Not sure what

[AllGleam]

Hi, morning chaps and chapesses just a had a custy message me this morn, after I'd cleaned his windows and doors yesterday, like ive done for the past 6 months approx every month saying "Hi ive had chance to look around the windows today and all the cills are still dirty also a cobweb still on a window and a line of muck forming at side of one small window i don't mind paying you this time for your services but not sure pole clean is working. So i won't require any further cleans wish you all the best for the future thanks for your services". been no issues before its had regular maintenance cleans. Not to fussed as i have a good solid round and building on, only one complaint in first week been doing it going on near 2yr my thoughts on this which is fair dos is it a messing custy that will only want it cleaning as and when or he has got it cheaper i charge £12 for his 3 bed detached taking max 15mins interested to hear thoughts

 

[Chris34]

15 minutes isn't long enough for a 3 bed detached unless it's a new build smaller type.

Every cleaner has different standards, I class myself as up there at least in the top 5% if not at the top when it comes to standards. After cleaning I wipe down all sills with a microfibre cloth and also wipe underneath the sills. I also wipe the door handles and give the wall lights a quick wipe.

But that's just my standards, they are very high but my prices are also high. Your prices are way cheaper than mine so I expect your standards will be lower than mine but your price reflects this. So I wouldn't worry. You just need to make the customer aware that your price is cheap compared to the likes of me, sell your service based on cheap and reliable, I sell my services as being the best and reliable.

Btw, everyone has different standards, what one person regards as 'not worth worrying about' another regards it as a big problem, this is customers and window cleaners / cleaners in general. I've spent over 20 years in most aspects of cleaning and worked with hundreds of cleaners, I've seen the difference in peoples standards and I know mine is at the top.

 

[Part Timer]

The "line of muck" could just be the sealant discolouring, does he know how quick a spider can spin a new web.
Just check your work a bit more thoroughly for the next few days. Personally think he doesn't like the WFP method and looked for an excuse to get rid.

 

[AllGleam]

15 minutes isn't long enough for a 3 bed detached unless it's a new build smaller type.

Every cleaner has different standards, I class myself as up there at least in the top 5% if not at the top when it comes to standards. After cleaning I wipe down all sills with a microfibre cloth and also wipe underneath the sills. I also wipe the door handles and give the wall lights a quick wipe.

But that's just my standards, they are very high but my prices are also high. Your prices are way cheaper than mine so I expect your standards will be lower than mine but your price reflects this. So I wouldn't worry. You just need to make the customer aware that your price is cheap compared to the likes of me, sell your service based on cheap and reliable, I sell my services as being the best and reliable.

Btw, everyone has different standards, what one person regards as 'not worth worrying about' another regards it as a big problem, this is customers and window cleaners / cleaners in general. I've spent over 20 years in most aspects of cleaning and worked with hundreds of cleaners, I've seen the difference in peoples standards and I know mine is at the top.

pricing can depend on area window sizes and for size of house is right price bracket windows are stanard sizes no bays, i don't have lower standards tbh and im very reliable and i have a great reputation with all custys and lots of work from word of mouth i do exactly that wipe cills and handles and letter box fronts even de-scuff pvc doors

 

[AllGleam]

15mins is a good time it is maintained i pay good attention to detail of frames its not filthy as i gave it a good first clean puzzled as he's never had a.prob

 

[AllGleam]

The "line of muck" could just be the sealant discolouring, does he know how quick a spider can spin a new web.
Just check your work a bit more thoroughly for the next few days. Personally think he doesn't like the WFP method and looked for an excuse to get rid.

? yes bud always check after matey im particular that way i dont think he does

 

[ched999uk]

If it were me I would like to go and have a look regardless of being dumped or not. Reason being if I have made a mistake I want to see it and have opportunity to fix it. That way I can try and understand if I have done something wrong or it's just a silly custy who has found a cheaper cleaner!

