Tudor Just cleaned 2 bedrooms, a Living
Tudor Just cleaned 2 bedrooms, a Living Room, and a hall. The carpet was needing attention, but we at Tudor wear capes. The stains were tough, but not tough enough for Tudor. Call Tudor at 465-6904 If you schedule today, I will discount the deal an additional $25.00
Keith just cleaned a home in Portage for
Keith just cleaned a home in Portage for referred from Portage Decorating. I want to give a shout out to Portage Decorating. Thank you
Amy Petri with Petri Financial has been
Amy Petri with Petri Financial has been wonderful to work with in regards to Payroll Service, Accounting, and bookkeeping details. I suggest you call her as soon as you find you need assistance in these areas.
Big Winter Storm of 2011
Wednesday, 2/2/2011
11 am
I have to note the conversations I have had with my Mom about the horrible storm of 1967. Since I was born in December of 1967, it is kind of like my calling to pay attention to this big storm. Ironically, my mom took my three older sisters to a Valparaiso University musical (or something like that). There was also a huge storm the week before I was born. My mom unfortunately slipped on the ice and my sisters told on her when she got home. My dad was quite frustrated that my Mom took her three daughters to an event at Valparaiso University so that they might enjoy a culturing event.
With all the snow we got last night (18 inches), it has snowed most of us in. Yesterday, I went to check out a couple of properties that we are watching while certain individuals are gone on vacation and the fact that they wanted to make sure their homes were ok. A couple of years ago, I remember a customer that went to Egypt all to find out by their daughter that their washing machine blew an intake hose flooding out their home. As I put it, this family went to visit the Nile and the Nile came to visit them.
The weather is warm enough right now (17 degrees), but it is going to get colder soon. Did you know that traditionally when it snows, the weather is warmer and the humidity is higher. This is when electric wires get waited down. When this happens, there is an unusual amount of power outages like Com-Ed from Chicago faced (I believe that about 90,000 homes were affected from loss of electricity. Usually, after a snow storm, the weather gets colder. The humidity in the air goes down. It is supposed to get extremely cold later today. We are supposed to experience colder temperatures in the next week. When this happens, pipes will break.
What causes pipes to break?
When a pipe is exposed to cold air, the pipe will expand to the point to where it will break. If the pipe freezes and breaks, many times it will not leak because of the water being frozen in the pipe prevents any water from flowing. Once the water does break the ice, the pipe will flow freely causing damage to home and contents. This is usually about a day and a half later.
Pipes that I have seen frozen are usually pipes that are on exterior walls of a structure. I also see hose spigots that have the hose attached reminiscent from the summer usage
Once the roads are plowed, Tudor Cleaning and Restoration has the ability to get to homes to help people that have been affected by pipe breaks, sump pump failures from over usage or loss of power.
When your home is affected by a water loss, call Tudor Cleaning and Restoration at 219-465-6904.
–
James Tudor
Tudor Cleaning and Restoration Services
443 East U.S. Highway 30
Valparaiso, IN 46383
Phone: 219-465-6904
Fax: 219-531-7733
Winter Storms Will Turn Into Frozen Pipes
Wednesday, 2/2/2011
11 am
I have to note the conversations I have had with my Mom about the horrible storm of 1967. Since I was born in December of 1967, it is kind of like my calling to pay attention to this big storm. Ironically, my mom took my three older sisters to a Valparaiso University musical (or something like that). There was also a huge storm the week before I was born. My mom unfortunately slipped on the ice and my sisters told on her when she got home. My dad was quite frustrated that my Mom took her three daughters to an event at Valparaiso University so that they might enjoy a culturing event.
With all the snow we got last night (18 inches), it has snowed most of us in. Yesterday, I went to check out a couple of properties that we are watching while certain individuals are gone on vacation and the fact that they wanted to make sure their homes were ok. A couple of years ago, I remember a customer that went to Egypt all to find out by their daughter that their washing machine blew an intake hose flooding out their home. As I put it, this family went to visit the Nile and the Nile came to visit them.
