Silly things people say

[Jimajama]

Just a random post, partly to have a light hearted moan. Partly to hear what silly things people say. Today someone said the classic "I don't need a window cleaner, my husband does mine, they're easy to do because they're ground floor". Got a quick picture afterwards as I was giggling to myself. Wonder what you have all heard over the years?

 

[Iron Giant]

Customer comes out to tell me to leave the windows because the birds are taking the silicone out from around the windows so she is waiting for someone to come and replace it

 

[Bell Pallisey]

turned up to hear "i aint got no money mate "
i replied "what,no money today you mean? or...generally?

"AY?"


"ok,i will leave it then

 

[steve garwood]

Talking to a fellow windie who I sell excess work to on Monday.
He said he text the customer to inform her he was due round the next day. Her response was ‘It’s holiday season, surely you can give it a rest until the kids go back to school!!’
He showed me his response which was something like ‘Your husband is a bank manager, I’m assuming he gets the 13 weeks off the same as teachers and school kids?’
No response, so he’s obviously dumped the daft bint

 

[DansClearView]

I was cleaning a regular the other day and the neighbours came out. 'you can have the day off after the rain we had yesterday ' they said. We had had quite a storm the day before. Funnily enough, the rain did not clean the windows or sills. Won't be taking them on if they ask.

 

[Deleted member 7446]

Just a random post, partly to have a light hearted moan. Partly to hear what silly things people say. Today someone said the classic "I don't need a window cleaner, my husband does mine, they're easy to do because they're ground floor". Got a quick picture afterwards as I was giggling to myself. Wonder what you have all heard over the years?
View attachment 30586

Maybe her husband is blind and she is lazy

 

[Scrubsy]

Just a random post, partly to have a light hearted moan. Partly to hear what silly things people say. Today someone said the classic "I don't need a window cleaner, my husband does mine, they're easy to do because they're ground floor". Got a quick picture afterwards as I was giggling to myself. Wonder what you have all heard over the years?
View attachment 30586

@Jimajama I think people are sometimes embarrassed and don't know how to just say "no thank you". I clean a number of park homes on a local site. Nearly all are ok apart from one or two. One kept cancelling every other time (they are my only 8 weeklies left so hers would become every 16 weeks). They hadn't been cleaned for months and she sent me a random message "I'd like to cancel from now on because last time the smaller kitchen window had smears on it". It must have been 12 weeks prior to her message that I'd last cleaned them. I replied apologising and said I'd checked the diary and if she'd told me 3 months ago when I'd cleaned the windows I'd have gone back and recleaned for her. Turns out when I went back next a neighbour told me she's done similar with other trades before and struggles to get people in to do jobs.

 

[tench0771]

I had a 8 weekly job say leave it this time as they don’t need cleaning then said I’m bit skint think he was telling porkys about being skint I’m in too minds wether to even go back i felt like the saying he was skint was a excuse it’s £10 flat 3 windows

 

[Yogi1872]

Youl bring the rain on now, seems people think we control the rain.

 

[Yogi1872]

Whe your midway through cleaning a house either up a ladder or using the pole, with a van parked saying window cleaner on it.

They come up and still aren't to sure if you are a window cleaner so they start by saying, "are you the window cleaner"?. I sometimes say, what gave it away ?.

 

[Ron Marsh]

I had a 8 weekly job say leave it this time as they don’t need cleaning then said I’m bit skint think he was telling porkys about being skint I’m in too minds wether to even go back i felt like the saying he was skint was a excuse it’s £10 flat 3 windows

Charge him £15 next clean. If he doesn't like it say thanks for your custom and drop him. Simple.

 

[Ron Marsh]

I had a 8 weekly job say leave it this time as they don’t need cleaning then said I’m bit skint think he was telling porkys about being skint I’m in too minds wether to even go back i felt like the saying he was skint was a excuse it’s £10 flat 3 windows

 

[Chester64]

I had a 8 weekly job say leave it this time as they don’t need cleaning then said I’m bit skint think he was telling porkys about being skint I’m in too minds wether to even go back i felt like the saying he was skint was a excuse it’s £10 flat 3 windows

We have a 3 strikes and out policy. I make a mental note of customers over a few years who say leave it this time. When someone says can you leave it this time, (only exception is when going away, building work, getting new windows etc) we definitely leave them out the next time. Then if they don’t contact us we don’t go again. Teaches a small invaluable lesson that we are there earning a living. If their boss said don’t come into work today don’t need you ain’t paying you they would know exactly how we felt.

 

[Septimus Meek]

We have a 3 strikes and out policy. I make a mental note of customers over a few years who say leave it this time. When someone says can you leave it this time, (only exception is when going away, building work, getting new windows etc) we definitely leave them out the next time. Then if they don’t contact us we don’t go again. Teaches a small invaluable lesson that we are there earning a living. If their boss said don’t come into work today don’t need you ain’t paying you they would know exactly how we felt.

