Call out charge for customer no show?

[steele]

I had a job booked today, was going to be the last job of the day, a quick 3 panel glass roof, £60 in and out. It was arranged that I'd be there today between 2-4pm. Although it was only a 10 minute drive from the previous job, it is one of the furthest areas I cover, probably 10 miles out.

So I turned up at 3pm and no one is home, call all the numbers and send an email. I wait 5 mins then leave an invoice as a calling card and charged them £20 for the call out.

What would you have done? Charged a call out fee? Charged full amount? or nothing gone home and clean the dog much off ya boots from a previous incident in a disgusting garden?

First time I've ever felt the need to do this so would be good to get others perspective.

 

[Pjj]

Not something I've ever done but I agree with your sentiment , good on you . I would have done the same as you and never go back

 

[Tuffers]

I think we should charge a call out. If they'd booked a 'proper' tradseman they'd have been in no doubt about it. How would a sparks or plumber handle this situation?

 

[Pjj]

Very true I think Ime to soft

 

[Natty1972]

Did you complete the job , if you didn't your ticket will be in the bin now .

 

[steele]

Did you complete the job , if you didn't your ticket will be in the bin now .

No access to the back of the house to even start the job let alone finish it. I'll be sending an email invoice too for my trouble.

 

[Natty1972]

Was it a one off job , if it was ,bin them straight away . Hate time wasters .

If a regular customer , there might have a good excuse.

What I would of done ..... I would of driven off screaming, swearing, cursing them ....**** heads .

Tried to fit another customer in some where.

 

[Green Pro Clean Ltd]

As long as you got an email or text proving they contracted your service at an agreed time then you bill will stand.

 

[Chris33]

Maybe we should add a cancellation clause or info to website and things. Any jobs that come from such like would have agreed to the terms by default surely?

 

[Pjj]

Good idear but could end up with more time and effort to try and enforce it , loosing Evan more money

 

[Natty1972]

Life's too short , everyone's would do something different. Personally I couldn't be bothered with clauses , people up here would laugh in your face .

 

[Natty1972]

Life's too short , everyone's would do something different. Personally I couldn't be bothered with clauses , people up here would laugh in your face .

 

[steele]

[quote

Was it a one off job , if it was ,bin them straight away . Hate time wasters .
If a regular customer , there might have a good excuse.

What I would of done ..... I would of driven off screaming, swearing, cursing them ....**** heads .

Tried to fit another customer in some where.

One off, I'll get paid then bin them

As long as you got an email or text proving they contracted your service at an agreed time then you bill will stand.

Yeah, email records of dare and time, also left a message with his secretary at his office so there will be some evidence of my arrival.

Maybe we should add a cancellation clause or info to website and things. Any jobs that come from such like would have agreed to the terms by default surely?

Not sure I'll take the time to do that but I will continue to charge for call outs on a rare occurance like this.

 

[Chris33]

@steele did they pay yet?

 

[Green Pro Clean Ltd]

Clauses on web sites cant be enforced unless you make them sign up and check a box to say they agree.

On the other hand an email or text confirming the job order is proof of their intent and can be enforced in small claims.

 

[Nicky]

Because we're all window cleaners , they don't give a tss , you start cleaning there house they see you and go out with out paying you or saying something or tell you to call i.e. Thursday evening and no ones home, used to hate all that sh1t3 , call outs cancellation fees , or clauses will never work in this game it all goes on trust we clean hope they pay . I weeded all the rubbish out years ago. The best secret about this job is we wouldn't get out of bed for there wage

 

[4Weekly]

id of done the windows i could and popped a nice invoice in the letterbox.

it gets my goat up that people always look down on us and think we are the skum of the earth because we clean windows.

i had lots of no shows this year and one was for a quote 22 miles away. she swore blind she would be in and i went at the time agreed and there was no answer. i get home and she says why arnt you coming, you window cleaners are all the same. i told her i went there and she didnt answer to door bell. then she says oh the bell doesnt work. can i come back. ldy:

 

[4Weekly]

Clauses on web sites cant be enforced unless you make them sign up and check a box to say they agree.
On the other hand an email or text confirming the job order is proof of their intent and can be enforced in small claims.

you can do what i do that clearly states by having the first clean from us you agree to all of the terms of service below ( TOS ) then i have my terms of service which i hand over with a sheet explaining about WFP and the water i use. this stops the messers and bargain hunters cancelling after 1 clean.

 

[David K]

Well I did it to a customer who had hired another after 1 clean ,I got the message when I had reeled all around to the garden . Total waste of my time. If he'd already made an appointment with another,he should have had the decency to call off our agreement. It was a 40 pounds job ,I fined him 10 pounds. As mentioned, if it was a plumber, carpenter or mason. You would definitely gonna pay up for wasting their time . Why should it be different with us? A lot of us rolling around in straight" cleaning factories -on wheels " ,with a lot of money invested. And even so if not , a fine is in good order.

 

[Aqua-pure Portadown]

Well I did it to a customer who had hired another after 1 clean ,I got the message when I had reeled all around to the garden . Total waste of my time. If he'd already made an appointment with another,he should have had the decency to call off our agreement. It was a 40 pounds job ,I fined him 10 pounds. As mentioned, if it was a plumber, carpenter or mason. You would definitely gonna pay up for wasting their time . Why should it be different with us? A lot of us rolling around in straight" cleaning factories -on wheels " ,with a lot of money invested. And even so if not , a fine is in good order.

did he pay up David ?

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[4Weekly]

thing is we didnt go to college for xxx years and get a bit of paper saying were tradesmen, because window cleaning isnt a trade. you cant move to australia and work there under trade, but you can with bricklaying, plumbers and sparkies.