Have a furnace? Need it cleaned? Don't call these guys (Warning, disgruntled former employee rant) (1505 hits)
Category: Humor -> Dumb JobsRating: 0.61 on 77 reviews (Rate this item) (V)
Submitted by DonovanMD (View user info) at 2008-03-20 18:46:56 EDT
Hi there,
You've probably stumbled across this page because google only has 3-4 other results for 'Alberta Carpet and Furnace Cleaning' and you're either a current or former employee, a customer, or just an Uber user. Regardless of who you are there are a few things you might want to know about this company and Ubers high google results seems like a good route to take.
Alberta Carpet and Furnace Cleaning is just what it sounds, a company that cleans carpets and furnaces for people in the Edmonton area, as well as in Vancouver and Victoria. The company is also based out of Calgary but is owned by someone else. The portion of the company I'm writing about is owned by John Rudolph out of Edmonton. Now some would say the company is a modern day success story; Rudolph has upstart home services company and has been in the Edmonton area for over 20 years. For those who have worked there they see a different picture; a company owned by an eccentric old weirdo who drives his Porsche with the top down all winter in -30 weather while wearing a toque and scarf. A company where employees are taken advantage of and all around mistreated, and where customers are charged extremely high prices for often low quality of work.
Now I worked as a furnace cleaning assistant, and then as a technician. This is basically a fancy title for a job that requires no certification, is not a trade and requires no education. Basically anyone can go out and throw a "Joe Bob's Furnace Cleaning" decal on the side of a truck and claim to be a pro. This is what Alberta Furnace and all other companies in the industry do. And do they ever charge an arm and a leg for it.
Say you want to get your furnace and ducts cleaned. AFC offers what seems like a great package for just $99. This includes the cleaning of your furnace, the first 10 air ducts and they even toss in the hot water tanks combustion chamber for free. What is written in small fine print at the bottom of the coupon is that each additional vent is $12.75 each. The typical 3 bedroom, 2 bath bungalow has between 15-17 vents. The typical home less than 10 years old can have as many as 30-35 vents, and often more than one furnace. This is Canada remember. The best part is the Waste Handling and Energy fee which is 19.95 and which they claim pays for the disposal of waste (dust from your home) and the cost of gas. They basically pawn it off as a government tax by failing to mention that it's just pure profit for the company.
So 90% of the time you're $99 bill turns into a $250-500 bill in no time. And all that for a service which is basically for the sake of your own comfort, since furnace cleaning has no proven data that shows it to be benificial health wise, nor does it significantly prolong the life of your furnace.
"In the 1990s, duct cleaning research conducted by Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC)1,2 and the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)3 tested house and duct performance before and after cleaning. Researchers observed little or no discernible differences in the concentrations of house airborne particles or in duct airflows due to duct cleaning."
Quote from the Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation
http://cmhc.ca/en/co/maho/gemare/gemare_011.cfm
So why get this done at all? Because Alberta Furnace enjoys making over four million dollars a year off of the booming Edmonton marketplace with this all but useless service.
Now onto the employees. AFC pays their staff by commission, thus allowing them to make their employees work well beyond the 8 hour day and 40 hour week while not paying overtime. In the busiest fall season they offer a bonus of $1500 if you can complete over 430 calls in 3 months. Which works out to a whopping $3.50 per call. But in this season working from 7am until often as late as 7-8pm certainly is the norm as 6-7 calls per day are expected of all employees. If you attempt to turn down an "add on" you're reprimanded by management and told that turning down calls is unacceptable if you want to keep your job. It's true a furnace tech can expect to make upwards of 60k+ a year, but when you look closely at the hours worked, the wage works out to far less than $20 per hour, typically around $15-16 for techs, and as low as $12 for assistants.
During the fall employees have to work 7 days a week, usually with 1 day off if that. The rest of the year you'll get Sundays but rarely will AFC follow Alberta Labour Laws stating employees are required to get 2 consecutive days off every 2 weeks. You're also on call on your day off meaning you better be ready to work when the 6am call comes.
Techs often have service calls, meaning they have to return to a home for a variety of reasons. Often to correct a mistake, like lighting a hot water tank after cleaning the combustion chamber (a 15 second air blast with pressurized air) or forgetting to turn on a breaker. However a lot of the time the calls are baseless. Like when a customer complains that the furnace is making a funny noise now or that they're returning the $200 filter the technician forced on them with their extravagant claims of how it will get rid of dust forever! Often times the noise is nothing that the furnace wasn't doing before, but when you spend hundreds of dollars on that thing in the corner of your basement you start paying more attention to it. These calls where the quality of work is up to standards means the technician is docked pay from his quality bonus. Generally about -$100 less for each call. The company seems to have a difficult time differentiating between a legitimate service call due to an employees mistakes and one where the customer is plain wrong. Yet they dock the wage just the same.
The turnover is obviously high, with only a handful of employees with the company longer than 3-4 years, especially on the furnace cleaning side. I will admit the carpet side is much better, being that in carpet cleaning you know how good of a job is done because you can see it. With furnace cleaning you can't see inside your ducts, and half the customers don't even know how to light a pilot light or change a filter, so everything is left in the hands of the "professional technician".
Now if this seems like the ranting of a disgruntled former employee you're bang on of course. I was let go for complaining about about these and a number of other smaller things the company does that make working for them difficult and frustrating.
They have a nasty habit of firing employees who talk to loud about them. Like one former coworker who was the longest serving furnace technician at 5 years and who had done far more calls in that time that anyone else. He was vocal about his dislike of the service call issue, so one morning he was called into the bosses office and fired, told he could either quit with a good reference or be fired with a bad one. I guess the company didn't care about his coming second child or his longevity and dedication.
Or the guy who had been hurt on the job, had a bad shoulder, and who even continued working answering phone calls in the office instead of sitting at home on Workers Compensation like he could have, and when the slow season hit for carpet cleaners, he was given his walking papers despite it being against labour laws to fire an injured employee.
