I have a bank customer for whom I clean local branches, who says I can't have thier corporate offices account due to warrantee issues. He explained that they had new milliken carpet installed a couple of years ago, and the dealer/installer explained that to keep the warrantee in place - they would have to use the millicare system (which the dealer/installer happens to provide). Of course the bank complied and now has that idea emblazened in thier head. Otherwise, he loves what I do in the branches - which generally has older carpets often unknown from which mill - so encapping is not an issue in his mind.

Does anyone else run into these issues? - and any suggestions on how to land this this client? What does the mill warrantees really require? Do any forbid encap/cimex method? Can anyone share this info?

Thanks - Hammack

I have a customer like that too. We clean the lion's share of the carpet in their 3 buildings (thousands upon thousands of square feet). My company is responsible for cleaning all of their carpeting EXCEPT for the areas that have Milliken carpet.

They love our work. They prefer our cleaning. They like us a lot. They're one of our better customers! Yet they just can't shake the idea that they need Millicare to maintain their Milliken carpeting. "Cradle to the grave" marketing at its finest.

I don't think it will be very easy for you to break past Milliken's strangle hold on your customers purse strings. I'm kind of surprised that this type of rubbish is even legal.







Rick Gelinas
encapman

I have a Dupont carpet customer that was under the same impression until the Dupont Resistech method didn't perform very well in maintaining their carpets, especially the olefin carpet. After a while they figured for the price they were paying local Dupont franchise, it wasn't worth having dirty carpet. They were also extremely upset that all the residents olefin off white carpets were turning black in all the rental units of the retirement complex only a few months. Hang tight, sometimes things have a way of changing. Did you ever think about calling Milliken and finding out being a certified cleaner for them?

According to the Milliken website, they don't certify people or companies to
clean their carpets. The insist they be MilliCare franchisees. They require
the prospect be ready & willing to invest between $95,000 and $128,000 to
cover the various parts of their franchisee training program.

As Porky will tell you, you cannot teach a pig to sing. You will only get dirty and annoy the pig. Move on to customers that have need for your service.

It is not legal, and I bet the customer can not show you anything in writting that ties the warranty to their cleaning products. Don't waste your time as the customer is being held hostage by Milliken, move on lots of other people waiting on you.

We had an account that we lost to Millicare system. After we were told of the descion we described what was going to happen and that they were sold a bill of goods. They told the client that they could make the carpets look like new. As of this month we have the account back as the carpets look worse now then before they started. Sometimes you just have to hang in there and wait.

Ken Martin