I think most people with the squeaky chain are unaware that you don't have to clean it to make it quiet, you just need to add a little oil. That's been my experience.

EDIT: A lot of times they think they need to clean the whole chain to get rid of the squeak, that's why they never quite get around to it. Once they know they can just drop some oil on the chain they never have a squeaky chain again - you think it's annoying for you, it's even worse for them! :-)