So if you're a former employee, you already know all of this. If you're a future employee, maybe this has raised a few questions you can ask management before working there. Be sure to say hi to the GM Dana Ratcliff and to the Furnace Manager Matt Rudolph (that's correct, the bosses son. It's a good old family business) for me.
And if you're a customer be wary of them. They claim to be reputable and honest, while looking for the best way to find additional charges to add to your bill, like how cleaning your newly installed AC for $39 is a MUST, despite it being the technician who got it dirty in the first place with his cleaning. Or how the $49 to blow pressurized air in your central vac is well worth the cost, don't mind that it only takes about 5 minutes and is completely useless. Unfortunately I can't offer up a better alternative, from what I've seen in my 7 months in the industry ALL furnace cleaning companies operate the same way, some even worse, and the entire industry basically one big scam. As for carpets, I'd hope you'd find someone else, but if you do call and book an appointment talk to Lawrence the Carpet Manager, he's a really great guy. Actually almost all of the other employees are really great people. Which makes it even more frustrating to see them taken advantage of by a company who's owner prides himself on a family oriented company.
Check out their website, as well as a monster.ca advertisement with John Rudolph himself praising his business and how much he values his employees:
http://www.albertafurnacecleaning.ca/
http://www.monster.ca (search Alberta Furnace Cleaning)
Thanks for your time, you may now return to Facebook and surfing porn.
-Donovan MacDonald
User Reviews
Submitted by darko (user info) at 2008-03-29 22:56:20 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
I liked you better before you sold out. You've changed man, you changed.
Submitted by DonovanMD (user info) at 2008-03-26 18:56:35 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
So I sat down with John today and we chatted for a few hours. It certainly was refreshing after all thats gone on as a result of this post the last week. I didn't expect the higher ups at AFC to see it so quickly (Uber users are great for speeding along the drama process though) and I certainly didn't expect John to reply so positively, if at all. But instead of coming out with an aggressive and angry reply he was much more open minded to what I was saying, and actually took some of it too heart. Which to me speaks volumes of his personal character. For as angry as I was when I wrote this, mere hours after being fired, I would have been just as angry if I were the owner of the company when I stumbled across it.
After some discussion about my gripes with the company, policies and procedures, and my firing John asked if I would come in and talk to him. I didn't expect much to come out of this, after all I was just a 7 month employee who posted a few things on some message board. But John addressed my issues and reflected on a number of things, including his own experience with the company from when he acquired it at 23 to today. Experiences which I understood and will no doubt go through myself in the next few years as I pursue my own business.
He also made sure I was financially helped out in the next few weeks leading up to what will be my return to Australia and being reunited with my wife in late April. For all of this I thank him and AFC a lot. And I apologize for anything I said in this article that was hurtful or inappropriate, especially things relating to the quality of work my former coworkers do or implying that it wasn't of high standards. You have to understand that this industry is very shady at times, with all sorts of fly by night companies trying to make a quick buck and Alberta Furnace Cleaning certainly performs well above the industry standard when it comes to their work. Realistically no one can compete within Edmonton when it comes to professionalism and quality.
Since Bart has not replied to my emails asking for this article to be removed or edited (and since we can't do that ourselves on Ubersite), I will use this post to present my apology to John Rudolph and AFC and to offer a retraction to the statements made here.
-Donovan MacDonald
Submitted by Danger_Ranger (user info) at 2008-03-25 06:38:18 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
Submitted by Doodles (user info) at 2008-03-22 00:47:31 CDT (#)
Ranking: 0
Also as a matter of personal taste- I find the posts bashing the company you work for to normally be good but to mention the company and several peoples names associated with the company to be incredibly tacky and in bad faith, that goes double fold for Ubersite where some would actually use this information to damage the individual's personal life.
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Doodles: "Hi. I'm Doodles."
Group: "HI DOODLES."
Doodles: "Hi. My name is Doodles and I think the internet should be used for specific purposes, moderated even. It's a grey area but I've always fancied there'd be.....a rule-set. Something we could all adhere to, a 'content filter' if you will. And some kind of organisation that would police it."
Group: <blinks>
Urbane: "erm...'doodles'? This is Let's Post Our Bits on the Internet Anonymous."
Doodles: "oh."
Group: <shuffles feet>
Doodles: <chewing lip> "Well isn't this where I should be then? Considering I'm trying to out myself as having some issues with what should be on the 'net and what shouldn't?"
IHAKF: "You got some pictures boy?"
Doodles: "I don't suppose I could have a cup-ca.."
Group: "NO!"
Doodles: <sighs>
Submitted by creep_firebombing (user info) at 2008-03-24 12:36:49 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
This is fucking GLORIOUS.
Submitted by CaptainThorns (user info) at 2008-03-24 09:20:55 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
Submitted by Doodles (user info) at 2008-03-22 00:47:31 CDT (#)
Ranking: 0
Also as a matter of personal taste- I find the posts bashing the company you work for to normally be good but to mention the company and several peoples names associated with the company to be incredibly tacky and in bad faith, that goes double fold for Ubersite where some would actually use this information to damage the individual's personal life.
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I have to agree with him on that.
Submitted by slfjoe (user info) at 2008-03-23 20:46:37 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
Submitted by Danger_Ranger (user info) at 2008-03-23 20:08:09 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
BART YOU FUCKING CUNT HOW COME HE GOT HIS ACTIVATION CODE INSIDE TWENTY-FOUR FUCKING HOURS WHAT IS THE INTERNET FASTER IN FUCKING CANADA
I'M FROM THE FUCKING FUTURE YOU FUCKING MORON I WANT MY FUCKING CODE
__________________________________________________________________
And I quote:
"What I've noticed in the meantime is that this site is pretty much able to go on without me. By "pretty much", I mean that there is still new stuff every day including a lot of quality things as well as the usual quotient of worthless bullshit. However, the difference is that I feel like the entire thing is losing its vision - its sense of purpose - and the result is that the quality things are obscured by the worthless bullshit, buried in a chaotic mess of teenage angst, annoying catch phrases, and lame cliche web pictures.
