like Futura, Mop and Glow and other such products or even a polyurethane. Mop and Glow and those type of products will gum up and create such a mess as you described when stripped and has to be scraped off which is what it appears to be in my opinion without actually seeing it. Professional floor finishes do not gum up and turn to goo when properly stripped with enough stripper solution. Then it can be vaccummed up. Gooey stuff needs to be put in a trash bag. When dumping down anything in the drain make sure you flush it extremely well or that stuff can make the drain run slower or completely clog it. Make sure you clean the equipment right away. The finish gets harder to remove the longer you wait. My rule is to always ask what type of finish is really on the floor and if they don’t know, I plan for the worst case senerio, price it accordingly and inform the customer of my concerns and that if it is easier than expected they will receive a discount. Being that it appears to be a Mop and Glow type of product and not a wax or professional floor finish, I would ask the manager to split the difference. The worst he can say is no and the you have to absorb the cost and hopefully have a happy customer. Life is full of learning experiences where it cost us money or time. We all have them. The trick is to learn from them and try not to repeat it.
All I can say right now is that when I went in to go over the cost he started in about what a terrible job we had done. Before he had told me he didn’t care as long as it looked better than it did. We spent 10 hours on our hands and knees scrapping the stuff off the floor. When it looked good we went several steps farther to make sure it would look nice. The cook came in just as we were leaveing and he said it looked great. That they had been putting that crap on the floor every day for two years. We were very pleased with what we had done.
For the next several days the manager won’t return my phone calls. So I talked to a different manager and he said everything looked great and the other manager shouldn’t have a problem paying the extras money. I cut my bill in half and faxed it in. The next day I finally get a call from the head manager. I set an appointment and go in to see him. Right off he starts telling me he isn’t happy and we did a terrible job. I tried to explain to him that we did what he had asked and more. He just kept complaining about everything and going on and on about what a terrible job I had done. Long story short he pissed me off. It wasn’t a pretty sight. I am going to contact a regonal manager and see what happens. Hopefully I will recover some of my money. I HATE PEOPLE LIKE THAT.
BTW. When I told him that he told me it was wax when it wasn’t he told me I should have known it wasn’t since I am the proffessional and that even though I did find out it wasn’t wax it was my fault for bidding on wax removal and I that I was responsible for doing the job for the estimated price. So to answer your question, I guess I am responsible. Go figure.
Many of us feel your pain and have been somewhere near that neighbourhood at some point. at this point what can you do? I guess i’d be looking at how to handle these type of situations in the future differently. maybe you needed to turn down the job. or try a test area and have someone sign off first. Hindsight is always better but at this point its all about what to do different next time………..I guess.
In dealing with a customer is one thing, but in dealing with a restaurant manager I wouldn’t let this slide.
Providing you never care if you work with this manager again, and I wouldn’t blame you. I would write a letter to the corp office “To whom it may concern;” and explain the entire situation. Manager __________lied about it being wax (not really being wax) many extra hours and products, night after night, trying to make the best of the situation and to clean up the mess created by the non wax, dried gum like substance. Working earnestly to restore the atmosphere and appearance pleasing to the public… Upon completion, manager _______ said “never looked better…” and cook ___________ said it “looked so much better…” Your manager _____ after lying to me, went on to say it was my fault for… Is this the way your company does business? I want to hear your response concerning your close minded, mean spirited, anger provoking, unprofessional, manager _________. If I hear nothing from you, I’ll make it my business to let every person I know … Please understand, I have employees I need to pay. I have built my franchise business over the last 10 years with a reputation of outstanding service and quality work. I would appreciate a quick response. Sincerely, Don Douglas Larsen, Heaven’s Best owner.This a first draft start of the letter I would send. As upper management or owner, I would appreciate knowing who I had as a manager, in how he conducts MY business and what the public thought of him.
If it were me I’d be very careful about making accusations or threats. Especially in writing.
I agree with Dennis. I would maybe try to get someone higher up to meet you at the place to discuss the situation as obviously the general manager is not willing to discuss the matter in an appropriate/civil manner. If you have any before and after pics, I would definitely bring those. Situations like this stink (putting it mildly) and ultimately, I think your goal at this point should be to get out of the situation without tarnishing your great reputation. If you get paid, especially more than the initial bid, that is just the cherry on top.
After reading all of the above a few times, the only thing that I feel should have been done differently was to withdraw the original bid after you discovered that you were not dealing with wax. After submitting a new bid, you would continue with the job or walk away empty handed. All of the water is under the bridge at this point. It’s time to cut your losses. What I mean is, the more you argue with this guy, the more you will lose. What you will lose is your good reputation and your sanity. If he is willing to pay the original bid, take it, thank him and walk away. The time and product cost of the job will not bankrupt you. It’s not worth the agony. I’ve been there and I won’t return. If the guy likes to show anger, knock him off balance with kindness. He will fold.
Great Advice Brian
Let me make a a few things clear then I will tell you the result. After this manager had gone on for quite some time ripping the job I had done, I did tell him I had cut my price in half. This didn’t seeem to sink in. I finally told him just to pay me what ever it was he was going to pay me and if he felt good about that then fine. He just kept going on and stupid me, I just couldn’t walk away and just kept listening to him say the same things over and over and complain and complain. I finally blew a fuse. I know it isn’t good but I just snapped. I finally told him if he was going to rip me off fine and I left. Now the good part of the story.
I have built a good friendship with another carpet cleaning company. In fact she does the carpet at this place and had referred me to him because she doesn’t do hard surface cleaning. I called her up and told her what had happened. She was extremely mad and said he had kind of pulled the same thing on her a few times. Well the next day she calls me and said that she was supposed to clean the carpets the previous night but had called the manager and told him if that was the way he was going to treat me that he could find someone else to do his carpets. He hung up on her. Not too long after her call, I got a call from the manager and he appologized and offered me a small amount more. I again told him to pay me what ever he wanted to pay me and he started in again about all the problems. I listened to him but didn’t get mad. When I got back to my office I went to figure out what I could afford to loose and came up with an amount I could deal with. I called him back and made the offer. He called his boss and they agreed to pay that amount. I owe that other lady big time. I do think I worked it out so she would be able to clean the carpets again. But wow! what an awesome person to do that for one of her competitors.BTW. In the mean time I had contacted another manager in a different city to try and talk to a regional manager. I ended up reporting the situation and they were nice about it and said they would get back to me. I haven’t heard from them but maybe they had something to do with him calling me the next day. Anyway, the nightmare is over for this time.
Thanks for all your advice. And I have learned some valuable lessons. The test will come to see if I can just walk away from a job after starting it.
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