What's The Dumbest Thing You've Done On A Job?

srd

Member
Joined
Jan 22, 2011
Messages
67
One of my guys cleaned cleaned the wrong house once lol, gps'ed something lane was actually something drive house just happened to be empty and unlocked and it got cleaned. House we were supposed to have cleaned called later that day asking why it didnt get done, almost fired the guy cause i thought he was lying to me about cleaning the house lol
 

sassyotto

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Joined
Jun 7, 2013
Messages
1,096
Location
Wisconsin
Name
Paul
cleaned a church with a helper that I used on big jobs. he liked to listen to music so it was not unusual for him to bring his boombox. he had the local rock station on. place was empty so I didnt think twice about it. He left to get both of us some lunch so I was alone cleaning. yep, Runnin with the Devil starts playing and who do I see out of the corner of my eye walk in. the Pastor...
 

Cleanworks

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Oct 22, 2012
Messages
26,929
Location
New Westminster,BC
Name
Ron Marriott
I'm sure I've told the story before but I accidentally stole a job from coit. I had a job to do on W 13th Street which is a small street, so was driving down W 12th Street, which is a main street, looking for the right hundred block. I got distracted and stopped at the address on W 12st. Knocked on the door, hi I'm the carpet cleaner. Lady shows me what's to be done and I'm halfway through the job before I realize I'm at the wrong address. I finish the job, get paid and as I'm leaving to go to my real job, Coit pulls in behind me. You snooze, you lose sucker. Went to my real job a little late, lady didn't mind, got paid again.
 

Mike J

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Joined
Feb 21, 2022
Messages
1,326
Location
East
Name
Mike Joannides
Decided it wasnt enough just doing my job, helped a moving company (younger guys) by orchrastrating my haul line around the outside furntiture box, up and over the top rail of the top deck of the house. Sure enough the giant box slips, and ends up 3 stories down on the shed.
 
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FredC

Village Idiot
Joined
Jul 13, 2011
Messages
26,230
I can't really think of anything carpet/restoration related

Only thing really dumb I can think of was coming close to removing my hand by reaching out of a bobcat cab to steady falling debris on a demo. Was still raising the bucket and wedged my hand between the board/debris and the top of the cab


luckily just swollen and bruised
 

Brian H

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Joined
Dec 14, 2006
Messages
3,568
Location
Detroit Michigan area
Name
Brian H
One of my guys cleaned cleaned the wrong house once lol, gps'ed something lane was actually something drive house just happened to be empty and unlocked and it got cleaned. House we were supposed to have cleaned called later that day asking why it didnt get done, almost fired the guy cause i thought he was lying to me about cleaning the house lol
We've done something similar, twice. And we got paid both times. Both times the husband just assumed the wife forgot to tell them about the appointment.
 

Willy P

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Joined
Oct 2, 2007
Messages
10,579
Location
Vancouver
Name
Willy P
cleaned a church with a helper that I used on big jobs. he liked to listen to music so it was not unusual for him to bring his boombox. he had the local rock station on. place was empty so I didnt think twice about it. He left to get both of us some lunch so I was alone cleaning. yep, Runnin with the Devil starts playing and who do I see out of the corner of my eye walk in. the Pastor...
LOL- I was doing a Muslim Mosque once listening to The Clash belt out rockin' the casbah when I got busted.
 

Mr Brightside

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May 4, 2019
Messages
847
Location
Southern Cali
Name
Jay Wags
dumbest thing I have done was one time when I was about 5 years in business I had a guy call me up and tell me that he was moving to Texas and that he was starting a carpet cleaning company and wanted to know if I could help him. I thought sure so I said whatever you need I will be more than willing to help. He came over I showed him my equipment told him how I got my jobs and what worked what didn't blah blah blah and then bamn next thing I know He opened a brand new similar named carpet cleaning company by me put his dot (all the rage back then) right next to mine bought up all the advertising I said worked and undercut me. That was pretty stupid! lol
 

Jim Pemberton

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Joined
Oct 7, 2006
Messages
12,021
Name
Jim Pemberton
dumbest thing I have done was one time when I was about 5 years in business I had a guy call me up and tell me that he was moving to Texas and that he was starting a carpet cleaning company and wanted to know if I could help him. I thought sure so I said whatever you need I will be more than willing to help. He came over I showed him my equipment told him how I got my jobs and what worked what didn't blah blah blah and then bamn next thing I know He opened a brand new similar named carpet cleaning company by me put his dot (all the rage back then) right next to mine bought up all the advertising I said worked and undercut me. That was pretty stupid! lol
How is he doing now?
 

