TriCounty Laser Brite LLC
STEAM or DRY Carpet Cleaning
10-27-2015
I feel for internet searching potential customers. Any one of Morgantowns 'for real doing business as professional carpet cleaners' are scattered throughout the search results for you all to blindly pick through.
Wayyy to go GOOGLE. *seems search results are different for everyone, this post is about my 'search results', not comparison.
A search today for carpet cleaning in Morgantown, AFTER I delete browser history mind you, and this is what I get:
listings in order, and to be polite I will not list the business name, but I will have a lil FYI on each listing.....
#1 a brother duo that has NOT even been in business for the past 2 years at the VERY least.
#2 probably the most known carpet cleaner nationwide, sadly though- their customer turn-over is as great as their employee turn-over.
~ I would like to comment here, as I just yesterday had yet another previous customer of theirs who had a horrible experience w/them. To be fair- ANY company can out do another, in quality of work if using decent equipment and solutions. ;)
IT IS ALL IN YOUR TECHNICIANS, promise ;) Your carpets do not have to be soggy for days, they shouldn't be soggy at all actually.
#3 a general cleaning service/company that just happens to offer carpet cleaning, and will use something like a 'rug doctor' on your carpet, we all know how well that works out.
#4 a restoration company, I have no comment because that IS what it IS.
#5 Another like #3 altho I'm not sure whether this company is a "house cleaning" company that offers "carpet cleaning", or the other way around. *This is like all the lawn care businesses out there, anyone can buy products and cheap equipment, get a license and use their cell phone to get a listing in the local phone books. Scary no?? Grass can recoop, your carpets may not. Get a real LIVE referral, not what you read, again- anyone can post on line ;)
There are some really awesome house cleaning people, but honestly, if they are going to do the job(carpet) right, they truly need the heavier/more productive equipment it takes to honestly clean carpet.
#6 hmm, what to say about this listing :-/ This is a familiar name(business) to us personally. We do janitorial contracts for offices/banks/medical facilities....and every one we have now has used this company, need I say more? But again, this is a company that has a huge employee turn around..... When you have so many, though, it is hard to keep up w/everyone, and you are ONLY AS GOOD AS YOUR EMPLOYEES MAKE YOU, absolutely.
#7 is ACTUALLY A CARPET CLEANING COMPANY!! I have yet to hear about them(good or bad) from any new customers so that is a good thing, for them ;) They have been around this town 1 to 2 yrs that I do know.
#8 Yayy! Another actual carpet cleaner, I was beginning to worry....and this one has been around for +/- 10 yrs??
#9 A nationally known name, their specialty is restoration.....
#10 is a Flooring Center, really??
#11 is only the 4th actual carpet cleaning business listed here so far..... as far as specializing, or 'doing business as'. This one has been around for 20 yrs at least. So, why is it at #11??
#12 well- HERE WE ARE. Yep, google has us in the 12th spot, if people have even gone that far down in just looking. We have been pampering Morgantown and the surrounding area for the past 15 yrs. Listed #12, why?? Because they want us to PAY THEM to put us up top.....now THAT is legit, and assuring that you all are going to get good service....if we, the true carpet cleaners, PAY GOOGLE to promote us! oh ay yi yi.
10-16-15
I find myself coming on here to make a note of something.... provoked by at least 4 calls so far this morning from companies claiming to be 'GOOGLE' and if I do not press 1 to update & confirm my business info then my company will be removed from 'GOOGLE'. So this is how it goes?? Really? What they in fact hope to do is convince me that I need to pay them (which they are not actually Google by the way) to boost this website.
Here is the point to this particular FYI- over the years we have learned and then been reminded again and again-
NO AMOUNT OF PAID ADVERTISING is going to beat 'WORD OF MOUTH'.
We do phone book ads, nothing glamorous or whole page. Anyone can spend money on ads and advertising and say all sorts of wonderful things about themselves. I just do not see the pay-off in that. Nor has any ad for anything ever impressed me. What I can admit to- I ask around. When I am unsure or even new to something- I ask opinions, from people I know, and trust.
So, altho you may see our ad in the phone book, or read what we put here about ourselves- PLEASE, do yourself a favor and ask around. We do post testimonials from time to time, and I promise- they aren't 'made up' ;) Call me, I will talk with you:) Surely we have some friends in common. I talk to people every day that may not schedule a cleaning, because of given advice and a promise of being here again if they have questions or concerns.
We are family owned & operated, and not just from a phone or desk. We LITERALLy run/operate, HANDS ON, this company.
