Money talks. Home Depot owns ChemDry now which has been awarded the platinum rating in the CRI Seal of Approval program. The Rug Doctor rental machine for the do-it-yourself trade also has purchased the platinum CRI badge. Looking at the Certified Service Provider list, the franchises (ChemDry, Duraclean, Guaranteed, Millicare, Mohawk, Rainbow, Sears, ServiceMaster, Stanley Steemer, Zero Rez) make up more than two thirds of the CRI list.
Big carpet mills, with warranties that smack of collusion, want CRI and IICRC (both non-profit third parties) to control the cleaning industry so they can control the warranties. If an "independent" third party says the warranty is void, it sure takes the heat off of the mills. And a nice side benefit to CRI and IICRC is that guppies like you and me will pay them for the rest of our business lives for the privilege of working.
Between big box stores, cheap rental machines, pushy franchises and the added costs of paying into a protection racket, will there be any business or profit for the independent carpet cleaner in the future? Not unless we stand up and take back our industry from the insidious movement that is currently under a full head of steam.
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