Dropping the Dime on your Competition.

[Degraffreed 21]

I would like to ask those who do this biz full time one question.

If you saw a competitor pwer cleaning a house or commerical property and he or she is letting chems go down the storm drain. Do you drop the dime and notify the proper enforcement agency?.

Reason I am asking this question is due to hearing other " Established" contract cleaners at a function say that they would drop the dime because the competitor is hurting their bottome line.

To me, I think that every person has the right to start a business and learn as they go. Right.

I would like to see what others would do.

DeGraffreed

[squirtgun 122]

Was this a cleaning contractor at a meeting recently held in ATL?

I would prefer to mention to the competition that what he is doing is not in compliance with the CWA and offer some suggestion on how he could keep the water onsite(which is legal in most places).

Reporting people could get more than your bottom line hurt if the competition were to find out who turned them in a took food out of their kids mouth.

Scare tactics aren't the way to promote unity in this industry.It's a shame that others feel they must stoop to being snitches to increase their annual income.It's an even greater evil that these methods are being promoted the way they are and by whom they are.

[CCPC 26]

I believe it's always better to promote your own business verses to demote other businesses. When it comes to doing good business and maintaining quality and enviromental compliancy, I say let the chips fall where they may. Most will find there place in this industry, While others will find there way out of this industry. I say worry about doing things right instead of pointing out others faults.

[Aplus 525]

I'm not a squeeler.

[Degraffreed 21]

My thoughts exactly. I also see it as taking food, beer money or whatever, from an individual and if your good at what you do then the competitor will eventually fade out of the biz or get caught and fined his way out of it.

I will continue to " Do Me ", and make my biz successful on my own terms.

Degraffreed

[Beth n Rod 1,279]

If you have any environmental brochures with you, stop and talk to the person and hand them one. Let them know it is a bad thing for all of us and they are creating a situation that could come back and really hurt not only them but the environment.

Peer pressure in a way but it shows that others who have been in the field really care and that they should to. If we all go around playing cop, it creates a karma that will soon come back to us. I suggest helping others to see what they are doing incorrectly instead of busting them. We didnt always know this was a bad thing or that it was against the law until we either found out or were told. Pwna was our source for this information.

I look at it as helping others helps to raise the standards by which we all are seen.

.02

Rod~

[Pams Pressure & Clean 64]

Jay, et al;

There is no need to put on airs about the when, what, & where of the comments you address. Just come out and say it. You are questioning the comments at the Atlanta Roundtable. There have been no other such meetings in the recent past, so it is clear which you are referencing. As I was in attendance at this particular meeting, I feel it necessary to clarify the comment that is referenced above.

You have your rememberence of the discussion a bit off. Your comments are a distortion of the truth and cause nothing but inflammatory remarks and the spread of hateful comments. I beg you to please be more careful so that we can avoid threads which morph into things that clearly do not promote the professionalism of this industry.

It was clearly explained that certain governmental agencies have asked for help in monitoring illegal discharges. All in the room agreed in principal to provide help in this area, yourself included, becasue it breeds a cooperative atmosphere to the AHJ's. At NO time did we say that we would turn in offenders for monetary gain.

If the prospect of non-compliance and getting caught makes you uncomfortable, I might suggest taking steps to become compliant. More especially because you were at the meeting and you KNOW the rules. Ignorance of them is not now, nor has it ever been, a valid defense. You can put all the feel good, back slapping, and brotherly hug, koom-by-ah, Big Brother is watching me, spin on it that you want, but Environmental Compliance Enforcement IS here in Metro Atlanta. It IS here to stay. It IS going to continue with or without you. YOU have to decide whether or not your company wants to be a part of the solution or a part of the problem.

As far as a right to "Learn as you go" sure..

Everyone needs to take the time to become educated, experienced, and proficient at the art of professional powerwashing. However, I'm not quite certain that AHJ's who may catch you dumping illegally would allow the "I'm just practicing 'till I get good at it", or the "I didn't mean to" defense.

Respectfully,

Cujo

[Celeste 341]

Well said Cujo :)

Celeste

[Jeff Robison 14]

I was also at the meeting in Atl. where this topic was brought up. I think it was clearly stated that in a bid process or sales pitch, it would be nice or advantageous to say that you reclaim while others may not. I do not think anyone was saying it would be good to snitch on another company who is not complying with the laws.

Just another part of the pitch to winning more work. Just like using hot water, the best chemicals, insured etc. I am a huge believer in Karma and it just would not be right to turn someone in who is just trying to make a living. However, in a competitive bid situation, you bet I will mention that I would like to recover and be compliant. It would also bring up the $$$ for whoever wins the job and future jobs for all involved. The more money we can all make the better. No one wins in a cut throat environment. If you cut someone's throat to win, you don't make that much, the other guy makes nothing, your referrals price will drop because "you did his for this $$, why not me, etc" And next time your competition will cut yours. This just lowers price to the point of no reason. Then the next step is to lower quality to make money at the cut throat price, When you do this, your quality sucks and you don't get as many referrals. The list goes on until you decide you can't make any money doing P/W and quit. Then you ask, What happened?

