Frustrating customers!

[bryyy2104]

So I really can't understand some people, and it does my head in a bit tbh.

I had a agreed a price with a customer to clean her house and two others next door. It was a family run farm so the other two houses were her parents, and then her brother. We agreed the price and I had already cleaned it a few times when she asked if I could clean a few inside windows for her, which I did.

I charged a small amount extra just to get a text later asking if there would always be an extra charge for inside windows going forward. I explained that yes, there would be. She wasn't happy about this expecting the extra work to be included in the price originally agreed! So I said that I have to charge for my time as I am making a living.

She wasn't happy about that, and ended up dropping me. She said that the price was going up too much, to which I replied that the price had remained the same, she was asking me to do extra work. She still wanted to leave it, which I must admit I was pretty relieved about, as she had been messing me around and was pretty demanding. I also think I had slightly underpriced the original job.

I just can't believe how some people think. Do they really believe that we will work an extra few hours for free? Or that all extra work is included in an original price where it wasn't even mentioned? I'm glad to be rid of her!!

 

[PC]

Sounds like you’re glad be shot of her mate
You will always get them from time to time!

 

[Marko067]

I probably get two or three new start-ups per year that turn out to be time wasters. It is frustrating but you just have to accept it is going to happen whilst you find the solid customers.

Sometimes the bad ones are not the ones you feel may be troublesome at the start. Last year I had two new start-ups that I felt were going to be 'iffy' customers for various reasons from the get-go but turned out to be good customers.

However, a third couple that seemed great when I first met them turned out to be real time wasters. I never got paid, even for the first clean. Having engaged me to clean them every four weeks, they ended our agreement after the first clean, assuring me it wasn't a problem with my work, and promised to pay for it. The reason they gave for terminating my service was some absolutely ridiculous excuse regarding a dry muddy patch on their front footpath that had absolutely nothing to do with me. It was a hot dry day when i'd cleaned them and they had artificial grass at the front so it wasn't as if I'd traipsed mud from the lawn to the path on my shoes.

After numerous polite exchanges between us and promises of payment by 'such and such' a date etc, I realised I was just wasting my time and wrote the account off.

 

[spruce]

The reserve bank commented the other day that there are 3 million households that are going to see their mortgages rise, some by as much as 50%. We have also been threatened by another interest rate rise as inflation has unexpectedly gone up to 4%.
I expect we will find more slow payers and non payers in the months to come.

We decided when the credit crunch of 2008 hit, that we wouldn't let anyone's debt go to 2 months like we used to.

I got paid today by one well overdue account, but doubt we will get another that hasn't been paid since November last year.

 

[spruce]

The reserve bank commented the other day that there are 3 million households that are going to see their mortgages rise, some by as much as 50%. We have also been threatened by another interest rate rise as inflation has unexpectedly gone up to 4%.
I expect we will find more slow payers and non payers in the months to come.

We decided when the credit crunch of 2008 hit, that we wouldn't let anyone's debt go to 2 months like we used to.

I got paid today by one well overdue account, but doubt we will get another that hasn't been paid since November last year.

Sorry, I meant 2 cleans, not 2 months.

 

[THL4KEL]

Things are going to get a lot tougher once the next government takes office... That 50 percent increase is going to make it extremely hard for people... Odd how the main stream news haven't mentioned it but I read about it a few days back online.

 

[Scrubsy]

@bryyy2104 @Marko067 I'm the same. I get the odd ones who I think will probably cancel after 1 or 2 cleans, and they turn out to be good as gold. Other times it's the reverse. One the other week "if I get my my karcher out the shed will you wash the patio? I'll make you a cup of tea and Mr Kipling apple pie for it". Needless to say I made my excuses when I wanted to say "no I f*cking won't". I'm sure some people think you're in the scouts on bob-a-job day. No concept at all that you don't sit at home just waiting for them to ring. I've just taken on two neighbours. One referred me to the other. The second one (referral) was fine and no bother, the original one I can tell is going to be a weird one. Next clean he wants us to clean the insides of the frame openings themselves, all the little grooves. Never been asked that before. While we were there he kept arguing with his wife in front of us about all sorts. Me and my wife work together alot now, and she can't believe some of the weird and odd people we meet

 

[Iron Giant]

The reserve bank commented the other day that there are 3 million households that are going to see their mortgages rise, some by as much as 50%. We have also been threatened by another interest rate rise as inflation has unexpectedly gone up to 4%.
I expect we will find more slow payers and non payers in the months to come.

