Nut job window cleaner

[BigFoot]

So it finally happened, a nut job Window Cleaner started shouting at me. For how long I have no idea as I was listening to some well romantic Terence Trent D'Arby and was getting my washing grove on. 

When I realised shouting was directed at me I popped a ear-bud and had a listen, he was shouting up and Down the street what my prices were and how I’m not a proper window cleaner because I don’t clean from a ladder ( he had one on his shoulder For dramatic effect ? ) also shouting that I didn’t come from the area to which I replied I come from ... which is in the area ( like that matters anyhow).

I told him to mind his own buisness and do one. 

Fast forward ten minutes he developed a second wind and bleated on that “your cleaning on my round”, that boiled my pi$$ but controlled myself to say something along the lines of ‘the customer chooses who cleans their property’, honestly can’t remember what I said next but I made it clear I’m not going anywhere. But this is what grips me the most, I've been working this area for the last two years, I have five days a month there always picking up customers, it’s a council est one of the rough Ones but I like it, I have never seen this cowboy ? working the whole time!

I understand he charges £5 front and back, I think he’s lost lots of customers to me, I don’t know as like I said this is a council est and every one has a few beer token boys and they crawl out on sunny days etc so can’t be sure but I hope he gets the message that someone regular with a bit of drive and charging at least 150% more than him is pulling his pants down while he is bleating like a hungry goat! 5 new customers booked on for regular cleans for me on  “his round” just today! you have to laugh but that tested my blood pressure. Onwards and upwards!

 

[spruce]

So it finally happened, a nut job Window Cleaner started shouting at me. For how long I have no idea as I was listening to some well romantic Terence Trent D'Arby and was getting my washing grove on. 

When I realised shouting was directed at me I popped a ear-bud and had a listen, he was shouting up and Down the street what my prices were and how I’m not a proper window cleaner because I don’t clean from a ladder ( he had one on his shoulder For dramatic effect ? ) also shouting that I didn’t come from the area to which I replied I come from ... which is in the area ( like that matters anyhow).

I told him to mind his own buisness and do one. 

Fast forward ten minutes he developed a second wind and bleated on that “your cleaning on my round”, that boiled my pi$$ but controlled myself to say something along the lines of ‘the customer chooses who cleans their property’, honestly can’t remember what I said next but I made it clear I’m not going anywhere. But this is what grips me the most, I've been working this area for the last two years, I have five days a month there always picking up customers, it’s a council est one of the rough Ones but I like it, I have never seen this cowboy ? working the whole time!

I understand he charges £5 front and back, I think he’s lost lots of customers to me, I don’t know as like I said this is a council est and every one has a few beer token boys and they crawl out on sunny days etc so can’t be sure but I hope he gets the message that someone regular with a bit of drive and charging at least 150% more than him is pulling his pants down while he is bleating like a hungry goat! 5 new customers booked on for regular cleans for me on  “his round” just today! you have to laugh but that tested my blood pressure. Onwards and upwards!

Only ever had a minor confrontation once. The windie sent his girl friend over to me to ask why I was canvassing and poaching his customers.

"I only do this one Ma'am and I was asked to do it by her daughter whose windows I have cleaned for years. And no I haven't canvassed the area either" - if the truth be known I would never have canvassed that area anyway.

That kind off stopped the aggression. Then she tells me he is fully insured and cleans off his ladders which he transports on a wheelbarrow. I kept a straight face and she walked off after an apology.

Have never seen him before that or since with his ladders and barrow. ?

We have a couple of rough areas and I have always felt that its easier to keep a good rapport around. Its too easy for someone to take revenge by slashing tyres or damage the van when I'm out of sight. I can do without that. I took on some work off a local business of trad cleaners way back. Whenever I was in the vicinity and they were around, I stopped what I was doing and stood around watching my van just in case one of them tried anything.

The chappy's son next door drives a 59 plate BMW. Someone threw a bottle of Nitromorse over his beloved car which is now an insurance write off as the whole car needs to be repainted. Someone obviously specifically targeted that car in revenge for something. We have lived in this cul de sac for nearly 20 years and this is only the second incident. The first was a couple escaping from the police case and abandoned their car in our cul de sac early one Sunday morning and tried to 'escape' on foot. They didn't get very far.

 

[BigFoot]

Only ever had a minor confrontation once. The windie sent his girl friend over to me to ask why I was canvassing and poaching his customers.