The weather is warm enough right now (17 degrees), but it is going to get colder soon. Did you know that traditionally when it snows, the weather is warmer and the humidity is higher. This is when electric wires get waited down. When this happens, there is an unusual amount of power outages like Com-Ed from Chicago faced (I believe that about 90,000 homes were affected from loss of electricity. Usually, after a snow storm, the weather gets colder. The humidity in the air goes down. It is supposed to get extremely cold later today. We are supposed to experience colder temperatures in the next week. When this happens, pipes will break.
What causes pipes to break?
When a pipe is exposed to cold air, the pipe will expand to the point to where it will break. If the pipe freezes and breaks, many times it will not leak because of the water being frozen in the pipe prevents any water from flowing. Once the water does break the ice, the pipe will flow freely causing damage to home and contents. This is usually about a day and a half later.
Pipes that I have seen frozen are usually pipes that are on exterior walls of a structure. I also see hose spigots that have the hose attached reminiscent from the summer usage
Once the roads are plowed, Tudor Cleaning and Restoration has the ability to get to homes to help people that have been affected by pipe breaks, sump pump failures from over usage or loss of power.
When your home is affected by a water loss, call Tudor Cleaning and Restoration at 219-465-6904.
–
James Tudor
Tudor Cleaning and Restoration Services
443 East U.S. Highway 30
Valparaiso, IN 46383
Phone: 219-465-6904
Fax: 219-531-7733
Chris Hansen Uncovers Air Duct Scams
I just finished watching Dateline Sunday today with Chris Hanson. I found this very interesting because not but about a year ago, I had a friend of mine call me who is in the Valparaiso Kiwanis Club with me. She called me at my office and asked what I would charge to clean her air ducts. I told her that with the number of vents she had the price would be about $500.00. She was a bit put back and said that she saw an ad in the Times for a company that was offering to clean her air ducts for 59.95. I told her that I could not match the price. I also told her that I believe that there is no possible way that this job could be done for this price. I continued to explain to this individual that for $59.95 it just does not make any sense. My equipment alone cost me at base $30,000.00. Then I add the labor that is needed to do the job. In this case 6 man hours. If I just take a base of $12.00 per hour for an employee this would be $72.00 for labor only. Then, I need to take into account that I will use at base 4 gallons of gas at $3.00 equalling to another $12.00. Then I need to take into account my modest building that I own. I also need to take into account the depreciation on my equipment. What about the money that I pay the bank. What about the money I pay the insurance company?
I forgot that my employees that go into people’s homes actually care about the homes. Tudor does not just ram equipment in as if we were throwing garbage into a dumpster.
After I explained all this to my friend who is in Kiwanis with me, she decided that she wanted to save the money and go with the cheaper price. I told her that I had an idea. I said what if I acted as if I was a relative of hers and at the least, I would help her get the best job she could get for what they were offering. She called me back and said that the job was scheduled for a Tuesday morning. I told her to call me when they were about 45 minutes away. She called me on that Tuesday morning. I got there before these individuals got there. I waited with her. They looked similar in concept to the Duct Masters company that was on Chris Hansons program. They showed up in an unmarked vehicle. It was a black pick up truck. When I see people posing as a professional air duct company and all they have is a glorified vacuum cleaner and a vehicle that is something like a mini van, I just think “oh brother”.
They came into the home. Neither guy had a hat that identified these individuals with their company. Neither guy had a coat that identified these individuals with Chicago Air Duct cleaning. Neither guy had a business card.