To put it bluntly, I think you're all idiots.
To put it slightly more politely, I think 90% of you are idiots. Your lame attempts at humor are topped only by your horrendous attempts at creating basic grammatical structures using the English language. Your mob ruled creative wit ranks alongside feats such as the sinking of the Titanic and the crashing of the Hindenburg in the context of colossal disasters of human civilization. "
- Bart Cilfone
Thank-you Bart.
Submitted by Danger_Ranger (user info) at 2008-03-23 20:08:09 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
BART YOU FUCKING CUNT HOW COME HE GOT HIS ACTIVATION CODE INSIDE TWENTY-FOUR FUCKING HOURS WHAT IS THE INTERNET FASTER IN FUCKING CANADA
I'M FROM THE FUCKING FUTURE YOU FUCKING MORON I WANT MY FUCKING CODE
Submitted by Danger_Ranger (user info) at 2008-03-23 20:06:22 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
Submitted by jrudolph (user info) at 2008-03-21 09:54:25 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
Wow. Here I am on Ubersite. Why hasn't anyone told me about this place before? Maybe its because I'm old. Just turned 50 last Sunday actually. But I have had a Mac since 1984, is that worth something? I loved the first thing that I read when I checked out the site. "We must become the change we want to see in the world" - Gandhi This site looks like the kind of place where very bright people hang out. I marched in the first Greenpeace march back in the day and hung out with real live hippies and did a lot of drugs for a few years before figuring out that drugs kill people (Like a few good friends of mine) and that I wanted to have a mess of kid. We went into cleaning because I figured that it was a service that people would always need and I could not really do school because I had not yet learned about my learning disability (ADHD).
Donovan, we only met twice. Both times I thought that you were a nice young man. I'm sorry that your experience with me has turned sour. You seem to be quite hurt. I feel terrible for that. Call me any time at 780-499-5646 and I would be glad to discuss any issues that you have. I started the business with my wife when we were 23 years old, we never intended to be "The man". We actually want to be the kind of company that allows people like me (High school education, and barely graduated) have a chance to make a decent living. We have grown a lot. It is inevitable that any employer will screw up just as some employees screw up. I'm pretty sure that there are other angry former employees out there too. On the flipside, we've got a lot of very positive former employees too. I'm sorry that we let you down.
For those readers that think that Donovan is some kind of bitter weirdo, he's not. I just really angered him. He's a pretty nice guy when he's not choked.
P.S. - I've looked around this site a bit. I wish we had the internet when I was 23.
P.S.S. - If anyone else reading this would like to meet me or correspond with me please call me at the number above. It's my cell phone.
P.S.S. - It's not a touque. It's a powder skiing hat from MEC. I hate touques. My mom made me wear one. For our American friends that have no idea what we are talking about go to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tuque
P.S.S.S. - Donovan, you an amazing writer. You got a few facts wrong though.
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hang on. Donovan writes a post on the 20th and a day later this guy is commenting on it?
Submitted by Tigre (user info) at 2008-03-22 21:32:18 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
The owner of your company used to post here.
His name is Jewtoast.
Submitted by c1ndy (user info) at 2008-03-22 05:03:06 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
No Comment
Submitted by Doodles (user info) at 2008-03-22 01:47:31 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
Also as a matter of personal taste- I find the posts bashing the company you work for to normally be good but to mention the company and several peoples names associated with the company to be incredibly tacky and in bad faith, that goes double fold for Ubersite where some would actually use this information to damage the individual's personal life.
Submitted by DonovanMD (user info) at 2008-03-22 01:46:20 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
When the same ongoing issues are brought up, dismissed and ignored over the course of years and when the owner is certainly aware of the issues, I definitely hold the owner responsible.
Also, in regards to legal issues, the best defence to a defemation suit is the truth and I certainly feel strong enough about what I've said that I'm not too worried. Especially about how the company operates, not as much about prior employees situations where I certainly agree some is speculation based on what they've said, certainly the company will have another opinion on those situations.
Submitted by Doodles (user info) at 2008-03-22 01:42:22 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
Submitted by DonovanMD (user info) at 2008-03-22 01:15:04 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
Submitted by apollo88 (user info) at 2008-03-21 23:34:28 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
Mr Rudolph seems like a reasonable guy.
He can't be responsible for the actions of every single employee.
--
Just to build on my last post. Yes he can. He's the owner of the company, the actions of 3 members of management, the GM and the carpet and furnace managers, are his responsibilty directly. So I disagree with this statement completely.
---
Despite my previous call of shenanigans, an employer cannot possible be held accountable for the action every individual employee, it isn't feasible. The CEO of a fortune 500 company can't be responsible for the idiots who manage the help line just as Mr. Rudolph isn't directly responsible for what your management might or might not have done. Having no knowledge of Canadian business law I would suggest that the company would have a share of its employee's responsibility but the owner has no direct responsibility for the employees. For example if you were harassed at work you might sue the harasser AND the company BUT NOT the owner of said comp-any because he is in no way liable for the employees actions. To suggest that an employer is 100% responsible for any and all actions of an employee is incredible simplistic and, frankly idiotic.
I might be rambling, I don't know. I just can't sleep and that comment sounded ridiculous.
Submitted by jrudolph (user info) at 2008-03-22 01:33:40 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
Oops.. on last thing.
Donovan you said "And the points I brought up are all true, hence why I wouldn't be worried about any legal trouble"
If I could write a diatribe like yours and score 100% on truth I would be saying that everything that i said was incontestable. Remember that some of the things that you said are very contestable. Some are very much a matter of opinion hence they are relative truths that others may not believe. It would be nice to see some respect for people that you disagree with.
I attended a seminar recently. The presenter said that the hardest personality trait to change is the inability to admit any fault or error. I was like that for a long time. It ntreates a lot of trouble.
Please remember that the Ooops rule applies to all of us.
Eww.. sorry about that. I'm starting to sound like a parent. I meant it man to man. (In a healthy heterosexual way)
Submitted by jrudolph (user info) at 2008-03-22 01:23:02 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
Yep, Donovan is right. I am directly responsible for everything in the company. No ducking that one. Anyone want my job?