"I only do this one Ma'am and I was asked to do it by her daughter whose windows I have cleaned for years. And no I haven't canvassed the area either" - if the truth be known I would never have canvassed that area anyway.

That kind off stopped the aggression. Then she tells me he is fully insured and cleans off his ladders which he transports on a wheelbarrow. I kept a straight face and she walked off after an apology.

Have never seen him before that or since with his ladders and barrow. ?

Fair play a wheelbarrow! 

It seams to me that the ones that get shirty are the ones with so few customers that when they lose one customer it really damages their income. If they put half the effort into working as they do complaining they’d be millionaires.

yes this is the first time I’ve had any verbal but I’m not too concerned after all winter soon and these trouble makers tend to hibernate ? 

 

[ks789]

So it finally happened, a nut job Window Cleaner started shouting at me. For how long I have no idea as I was listening to some well romantic Terence Trent D'Arby and was getting my washing grove on. 

When I realised shouting was directed at me I popped a ear-bud and had a listen, he was shouting up and Down the street what my prices were and how I’m not a proper window cleaner because I don’t clean from a ladder ( he had one on his shoulder For dramatic effect ? ) also shouting that I didn’t come from the area to which I replied I come from ... which is in the area ( like that matters anyhow).

I told him to mind his own buisness and do one. 

Fast forward ten minutes he developed a second wind and bleated on that “your cleaning on my round”, that boiled my pi$$ but controlled myself to say something along the lines of ‘the customer chooses who cleans their property’, honestly can’t remember what I said next but I made it clear I’m not going anywhere. But this is what grips me the most, I've been working this area for the last two years, I have five days a month there always picking up customers, it’s a council est one of the rough Ones but I like it, I have never seen this cowboy ? working the whole time!

I understand he charges £5 front and back, I think he’s lost lots of customers to me, I don’t know as like I said this is a council est and every one has a few beer token boys and they crawl out on sunny days etc so can’t be sure but I hope he gets the message that someone regular with a bit of drive and charging at least 150% more than him is pulling his pants down while he is bleating like a hungry goat! 5 new customers booked on for regular cleans for me on  “his round” just today! you have to laugh but that tested my blood pressure. Onwards and upwards!

 Reckon that fella was pist. I hate the idea of having to compete with people who are working cash in hand on the dole. Dont get me wrong, I want people to be able to feed their kids etc,but what if its beer/drug money. Also when they undercut what the fair rate is, its obviously messing it up a bit for the proper tradesman. In this repect, I can see the wisdom of like in scotland, where you need a license.

 

[Chris34]

5 new customers booked on for regular cleans for me on  “his round” just today! you have to laugh but that tested my blood pressure. Onwards and upwards!

Were they canvassed or walk ups?  I could only dream of getting 5 in a day at the moment.

 

[scottish cleaning service]

We don't really get any hassle up here because of the license. The idiots don't have a license so they cant argue their case, if they do then they get reported and lose more customers. Every time I get a walk up or clean a new house I always show them my name badge and tell them I have a license. Best thing that happened up here was the license.

 

[Davit]

We don't really get any hassle up here because of the license. The idiots don't have a license so they cant argue their case, if they do then they get reported and lose more customers. Every time I get a walk up or clean a new house I always show them my name badge and tell them I have a license. Best thing that happened up here was the license.

That's a good point.  Good to see a positive in it, instead of money down the drain, like I sometimes think.  Yes I do the same and wear it for quotes, even though I think it makes me look a bit silly ?

 

[Wind o kleen]

I don’t think that Would stop lads up north Newcastle, 

 

[Part Timer]

I don’t think that Would stop lads up north Newcastle, 

Just did a fascia job in Simonside Jarrow, their current window cleaner charges £2 to do the fronts of a 3 bed semi ? They don't know if it's a joint or a roly he's smoking when he does them ? ? ?

 

[steve garwood]

Just did a fascia job in Simonside Jarrow, their current window cleaner charges £2 to do the fronts of a 3 bed semi ? They don't know if it's a joint or a roly he's smoking when he does them ? ? ?

And you say @Iron Giant is near you ?

 

[BigFoot]

Were they canvassed or walk ups?  I could only dream of getting 5 in a day at the moment.

Two walk ups but one of the walk ups lives next door to his elderly mother so that was a double booking =3

and the other two were referrals from existing customers on the street. Hot and cold with walk ups but when I do get them they seam to come in flurries.