They started their vacuum machine up. They had a roto tool which was basically a drill type unit that ran a cable that spun. In my business, we use a very large air compressor (180 psi to be exact) to dislodge the dust. Where this company had a 1 ½ inch vacuum hose with a cable that spins inside of the 11/2 inch hose. At the end of the 1 ½ inch hose that has a cable spinning in it is a brush that is about 4 inches in diameter. So, this unit would act as the vacuum and the agitator to remove the dust. When removing dust, one need to remember that there need to be something to agitate the dust, then there needs to be something to extract the dust. In my case I use a very large air compressor that is connected to a hose that has smaller hoses connected to it that will cause the dust to be disrupted in the duct. Then our very large vacuum will remove the dust. Our vacuum is a larger cousin to a leaf blower. It is larger than the leaf blower you might have as an accessory that you pull behind with your rider mower, but this might give you an idea of what I am talking about.
Let me get back to these fellas that were working at this woman’s home. As I walked upstairs to see how they were doing, I watched them latch onto my friend’s computer wires. You know the one that goes to the printer, the one that goes from the fax to the wall receptacle, and the electric chord that goes from the computer to the outlet in the wall. This company’s spinner that was connected to the four inch brush that was turning grabbed onto all these wires and did 3 or 4 revolutions around the brush. I thought the fax machine was going to get pulled right off her desk. I looked the the fella who appeared to me as if this was the second job he had ever done and I said to him “Wow, that was a close one!” He replied to me in a Beevus and Butthead way “Huh, Ya”.
The job continued and after about 55 minutes, the one fella came downstair and told the homeowner that they were finishing up with the job. At this point from my perspective they had been glorified maids. They had gone down about 8 feet into the ducts they could access and vacuumed them out. A homeowner could have done this same thing with a household vacuum cleaner. I believe the air duct technicians were onto me because my truck was parked in the neighbors driveway. On my truck it says air duct cleaning. I told the homeowner that I did not think this was a good idea, but she said it would be no problem. I typically like to be a bit more sneaky than that usually. The senior technician said the homeowner that if she wanted to get some extra services, that now he can offer them. Things like if you want to clean your main trunk line in the basement it will be an additional $180.00. If you want to have the trunk line cleaned for the upstairs, it will be another $180.00. If you want to have the vents sanitized, there will be an additional $90.00 charge. If you want to get the Special disinfectant that will be guaranteed for one year, that will be $200.00. I asked the technician what the life of the base sanitizer was. He replied by saying that the product would last for 6 months. In fact, I know that no sanitizer has a life. Once it is applied and it dries, it has no life. It is done. If there are any issues in the ducts where they are getting wet, the problems will continue and the disinfectant is basically useless.
The technicians left the job for only $59.95. Before they left, I found a vent that was falling through the floor. I know they took the screws out because I heard the screws go up the 1 ½ inch vacuum hose. It makes a certain sound when you hear a screw go up a vacuum hose. The customer asked the technicians if they were going to fix her vent? They said no that that was a preexisting problem. I just looked at her and said don’t fret it, I have a drill and some screws in my truck just let them go.
I went out to my truck and got my drill and two drywall screws and fixed the problem in about 5 minutes.
At the end of the job,the customer and I were peaking out of the window as the black pickup truck left and drove slowly as if they were scanning my Tudor truck. It did say air duct cleaning on the side of it!
The customer said to me “do you think they did a good job?” I said “I think because I was here, you only spent $59.95. I also think you can think of this job as a glorified maid service that came in and vacuumed some of your vents 4-8 feet in. You got what you paid for in this case, but they did not con you!”
As far as the Chris Hanson bit on his Sunday night program on 1/30/11 at 6 pm, I thought it was a pretty good segment on the air duct cleaning business.
For me, those discounts that I see are a real pain. Not too long ago, I went to another lady’s home. She said to me what are you going to charge me. I told her that it would cost about $800.00 to clean her vents. She quickly pulled 3 of these coupons out for $49.95 and $59.95 and $69.95 as if she was going to barter with me on my pricing. The next time I go to Wendy’s, I am going to tell them that McDonalds has a special on double cheeseburgers for a buck. Maybe they will match my price schedule.