Hey, there's that Ghandi Quote again.
"We must become the change we want to see in the world" - Gandhi
Time to drink my warm milk, take my pills, shave my hairy back and go to bed.
Sleep well all.
Donovan, your friends are really quick.
What are you guys? Emos? Geeks? What? Sorry, I stopped remembering this stuff about the same time that CD's took over from Eight track tape.
Submitted by DonovanMD (user info) at 2008-03-22 01:15:04 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
Submitted by apollo88 (user info) at 2008-03-21 23:34:28 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
Mr Rudolph seems like a reasonable guy.
He can't be responsible for the actions of every single employee.
--
Just to build on my last post. Yes he can. He's the owner of the company, the actions of 3 members of management, the GM and the carpet and furnace managers, are his responsibilty directly. So I disagree with this statement completely.
Submitted by DonovanMD (user info) at 2008-03-22 01:13:50 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
John can be a nice guy and still have a company that runs poorly. He has little to do with the day to day running of the business and leaves it up to management for the most part. I just singled him out because he is the owner, and therefore the actions of the general manager and other managers are reflected on him. And the points I brought up are all true, hence why I wouldn't be worried about any legal trouble. He even admitted to the problems I pointed out, and those as well as many others are issues nearly every staff member has a problem with.
Don't worry, I've been on Uber a long time, this whole site is shitting on other people so I'm not worried. I only used it as a my method of posting because it's moderation free, and rates high on google results.
Submitted by jrudolph (user info) at 2008-03-22 00:09:30 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
In all fairness, I've only met Donovan twice. He did not seem to be anything but a really decent guy. I am defenitely not the walk on water type. Donovan was well liked by the other staff and as I said before, some of the stuff that he said is all too true. I would say that the personal comments were a bit harsh but I'm thinking that Donovan knows that too although his personal perspective needs to be respected and considered. The dumbest thing that I could do is just disregard Donovans comments.
Donovan, I'm sorry of this has turned into a dump on Donovan. You don't deserve that. Your comments are heartfelt, not frivolous.
Submitted by Doodles (user info) at 2008-03-22 00:04:46 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
If I didn't call shenanigans I would agree with apollo
Submitted by apollo88 (user info) at 2008-03-21 23:34:28 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
Mr Rudolph seems like a reasonable guy.
He can't be responsible for the actions of every single employee.
Donovan seems way immature.
Either the furnace cleaning, flaky skinned, green socks wearing BIG CHEESE OF VENTILATION is a genius at manipulating things to make himself look good or Donovan is a pissy little weiner.
Edmonton is a fucking dump though, that much I know.
Calgary is a much nicer town.
Submitted by joedaddy (user info) at 2008-03-21 22:14:18 EDT (#)
Ranking: 1
it seems as though your first choice of employment didn't pan out too well for you
Submitted by jrudolph (user info) at 2008-03-21 21:41:09 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
Donovan,
I'm not sure what you mean by Matt jumped you. He was passed over twice before he got his position. He's been there for many years. And for obvious reasons he is proud of the company as he has seen us almost bankrupt twice and heard about the business since he was born. He was born 3 months after we started and slept on the floor of our filthy old office on 118ave. You might understand that his point of view is different than some others. He's also young and figuring things out. Just like you are. Some stuff that drives you nuts will not bug you later other stuff will pop up in it's place.
Yeah, there are things to fix. We don't publicize a lot of the stuff that we do and I thank you for recognizing that one thing.
Not trying to make you look like a dick. You are not a dick. You are a decent guy. More talented than most in some ways. The same goes for some of the folks that you are so angry with. And there are some sides to the story that can't be told because of the privacy laws. This is tough for me because I know a bunch of stuff that could solve some issues. As I said before though, you have some valid issues for sure. I can think of as few more that you did not mention that bug me even more.
Gotta go eat my birthday dinner.
Submitted by polyamorousaj (user info) at 2008-03-21 21:36:52 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
HAHAHAHA
That's hilarious.
Submitted by DonovanMD (user info) at 2008-03-21 20:57:01 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
Stop being so nice. Now you're making me look like a dick.
Point is, for the nice things the company does, like pay wages to staff who have been off for a while, etc, the bad things need to be changed. Matt (Rudolph, the furnace manager) once jumped me in a basement asking me whether I had a problem with him, and I told him I don't just a problem with the way he and the GM manage things, and they clearly took that to heart because its been brought up to me by them since then. Anyway, he also said that the company is doing well so they're obviously doing something right, which to be screamed of ignorance in regards to addressing current issues.
That mentality was the most frustrating.
I know its you so I dont care what you post, but others will have a hard time believing. And as for the flight, I appreciate the offer but I don't think that would be appropriate for me to accept.
Submitted by jrudolph (user info) at 2008-03-21 20:32:43 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
Donovan,
Someone (don't know who) sent an email to us pointing out your post. Sounded like a customer but I'm not sure.
Submitted by jrudolph (user info) at 2008-03-21 20:30:30 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
Donovan (And others)
Donovan is NOT a dick. He is a well liked guy. He tells it like he sees it. I don't agree with everything that he sees but he has some good observations. He was righteously choked when he wrote his initial post. He is right about some stuff. As for high turnover, we actually track that stuff. For some very good reasons we have had higher turnover compared to the carpet side. Compared to the industry we are tons lower. This does not mean that it has been where I would like to see it. The carpet side is 28 years old. Furnace is 17 years old. Developing a cohesive group is really hard. Some of Donovans issues are part of the reason and some are not.
Donovan, I have no idea how to send a smaller pic. The big one sure shows my bad skin eh? I hate that.
Want me to post a pic proving who I am? What would you like?
Submitted by darko (user info) at 2008-03-21 19:40:17 EDT (#)
Ranking: -2
this is all kinds of lame
Submitted by wookie (user info) at 2008-03-21 19:29:38 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
Submitted by jrudolph (user info) at 2008-03-21 17:24:05 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
One more thing...
