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Skipping a clean

It depends, is the unhelpful answer. 
I don’t have rules. 
it depends on why? How often do they do it? Is it a good price? Is it in a road with other work? Do I like the customer? Do they generally pay on time? How busy am I? Do I need the money to pay the bills? Etc etc .

After all that I’ll make a decision.

 
I don't have an issue if it's once or twice across the year, they could be going away or having a new patio laid or something which is of no issue to me, I don't why people just don't say why, 

I do have custys that go away a few times a year and lock the back gate they usually drop me a text to say just do the fronts as we are away, But serial skippers will get dropped.

 
I make a note when they skip a clean and if after a few months they have been skipping every other clean or something then I ‘suggest’ they switch to an 8 weekly plan with a different price as they are too dirty to clean at a 4 weekly price. ?

 
It depends, is the unhelpful answer. 
I don’t have rules. 
it depends on why? How often do they do it? Is it a good price? Is it in a road with other work? Do I like the customer? Do they generally pay on time? How busy am I? Do I need the money to pay the bills? Etc etc .

After all that I’ll make a decision.
this is bang on.......however if the excuse is because its going to rain tomorrow or some other weather related excuse i dump and never go back....another reason to dump is "the windows are still clean" excuse...dumped....

usually my customers will only skip due to a valid reason(eg,building work,etc)which is fine....very very occasionally ill have a long standing customer who will skip and not give an excuse...but its very rare...sometimes its a relief if ive got a extra busy day that day....

 
Depends why they want to skip it , if decorating building or any other genuine reason that’s fine , if it’s a case of they look clean , looks like it might rain I remind them of the verbal agreement we have to clean every 4-8 weeks and if they still want to leave the clean it’s an instant dump .Nk time for messers 

 
As others have said above.

"Weather" or "they look clean" = new slot open for a better client. 

If it's a real reason like (family, construction ect) = see you in 4wks.

Hope this helps 

 
If they tell me they need to skip with reasons, I have no problem. Otherwise they get two chances before I dump them. 

I dumped one in the winter who skipped twice in a row with no reasons. I explained why  I was removing her from my round. I got no response. She texted me last Friday and asked if I could clean her windows on that day! I explained I only want regular customers and that she would have to wait two weeks until I'm back in her area. She agreed to being regular again with no skipping and that she would wait two weeks. 

She also agreed a price rise from £18 to £25! ?

I'll give her one more chance because I get biscuits and a cuppa from her. 

 
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How do you deal with customers wanting to skip a visit?
Easy answer, do you need their custom and one less minor input of cash 

Ask them their reason 

Have they notified you 24hrs before their clean is due 

Very basic business management skills required 

 
Like the others here I assess the situation and their excuse. Again like the others if they're getting work done or another passable excuse I don't mind. If it's not I'll give them about 3 chances then bin em'.

 
I've had just a few that have cancelled with silly reasons..... weather (rain), windows are still clean, having a supermarket delivery (yes, really)!.... but generally most of my customers know from the start that I offer a regular service all year round! Out of those few that had daft reasons for skipping a clean; and then when I've explained that I offer a regular service only and don't want to have my time wasted they usually ask to carry on with the agreed service. Don't let the customer dictate to you!

 
How do you deal with customers wanting to skip a visit?
See what the reason is first, if they say they look ok so next time please they will do it again.

Explain the price is on the time scale you quoted so you will charge 50% of the clean missed the next time around.

If they start complaining to your reasoning, I would bin.  

 
There’s a lot of this about at the moment. 
I had a bad week, I’m £165 down this week because of skipping cleans. 
5 houses -1 big, 1 medium, and 3 smallish ones. 
All 5 are having building work done, so I don’t mind.Spending their COVID savings I suspect.  
Hopefully things will die down soon. ?