:):)
04/28/15
Tis the season!! Our busiest time of the year, thanks to living in a college town it is especially busy. I just want to throw this lil tid-bit out there: The month of May is basically booked as it is. We do try to accomodate our repeat/established clients as best we can of course, but I think everyone that uses Laser Brite services knows how hectic and busy we get the month of May and most of June. I have actually had to turn down, as I do every year, more and more cleanings/jobs. We do have only a select few company/individuals with rental units that we do every year and there is only so much we can do, as a mom/pop/family business. We do not have a 'fleet' of service vans or an employee force of many per say. We want to remain family owned/operated, so I do have to apologize to those who call with rentals that are not established clients, we just can not do any more without putting our residential clients out.
There are a handful of carpet cleaning company's that don't exist anymore but are still listed on Google, go figure. Now that they don't exist we are getting the over flow.....someone's got to pick it up...then again there are a few new company's I have heard. But as it is, I have been basically bribed, yes, willing to pay EXTRA because, and I quote proudly- "You guys are the best, we've used many others and they don't even come close. We can actually see it's been cleaned. If there is any way to fit in as many of our units as you can- I will pay you MORE." No, I will not charge more just to take them on. We will do what we can. The guys work very hard and do give extra time in their days to help these landlords get their properties ready to rent again, in a very short time frame I might add.
So, if you are actually a resident/home owner and looking for an appointment, please understand that we will do our best to work you in where we can without slacking on the quality of work we do, and this means time. If at all possible, we encourage you folks to wait out the blunt of this storm and try to schedule in mid June if you can. Thank you so much for your understanding!! :):)
It wouldn't be January in West Virginia if we didn't have a snow day!! So here we are. This is just a reminder that if Mon county schools are in delay or closed- that pretty much means the road conditions are not safe, or temps are horrid, and sometimes cause road conditions. *If tempss are not affecting the rd conditions then we are not usually affected. Most times NO ONE really realizes just how hazardous the roads are until it is too late. I do ask that everyone needing/wanting service from us on any such day as this- PLEASE realize that our service trucks are NOT front, four, or all wheel drive. They simply just do not make them in a full size vehicle that will accommodate our equipment. Believe me- Rob watches for them to be invented! If I forget to mention the 'weather clause' when scheduling then I am truly sorry. We will re-schedule asap and will make other changes to do so as abled. If you are ever a 1st morning appt when we have weather like this, we will call you within an hour after your appointment to re-schedule, or at least to touch base w/you:) Thankyou for your understanding:):) Be safe, stay warm!!
Some interesting, if not disturbing, things to know:
16 everyday items DIRTIER than your toilet seat! Your carpet is one of them!!
1- Refridgerator
2-Fast Food ICE!
3-Office desks
4-Menu's
5-Cutting boards
6-CARPET!!
7-Shopping carts
8-Remote controls
9-Re-usable shopping bags
10-Light switches
11-Kitchen sponges, a whopping 200,000 x's dirtier than your toilet seat!!!
12-Watch bands
13-Water bottle, most of us use at the gym, rinsing them out just don't cut it folks ;-)
14-Restaurant lemon & lime wedges, none w/my water thankyou very much, actually- I will skip the tap water all together.
15-Kitchen sinks
16-Towels
Here is the link to the article:
Shoes Transmit Disease, Leave Them by the Door
Dr. Charles Gerba, a microbiologist and professor at the University of Arizona, joined forces with shoemaker Rockportto studywhat types of microorganisms are transported by footwear. Ten people were given a brand new pair of shoes to use for two weeks before having them tested for bacteria.
After two weeks, more than 420,000 units of bacteria were found on the outside of the test shoes. Of that bacteria, 27% were deadly E. Coli. Also detected was Klebsiella pneumonia, which can cause pneumonia and wound and bloodstream infections and Serratia ficaria, which can lead to infection of the respiratory tract.
“The common occurrence (96 percent) of coliform and E. coli bacteria on the outside of the shoes indicates frequent contact with fecal material, which most likely originates from floors in public restrooms or contact with animal fecal material outdoors,” said Gerba. “Our study also indicated that bacteria can be tracked by shoes over a long distance into your home or personal space after the shoes were contaminated with bacteria.”
Even more disturbing to moms of little ones – 90 to 99% of bacteria found on the exterior of the shoes was transmitted to hard tile and carpet.
Any germs picked up by bare feet, knees and hands will then be transported to the crib at naptime.
To help keep these germs at bay, simply remove your shoes and leave them by the door when you get home. Frequent vacuuming and mopping will also help. The study also found simply washing the shoes eliminated more than 90% of germs.
If you aren’t comfortable asking your babysitter or guest to walk around in their bare feet or socks, there are many cute house slippers on the market (and several organicversions) that won’t leave anyone feeling awkward. article: http://ecochildsplay.com/2008/06/17/shoes-transmit-disease-leave-them-by-the-door/