What's so weird about driving around in a Porsche with the top down in the winter? Driving a snowmobile is way colder. The car is warm inside and it's a cool way to experience the city as it is much quieter in the winter. I am a driving nut. It's pretty common for ADHD people to love driving. I waited for years to get that car (it's almost 5 years old now) and I intend to squeeze as much fun as I can out of it. My wife (She's old too) loves it. We drove to Steamboat Springs topless last month. Except for the hundreds of dead deer in Wyoming it was a blast. Oh, the road food was terrible. Not one decent burrito for over 2000km.
I like bright socks and Mongolian throat singing too. And I have a secret desire (Well it's not a secret anymore is it?) to go to China and eat dogmeat.
Not weird. Just different. I don't want to dress like a woman but I'll bet it's comfortable. My friend Fred is a retired air force radar tech and he says it's great. Fred is not weird, just comfortable. Well, he does get weird when the ushers at his church tell him he can't use the ladies room.
I have another friend that actually changed his name to "Johnathan Lingstone Seagull". People said he was weird too. I kinda like him. Another friend of mine chooses to search dumpsters for a living. He is a trained petrochemical technologist. He sleeps in a tent under power lines. He gave me my favorite pair of shoes. He found them in a dumpster. He would not let me pay for them. People think he's weird too. He's one of the smartest most decent people that I know.
Donovan, I read some of your other posts. I'll bet some people think that you are weird. Welcome to the club. You seem alright to me.
==========================
Awesome.
Submitted by jrudolph (user info) at 2008-03-21 19:22:45 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
There, I posted a pic. Tried for two but don't know how. I noticed that the message area said that this is a serious writers forum. Are we way outside that mandate here? Go find the post named "Proof?"
Sorry about the uber skin flake in the middle of the pic. I tend to shed.
Submitted by DonovanMD (user info) at 2008-03-21 19:21:05 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
Hey John, if you want to post something click on Submit and add the relevant texts. You can only upload one pic at a time, and they have to be resized so as not to stretch the screen.
You're being so nice that it's making me look like a dick. But really though there are issues within the company that need addressing and that will likely never happen while you're posting on internet message boards. Who am I to tell you what to do I guess, but obviously the problems are enough for you to have such a high turnover rate in your furnace division.
Who linked you to this post by the way, someone through the company website? I expected it to be seen by you but not so quickly.
Submitted by jrudolph (user info) at 2008-03-21 19:09:27 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
Doodles. I can post a pic of me in my green lederhosen. I have to figure out how though. Or a pic of me in the Porsche with the POWDER SKI HAT on. I think I might have one with a suit or a tux or something. I'm not comfortable going to most functions in my lederhosen. Wait... I might have one of those...
Bummer about your hearing and speech. My wife accuses me of that all the time.
Submitted by jrudolph (user info) at 2008-03-21 19:00:49 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
Nope. It's not Shenanigans. And yeah, I run the company when I'm not doing volunteer work or working on my plan for global domination. What? I'm supposed to different? Smarter? Better looking? Younger? Skinnier would be nice. And my eyesight is going to the dogs. I meant every word. No joke. I really do want to go to China and try dog. Korea might be even better because they have kimchee to mask the taste if it's gross.
I like the quote at the top of the screen. "I have never let my schooling interfere with my education." - Mark Twain. Very good. I hated school. I think I would like it now though.
Is there an age limit on this site? Am I being subject to ageism? Thats illegal isn't it? I've met a lot of smart 23 year olds. When I was 23 all 50 year olds were stupid old men. Well, not all of them but for sure I knew more than they did.
Dial the number. I won't be able to talk much but I'll confirm that it's me. I'm at my own birthday party. Heck, drop over if you are in town. Call for the address. You'll have to show I.D. if you want to drink though and no 420 on the property, sorry, too many bad memories from drugs. We won't have enough food but there might be some dessert.
Donovan, remember when I saw you last? In the lunchroom right? Proof enough?
Hey, I didn't start the post. I just showed up. I even gave it a +2 rating. I even agree that some of it is true. Everyone knows that idiots rule the world. I plead guilty. The rest of 'em just won't fess up. One day it'll be up to you guys. You'll be amazed. It's the creative smart uber types that end up running the show. That's because they sit around and think. Take lots of pictures of yourself. You'll laugh your heads off in 25 years. Just remember where you came from. Yeah I know Donovan, I do my best but sometimes I just screw right up. How about you?
All the stuff I said about Donovan today is true. No facetious remarks. (I hope I spelled that correctly) Even the plane ticket.
Submitted by Doodles (user info) at 2008-03-21 18:31:27 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
Did it ever occur to you that I might be a deaf mute? Well, did it?
Submitted by DonovanMD (user info) at 2008-03-21 18:25:21 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
Submitted by Doodles (user info) at 2008-03-21 18:19:15 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
The funny thing is i don't get a google response to this psot when I google Alberta Carpet and Furnace Cleaning.
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Google bots only update Uber every few days, might be a week before this post shows up on Google.
Call the number and talk to the guy, it certainly isn't me. You can tell the difference between a 23 and a 50 year old on the phone I imagine.
Submitted by Doodles (user info) at 2008-03-21 18:21:00 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
In short, I call shenanigans
Submitted by Doodles (user info) at 2008-03-21 18:20:26 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
Also that account was made only four hours after the creation of this post.
Submitted by Doodles (user info) at 2008-03-21 18:19:15 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
The funny thing is i don't get a google response to this psot when I google Alberta Carpet and Furnace Cleaning.
Submitted by DonovanMD (user info) at 2008-03-21 17:52:14 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
Submitted by jrudolph (user info) at 2008-03-21 17:27:47 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
Can I post a poem here? I don't quite understand how the site works. It's about homeless people and the guilty rich people that go down to put in their time at the soup kitchen. Not as talented as Donovans writing but not bad for a newbie.
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Comments like this are going to make people think that this is an alter and that I'm just heat whoring for hits, but I swear to God its not. Call the cell number or have Bart IP check to confirm.
