You gotta laugh!

[ksp]

I had a woman regular ring me up over a couple of months ago as I was a day late and saying could I knock next time I was there. 

I went there on the Monday to be berated about why I was 3 days late (I explained I didn’t go on the Friday as she complains if I turn up when it’s raining, and I have my daughter on the weekends) then she said she wasn’t happy with the last clean. I asked what the issue was and why didn’t she ring me when she noticed. She replied ‘it was all not up to standard’ I thought it’s sounds like bull however maybe it was spotting for some reason but on pressing her further she said I had missed the top right hand corner of the top right window at the back of her 3 story property. I apologised and said I’ll go over it twice this time to which she had a little dig ‘no, just do it properly!’  ?

Fast forward a month and she asked for a price to clean the front fascia, guttering and soffits. I said it would be £20, she tried to haggle to £15 and I told her i’m Already doing her a deal as it would be £30 for a non customer. 

This month I’m due to clean the windows and front fascia, guttering and soffits. I send a reminder text and she rang me to make sure I’m doing all the fascia, guttering and soffits for £15 ? I’ve told her she asked for a price for just the front last time and it would be £20. She’s gone on one, told me there’s a guy she knows that will do all that and the windows for £15.

i told her to go for it as it’s a bargain. 4 days and the weekend go by and I haven’t heard anything, then she’s rang me twice every day other than Wednesday when she rang me 7 times in two hours. Then Thursday morning she’s text me asking me to go back....no you can do one love 

One of the women who when I’ve taken them on had said that she had ‘got rid of her last cleaner as he wasn’t very good’. No, he got rid of you. 

 

[Davy G]

Well received a text from the complainer last night. I have paid the £15 but dont come back, not happy with your service. Happy days.

I replied, Oki Doki but i saved you over a hundred fixing you dryverge and your gutter union. No reply.

As i said, you could do their windows for free and they still would not be happy. There is one in a hundred of these folk and its better to ditch them fast before they try and sue you. ?

Oh my!

I just love getting a text like that.

My standard answer : "Ok, I'll pass your space to the next person on my waiting list". I say nothing more. I don't thank them for their custom, unless they thank me for my work. 

I don't have a waiting list but they don't know that and up to now I've always been able to replace with better customers. That one sentence is short concise and to the point, without me wasting too much time. 

 

[Pjj]

I had a woman regular ring me up over a couple of months ago as I was a day late and saying could I knock next time I was there. 

I went there on the Monday to be berated about why I was 3 days late (I explained I didn’t go on the Friday as she complains if I turn up when it’s raining, and I have my daughter on the weekends) then she said she wasn’t happy with the last clean. I asked what the issue was and why didn’t she ring me when she noticed. She replied ‘it was all not up to standard’ I thought it’s sounds like bull however maybe it was spotting for some reason but on pressing her further she said I had missed the top right hand corner of the top right window at the back of her 3 story property. I apologised and said I’ll go over it twice this time to which she had a little dig ‘no, just do it properly!’  ?

Fast forward a month and she asked for a price to clean the front fascia, guttering and soffits. I said it would be £20, she tried to haggle to £15 and I told her i’m Already doing her a deal as it would be £30 for a non customer. 

This month I’m due to clean the windows and front fascia, guttering and soffits. I send a reminder text and she rang me to make sure I’m doing all the fascia, guttering and soffits for £15 ? I’ve told her she asked for a price for just the front last time and it would be £20. She’s gone on one, told me there’s a guy she knows that will do all that and the windows for £15.

i told her to go for it as it’s a bargain. 4 days and the weekend go by and I haven’t heard anything, then she’s rang me twice every day other than Wednesday when she rang me 7 times in two hours. Then Thursday morning she’s text me asking me to go back....no you can do one love 

One of the women who when I’ve taken them on had said that she had ‘got rid of her last cleaner as he wasn’t very good’. No, he got rid of you. 

Well done don’t let theses messers much you about once we dump a job or the customer dumps us we never go back under any circumstances, I have had a few over the years ask us tk start again and I just politely remind them why I dropped them in the first place , usually there is a long silence followed by , ok thanks ???

 

[Staffswindows]

I had a customer next to a lovely old lady I clean. This new customer asked if I could start cleaning her windows.  When I mean bad they were like some haunted house . Dirtiest iv ever seen . I said yes but told them they may have a couple of runs after the first clean . they were also these dreaded windows that have extra vents in them . Job took loads of cleaning . Looked good when I'd finished . Garden was a mind field of dog poo. It was like a crystal maze assault course.  She paid then just before the second clean she said her husband want happy as there were two runs on one window. I was so relieved to get rid . Think she just wanted a cheep one off yearly clean . 

 

[scottish cleaning service]

I got a call through checkatrade today, the guy wanted me to Powerwash and seal his printed concrete. He told me the guy has stopped doing it. I told him no one wants to do the sealing because it needs to be a hot day and it can turn out milky. I did say i would PW it for him but he would need to do the sealing himself because i dont do it. He is going to call around and see if he can get anyone or he will get me to PW and he will seal it. Lucky i have heard the stories on the forum regarding this or i could have started a nightmare.

 

[scottish cleaning service]

Talking about access issues, how do you clean the bottom of a patio door with a silly Juliet Balcony with a wfp? I just do the top half.

 

[Davy G]

Talking about access issues, how do you clean the bottom of a patio door with a silly Juliet Balcony with a wfp? I just do the top half.

