Sacked off my first custy after just 3 cleans today... felt good.

[TolishAPurd]

So I've cleaned this guys windows twice before today. The first clean was horrific, but I persevered and got the job done. It turned out the customer had a window cleaner many moons ago but "he just stopped coming". ....alarms bells always start ringing when I hear that. Its 2 houses joined into one and I priced it £25, but on reflection it should have been £30-£35(loads of small panes, access issues etc). I don't know why Iundercharged as the bloke was the most charmless person I ever met.

Last month I texted to say I was coming but got no reply

Gate not left open but cleaner let me in luckily

No problem for next time as I clocked that I could stick a pole over to unlock it next time

Customer didn't pay for 2 weeks

I sent a gentle reminder

Still no payment

Sent another reminder with my website addy

Still no payment

3 weeks later I got a text saying hed been away..... but still no payment.

So I turned up this time and went to open the gate, and got a telling off from his wife who I hadn't even met yet (nice way to introduce) about opening the gate myself. So I bit my tongue and politely said, "I didn't realise anyone was in, and no one is replying to my texts so I assumed you weren't about". She told me I needed to call to book in with them. I explained that that's not how the service works, but she wouldn't have it, so I reminded here straight that she still owed me for last month which shut her up quickly. She then followed me about watching me work, and gave me a lecture on not trampling her flowers....I nearly bust out laughing as her whole garden is full of weeds knee high, I honestly thought she was joking. And when I was done she demanded a receipt and again said "next time can you call?"....

All my stuff was loaded and to go, so I replied... "I'm afraid that's not how the service works, I have 100 customers and if I had to call all of them every night I wouldn't have a life. Your last cleaner stopped coming right? I now understand why. I won't be coming back next month either. Goodbye.

I then drove off with a smile while she was picking her jaw off the ground. Honestly, its one of those ones that you had to be there., but I just found the two of them so unbelievebly awkward that I figured its just not worth it for an underpriced job.

Big post I know, but I just had to vent./emoticons/biggrin.png

 

[Smurf]

I've dropped many for less.../emoticons/biggrin.png

 

[Tuffers]

I'll save reading it till bed time :thumbsup:

I lied /emoticons/biggrin.png Nowt queer as folk @TolishAPurd

 

[Shiny]

You did right mate, we all should go out our way to offer good customer service but occasionally the customer push it to far with their pi@s take in and it's at that point it's time to dump them and replace their custom with better more appreciative customers

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Smurf]

Like the old ones I had today that left 5 messages on my answer phone. Alarm bells were ringing even before I returned the call./emoticons/biggrin.png

http://windowcleaningforums.co.uk/threads/looks-like-im-in-demand-or-maybe-not.12409/

 

[TolishAPurd]

I have picked up some great ones this month, but I've also gotten some bad eggs. The good thing about being busy is that you don't have to put up with it, but telling the woman straight was just to satisfying to miss.

 

[Smurf]

I'm sure some think we sit at home all day and are at there beck & call./emoticons/biggrin.png

 

[mrtaytay]

Well done tolish. What disrespectful dickheads they are. I presume they paid for both cleans.

I dont think anyone should put up with **** like that.

 

[TolishAPurd]

I'm sure some think we sit at home all day and are at there beck & call./emoticons/biggrin.png

...Or that the £12 we earn from their clean is paying the mortgage. lol

 

[TolishAPurd]

Cheers taytay. yep my sole aim was to get my money, and then evaluate it from there. I was thinking of putting the price up by a tenner just to make it worth the hassle bit more, but by the end of it I had had enough, and I didn't want to give them the chance or satisfaction to reject me, so I did things on my terms. It felt good, but from a money or business standpoint it is probably frowned upon. /emoticons/biggrin.png

What do you guys think of having an area for chat like this and other things we don't want the publicseeing. Say you have to have at least 50 or even 100 posts before you can view it?I was thinking about asking Gav.

 

[cheapncheerful]

yeh there are things i have to hold back from saying at times as you never know whos lurking out there....

you did the right thing get the money and say bye bye...some one elses problem.....

i am pretty lucky with my lot....been waiting two days for one lot to go out so i could get thier windows done whilst they were out...i dont think some people go out enough....grrr....so i knocked on the door and he was off about fishing and blah blah and so i did a runner as a black cloud approached and hope he buggers off out tomorrow..../emoticons/smile.png

a lot of other sites do have enclosed areas...

did one today for £6 not gone up for donkeys...and i said i will have to go and get the 50p change from the car and she stood there and said okay....