See what I mean though, this is the guy who's giving direction to management of his company, which for as nice of a guy as he may be certainly doesn't lend itself well to the day to day running of it.
Submitted by pen_name (user info) at 2008-03-21 17:34:49 EDT (#)
Ranking: -1
*looks over chart*
hmmmm
*nods*
yep. I'm afraid it's shenanigans. you have a week before you will -2 die.
I'm sorry.
Submitted by jrudolph (user info) at 2008-03-21 17:27:47 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
Can I post a poem here? I don't quite understand how the site works. It's about homeless people and the guilty rich people that go down to put in their time at the soup kitchen. Not as talented as Donovans writing but not bad for a newbie.
Submitted by jrudolph (user info) at 2008-03-21 17:24:05 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
One more thing...
What's so weird about driving around in a Porsche with the top down in the winter? Driving a snowmobile is way colder. The car is warm inside and it's a cool way to experience the city as it is much quieter in the winter. I am a driving nut. It's pretty common for ADHD people to love driving. I waited for years to get that car (it's almost 5 years old now) and I intend to squeeze as much fun as I can out of it. My wife (She's old too) loves it. We drove to Steamboat Springs topless last month. Except for the hundreds of dead deer in Wyoming it was a blast. Oh, the road food was terrible. Not one decent burrito for over 2000km.
I like bright socks and Mongolian throat singing too. And I have a secret desire (Well it's not a secret anymore is it?) to go to China and eat dogmeat.
Not weird. Just different. I don't want to dress like a woman but I'll bet it's comfortable. My friend Fred is a retired air force radar tech and he says it's great. Fred is not weird, just comfortable. Well, he does get weird when the ushers at his church tell him he can't use the ladies room.
I have another friend that actually changed his name to "Johnathan Lingstone Seagull". People said he was weird too. I kinda like him. Another friend of mine chooses to search dumpsters for a living. He is a trained petrochemical technologist. He sleeps in a tent under power lines. He gave me my favorite pair of shoes. He found them in a dumpster. He would not let me pay for them. People think he's weird too. He's one of the smartest most decent people that I know.
Donovan, I read some of your other posts. I'll bet some people think that you are weird. Welcome to the club. You seem alright to me.
Submitted by apollo88 (user info) at 2008-03-21 17:23:08 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
how awesome is this?
we've had nearly everything on ubersite now.
suicides, weddings, paedo witch hunts, sex scandals, people being fired, now this!
I LOVE this place.
Submitted by jrudolph (user info) at 2008-03-21 16:44:50 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
Nope, it's not an alter.
Donovan was actually pretty darn good at what he did. Smart too. If I saw things as he sees them I would be angry too. If you look around the net you'll find a few similar postings from me. I don't like to use the same language because it stops me from being creative with words but that's a style issue.
In answer to the big company thing that someone mentioned. We actually have 9 furnace cleaning trucks and around 25 carpet. I don't know if that qualifies us as a nameless faceless corporation. I'm pretty sure that most corps would call "Legal" first and that they would advise me to "Take appropriate legal action yada yada" and for sure they would tell me not to post here! For crying out loud! Some of the folks here are merciless! What about the Ghandi quote? (No, I don't live up to every minute either, people that do that tend to get assassinated and hung on crosses.)
Donovan, I'm not completely sure what the law is on this stuff but I sure would appreciate you removing my company names and trademarks from your post. My wife designed them on our kitchen table years ago and we value them. As much of a dickehead as I may be, some of your friends still work at AFC and ACC and they could use the work.
I remember when I was in school. The jocks liked to pick on the geeks. Back then the geeks were called nerds. Being a long haired sports hater I got sick and tired of the teasing and taunting. People love to pick on the "non-conformers" eh? I decided then that using power and popularity to abuse people was wrong. (Although I do have a great story about the time that I sucker punched Doug Stroyan when he insulted my dad). I also decided that cynicism and negative energy were something to avoid. It looks to me like Donovan sees something that I missed.
Donovan, In Canada it is illegal for me to discuss the affairs of other staff with you. (We have a law referred to as PIPEDA) This may be why you don't have the full info surrounding the circumstances of the other two people that you refered to. There are always two sides to any conversation. You are only aware of one.
What I can say is that some of the stuff that we do in our business does not meet with everyones approval. Morning stretches for example. We hired a trained expert and consulted workers compensation and also did our own research. Our findings were almost 100% positive about this stuff. Heck, some people think that global warming is a lie. On the internet you can find an opposing opinion for anything. So we decided that we would do morning stretches. We discovered that if we did not get all the techs participating that it was impossible to get a majority doing the stretches. The fat guys had the most trouble (I am a fat guy). I have to say, yes we do discourage negative comments on this stuff as it literally brings down the group. As much as hate sports I found that there is value in some aspects of uniformity. So... we have had a HUGE decrease in injuries. Interestingly, most injuries come from people that don't do the stretches with interest. How do i win this one? People say that we don't care about our workers if we don't take fitness initiatives and they say we are despots if we do. Yeah, the stretches are mandatory, people get hurt of they aren't. The stretches are one example. There are others. Oh, and yeah, we are probably just plain wrong about some stuff. I have a habit of screwing up. Been doing it for almost 50 years. You don't wanna know about the nice old lady at the Airport that I swore at then kicked her suitcase... It's a long story. Luckily I got to apologize to her eventually.
So, what about Donovans rant? Some stuff true, some stuff an opinion of his own. I think he misses his wife too.
Donovan, if you need a ticket to Perth I have enough points to give you a free one. I'm not making this offer to shut you up, it's just obvious that you miss her. My son Hannes spent some time there. He's a but nuts. Weird hair, spike in the eyebrow etc. Ooops.. that might be normal in these parts. He sold all his stuff to see if he could hitch hike across Australia to Sidney. Did it in 3 days then had to mooch a place to stay.
Wow. This site is much more than facebook.
Submitted by HellRazer (user info) at 2008-03-21 16:09:25 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
I really hope alot of ppl see this.
