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Yes I hear what you are saying , just don’t think it’s right being bullied into not doing a job, as you are then letting customers down beacause of these people , but if you arnt bothered then it’s fine
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Cleaning upstairs flat.
- Thread starter Derek1971
- Start date
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A win/win situation is what you're after... keeping everyone's rattles safely inside respective prams
A) Rinse below windows ('cos is does make them dirter, as your run off is dirty (trial at home to see the effect)
B) Include below windows and just absorb/swallow the extra time
C) Explain situ to your custy and see if they will swallow a £ hike to cover downstairs - proper/cursory clean
D) Offer to clean below - for 'just' the extra time costs i.e at a discount
E) Explain situ to your custy and ask them if they can have a quiet word to their neigboiur and seek a resolution
F) Ask downstairs for their input/suggestion as to a resolution
F) Only do the job when it's already raining ? (my favourite cheeky but neat solution)
A) Rinse below windows ('cos is does make them dirter, as your run off is dirty (trial at home to see the effect)
B) Include below windows and just absorb/swallow the extra time
C) Explain situ to your custy and see if they will swallow a £ hike to cover downstairs - proper/cursory clean
D) Offer to clean below - for 'just' the extra time costs i.e at a discount
E) Explain situ to your custy and ask them if they can have a quiet word to their neigboiur and seek a resolution
F) Ask downstairs for their input/suggestion as to a resolution
F) Only do the job when it's already raining ? (my favourite cheeky but neat solution)
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brianbadonde
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I’ve had this problem before. I don’t do upstairs flats for this reason. Although I would if downstairs were having theirs cleaned too. I personally think when you clean the upstairs windows you are getting the dirt to drip off them; this is going to splash on downstairs. You could in theory just rinse downstairs with pure which would leave them in the same state they were in before, but I simply don’t want the hassle. I think you are better off targeting houses.
brianbadonde
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The other train of thought I have heard of is it is between the flats occupants to discuss between themselves ie it’s not your problem. This isn’t my way of doing things, just an alternative viewpoint.
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I don't think they would have come out to you, the might have thought there was an eclipse and came out but not about the windows
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I you inferring I'm some big horrible lump ? I've always thought I never get threatened because I'm nice natured ?
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Not at all mate, you're a very nice chap
But, people are instantly intimated or not by size, a mate of mine told some kids off years ago after they had picked on his daughter one of the relatives came around and started having a go at him verbally at the time he was digging foundations as it got a tad heated he then stepped up out of the trench to reveal he was over 6ft 5" they very quickly clammed up and turned on their heels. ?
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Quite a few years ago I was driving the Wife's car, a Fiesta, as she was dropping me off at the pub. A young lad carved me up really badly on a roundabout so I blasted the horn, both he and his passenger gave me the finger.
I wasn't too enamored by this so started to follow them. When they got to traffic lights in the town the passenger jumped out of the car and started to walk towards the car, when I jumped out when he saw me he ran and jumped back into the car and they drove off through the red lights ?
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Your right the police wouldn’t have been able to charge them, but I feel immediately responding to the threat would at least show you won’t play ball. If they came out and started threatening BT workers or some other lads for a big corporation, what would happen? The police would get called and the job would carry on. Their threatening the lad as they feel he’s just himself and they can get away with it. Call the police and carry on. And inform the customers, good chance is they are already problem causers.
I had this last year. Have a street of flats where I clean maybe half of them. Being going for a while. One day a downstairs neighbour starts screaming expletives at me as I’m dirtying her windows. Her windows where think with dirt, they hadn’t been cleaned in a number of years. Had the boyfriend out threatening me and right up in my face. I asked him to move back due to covid, and he proceed to cough on me. I didn’t call the police. I just ‘maned up’ and cracked on. That was a mistake. Turns out they are the bane of the street. Landlord was desperately trying to evict them, she was having late night parties all through lockdown and the police had been out numerous times to her and her boyfriend (who didn’t live there) fighting. Yes they wouldn’t have been able to do anything about the threat. But 1. It would be been logged, furthering the landlords case and 2. It would have shown them I wasn’t getting pushed about & was above their childish behaviour.
Maybe I’m wrong. But I do feel no one should feel threatened by others into not making a living, or not carrying out a job.
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In my experience anyone that is going to do something won't forewarn you before they do it. I'm a big bloke and my son is bigger so we tend not to be threatened. However I had many a battle on a rugby pitch and smiling to anyone that threatened me tended to show them I wasn't scared of their threats.
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Yes this is very true, it’s all bark no bite so to speak.
I think their being two of you also helps. Haven’t had any problems since I took on the lad that works with me, but that could just be coincidence. At 6ft I’m no small fry, but I certainly would be next to you! Any chance I can give you a ring next time I have issues and you pop up & show some face? ?
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- Messages
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How much can you charge for 5 windows and a door???
Thankfully we only have 2 upstairs flats on our round, one of them the guy beneath has green sills and surrounds, and can't actually see out!!!, so he's not too bothered, and the other one the guy beneath is fine about it as long as I don't mind also doing his 2/3 times a year if he's home to pay me, and he gives me unimpeded access to his back garden and code to his padlock which I need to do the flat above ?
We just think its better to resolve the problem with communication before it becomes an issue, and if it's going to be an issue just walk away, but each to there own.
That is exactly what I charge for both of them!!!, lol, I normally work on a £10 minimum charge, but there both ppl I know personally, one of them since school, so I had to them both a little better price.
Yeah. I was going to have a minimum price of £10. I still do mostly. But I have one or two exceptions. I have one lady who's tiny front only terraced I do for £5 she's a hard working single mum, currently on furlough from the pub restaurant trade but she's also a family friend. I do it in two to three minutes while my son goes down a short walkway on the opposite side of the cul-de-sac to do another small front only for £8. I'd only be stood idle by the van if I didn’t do hers. By the time I've done hers and put my kit away I'm ready to reel my son in while he walks back. We also do one easy to reach Velux on a garage roof for another lady for £5 for a minute or two, it's right beside the van and close to other work. She doesn't want her house done. We aim to be mostly close to top end but fair with pricing. But as I said we do have a couple of exceptions.
It's definitely not a habit I'd get into or build a round on though. We look for lucrative, quick work in areas where people have the means and the mentality to pay good professional rates. That's key to our business. It could be so easy to go the cheap and run ragged route if not careful.