Quality people do quality work! Quality people do a good job! Quality people take care of their mistakes! Just like a taxi, the customer needs to pay the toll. There aint no free lunch.
htpp://www.tudorservices.com–
James Tudor
Tudor Cleaning and Restoration Services
443 East U.S. Highway 30
Valparaiso, IN 46383
Phone: 219-465-6904
Fax: 219-531-7733
Hoosier Burn Camp Fundraiser
Support the Hoosier Burn Camp
and give a child a life-changing, unforgettable summer camp experience for young men and women who have experienced injuries from burns – at no cost to the families.
Join us at Kmart in Valparaiso today from 11am to 2pm and get your delicious, tender BBQ chicken for only $6.
Thank you to Travis from tri county roofing and the Valparaiso Fire Department for coming out to support the Hoosier Burn Camp.
LOCAL TO PORTER COUNTY DOG SITTER
Animals are our best friends. It is a fact that people get more out of their animals than they do from each other. Animals don’t talk back.
Here is a note that may not be politically correct but I am going to tell it anyway. I heard this from a friend that I would have never expected this story from. He was listening to a pastor or something like that. This is the story I heard:
A fella was happily married to his wife for years. This is what he said. “If I threw my wife in the trunk of my car for 4 hours, my wife would be fuming mad! On the other hand, if I threw my dog in the trunk of my car for 4 hours, after I let the dog out the dog would just be so excited to see that I let him out!”
Though this story is totally sick and I (James Tudor) would not appreciate this hanus act, it does get the point across of how loyal our animals are to us. I only share this story to emphasize the love animals have to their masters. I do not share this story for anyone to say that putting someone in a trunk is wrong. If you have a problem with my story, I will march with you against abusive treatment of both men and women!
With that being said, I want to share a compassionate person who would be happy to take care of your animals. She has been a part of our community for years and she holds a high degree of integrity. Her name is Jodi Dusek.
Unlike the story above, Jodi wants to take care of your animal. I don’t even know if Jodi would approve of my example above. She probably would say that this is too harsh.
With as many animals that are in the world I would have to say that there is a need in our area for a good pet sitter.
Jodi started her business 3-4 years ago and she started a lot of her activities through the Canine Country Club located in Valparaiso. Though, I have never been to the Canine Country Club, I have nothing but positive things to say about it. When I drive by there, I always think I need to get over there to take my dog out. Here are several things that Jodi does.
Overnight Stays
She makes home made dog biscuits.
She has been a pet owner her entire life.
Animals are her number one Love and Passion.
Jodi puts the dogs needs first.
Jodi has never had a dog that she had trouble with.
When Dog owners give Jodi special instructions like “Go to Arby’s and get my dog Roast Beef” Jodi follows the rule to the T.
Jodi makes sure she looks the animals over so they don’t have any ailments. If she notices something and she is allowed, she will take the animal and get them medical attention.
Jodi will also help the homeowner when they have separate home needs. If the mail needs picked up daily or the paper needs picked up, Jodi will be happy to accommodate the client’s needs.
As I hear more and more about people that have break ins when they are on vacation, I think that there is a big appeal to have someone at the home to take care of matters and to protect the property as needed. I just heard about a family that was at Disney World and someone broke into their home. That really stinks.
I know that when I take my dog(Molly) to get boarded, I feel badly that she we have not been around her. On the other hand, I have had friends watch her and I tell them please do not let her jump up on you or don’t let Molly get on furniture, she has never gotten on furniture. My friends inevitably say “Oh, that’s ok, I love dogs” or they say “I can’t guarantee that my boyfriend will follow those rules”. I say “Please don’t allow this because I do not want my 60 pound dog to start learning how to jump up on people”. The last thing I want is to see my dog jump up and knock over a 60 year old lady. That is so embarassing! Not to mention, I literally scare the @#$%^ out of someone.
When you want a dog sitter, Jodi will follow your rules.
I want to note one other positive point about Jodi as well. Jodi has been in retail management for a long time. Jodi knows what it takes to get the job done. It is an interesting world anymore. When someone asks for something, that is what the person should get. If you should ask for something from Jodi, she will give you what you need.
Jodi has a list of references when you need to know you can count on her.