 
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There’s a lot of this about at the moment. 
I had a bad week, I’m £165 down this week because of skipping cleans. 
5 houses -1 big, 1 medium, and 3 smallish ones. 
All 5 are having building work done, so I don’t mind.Spending their COVID savings I suspect.  
Hopefully things will die down soon. ?
Yeh Ive got two at the moment that are big ancient manor houses, been off nearly a year now with scaffolding all around and long running work going on. trouble is with a lot like this, the scaffolding goes up yet the builders take forever to actually start and finish the work. Think we've got a shortage of quality builders round here as theres so much work.

 
As I give my customer's cleaning dates, I don't mind if they need to postpone, or skip if they give me notice, all it requires is an email or a phone message before the day is prepared and I am fine with that. 

Now if I arrive at a customers house, give them the next clean date, and arrive as stated and they turn me away (not today please, or can you leave it this time etc) they get permanently cancelled right away. I have a zero tolerance approach with this. 

When 3 or 4 months goes by and i get a message from them asking where we are and why haven't I been, we respond with an apology like this:

"Thank you for contacting xxxxx, we must apologise but unfortunately we have on file that the service was cancelled back on the (turn away date) hence the reason why you have not seen us. 

You can recommence the service if you wish, please just let us know and we can requote a new price for you should you wish to come back.

Best wishes..

 
As I give my customer's cleaning dates, I don't mind if they need to postpone, or skip if they give me notice, all it requires is an email or a phone message before the day is prepared and I am fine with that. 

Now if I arrive at a customers house, give them the next clean date, and arrive as stated and they turn me away (not today please, or can you leave it this time etc) they get permanently cancelled right away. I have a zero tolerance approach with this. 

When 3 or 4 months goes by and i get a message from them asking where we are and why haven't I been, we respond with an apology like this:

"Thank you for contacting xxxxx, we must apologise but unfortunately we have on file that the service was cancelled back on the (turn away date) hence the reason why you have not seen us. 

You can recommence the service if you wish, please just let us know and we can requote a new price for you should you wish to come back.

Best wishes..
I agree that if the reason is petty, elbow them.

However, you say you give them a date of the next clean. Surely you don’t expect them to remember that 4-6 weeks later?

It’s a window clean not a hospital appointment. 

I have a window cleaner. He text me the evening before so I can leave a key hidden and move my motorbike. If he said the next date is so and so, that would go in one ear and out the other as it’s to trivial to remember. But if it works for you.........

 
I agree that if the reason is petty, elbow them.

However, you say you give them a date of the next clean. Surely you don’t expect them to remember that 4-6 weeks later?

It’s a window clean not a hospital appointment. 

I have a window cleaner. He text me the evening before so I can leave a key hidden and move my motorbike. If he said the next date is so and so, that would go in one ear and out the other as it’s to trivial to remember. But if it works for you.........
On the bill is a big arrow with a date on it. That is when I am back on that round, people absolutely love it. It works very well, all they got to do it pop it in their diary, and remember to leave access on that day. 

Less work for me, and the rounds work like a well oiled machine. 

What bike do you have?

 
On the bill is a big arrow with a date on it. That is when I am back on that round, people absolutely love it. It works very well, all they got to do it pop it in their diary, and remember to leave access on that day. 

Less work for me, and the rounds work like a well oiled machine. 

What bike do you have?
Honda CBR 650s. Although it’s around 6 years old now so might flog it soon

76FAE12D-F4AE-415A-AF7F-0ED05BC6E832.jpeg

 
On the bill is a big arrow with a date on it. That is when I am back on that round, people absolutely love it. It works very well, all they got to do it pop it in their diary, and remember to leave access on that day. 

Less work for me, and the rounds work like a well oiled machine. 

What bike do you have?
I’d hate to work like that. What if you fancy a day off, it must throw the whole round out?

Thats why I like being self employed. If a mate says do you fancy a days fishing/golf etc next week? I wouldn’t want to be tied to a schedule that stops me doing what I want when I want. Each to their own etc ???.

Its that glorious time again! Have a great weekend fellow windies. Enjoy yourselves, it’s later than you think!

Pub time ???????‍??

 
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