 

[Iron Giant]

But that's just my standards, they are very high but my prices are also high. Your prices are way cheaper than mine so I expect your standards will be lower than mine but your price reflects this. So I wouldn't worry. You just need to make the customer aware that your price is cheap compared to the likes of me, sell your service based on cheap and reliable, I sell my services as being the best and reliable.

 

[Chris34]

15mins is a good time it is maintained i pay good attention to detail of frames its not filthy as i gave it a good first clean puzzled as he's never had a.prob

Only yourself can evaluate whether you have done a good job or not. Based on my experience I am almost certain the customer will have a point.

No cleaning is perfect, it's impossible to achieve perfection, it's more about where you draw that line between perfection, being realistic with costs and what the customer expects.

Just because the customer hasn't complained before and you don't get other customers complaining it doesn't mean there isn't a problem with your work. Usually if you get a complaint with cleaning then there is a problem, and if there is a problem with one job there will be a problem with most of the other jobs you do that are similar.

The reason for this is most people don't like to complain, they would rather keep their mouth shut than have a confrontation. My mum is a classic example of this. When we all go out for a family meal at a restaurant or pub gastro, she will be always going on about how something with her food is not quite right, then as always happens part way through the meal someone will come over to the table "is everything ok with your food?" my mum replies first "oh yes it's lovely, thank you...". This is a classic example of how people don't like confrontation. In basic terms for every complaint you get you probably have about 20 customers who have thought the same thing but don't like to say anything.

So even if you get just one complaint you need to take it very seriously and look into it if you care about your standards. From a business point of view though I doubt it will harm you, but from your own work ethic if you care then take it seriously and evaluate what the problem actually is and decide if the customer is being realistic in their expectations and is there anything you can do to improve your service / standards.

I always think to myself, it's the pita customers who make my service better for everyone else, because it's those ones who force me to take a step back and evaluate my service / standards. Yes they might be idiots, but they usually have a point and it can be of benefit to you if you take it as constructive criticism.

 

[AllGleam]

If it were me I would like to go and have a look regardless of being dumped or not. Reason being if I have made a mistake I want to see it and have opportunity to fix it. That way I can try and understand if I have done something wrong or it's just a silly custy who has found a cheaper cleaner!

Ive never even seen the bloke id only have the front to assess as hes never at home, totally i agree and i have always stated to custys any concerns dont hesitate to message me etc i haven't even had opportunity to correct if there was an issue just straight no future cleans not even paid me yet lol

 

[AllGleam]

I

Only yourself can evaluate whether you have done a good job or not. Based on my experience I am almost certain the customer will have a point.

No cleaning is perfect, it's impossible to achieve perfection, it's more about where you draw that line between perfection, being realistic with costs and what the customer expects.

Just because the customer hasn't complained before and you don't get other customers complaining it doesn't mean there isn't a problem with your work. Usually if you get a complaint with cleaning then there is a problem, and if there is a problem with one job there will be a problem with most of the other jobs you do that are similar.

The reason for this is most people don't like to complain, they would rather keep their mouth shut than have a confrontation. My mum is a classic example of this. When we all go out for a family meal at a restaurant or pub gastro, she will be always going on about how something with her food is not quite right, then as always happens part way through the meal someone will come over to the table "is everything ok with your food?" my mum replies first "oh yes it's lovely, thank you...". This is a classic example of how people don't like confrontation. In basic terms for every complaint you get you probably have about 20 customers who have thought the same thing but don't like to say anything.

So even if you get just one complaint you need to take it very seriously and look into it if you care about your standards. From a business point of view though I doubt it will harm you, but from your own work ethic if you care then take it seriously and evaluate what the problem actually is and decide if the customer is being realistic in their expectations and is there anything you can do to improve your service / standards.

I always think to myself, it's the pita customers who make my service better for everyone else, because it's those ones who force me to take a step back and evaluate my service / standards. Yes they might be idiots, but they usually have a point and it can be of benefit to you if you take it as constructive criticism.