If you need to contact Jodi for dog sitting/house watching, call her at 219-508-6282.
Oh, by the way, if your animal has a little accident on the carpet or the pet dander is so fierce that your air ducts are full of it, Call Tudor Cleaning and Restoration for Carpet Cleaning and/or Air Duct Cleaning at 219-465-6904.
NETWORKS BIG OR SMALL
I have self declared myself as my own entity!
Ok, what does that mean?
There are so many people out there that believe in the system. When I refer to the system, I refer to Insurance companies referral networks, homes warranty programs, etc. At the end of the day, you are trusting a person. Who is the person you choose to trust? I look in my crystal ball and see the fact that whoever we go with, there is a chance of failure. The only challenge is that the larger institutions have taken the small guy out of the picture. In years past, a homeowner would have a choice to choose someone or a company they would trust. With the media blitzes on going with different programs, it has nullified or made it more difficult for a small company to operate.
Let me give you an example of an independent insurance agent. If that agent would build a relationship with a client based on trust, business would happen and if there was a claim that agent would help the client to know things are going to be ok. With the claims handling now, an agent may not even know about the claim for 3-4 days after the incident. Where as before, an agent would call and would help the client at least mentally process through the claim. Now agents are limited by the claims not putting the agent into the sequence of events.
And lets talk about the computerized insurance that people are moving to. I am referring to the one with the lizard. I can’t tell you who my local agent is for that company. I don’t even want to say their name because if I do, I am giving them more advertising. Impersonal relationship! Yes, you are getting insurance, that is true, but a live agent will help you to make better decisions.
Here is an example: You got insurance on your home. That is all you want to spend. On the other hand, an agent says do you want sump pump coverage because that is not part of the flood insurance? You don’t want to spend a dime more than you spent. On the other hand, you have your $15,000.00 in Cubs Memorabilia with your $3,000.00 flat screen. You could lose your sofa though! Do you pay the extra $72.00 per year to get this added ryder or not? That’s your choice, but you know you have a choice. Sometimes, this is a good conversation to have with a human being. Maybe an insurance agent! This agent has been there and done that! They have had clients that have declined on the ryder all to call the agent up when they did have a flood and the client first implored that they have insurance. Then the client got upset because the agent said I asked you and you signed off on this. So, it is not just a yes no answer when deciding whether you get the ryder or not. Sometimes, an agent will need to explain to the client what the ramifications are. Do you think a computer questionaire will make an individual mentally live through this dialogue? Probably not!
So, you as a client of your computerized insurance program feel like you are well served because a lot of others are in this network. Don’t get me wrong, I think networks are great. I just think people need to be informed. At the end of the day, you need to trust the company you are working with. My job as a cleaning and restoration professional is to give people the tools they need to make informed decisions. Sometimes, a huge network is great and the individual will make a good decsion based on the network. Other times, a network can create major havoc on an individual. The same goes with individuals you do work with. I had 2 sliding doors installed from a guy that I would never use again. He wasn’t in a network. You might see that failure can even happen on an independent happenstance.
So, I hope you read this and make informed decisions.
All that I ask is that you do not put all of your hope into a network. My hope is that you still make informed decisions based on people you trust and what you know is right.
We as individuals in our community need to not hide our lights under a bonnet. We need to talk to each other about networking ourselves. Networking does not take money. Networking is a gumshoe concept. Relationships are built through people that we trust. Those people then go out and are our raving fans. The energy then converts to a conversation with a bonafide client. Our company then has a stage so show these clients that we have something of value for them.
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James Tudor
Tudor Cleaning and Restoration Services
443 East U.S. Highway 30
Valparaiso, IN 46383
Phone: 219-465-6904
Fax: 219-531-7733
BUY LOCAL – KEEP BUSINESS LOCAL – SPAULDINGS TREE SERVICE
I like to help my neighbor. I do this through referring local people that I have come to trust. These individuals are people that I think are worthy of giving a good referral to and they happen to own companies just like I do.