 

[Ana]

In my limited time doing WFP cleaning I've had no issues with other cleaners, certainly no shouting in the street directed at me. Do get a few other windies that operate trad ask about the Gardiner back pack on a sack truck (which tends to now sit inside the van as I've connected it to a hose reel) because they haven't seen that before but never a confrontation.

Maybe I just don't attract that sort of attention. In my previous job I was known as "nice dave" not sure who "nasty dave" was mind you but maybe just a ora I give off?  

 

[steve garwood]

In my limited time doing WFP cleaning I've had no issues with other cleaners, certainly no shouting in the street directed at me. Do get a few other windies that operate trad ask about the Gardiner back pack on a sack truck (which tends to now sit inside the van as I've connected it to a hose reel) because they haven't seen that before but never a confrontation.

Maybe I just don't attract that sort of attention. In my previous job I was known as "nice dave" not sure who "nasty dave" was mind you but maybe just a ora I give off?  

Dave! Flipping Dave!!

Because of your forum name ‘Ana’, I genuinely thought you were a lady ?

 

[Ana]

Haha I get that a lot @steve garwood my handle is Anasrzi (it's from x files, albeit a slant on its true spelling).

bet you thought I was well butch too, swinging around a clx all day haha ?

 

[Iron Giant]

And you say @Iron Giant is near you ?

I'm saying nowt ?

 

[BigFoot]

Update* 

All quiet on the crazy shouty window cleaner front, found out that he is back inside doing porridge for burglary! Had no end of customers tell me stories about his stunts.

if he’s out in the summer no doubt I’ll have more to add...

 

[johnny bravo]

ive had   this is our area,   new build estates.     your not from round here.      10 minutes drive away from home.  is that not near enough.     what arses,     young lads start to think we can do that,  buy ladders and bucket   and cannot understand why they cannot get a lot of customers.    Maybe because some more windies have got to them earlier.    They do not realise it can take years to build a decent round up   

 

[scottish cleaning service]

Update* 

All quiet on the crazy shouty window cleaner front, found out that he is back inside doing porridge for burglary! Had no end of customers tell me stories about his stunts.

if he’s out in the summer no doubt I’ll have more to add...

Probably have his name down for that free windy cleaning course when inside. ?

 

[mike007]

So it finally happened, a nut job Window Cleaner started shouting at me. For how long I have no idea as I was listening to some well romantic Terence Trent D'Arby and was getting my washing grove on. 

When I realised shouting was directed at me I popped a ear-bud and had a listen, he was shouting up and Down the street what my prices were and how I’m not a proper window cleaner because I don’t clean from a ladder ( he had one on his shoulder For dramatic effect ? ) also shouting that I didn’t come from the area to which I replied I come from ... which is in the area ( like that matters anyhow).

I told him to mind his own buisness and do one. 

Fast forward ten minutes he developed a second wind and bleated on that “your cleaning on my round”, that boiled my pi$$ but controlled myself to say something along the lines of ‘the customer chooses who cleans their property’, honestly can’t remember what I said next but I made it clear I’m not going anywhere. But this is what grips me the most, I've been working this area for the last two years, I have five days a month there always picking up customers, it’s a council est one of the rough Ones but I like it, I have never seen this cowboy ? working the whole time!

I understand he charges £5 front and back, I think he’s lost lots of customers to me, I don’t know as like I said this is a council est and every one has a few beer token boys and they crawl out on sunny days etc so can’t be sure but I hope he gets the message that someone regular with a bit of drive and charging at least 150% more than him is pulling his pants down while he is bleating like a hungry goat! 5 new customers booked on for regular cleans for me on  “his round” just today! you have to laugh but that tested my blood pressure. Onwards and upwards!

He will be a beer token merchant...decided to turn up for a bit more cash for his beers...and found amazingly "his customers" have gone to a reliable regular Windie YOU.

 

[Dave B]

Just tell him to do one if you see him again.

I had a bad experience once with a competitor in the area and it resulted in me getting a broken nose when he pulled my door open and kicked me in the face.

Now I have a bat in the back of my van and wouldn't hesitate to use it if someone had a pop at me.

Not having anyone try to tell me where I can or can't work.

Had someone else have a go and threatened me.. asked him has he got a box to stand on as you need to be a bit bigger than you are if you want to try it on lol.

On a serious note the police are only a phone call away if you are getting grief.

 

[steve garwood]

My dad gave me some advice. He said if you’re getting into a ruck, put a couple of snooker balls in a sock.

Terrible advice, I could barely walk ?