 

[TolishAPurd]

did one today for £6 not gone up for donkeys...and i said i will have to go and get the 50p change from the car and she stood there and said okay....

That's always a funny one, had that a few times lol.

 

[windowsurfer]

yeh there are things i have to hold back from saying at times as you never know whos lurking out there....
you did the right thing get the money and say bye bye...some one elses problem.....

i am pretty lucky with my lot....been waiting two days for one lot to go out so i could get thier windows done whilst they were out...i dont think some people go out enough....grrr....so i knocked on the door and he was off about fishing and blah blah and so i did a runner as a black cloud approached and hope he buggers off out tomorrow..../emoticons/smile.png

a lot of other sites do have enclosed areas...

did one today for £6 not gone up for donkeys...and i said i will have to go and get the 50p change from the car and she stood there and said okay....

You sound like a stalker, cheap,but one in reverse, its so funny you waiting for them to go out. I have a street that I bought of a windy, £4.50 a house, soul destroying working for that, I put the price up by 50p, got an earful from an old chap who went on about his pension, I did feel guilty and thought about offering to do his house for £5 evry 8 weeks instead, however next time I called he was fine. Just a typical man, tight and stingy and likes a moan, but takes it on the chin when he knows its fair.

 

[windowsurfer]

Well done tolish, their house maybe their castle, but we are not their personal servants. We provide a skilled professional service and expect to be treated as such.

 

[Tuffers]

yeh there are things i have to hold back from saying at times as you never know whos lurking out there....
you did the right thing get the money and say bye bye...some one elses problem.....

i am pretty lucky with my lot....been waiting two days for one lot to go out so i could get thier windows done whilst they were out...i dont think some people go out enough....grrr....so i knocked on the door and he was off about fishing and blah blah and so i did a runner as a black cloud approached and hope he buggers off out tomorrow..../emoticons/smile.png

a lot of other sites do have enclosed areas...

did one today for £6 not gone up for donkeys...and i said i will have to go and get the 50p change from the car and she stood there and said okay....

I'll raise you 10p cnc. Had one the other week. £10 job and she gives me £5, £4, 50p and 3 x 20p. I said do you want the 10p change? She said yes!!!!

 

[TolishAPurd]

You sound like a stalker, cheap,but one in reverse, its so funny you waiting for them to go out. I have a street that I bought of a windy, £4.50 a house, soul destroying working for that, I put the price up by 50p, got an earful from an old chap who went on about his pension, I did feel guilty and thought about offering to do his house for £5 evry 8 weeks instead, however next time I called he was fine. Just a typical man, tight and stingy and likes a moan, but takes it on the chin when he knows its fair.

The good customers are the ones thatfeel guilty for paying YOU so little, so never feel guilty.

 

[TolishAPurd]

I'll raise you 10p cnc. Had one the other week. £10 job and she gives me £5, £4, 50p and 3 x 20p. I said do you want the 10p change? She said yes!!!!

I hope you gave it to her in 1p's tuffers?

 

[TolishAPurd]

Well done tolish, their house maybe their castle, but we are not their personal servants. We provide a skilled professional service and expect to be treated as such.

Agreed. The respect needs to go both ways. I gave her a few chances, but she just thought she was my employer and that it was all on her terms....wrong. They struggled to finda Wcleaner lst time, so they'll be looking again in a few months.

 

[boarcity]

warn the local lads/lasses windies if you can

 

[windowsurfer]

Sent from my GT-I9070 using Tapatalk 2

 

[cheapncheerful]

now this is the type of custy you want...

View attachment 2686

dont know how much of that you can see but....the one opposite gave me the key and i cleaned her house in and out and had to cut the hedge....this was left on the biscuit tin with my money and i had three slices of ginger cake...well i had to leave some...and three cups of tea....only seen her once in years...big box of chocolates and bottle of wine at xmas ...and nobody there...heaven for me....

grrrr been waiting two days for one to go out and today i had to do it...both cars on the drive when i arrive...some people just dont go out...still i thought....he does go out on his bike...

.and as i walked towards the house....guess who arrived on his bike....yada yada yada....told me all about his bees in the roof ...yawn....then his bike ride....yawn but then he went off to cut the grass because the recycling people call tomorrow....he only has ten foot square lawn...and it was very well cut ...but out he potters with his push mower....the bin was empty ...and the two blades of grass he put in it didn't really merit putting it out tomorrow....but some people have nowt better to do...really nice bloke though....yawn..