Total Homecare (Lancs) in Eccleston, Chorley

Have just finished working with Total Homecare (also called MKS and THL) based in Salford and need to alert people to their practices.

For potential customers: Usually they gain your information via your friends or by dropping a "Win £1000" card in your house. People please be aware. They only want this offer for the Carpet shampoo, no chance you will win the £1000. Once in they will explain that to do the shampoo they need to vac the carpet and use Black Cloths to show you what it pulls up. Now, granted, its a good machine, but the pressure is on you to buy because the rep wants to get about £500 commission from the sale (there is his incentive) and when they have done they call their boss and explain that you love the kirby and only money stops you having one. The MD at Salford is a Mr Gary Pridham (will be refered to as Mr Morrow) and i advise everyone to look him up on google. The pressure starts then, tells you how wonderful it is and what can you afford. If you buy staff are told to do a fantastic job on the carpet and if not, well just get it over with quickly. Now you have a Kirby, congats. What happens after also hurts your pocket. After so long they will come out to service the machine, usually about 12 months or so. During this visit they will try to push you into getting a service plan and will tell you that there is a problem with the machine, the favourite is it sparking on the motor (all motors spark, ask a professional) and that you might have to get a service plan. Be honest, most parts can be bought on ebay but the team tell you that it will invalidate the warranty if you do so. So buy genuine parts on ebay then, not £30+ for 6 bags or £15 for three belts. and this is done every year. The guy/gal who comes to service the machine has no technical knowledge of engineering, i know cause i did it.

For potential Staff: Avoid, run to the hills and pray you never see them again. In 2 days 7 people out of 10 left. You are trained by the Zen Master Gary Pridham in how to sell and always use positives, no negatives. Do not worry about who you are selling to but your prime targets are 40+ and those who have retired. To all the houses I have been to, not one uses it daily, its too bulky. I worked there from 11/2 to 17/3 and the job was advertised as £1200 PCM (per calender month I believe that stands for) and went to see him after being there for, wait for it, 35 days. Calculate it yourselves if you wish, my maths could be wrong, after all I was selling affordable vacs for £2495. I was told that I was not being paid because I had only worked 21 days. Eh! and I thought my maths was bad. So, to those looking to work here, saw 2 members of staff and they had gone within a week or so. Why the high turnover?

So, in short avoid at all costs.

Easy and pleasant to deal with - love my Kirby!