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Dilema on paint

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HWCS

HWCS

Well-known member
Messages
1,130
Location
North Norfolk
Went to clean a barn conversion yestetday and after having the barn painted all the winndows are coverd in paint spots (really badly)

The customer says i havnt cleand satisfactory as paint is still on window and refusing to pay.ill take this one om the chin if i have to.

BUT

What do i do in the future, i tried to explain that for all paint to be removed would take hours and would be very labour intensive but she is saying me, your a window cleaner, why havnt you cleaned the windows!!

What would you more experienced guys do/say?

 
You explain those windows are not dirty, they’re damaged. Most folk, in my experience, don’t expect you to remove paint marks so she’s probably a messer. Best to check over windows before you start, but we all forget to do this. Also, some folk find it useful to, in quotes and messages, describe it as a window ‘wash’ rather than a ‘clean’ to manage expectations. Sorry your having to deal with this. 

 
Sometimes you just have to let these customers go. All I would say is it is my job to clean any marks that will wash off. Unfortunately you've employed a painter that wasn't very good and you need to call them back to remove the paint, as this is part of their job, not part of mine. 

I would insist on payment, also, if you want to, I would give her a quote to remove the paint to give her an idea of what it entails. 

If she is like this I doubt she'll be a long term customer. 

 
Removing dirt is  what a window cleaner does remove dirt , paint cement sticky labels etc is a builders clean and charged accordingly, I would suggest she gets the decorators back to clean up there mess or I would charge her for a builders clean , if she won’t accept that I would dump the job . 

 
Same advice as the other guys - tell her that you washed the windows, removing paint is the decorators final clear up job. If you're happy to to do it for her, with an Unger glass scraper or similar, explain to her that it'll cost more but advise her to get the decorator back to do it, as it won't cost her.

Although, round here, I know that there are decorators that tell customers that it's the window cleaner's job. Just laziness.

If she refuses to pay, then tell her you'll take her to the small claims court which will incur additional fees.

 
Window cleaning is cleaning away dirt - just like vacuuming the carpet. If someone has paint on the carpet they wouldn't expect that to come out with a hoover so why expect a window cleaner to remove paint from windows?

If she knew you were WFP when booking you then that's her problem. 14 days to pay or it's a small claim would be my answer. You've done your bit it's not your fault the windows were damaged by someone else. She knew the paint was there, she's actively chosen to leave it long enough that it would be difficult to remove. Unless she explicitly asked you to remove the paint it's not your problem.

I always say to people that bits of paint won't shift with my WFP. Most don't care "just do the best you can" they say (I love those words - so stress free!).

 
If the paint was on when you quoted then you should have made them aware that you don't clean up after other trades there and then, if the painting was done in between the quote and the first clean then if they were at home I would have spoken to the owner and made them aware of what I don't clean or straight on the phone and let them know.

It's on my website that I don't clean up after other trades and new sign up's are given a link to the page and advised to read all the information so they know what service I provide, had one today cement on the window from the builders next door so I texted the client making her aware of the cement and that I made no attempt to remove it as I don't carry the tools and there is a potential risk of the glass been damaged, which she was totally fine with and I wasn't telling the builders in case they made a bodge job of removing it and i ended up getting the blame for a damaged unit. 

 
Update:

She paid the bill today and asked for a quote to clean the glass.

Ive quoted £150 to clean 3 doors and 5 windows as i think it will be 1/2 days work.

Shes sending my quote to decorators and asking the to return to clean it all off or pay for the clean, ive said ill need her to pay me on completion as i wont bill the decorators.

Will update with the outcome.

 
HWCS said:
Update:

She paid the bill today and asked for a quote to clean the glass.

Ive quoted £150 to clean 3 doors and 5 windows as i think it will be 1/2 days work.

Shes sending my quote to decorators and asking the to return to clean it all off or pay for the clean, ive said ill need her to pay me on completion as i wont bill the decorators.

Will update with the outcome.
Click to expand...
That's cracking, what you say to her?

 
It often helps to have a template for new enquiries that you can just copy and paste each time. Something like.

“Hi, thanks for your enquiry, when were the windows last cleaned? Is there access to the rear of the property via a side gate?is there adequate parking for a large transit van on the street or on the driveway? are the windows double glazed with UPVC or aluminium frames? 

If yes and pvc, is the plastic still nice and white or has it turned a dull grey colour?

If there is any paint/glue/cement/plaster/render etc on them you will need to find a builders cleaning specialist”

Thanks

This will weed out 90% of jobs you’d rather avoid before you even get in the van to go and have a look.

Doing a quick google earth check never hurts either but its not too accurate or effective as an app

 
Incheck said:
It often helps to have a template for new enquiries that you can just copy and paste each time. Something like.

“Hi, thanks for your enquiry, when were the windows last cleaned? Is there access to the rear of the property via a side gate?is there adequate parking for a large transit van on the street or on the driveway? are the windows double glazed with UPVC or aluminium frames? 

If yes and pvc, is the plastic still nice and white or has it turned a dull grey colour?

If there is any paint/glue/cement/plaster/render etc on them you will need to find a builders cleaning specialist”

Thanks

This will weed out 90% of jobs you’d rather avoid before you even get in the van to go and have a look.

Doing a quick google earth check never hurts either but its not too accurate or effective as an app
Click to expand...
Photo quotes via Fb or whatsapp along with the first line of address, only recently got whatsapp business and not done any quotes via it yet and had the plugin installed on my website, I have swiftkey app on my phone and I can write a previously written message in seconds as it stores your previously written words and sentences so pops up like predictive text 

 
Last edited by a moderator:
Iron Giant said:
If the paint was on when you quoted then you should have made them aware that you don't clean up after other trades there and then, if the painting was done in between the quote and the first clean then if they were at home I would have spoken to the owner and made them aware of what I don't clean or straight on the phone and let them know.

It's on my website that I don't clean up after other trades and new sign up's are given a link to the page and advised to read all the information so they know what service I provide, had one today cement on the window from the builders next door so I texted the client making her aware of the cement and that I made no attempt to remove it as I don't carry the tools and there is a potential risk of the glass been damaged, which she was totally fine with and I wasn't telling the builders in case they made a bodge job of removing it and i ended up getting the blame for a damaged unit. 
Click to expand...
Thought I would update this as what I am about to tell you made me wince, I went and cleaned the clients house yesterday and she came out part way through writing out a cheque and said ooh what's that on the glass, I told her it was the cement I texted her about last time, ballpoint pen in hand she scrapes if off the glass leaving two small but bad scratches in the glass then proudly says I quickly got that off, I don't think she saw the scratches ?

 

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