Submitted by cocaine (user info) at 2008-03-21 15:41:42 EDT (#)
Ranking: -2
Submitted by Axolotl (user info) at 2008-03-21 14:51:13 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
Whats the answer to the photo.
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or was that an experiment to see how many people would waste a few minutes looking at something you made? just because you're ornery over getting fired from a carpet/furnace cleaning company (HAHA!) doesn't justify having people look at an obviously transsexual black and white photo for an extended period of time. and then not to follow through on your agreement?......now i can see why Rudolf got rid of your ass. Follow-through, Donovan MacDonald.
Follow-through. It's important. You can bitch and wine about being a mistreated employee all you want, but my guess is that you did such a half-assed job (very much like that contest you ran)that the company felt you were easily expendable.
Submitted by Axolotl (user info) at 2008-03-21 14:51:13 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
Whats the answer to the photo.
Submitted by AsshOly (user info) at 2008-03-21 13:42:38 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
Submitted by DonovanMD (user info) at 2008-03-21 13:11:34 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
Submitted by dithered (user info) at 2008-03-21 12:52:33 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
Submitted by DonovanMD (user info) at 2008-03-21 12:37:05 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
Btw, it's pretty crazy to actually post a cell phone number on Uber.
_____________________
Dude, you've posted your full name and a prior employer all in this one post.
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I suppose so. Emails or phone calls to a business seems a lot less intrusive than a personal phone number. Either way, Ubers a lot tamer than it used to be, I doubt anyone will make any calls.
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SOUNDS LIKE A WAGER TO ME
Submitted by DonovanMD (user info) at 2008-03-21 13:12:22 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
I also posted my full name because if I posted other peoples full names, I thought it would be wrong to not post my own.
Submitted by DonovanMD (user info) at 2008-03-21 13:11:34 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
Submitted by dithered (user info) at 2008-03-21 12:52:33 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
Submitted by DonovanMD (user info) at 2008-03-21 12:37:05 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
Btw, it's pretty crazy to actually post a cell phone number on Uber.
_____________________
Dude, you've posted your full name and a prior employer all in this one post.
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I suppose so. Emails or phone calls to a business seems a lot less intrusive than a personal phone number. Either way, Ubers a lot tamer than it used to be, I doubt anyone will make any calls.
Submitted by Shlongy (user info) at 2008-03-21 12:52:54 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
I think it qualifies as a "Pissed @ Work" post.
Submitted by dithered (user info) at 2008-03-21 12:52:33 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
Submitted by DonovanMD (user info) at 2008-03-21 12:37:05 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
Btw, it's pretty crazy to actually post a cell phone number on Uber.
_____________________
Dude, you've posted your full name and a prior employer all in this one post.
Submitted by Bundaberg (user info) at 2008-03-21 12:40:23 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
Is this the ultimate bored at work post?
Submitted by DonovanMD (user info) at 2008-03-21 12:37:05 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
Btw, it's pretty crazy to actually post a cell phone number on Uber. Isn't this the same site that stalked down Shlongy? And the whole Eric Rice pedophile story exploded because of people on this site. I've only been here a few years but internet stalkers ftw.
Submitted by DonovanMD (user info) at 2008-03-21 12:27:41 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
That JRudolph sounds like John Rudolph, the owner of the company I mentioned in the first few paragraphs, based on the way he talks, it's not an alter. Have Bart check the IP's.
I'll be honest that I had few interactions with him as well, but it's his company and problems get placed on him. What made me laugh the most when I was leaving the company was the GM asking me not to slag the company once I left because it wouldn't be the right thing to do. Why the hell wouldn't I when things went the way they did? So yah I was angered and unlike other former employees who just disappear never to be heard from again I don't need their reference, so I don't really give a fuck what I say about them.
I just scratched the surface here on the things that employees are having a hard time living with. The dislike current employees have for the company is whats making nearly everyone but the old, old timers look for other work. And the fact management doesn't seem to give a shit is what's laughable. They'll continue to have high turnover rather than making some small adjustments to make things better. Some of these adjustments would just be to pull the company in line with Alberta Labour standards.
So yah, I was pissed when I wrote this, but the bulk of it is not just opinion, but fact about how the company operates. It's either ignorance of complete disregard that management continues to basically say fuck off to employees when it comes to issues like service calls and overtime. They unfairly take money out of employees pockets.
No reason to call you John, not much for me to say. But you can email me at DonovanMD.at.gmail.com if theres something you want to say outside of Uber. I just used this site as my route to rant. I write when I'm angry and this is what poured out when I got home Thursday.
-Donovan MacDonald
Submitted by orphelia (user info) at 2008-03-21 10:26:03 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
No, not two below, but that jrudolph guy. Alter? ODD.
Submitted by orphelia (user info) at 2008-03-21 10:24:16 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
WTF? Two below. Jesus.
Submitted by Jeanneee (user info) at 2008-03-21 10:23:56 EDT (#)
Ranking: 1
Sounds like a total sweatshop. I'm glad I live in America where all large corporations are completely honest and up-front in their dealings, and they also make their employees' well-being a top priority.
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA JUST KIDDING FUCK THEM ALL
Submitted by Shlongy (user info) at 2008-03-21 10:14:39 EDT (#)
Ranking: -2
What the fuck is THIS below?
Who's calling him first?
Submitted by jrudolph (user info) at 2008-03-21 09:54:25 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
Wow. Here I am on Ubersite. Why hasn't anyone told me about this place before? Maybe its because I'm old. Just turned 50 last Sunday actually. But I have had a Mac since 1984, is that worth something? I loved the first thing that I read when I checked out the site. "We must become the change we want to see in the world" - Gandhi This site looks like the kind of place where very bright people hang out. I marched in the first Greenpeace march back in the day and hung out with real live hippies and did a lot of drugs for a few years before figuring out that drugs kill people (Like a few good friends of mine) and that I wanted to have a mess of kid. We went into cleaning because I figured that it was a service that people would always need and I could not really do school because I had not yet learned about my learning disability (ADHD).