If you meet a good business, I have come to find that the ones I truly trust are ones with humble attitudes. You want people in your lives that are reliable and you can hold them accountable.
I want to tell you the story about Bob Spaulding of Spauldings Tree Service. I graduated high school with Bob. He went to Valparaiso High School with me. He has always cared about his fellow man. I hold Bob in high regard.
Ok, 20 years later! Bob is still doing the tree removal as he has always done. Bob has acquired the proper equipment to do jobs right. That means he has the equipment that needs to be used in all the different circumstances that play a roll in tree removal.
Is Bob the cheapest? I would have to say I don’t think so! On the other hand, Bob will guarantee your work. I find it interesting when people talk to me about wanting a good job, yet when I introduce them to Bob by the end of the conversation, they say "Oh, I didn’t know it would be that much!" and then they say "You know there is a guy that is down the street who used to work at the local industrial plant and he started a tree removal business last year. He has an old pickup truck and a chainsaw, I think I will call him. He is cheap!"
This fella may not have any insurance. If he falls from your tree, it may be on your insurance. But, you know the inexpensive angle sure looks good! Forward thinking people think about these angles. Others think they will just get away with it.
Did you ever think about the electric lines? How is the tree guy going to cut your limbs from a tree without taking out the electric lines. Most homeowners don’t really pay attention to this because it is not their problem. When they call in a tree guy, they think he is just given a special permit from God to drop the limbs and the limbs will mysteriously miss their electric lines. But if they do hit their electric lines, that tree guy will have a price to pay. And, I can tell you from personal experience that customers are not really that forgiving when they cannot make themselves coffee in the morning (If you don’t drink coffee, then hot tea).
What about the cutting of limbs from trees?
When you cut a limb off of a tree, sometimes the way the tree grows does matter. Sometimes the grain in the tree will twist. Simply cutting a limb may mean the limb will roll 30 degrees. When someone is planning on a limb falling straight down, it may not be quite that easy. If a limb rolls a little when the cut is made, the limb or tree may fall in a slight different direction. You must take into consideration the fact that if the tree was going to clear the house by 5 feet, it may be a miscalculation by the inexperienced or the sloppy. A rolling limb could take out the corner of the roof.
I don’t believe anyone is too happy when the limb takes out a portion of their roof.
Bob Spaulding is also a certified Arborist. This means that Spauldings Tree Service has extensive training and experience necessary to maintain the trees on your property. Trees need care like anything else. I know personally that Spauldings Tree Service adheres to stringent safety and performance standards for quality and safety.
Why does James Tudor tell you this? I am telling you this because I think you should go with a company that has made proper steps to perform the work they do. So many people underserve this value. If you were investing your money in a financial institution, you would think about it. Yet, when it comes to someone’s property, which is probably equal to or more than they have invested in their financial institution, the tree removal is underserved.
I am also interested in protecting people’s investment. When customers have a flood or a fire, I am very interested in serving their interest to the best of my ability. Yet, I too deal with companies coming in from other communities that are referred by people that cannot control the mechanized wheel of our times.
People of our community need to take a serious look at these types of changes that happen.
In Bob Spauldings case, he needs to educate property owners of the value of a quality company and what it means to have a quality company. This will enable people to make logical decisions in why they go with Spauldings Tree Service.
My mom is a hard sell and I would like to say that she is frugal. Whenever I talk to her, she says that she paid a lot for her tree service, but she always says she sure likes Spauldings Tree Service. That is good enough for me!
In my case, I need to let property owners know that they have the ability to use whatever restoration company they want to. The fact is if they use a good restoration company, they don’t have to use the one the insurance company referred. By law, the insurance company cannot dictate who the restoration company is that a property owner uses. On the other hand, the insurance company can persuade a property owner to use a restoration company of the insurance company’s choice.
Choose Tudor Cleaning and Restoration for you property loss issues.
Choose Spauldings Tree Service for your Tree removal (219-766-2608 Kouts)