Papa John

Lifetime Supportive Member
Joined
Aug 19, 2013
Messages
6,587
Location
San Francisco, CA.
Name
John Stewart
Got Acid Tile cleaner on wool carpet in front of their security camera 😱😕

Jerry-rigged together an AC pressure washer with generator to save money instead of buying a proper set-up. The system failed to work as anticipated.
Simular to some Mytee ETM users. :dejection:
 
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Jim Pemberton

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Oct 7, 2006
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Jim Pemberton
He is out of business! He lasted only 3 years and closed the doors.

That doesn't surprise me.

However you want to define or experience it, the principle of karma works here.

I don't mean that Hindu-Buddhist sense, but what seems to be a more universal truth that our actions birth our futures.

Or, as a wit once told me:

"There are two ways to have the biggest building in town: One is to tear down everyone else's, the other is to build yours the tallest. The first way takes way more energy, and pretty soon, the rest of the town will figure you out...."

(The guy was from Alabama Marty....and no, not HIM...someone you would have actually liked)
 

KevinL

Supportive Member
Joined
Jan 5, 2007
Messages
2,926
Location
East Peoria Illinois
Name
Kevin Leach
dumbest thing I have done was one time when I was about 5 years in business I had a guy call me up and tell me that he was moving to Texas and that he was starting a carpet cleaning company and wanted to know if I could help him. I thought sure so I said whatever you need I will be more than willing to help. He came over I showed him my equipment told him how I got my jobs and what worked what didn't blah blah blah and then bamn next thing I know He opened a brand new similar named carpet cleaning company by me put his dot (all the rage back then) right next to mine bought up all the advertising I said worked and undercut me. That was pretty stupid! lol
I did that years ago with a Mexican guy that said he wanted to set up his cousin back in Mexico. A few weeks later he was in biz as Millers carpet cleaning.
 

KevinL

Supportive Member
Joined
Jan 5, 2007
Messages
2,926
Location
East Peoria Illinois
Name
Kevin Leach
Years ago I was doing a flood extraction at a below ground apt when I took a phone call and decided to dump my water while I was on the phone, forgot the end of hose was still in his apt.. Reflooded nasty water. Tough to clean up and deodorize.
 
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hogjowl

Idiot™
Joined
Oct 7, 2006
Messages
47,883
Location
Prattville, Alabama
Years ago I was doing a flood extraction at a below ground apt when I took a phone call and decided to dump my water while I was on the phone, forgot the end of hose was still in his apt.. Reflooded nasty water. Tough to clean up and deodorize.
I bet it was Fenstermaker
 

KevinD

Member
Joined
Nov 23, 2006
Messages
2,377
Location
Binghamton,New York
Name
Kevin Dumas
Remembering the dumb stuff I did helps when employees do dumb stuff.

I bet no one else here has broken a priceless 6 foot high vase or turned a fire hydrant into a fountain.
It wasn't 6' tall but I once broke a vase in a penthouse apartment.
The lady and I agreed I would perform some future work for free and the work was completed.
Several months later she called and wanted me to put in a insurance claim after she found the receipt where her
deceased husband had purchased it and brought it back from Italy.
Sorry ma'am, a deal is a deal.
 

Mr Brightside

Member
Joined
May 4, 2019
Messages
847
Location
Southern Cali
Name
Jay Wags
I
That doesn't surprise me.

However you want to define or experience it, the principle of karma works here.

I don't mean that Hindu-Buddhist sense, but what seems to be a more universal truth that our actions birth our futures.

Or, as a wit once told me:

"There are two ways to have the biggest building in town: One is to tear down everyone else's, the other is to build yours the tallest. The first way takes way more energy, and pretty soon, the rest of the town will figure you out...."

(The guy was from Alabama Marty....and no, not HIM...someone you would have actually liked)
the joke was on him in the end I didn’t know that I was completely clueless on how to run a biz I just liked cleaning carpet I look back and see how much more I know after some experience and it’s pretty funny
 

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