Donovan, we only met twice. Both times I thought that you were a nice young man. I'm sorry that your experience with me has turned sour. You seem to be quite hurt. I feel terrible for that. Call me any time at 780-499-5646 and I would be glad to discuss any issues that you have. I started the business with my wife when we were 23 years old, we never intended to be "The man". We actually want to be the kind of company that allows people like me (High school education, and barely graduated) have a chance to make a decent living. We have grown a lot. It is inevitable that any employer will screw up just as some employees screw up. I'm pretty sure that there are other angry former employees out there too. On the flipside, we've got a lot of very positive former employees too. I'm sorry that we let you down.
For those readers that think that Donovan is some kind of bitter weirdo, he's not. I just really angered him. He's a pretty nice guy when he's not choked.
P.S. - I've looked around this site a bit. I wish we had the internet when I was 23.
P.S.S. - If anyone else reading this would like to meet me or correspond with me please call me at the number above. It's my cell phone.
P.S.S. - It's not a touque. It's a powder skiing hat from MEC. I hate touques. My mom made me wear one. For our American friends that have no idea what we are talking about go to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tuque
P.S.S.S. - Donovan, you an amazing writer. You got a few facts wrong though.
Submitted by AsshOly (user info) at 2008-03-21 04:20:07 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
Submitted by pen_name (user info) at 2008-03-21 02:45:46 EDT (#)
Ranking: -1
Submitted by Shlongy (user info) at 2008-03-21 00:04:07 EDT (#)
Ranking: -2
For starting a post with some BS about a furnace company and thinking I would keep reading, chief.
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Submitted by pen_name (user info) at 2008-03-21 02:43:55 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
Submitted by apollo88 (user info) at 2008-03-20 19:53:05 EDT (#)
Ranking: -2
for not giving the photo answer
Submitted by orphelia (user info) at 2008-03-21 04:05:17 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
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Submitted by apollo88 (user info) at 2008-03-20 23:53:05 GMT (#)
Ranking: -2
for not giving the photo answer
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There was no answer. Right?...
Submitted by pen_name (user info) at 2008-03-21 02:45:46 EDT (#)
Ranking: -1
Submitted by Shlongy (user info) at 2008-03-21 00:04:07 EDT (#)
Ranking: -2
For starting a post with some BS about a furnace company and thinking I would keep reading, chief.
Submitted by pen_name (user info) at 2008-03-21 02:43:55 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
Submitted by apollo88 (user info) at 2008-03-20 19:53:05 EDT (#)
Ranking: -2
for not giving the photo answer
Submitted by SPECIALk (user info) at 2008-03-21 00:31:22 EDT (#)
Ranking: 1
Submitted by Berty (user info) at 2008-03-17 10:52:04 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
I reckon maybe nothing is wrong with the picture other than that it is from olden times and you just said there was something 'wrong' with it to fuck with people's heads.
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you totally owe berty 50 bucks.
Submitted by Shlongy (user info) at 2008-03-21 00:04:07 EDT (#)
Ranking: -2
Did I win your gay contest?
Submitted by DonovanMD (user info) at 2008-03-20 21:11:48 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
I'm moving to Australia shortly, my wife is there right now so the only reason I've been here is to work and save money while waiting on visa confirmation anyway. So if they want to try and locate me and sue me from another country, bring it on. The expenses would be hilarious.
I've also contemplated buying AlbertaFurnaceCleaningSucks.ca and posting a similiar rant. My html and web skills suck though.
Submitted by Unwell (user info) at 2008-03-20 21:08:42 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
Excellent rant, as far as rants go. Thank your Canadian flag you don't live in America where you would be sued for slander and defamation of character.
Submitted by Bundaberg (user info) at 2008-03-20 21:03:38 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
Hey this site is all about bitching about employers right? I mean Bored at Work and all?
I say Fuck em.
Submitted by DonovanMD (user info) at 2008-03-20 20:32:51 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
Submitted by dithered (user info) at 2008-03-20 19:22:50 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
Wouldn't it be a shame if someone went to this webpage:
http://www.albertafurnacecleaning.ca/component/option,com_contact/Itemid,3/
...and submitted this post?
Nay, shame isn't the word. 'Appropriate' is.
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Feel free.
Note the word FORMER in the subject line.
Submitted by apollo88 (user info) at 2008-03-20 19:53:05 EDT (#)
Ranking: -2
for not giving the photo answer
Submitted by Doodles (user info) at 2008-03-20 19:51:37 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
I really should -2 you for your shenanigans, but I won't for my love of electro. Also for this post, but mostly the electro thing.
Submitted by dithered (user info) at 2008-03-20 19:22:50 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
Wouldn't it be a shame if someone went to this webpage:
http://www.albertafurnacecleaning.ca/component/option,com_contact/Itemid,3/
...and submitted this post?
Nay, shame isn't the word. 'Appropriate' is.
Submitted by forensicgirl3 (user info) at 2008-03-20 19:17:36 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
Hahahaha good one!
Sheesh, talk about over-analyzing! I thought "fuck you, Uber" was more of a taunt, as in we'll never figure it out.
Submitted by DonovanMD (user info) at 2008-03-20 19:13:55 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
Yah he'll see it, who doesn't google their own name now a days? And certainly the owner of a company would be googling his business.
Oh and there was no answer to the contest, I was just fucking with you guys. See the image title of the "answer post"
Submitted by forensicgirl3 (user info) at 2008-03-20 19:11:20 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
I hope that guy sees this. He'll shit a brick.
Incidently, what was the answer to the photo puzzle? Did I miss it or have you not revealed it yet?
Submitted by Creepy_guy (user info) at 2008-03-20 19:03:55 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
I'm moving to Edmonton in about four months. I shall keep my eyes open for these people... We have a few places in Saskatoon that operate like this as well.
Submitted by sideshow (user info) at 2008-03-20 18:54:02 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
Good post! Thanks for the tips.....I live in Calgary, but I don't plan on getting any ducting or carpets cleaned....To clean my carpets, I'll go to Safeway and rent a carpet steamer...