Feel a big point is probably that hes not met me had a chat as im not a confrontational person very approachable said to all customers id sooner know if there is an issue otherwise i can't learn or rectify it i hear ya regards the restaurant scenario mainly becos ppl joke about they'd spit in it why nobody says absolutely zip ? start egging windows when they complain ??

 

[Pjj]

15mins is a good time it is maintained i pay good attention to detail of frames its not filthy as i gave it a good first clean puzzled as he's never had a.prob

15 muinits for a 3 bed semi is plenty of time for a monthly maintenance clean so don’t think your problem lies there , just re check the first windows that you cleaned before leaving as this time of year they will be dry at the top before you leave , if they are ok then chances are the others will be, I would have gone back and got him to show me the problems and then decide if I have not done the job properly or if it’s black staining from perished seals I would explain you won’t get all that off ,he sounded reasonable the fact that he said he would pay si would try and rescue the situation if possible by offering a free next clean , but if he’s a pita I would still go and look and see if the issues are genuine or not .

 

[Chris34]

I

Feel a big point is probably that hes not met me had a chat as im not a confrontational person very approachable said to all customers id sooner know if there is an issue otherwise i can't learn or rectify it i hear ya regards the restaurant scenario mainly becos ppl joke about they'd spit in it why nobody says absolutely zip ? start egging windows when they complain ??

You know when you get your haircut and your regular barber who you always chat with and see every month says 'hows that? happy?' can you honestly say that you would tell him it's not quite right?

When someone is nice and you see them each month, it's hard to complain in a nice way without causing upset. It's human nature to avoid confrontation that's why most window cleaners are so successful, people don't like to tell them to stop coming. Honestly I hear it all the time, 'he was a nice fella and he just stopped coming, he did a bad job of the windows though'. I've got one who's terrible on an estate I do, I've lost count of the number of people complaining about his standards, he's absolutely disastrous, you would do better getting a bucket of water and throwing it at the windows... but he still has the majority of the estate because the majority don't like telling him to stop because he's a nice fella.

Like I say, from a business point of view it's not something to worry about because you sound like you're busy and one customer won't make a difference and this is the same for all window cleaners, the hard part is getting the customer, to lose them is rare if you're half decent.

One good way of inspecting your work is to offer to do internal window cleaning. Once you do the insides it shows the parts where you have missed in great detail, the slightest bit that is wrong and you see it. Just inspecting the outsides you don't get to see the level of detail the customer sees from the inside.

 

[Chris34]

15 muinits for a 3 bed semi is plenty of time for a monthly maintenance clean so don’t think your problem lies there , just re check the first windows that you cleaned before leaving as this time of year they will be dry at the top before you leave , if they are ok then chances are the others will be, I would have gone back and got him to show me the problems and then decide if I have not done the job properly or if it’s black staining from perished seals I would explain you won’t get all that off ,he sounded reasonable the fact that he said he would pay si would try and rescue the situation if possible by offering a free next clean , but if he’s a pita I would still go and look and see if the issues are genuine or not .

i charge £12 for his 3 bed detached taking max 15mins interested to hear thoughts

 

[Pjj]

i charge £12 for his 3 bed detached taking max 15mins interested to hear thoughts

Ah ok thanks for that I miss read it ??? dont think it would take more than that though to do 3 bed detached we do 4-7 per hour average depending on size that’s modern estate type houses not Victorian stuff though.

 

[Chris34]

Ah ok thanks for that I miss read it ??? dont think it would take more than that though to do 3 bed detached we do 4-7 per hour average depending on size that’s modern estate type houses not Victorian stuff though.

It's all guess work really. I've got one detached house that I do once every 8 weeks and it takes me 20 minutes, that's with wiping down sills with a cloth and doors. I've also got 3 bed semi's that take me 30 to 40 minutes. The new build stuff is a lot faster than the 1930's stuff, it's hard to guess without seeing.

 

[Pjj]

It's all guess work really. I've got one detached house that I do once every 8 weeks and it takes me 20 minutes, that's with wiping down sills with a cloth and doors. I've also got 3 bed semi's that take me 30 to 40 minutes. The new build stuff is a lot faster than the 1930's stuff, it's hard to guess without seeing.