We decided when the credit crunch of 2008 hit, that we wouldn't let anyone's debt go to 2 months like we used to.

I got paid today by one well overdue account, but doubt we will get another that hasn't been paid since November last year.

I don't think in all my years I have known the issues we all face now with price rises across the board and the state the UK is in we are in one big black hole with no sign of light it feels.

One clean is all I'm letting some go to and the ones that I have had to send multiple texts every month and swallowed the chasing when I shouldn't have for so long, have all now been dropped, I had for years been quite hardline on GoCardless payments and I let that go here and there over the years for the odd job but after recent events, not a chance is that going to happen moving forward.

 

[Bell Pallisey]

the real bar-stewards are thy who have no intentions of paying from the start. Of course they are gushingly friendly till theyve had the clean,,,. i had one a while ago , he has a business , normally id let it go....but not this one ...... my revenge will cost him dearly

 

[bryyy2104]

It's good to know I'm not the only one who gets this. It's cheered me up a bit, even though it makes my blood boil that we have to put up with this.
I expect with time I'll get better at sussing out the weird ones nice and early, but at the moment I'm still just amazed at how people's minds work.

 

[bryyy2104]

the real bar-stewards are thy who have no intentions of paying from the start. Of course they are gushingly friendly till theyve had the clean,,,. i had one a while ago , he has a business , normally id let it go....but not this one ...... my revenge will cost him dearly

Yeah, these are the worst. The ones who just clinically plan to rip you off. It's just wrong!
I'd be tempted to turn up on their doorstep at 6am on a Sunday morning... I can be petty like that

 

[Iron Giant]

It's good to know I'm not the only one who gets this. It's cheered me up a bit, even though it makes my blood boil that we have to put up with this.
I expect with time I'll get better at sussing out the weird ones nice and early, but at the moment I'm still just amazed at how people's minds work.

What you've dealt with is expected as a rarity it's part of business I had to deal with this https://windowcleaningforums.co.uk/threads/customer-started-a-social-media-witch-hunt.39182/

 

[Bell Pallisey]

What you've dealt with is expected as a rarity it's part of business I had to deal with this https://windowcleaningforums.co.uk/threads/customer-started-a-social-media-witch-hunt.39182/

has that died down ,like yesterdays chip papers?

 

[THL4KEL]

You never know what's round the corner with any of them... A great on time payer for many years can all of a sudden become a right PIA....

 

[bryyy2104]

What you've dealt with is expected as a rarity it's part of business I had to deal with this https://windowcleaningforums.co.uk/threads/customer-started-a-social-media-witch-hunt.39182/

I did read through this the other day, but got interrupted before I could say anything.
Horrible situation to be in mate, I really hope it dies down quickly, and without too many taking any notice!

 

[Marko067]

...One the other week "if I get my my karcher out the shed will you wash the patio? I'll make you a cup of tea and Mr Kipling apple pie for it"...

Had a similar one years ago who said he'd buy me a pint if the next time I came round I would slap a quick lick of paint on his soffit & facia boards (back & front, 3 bed mid terraced house) while I was up the ladder. They were in such poor condition there was at the very least two or three days work for a single trader. I felt like saying "What planet are you from."

 

[Yogi1872]

I don't mind doing extra bits for the ones I know aren't going to take the ****, if it's just one or 2 windows I don't take anything, it does annoy me when they don't offer any extra though. You tend to know the ones who will offer to pay extra and the ones who just expect it to be done for nothing before you even do them.

 

[Iron Giant]

I did read through this the other day, but got interrupted before I could say anything.
Horrible situation to be in mate, I really hope it dies down quickly, and without too many taking any notice!

It's done me more good than harm, I had one mate comment on my post who knows me and my wife really well and he said a decent amount about the type of people me and my wife are, he is very well known locally and as a fellow business owner has an excellent reputation I think people will have taken that on board as well as other people commenting and a fellow member and mate of here saying he'd have plastered there name all over and I'd handled it better,

Also it gave me a kick up the a$$ to post more on FB and ask for reviews etc which I think will have helped me.

 

[Iron Giant]

has that died down ,like yesterdays chip papers?

For me it has, as to whether the witch has kept it going at all since the other week I don't know and don't care.