Customers That Don't Pay

[mak2503]

This has probably been mentioned quite a few times on here but can't find it in the search section.

What do you guys do with non payers? I only allow three cleans until I stop with the cleaning altogether until payment has been made. I have two customers at the moment funnily enough they are both for £5 cleans every four weeks. Almost not worth taking the equipment out of the van to do them.

I have placed notes through the customers doors saying cleaning will not continue until payment has been made but still not getting paid for them. I don't call and ask for the money there and then as my other customers are great at paying with cheque or bank transfer.

It is tempting to go back and put a wee bit of mud from their garden on the end of the brush so they pay up and get me to clean them.

I heard one window cleaner a few years back asked for the money for a few cleans and the chap said he was not going to pay him so the window cleaner put the lawnmower into his van and locked the van. The customer asked him what he was doing and he said that you can have it back when I get paid. The customer promptly paid.

Anyone got any funny stories for getting the money off the customers?

 

[bluemonkey]

make a note of your **** payers, and collect from them, don't allow any one to go past 2 cleans, unless it is arranged, bt, british gas wont allow you to owe them loads of money, so why should you

if the custy doesn't want to pay you, there is nothing you can do, putting a lawn mower in a van is theft, all the bloke had to do is call the police, bloke gets arrested for theft, and then gets know as a thieving window cleaner, as not paying the WC is a civil matter theft is a criminal matter

 

[Masons]

Yeah keep on top of them mate by marking them down and having a clear record so you can treat such ones differently, like bluemonkey said, don't let them go past 2 cleans without being paid.

If they're that much of a hassle leave them be and find other work.

 

[Rick]

First of all HI every one. Newbie Here...

I've been cleaning windows traditionally and have great payers. Recently a guy stopped me and asked if I could clean his windows.. Ok I replied, knowing the area very well I quoted £5..

I cleaned his windows and had no reply after a few knocks.. I simply left a card stating my number and that his windows had been cleaned. I had no reply from him after a few visits. so 4 weeks on I was back doing the same round.. This time instead of cleaning his windows I tried the door first but no answer,, left another card etc..

This carried on for 3 month, realising i'd been taken for a mug I knocked on his next doors and asked if any one even lived there, yes was his reply and he also told me its not the first time he's done it to get a free window clean.

I then proceeded to clean the un-paying house with a mucky bucket from top to bottom and then left a card /emoticons/wink.png .. Still not heard from the guy but it did make me feel a better as his windows looked a mess lol

I never clean the same house twice without payment unless they contact me in some way.

 

[Masons]

I wouldn't clean anybody's house more than once if they didn't pay me the first time.

Lesson learnt it seems. Though did you leave his windows mucky or did you just clean them again with mucky water... big difference.

I've never took revenge on someones house before, don't like that.

 

[Rick]

Sorry, I meant I loaded all the windows with mucky water and left it so I should imagine the windows was in a mess after the water had evaporated.

I dont like to do this sort of thing, or taking revenge as you like to put it, but I also don't like being taken for a mug.

 

[Posh]

1 clean. No pay no more cleans. Why go 3 cleans??? Your making it worse for yourself.

 

[Belfastcleaning]

99% of my customers are fine.. I had started offering other methods, PayPal, bacs, cheques and in the process of getting a card terminal.. Just so there is no excuses, no cash on me etc etc..

I'll clean twice without payment for my reg customers.. A new customer will only be cleaned once...

I have scrapped a money that I couldn't get.. As calling back several times, the cost wouldn't cover the diesel iv used calling back and forth..

I once had a customer say No I'm not paying you £8 house, I only done fronts, more windows at front so I asked for £5... She said we didn't agree £5 for just fronts, we argued back and forth, she was saying I'm unemployed etc etc.. I lost the rag, told her I have a business to run, 2 kids and a house to keep, but you obviously need the money more than me, so stick it up your beeping ****!! And walked off.. She shut the door.. That is complete ignorance to me and I wish her all the worst for the rest of her live, as that something I cannot stand..

I still clean each house on either side tho who love to Pay

 

[Belfastcleaning]

Moved to other chat

 

[Richard Barnes]

Move on, yes it gets to you but it aint worth it in the end. Dont do more than one clean without paymemt so they dont run up a large bill, Dont do anything daft cos if you get caught it will ruin your reputation in the long run.

I once asked sombody how to set a credit limit in a company i used to run their answer was how much can you afford to lose, this true but things get out of hand you need the work to survive. So you let people go a little longer extend credit terms they will pay you a part payment but it always turns out bad, we got took for 36k by one company once we were doing metal fabrication for shop fitting companies

 

[mak2503]

Well I called back on the lady that owed me three cleans and she said she felt bad for missing the payments but has been busy. I look down and she has a small bump.

She would still like them cleaned and paid up front for a few cleans. It goes to show that I would have felt awful if I had put mud all over her windows.

 

[norm]

How did she get her small bump?

 

[Mr B shine]

it probably involves his squeegee :Image16:

 

[norm]

Good way to get paid :Image12:

 

[Mr B shine]

As I am just starting out I can't afford payment in lieu yet :Image13:

 

[norm]

Mak2503 put the squeegee back into your b.o.a.b

 

[Shinytime]

hahahaha!