That's what I do. And spray through the bars to rinse down the lower half. I tell the customer that's what I will do, when I price the job. It's not ideal and It won't do much for the lower half. I tell the customer that too. I know some people rotate the brush and go between the bars. I don't, too much time and faffing about for me. 

 

[Tango]

Talking about access issues, how do you clean the bottom of a patio door with a silly Juliet Balcony with a wfp? I just do the top half.

That's an easy one - just don't do them!"

Well received a text from the complainer last night. I have paid the £15 but dont come back, not happy with your service. Happy days.

I replied, Oki Doki but i saved you over a hundred fixing you dryverge and your gutter union. No reply.

As i said, you could do their windows for free and they still would not be happy. There is one in a hundred of these folk and its better to ditch them fast before they try and sue you. ?

Like to see them sue someone without an address lol. Ahh the beauty of window cleaning.. you turn up, earn the cash, vanish and they've only got a prepaid phone number..

 

[Part Timer]

Talking about access issues, how do you clean the bottom of a patio door with a silly Juliet Balcony with a wfp? I just do the top half.

Easy to do if you've got a swivel. 

 

[scottish cleaning service]

The Juliet Balcony's i do have a sheet of wired mesh in front of them. I am going to clean the top till March when i will trad the bottom for start of the cleaning season. 

 

[Part Timer]

The Juliet Balcony's i do have a sheet of wired mesh in front of them. I am going to clean the top till March when i will trad the bottom for start of the cleaning season. 

Well you obviously can't do them or the ones with glass instead of railings. They open in over so they can be cleaned from inside. 

 

[scottish cleaning service]

Well you obviously can't do them or the ones with glass instead of railings. They open in over so they can be cleaned from inside. 

I can squeeze the brush through the bottom but i intend to make a baby brush with a 1' plastic pipe as the shaft or a curling brush. They are not that high and at least the customer can see i'm trying.

 

[Part Timer]

I can squeeze the brush through the bottom but i intend to make a baby brush with a 1' plastic pipe as the shaft or a curling brush. They are not that high and at least the customer can see i'm trying.

Will be quicker, easier and safer to go inside and do them. Personally wouldn't bother as it's very unlikely the customer would want to pay you enough to cover the time it will take you. 

 

[scottish cleaning service]

Will be quicker, easier and safer to go inside and do them. Personally wouldn't bother as it's very unlikely the customer would want to pay you enough to cover the time it will take you. 

No one is in when i do them, it would be nice to replace the mesh with glass, might mention it to them.

 

[Davy G]

I think I'm one of the few people who didn't really get on with the swivel. My own fault I'm sure. Didn't have the patience to persevere long enough to get used to it. I'll have another go some time. ?

 

[Pjj]

I think I'm one of the few people who didn't really get on with the swivel. My own fault I'm sure. Didn't have the patience to persevere long enough to get used to it. I'll have another go some time. ?

We don't like swivels but put the brush sideways through the railings and clean as normal bit fiddly but doable 

 

[Part Timer]

We don't like swivels but put the brush sideways through the railings and clean as normal bit fiddly but doable 

You don't like swivels ? One of the best things invented, makes awkward windows easy. Saves time and strain on the shoulders. We don't use them above 27' but have them on every pole below that.

 

[Pjj]

You don't like swivels ? One of the best things invented, makes awkward windows easy. Saves time and strain on the shoulders. We don't use them above 27' but have them on every pole below that.

I have never bought one but a friend of mine had one and I tried that , didn’t get on with it at all I like the ridgedness of the brush without any movement, and if there is a need I can use the end of the  of the brush to scrub bird poo with the swivel you can’t ,each to there own but it’s not for me . 

 

[wezza13]

Talking about access issues, how do you clean the bottom of a patio door with a silly Juliet Balcony with a wfp? I just do the top half.

I use a 10 inch gooseneck and with a quick sideways turn, you can get through the bars and clean the lower half. Quite a few properties have them around here. They are a pain in the **** though, in slowing you down.

 

[wezza13]

One lady asked me to clean her conservatory roof in October of last year. We did it and she was happy with the job and how well it had come up.

Fast forward to this June and, whilst cleaning her windows (which we do every 8 weeks), she announces that she wasn't happy with the conservatory roof job as it's got dirty far too quickly! She lives in an old school that is swamped by trees and a lot of them overhang the conservatory roof. Of course she blames it on the purified water - "must be because you used that mineral water ?". So I asked her why she hasn't complained about her windows that we clean every 8 weeks with "mineral" water! That's right, you haven't because they're being cleaned consistently, so of course your roof is going to get dirty. She said she expected that, once cleaned, it would stay clean for at least a couple of years...

 

[Davy G]

One lady asked me to clean her conservatory roof in October of last year. We did it and she was happy with the job and how well it had come up.

Fast forward to this June and, whilst cleaning her windows (which we do every 8 weeks), she announces that she wasn't happy with the conservatory roof job as it's got dirty far too quickly! She lives in an old school that is swamped by trees and a lot of them overhang the conservatory roof. Of course she blames it on the purified water - "must be because you used that mineral water ?". So I asked her why she hasn't complained about her windows that we clean every 8 weeks with "mineral" water! That's right, you haven't because they're being cleaned consistently, so of course your roof is going to get dirty. She said she expected that, once cleaned, it would stay clean for at least a couple of years...

Some people, eh!