We don’t wipe down sills with cloths they get done WFP and water swept off them with the brush , doors are also poled . Unless there is a specific reason fir doing otherwise

 

[Chris34]

We don’t wipe down sills with cloths they get done WFP and water swept off them with the brush , doors are also poled . Unless there is a specific reason fir doing otherwise

Yeah I know you don't and most don't, just saying that including wiping down the sills which adds on a few minutes it takes me 20 minutes.

 

[Iron Giant]

You know when you get your haircut and your regular barber who you always chat with and see every month says 'hows that? happy?' can you honestly say that you would tell him it's not quite right?

When someone is nice and you see them each month, it's hard to complain in a nice way without causing upset. It's human nature to avoid confrontation that's why most window cleaners are so successful, people don't like to tell them to stop coming. Honestly I hear it all the time, 'he was a nice fella and he just stopped coming, he did a bad job of the windows though'. I've got one who's terrible on an estate I do, I've lost count of the number of people complaining about his standards, he's absolutely disastrous, you would do better getting a bucket of water and throwing it at the windows... but he still has the majority of the estate because the majority don't like telling him to stop because he's a nice fella.

Like I say, from a business point of view it's not something to worry about because you sound like you're busy and one customer won't make a difference and this is the same for all window cleaners, the hard part is getting the customer, to lose them is rare if you're half decent.

One good way of inspecting your work is to offer to do internal window cleaning. Once you do the insides it shows the parts where you have missed in great detail, the slightest bit that is wrong and you see it. Just inspecting the outsides you don't get to see the level of detail the customer sees from the inside.

You are going on like you are the king of window cleaning and anyone not charging what you charge is way below you as are their standards, this across the industry does have a degree of truth as some cheaper lads aren't doing the best job and people go with them because they are cheaper not because they are nice, this I know and have seen first hand with some been as much as 50% cheaper than me

My prices may not be as high as yours but I've no idea what you mean exactly by a 3-bed semi there are a few variations as there is with a number of houses, I used to go around with a magic sponge and cloth but dropped that years ago as I see no point in doing some extras as they aren't needed on the vast majority of jobs as they come up good enough just the odd wipe of some sills with a cloth is required here and there.

 

[mike007]

If a customer thinks your work is not up to the standard they expect and so ceases with your service it is entirely up to them. And if you believe your technique etc is okay , then you have done what you do. If however you get more complaints then perhaps your technique is at fault, but at this time you aren,t. So it is a case of natural wastage. And maybe they are using an excuse to cut back on their outgoings.

 

[AllGleam]

You know when you get your haircut and your regular barber who you always chat with and see every month says 'hows that? happy?' can you honestly say that you would tell him it's not quite right?

When someone is nice and you see them each month, it's hard to complain in a nice way without causing upset. It's human nature to avoid confrontation that's why most window cleaners are so successful, people don't like to tell them to stop coming. Honestly I hear it all the time, 'he was a nice fella and he just stopped coming, he did a bad job of the windows though'. I've got one who's terrible on an estate I do, I've lost count of the number of people complaining about his standards, he's absolutely disastrous, you would do better getting a bucket of water and throwing it at the windows... but he still has the majority of the estate because the majority don't like telling him to stop because he's a nice fella.

Like I say, from a business point of view it's not something to worry about because you sound like you're busy and one customer won't make a difference and this is the same for all window cleaners, the hard part is getting the customer, to lose them is rare if you're half decent.

One good way of inspecting your work is to offer to do internal window cleaning. Once you do the insides it shows the parts where you have missed in great detail, the slightest bit that is wrong and you see it. Just inspecting the outsides you don't get to see the level of detail the customer sees from the inside.

I agree to some extent mainly id say if a custy was how can i put it soft natured, but ive had plenty of custys ring for quote and then start complaining they've had let another windy go becos of one reason or another that they haven't been happy with ? and took services on and are happy continuing and then snag a friend or relative