Exactly the same with me. What amuses me is they mostly contact you at some point in the future and then seem miffed that it's going to cost more because the windows haven't been cleaned for some time,

 

[Pjj]

We have a 3 strikes and out policy. I make a mental note of customers over a few years who say leave it this time. When someone says can you leave it this time, (only exception is when going away, building work, getting new windows etc) we definitely leave them out the next time. Then if they don’t contact us we don’t go again. Teaches a small invaluable lesson that we are there earning a living. If their boss said don’t come into work today don’t need you ain’t paying you they would know exactly how we felt.

We would just inform them of the verbal agreement they agreed to at the quoting stage regular monthly clean all year round and we work in all weather conditions within reason , as you say building work decorating etc would be fine but everything else would be an instant dump , when they phone up months later asking why we haven’t been I just say they have been replaced by someone else who wants a regular clean , we never take them back on .

 

[Chester64]

We would just inform them of the verbal agreement they agreed to at the quoting stage regular monthly clean all year round and we work in all weather conditions within reason , as you say building work decorating etc would be fine but everything else would be an instant dump , when they phone up months later asking why we haven’t been I just say they have been replaced by someone else who wants a regular clean , we never take them back on .

Yes we have done similar. One crusty said can you clean my next door neighbour, best friend. So we did them. Very pleased with us. 7 weeks later she saw us and said can you leave them this time. I said well I’m sorry I would not have taken you on if I had known it wouldn’t be every time. She said I don’t have the cash today. So I said we take cash, card payments, bacs. Oh I’ll pay by card thanks. Good as gold now. But if you let them need you around they will! We often have one say not this time, so we say ok, don’t argue and drive off, then within an hour we pick up a new one better paying, and dump the one who said no. When they come out a couple of months later we tell them they have been replaced with someone who wants a clean every time. I even say we have so much work we have a waiting list for people to come onto our books Karma

 

[Iron Giant]

We have a 3 strikes and out policy. I make a mental note of customers over a few years who say leave it this time. When someone says can you leave it this time, (only exception is when going away, building work, getting new windows etc) we definitely leave them out the next time. Then if they don’t contact us we don’t go again. Teaches a small invaluable lesson that we are there earning a living. If their boss said don’t come into work today don’t need you ain’t paying you they would know exactly how we felt.

Someone going away on holiday isn't a reasonable excuse to skip a clean,

I have a custy who is self-employed he asked to skip because they'd had a new patio put down I told him as most of his windows were at the front and side of the house I'd clean those and leave the back altogether no he wanted me to leave them all, I gave him the spiel but he still wanted to skip strike 1 then 3 weeks ago both him and his son asked to skip because they were going away on holiday Strike 2 and they are out of the next clean as I want to see what they say when it will be obvious that I've skipped theirs.

 

[Chester64]

Someone going away on holiday isn't a reasonable excuse to skip a clean,

When I first started in 1987 very rarely were gates locked up etc but now it’s endless. I have about 650 custies, so many want me to contact them the night before to open the side gates etc. if they are on holiday and they are away so can’t leave it open I just say no worries. Got plenty of work and I don’t mind the odd time they are away. Pretty reasonable request. But if it’s often then dumped for better custies

 

[Pjj]

Someone going away on holiday isn't a reasonable excuse to skip a clean,

I have a custy who is self-employed he asked to skip because they'd had a new patio put down I told him as most of his windows were at the front and side of the house I'd clean those and leave the back altogether no he wanted me to leave them all, I gave him the spiel but he still wanted to skip strike 1 then 3 weeks ago both him and his son asked to skip because they were going away on holiday Strike 2 and they are out of the next clean as I want to see what they say when it will be obvious that I've skipped theirs.

Instant dump

 

[Iron Giant]

Instant dump

To be honest, I have given them a bit of leeway as the dad has been on my rounds for over 18 years only had him wanting to skip this year,

I also do his daughter's who has been with me around 12 years they've never skipped and the son over last 6 years or so never has skipped.

Collectively all good jobs which are well priced and never any issues with payments, hence the leeway.

If it was a single job I didn't want to do any more they'd have been dropped, strange how I'll make allowances for some but not others.

 

[Pjj]

To be honest, I have given them a bit of leeway as the dad has been on my rounds for over 18 years only had him wanting to skip this year,

I also do his daughter's who has been with me around 12 years they've never skipped and the son over last 6 years or so never has skipped.

Collectively all good jobs which are well priced and never any issues with payments, hence the leeway.

If it was a single job I didn't want to do any more they'd have been dropped, strange how I'll make allowances for some but not others.

Ah ok that puts it in a different light