I am relatively new to PW but I am seeing this same scenario in my full time business. Manufacturers are selling the exact same product 15% cheaper than we did 10 years ago. Dealers are trying to kill each other and no one makes $ that way. Keep your prices up and we will all do well. I have thought a lot about this recently. I have never seen the highest price, highest quality guy go out of business in any industry. They are the ones who have the money to upgrade equipment, spend on advertising, make it through the slow times and generally prosper. We are all going into our busy season, keep your prices higher and I guarantee you will do better than you ever have.

Jeff Robison

Titan Pressure Washing

678-360-2518

[Degraffreed 21]

Cujo,, I do not know why you are so hostile in your comments towards me.

Yes, I did attend the roundtable in Ga and I also met some other contractors here in the Dville area about a week ago and this is where the comment was made to turn in the HISPANIC POWERWASHERS that are coming in and lowballing the industry and making it hard for the other guys business. As we were eating we noticed two hispanic males cleaning a automotive shops parking lot and you could see the oil going blantantly going down the drain.

I personally went outside and spoke to the two gentlemens that was cleaning the lot. Even though I could have talked the owner into letting me complete the task. I did not ask for the job.

I mentioned to them the proper way that they could at least contain the oil runoff and keep it from going in the drain. They could speak slight English, but understood the importance of what I was sayin. Just like the info was passed on to me and my helper at the round table from you guys at the meeting. I wanted to help these gentlemen be compliant, so much to it that I GAVE them my oil absorbant boom at no charge. Hows that for helping your fellow competitor?

I have no fear of You or Anyone else making a buck in this business and I do not care one ioioda, who get caught ither. The issues I have is other Pwers telling on each other to boost their bottom line. I never said it was you or anyone at the meeting. So you are way off the mark there.

So before you get on this board and try to make a Turncoat or Benedict out of me, at least pick up the phone and discuss with me any concerns you have about any post I place. What make you think that I was refering to your event in Atlanta anyhow?

I thought I was getting into a business that was supposed to " help each other" but It seems that there is some animocity constantly coming from you towards me. First it was the misunderstanding about the park cleanup or strip mall issue. You again came on the board to personally attacked me. I admantly apoligized for the misunderstanding on the board and at the meeting. I understand you have your opinions and you can say what you want but I too have mine.

I thought the pwers was like a family but I guess I am the FOSTER child. No hard feelings from me though. I will continue to do what I do to help anyone that comes in my presence and I could care less if they make a buck legally or not. I am not going to be the DRAIN POLICE.

P.S just so you know, I have purchased reclaim equiptment and additional berms to be compliant. I took so much good info from the meeting the last thing I want to do is bite the hands that fed me. Go Figure!!!

DeGraffreed

[squirtgun 122]

It was clearly explained that certain governmental agencies have asked for help in monitoring illegal discharges.

Another words the local & federal government or whatever agency is saying we are under staffed and under financed to do the job they are paid to.We all know that if reclaim is being enforced in your area the guys that aren't doing it will be caught soon enough.

Do what is right for your company and offer advise to those whom it is apparent don't know what is right.If they refuse your advice or choose to continue on their chosen path so be it.In time they will get caught and pay the fines that will put them out of business.

[Celeste 341]

Okay guys....lets play nice here. No one was attacking anyone on a personal level. Degraff....it was only insinuated (and again, let's keep in mind that we're all TYPING here, not having a true conversation)

The fact is, yes this bbs, and most of us in the industry want and do help fellow PW'ers. Things get taken out of context when typed and heaven forbid, one should type something then say - go to bed - while someone else responds.

Bottom line is where your professionalism lies. Let's all show some here :)

Cheers!

Celeste

[Degraffreed 21]

Carolina,

I know an personal attack, when I read one and that was personal.

Degraffreed

[Beth n Rod 1,279]

All, please remain professional.

Thank you.

Beth

[Mike 64]

What ever happened to the days where everyone payed attention to what they were doing and not what the other guy was doing?

I would hope that we dont see the day we have others going around playing big brother and turning in companies because they dont like the way there are running their business. I hope that person at least tried to talk to other company and explain to them why its important to do certain things a certain way and not just run off and report them. What will happen if we have a bunch of guys out doing this is it will give the industry as a whole a bad reputation... "Pw'ers are just a bunch of pollutin', no good, dirty business operators that dont care about the environment"

....if the guy or company still refuses to do his best to comply after you inform him, thats a different story of course, but dont be so quick to pull the trigger on someone you feel is your competitor because you want yourself to look better. Help the guy out, he has a family to feed as well.

[One Tough Pressure 580]

There was a guy on PWN that posted pics of illegal discharges that he took from his backyard, over the wall with a telephoto lense.

He like to brag that he was turning all these people in and probably never considered that one of these folks who he snapped pictures of may read that board.

He was a very active poster and poof, one day he was gone, hasn't even visited the the bbs in quite a while.

I still wonder if one of his pictures caught up with him. I see it this way, I do recovery and sell that in my bids. I see people all the time not recovering and getting away with it, but I do not have the time or the energy to turn them in. It pisses me off that these hacks get away with less than average equipment, and letting the water run off, but I am in the cleaning business, not the enforcement business.

I do make sales calls and mention recovery at these locations so that they may just get bumped, but turning them in is not my job.