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First time I've walked off a job

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Easiest way around that is to save the numbers of people you don’t wish to work for as “do not answer” its saved me a lot of time as if you shrug off and forget, it can come back to bite you. One lady years ago rang me for a quote on cleaning out gutters and cleaning conny roof, spent about half an hour on the phone to her answering endless questions. Booked it in. Then she cancelled the appointment a day or so before.
Then about 6 months later she phoned again wanting to talk about another job she may want doing. i hadn’t logged the number in my phone book and took me a little while to put one and one together. More endless correspondence with no end result.
when the phone rings and the screen says “do not answer” you’ll be thankful you did it





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I have them down as spam 1, 2 , 3 etc  :1f603:

 
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This is very simple, there is no need to make up excuses. I would have just said...

"it is going to take about an hour and a half and because you have indicated that you are going to try to under pay me then I am going to have to insist you pay before I start."

 
I find moments like this pretty funny actually. Last year I had a customer of about 2 years ask me to clean his bungalows soffits/fascias/gutters. He wanted them cleaning inside and out, truly whitening up (not just a quick clean...) So I gave him a price, he happily agreed, turned up on the date we arranged and he said "my daughter said £20 or less if possible mate?". I literally laughed and said I'm ever so sorry but if that's the case, this just isn't worth my time (I charged him nowhere near £20...!). Fortunately I hadn't started but I did go out my way to get over to him (he lives a couple miles away from where I was actually working the rest of the day). Since then, he's never asked for any other work apart from his monthly window clean, and that's totally fine by me :D
Sometimes you just have to hold your tongue and crack on, and not let yourself get a bad rep just because someone upset you.

Note: only a few months ago his daughter called me out the blue and asked for a price to clean her 4 bed detached upvc (she's not a window cleaning customer)- she paid full price and was overwhelmed with how well it came out [emoji39][emoji28]

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I've been known to do a Norman Collier impersonation over the phone when I don't want to speak to someone. ?

* for those who are too young to remember him, he was a comedian who had a microphone that kept turning on and off when on stage.
Sorry for the delayed response @Tuffers memory like a sieve probably why i can't remember Norman Collier, You can't be much older than me as I'm 43

 
First time since I started that comments from a cusomer made me think screw this I'm off. Did a ladys gutters plus Windows ages ago and the old lady next door asked how much and for my card. Calls me last week to book in. I turn up today and knock door just to saying there and getting started. She says "it will take you longer today than when you did next door cos it's humid" the alarm bells start going. It's not humid atall and anyway what difference she thinks that would make I don't know. Anyway I say no bout hour and half same as next door. She says" for that price I expect you here all afternoon. " now I'm thinking I don't fancy this. I said don't worry however long it takes it will look great for you. The final straw was well if you do a great job I will pay you the full price. I walked back to van thought should I get kit out. Nah perk of being self employed I decide who i work for and this ain't the way i work! I knocked door made a stupid excuse about having to dash off and drove off. Some people have odd ideas how business works!
I think your customer alert radar is working just fine, would of done exactly same. As for comments from other members as to how you made your exit,excuse etc,are great in hindsight, but circumstances at the time its happening is sometimes different!!!.

Haven,t we all said F**** this at some time or another........lots of times though we do not carry it through and walk, and end up doing the task  and regretting it because of the hassle.

 
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As well as is dodgy microphone gag, I also remember him with a piece of perspex with an handle on it and pretended it was his car window and winding it up and down having a row with the "driver" next to him. Seventies comedians so much to answer for.


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