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Two Customers Ruin My Day

Poles Apart

Well-known member
Messages
1,666
Location
Birmingham
I live near Junction 5 of the M6 near Birmingham 2 Years ago I got my first job since taking out a paid ad  with Yell, it was in the middle of Birmingham but as I had no work over there I was unsure as to whether or not I wanted it, I gave a rough quote of £30 for a first timer she told me last Windy stopped coming and also did her neighbour. So I was doing this 1 hour round trip commute once a month for £20 as a regular clean until after a few months I struck lucky and got the next door neighbour for a £40 first clean and £30 regular (massive conservatory) so £50 for 2 jobs together but I needed to get more in the area so when my 1 year subscription ended with yell last month I upgraded the add and paid for additional targeted areas near these houses it paid off and until this morning that area and surrounding areas went from one £20 job to £100. So last night night I contacted my customers the £30 job said she'd leave the gate open and money in recycling bin, next door said she'd leave gate open and money with neighbour great :1f603: So contacted the other 3 one is Go Cardless ground floor flat no access issues, one other text back saying Gate unlocked and he's BACS and pays up no problem, the other one unfortunately had a hospital appointment but she never lets me down.

This Morning I get a text from the £30 job saying "Ricky it's pouring down here can you do them next week?" I told her I was aware of the forecast last night and I certainly won't work if it's pouring down as I don't like getting wet but it's going to clear up she insisted I left them. Then I get a phone call from the neighbour saying can you do mine next month as the rain will bring pollen down from the trees

on to the glass so one wanted next week and one next month so I still had to go to the others as I told them I was coming I'm not going back to them 2 jobs again it's such a shame but they said the previous guy stopped coming I always take that statement with a pinch of salt I've been fuming all day :delusional:  

 
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I live near Junction 5 of the M6 near Birmingham 2 Years ago I got my first job since taking out a paid ad  with Yell, it was in the middle of Birmingham but as I had no work over there I was unsure as to whether or not I wanted it, I gave a rough quote of £30 for a first timer she told me last Windy stopped coming and also did her neighbour. So I was doing this 1 hour round trip commute once a month for £20 as a regular clean until after a few months I struck lucky and got the next door neighbour for a £40 first clean and £30 regular (massive conservatory) so £50 for 2 jobs together but I needed to get more in the area so when my 1 year subscription ended with yell last month I upgraded the add and paid for additional targeted areas near these houses it paid off and until this morning that area and surrounding areas went from one £20 job to £100. So last night night I contacted my customers the £30 job said she'd leave the gate open and money in recycling bin, next door said she'd leave gate open and money with neighbour great:1f603:So contacted the other 3 one is Go Cardless ground floor flat no access issues, one other text back saying Gate unlocked and he's BACS and pays up no problem, the other one unfortunately had a hospital appointment but she never lets me down.
This Morning I get a text from the £30 job saying "Ricky it's pouring down here can you do them next week?" I told her I was aware of the forecast last night and I certainly won't work if it's pouring down as I don't like getting wet but it's going to clear up she insisted I left them. Then I get a phone call from the neighbour saying can you do mine next month as the rain will bring pollen down from the trees
on to the glass so one wanted next week and one next month so I still had to go to the others as I told them I was coming I'm not going back to them 2 jobs again it's such a shame but they said the previous guy stopped coming I always take that statement with a pinch of salt I've been fuming all day:delusional: 
Got a call from a guy today looking quote and said his neighbour also wanted done ,so called and was £2 dearer with first guy but said ok go ahead other guy i quoted £9 (old ones done it for 8) well i said that it would be 9 and he went off on one saying i was a joke and he was a pensioner and i should be ashamed of myself ,now tgis is a man of the cloth may i add (preacher)
I told him i was shocked at his reply as all he had to do was say no thanks,Oh he didnt like that
Looks like hes not getting his windies cleaned ?????

Sent from my SM-G930F using Tapatalk

 
I live near Junction 5 of the M6 near Birmingham 2 Years ago I got my first job since taking out a paid ad  with Yell, it was in the middle of Birmingham but as I had no work over there I was unsure as to whether or not I wanted it, I gave a rough quote of £30 for a first timer she told me last Windy stopped coming and also did her neighbour. So I was doing this 1 hour round trip commute once a month for £20 as a regular clean until after a few months I struck lucky and got the next door neighbour for a £40 first clean and £30 regular (massive conservatory) so £50 for 2 jobs together but I needed to get more in the area so when my 1 year subscription ended with yell last month I upgraded the add and paid for additional targeted areas near these houses it paid off and until this morning that area and surrounding areas went from one £20 job to £100. So last night night I contacted my customers the £30 job said she'd leave the gate open and money in recycling bin, next door said she'd leave gate open and money with neighbour great :1f603: So contacted the other 3 one is Go Cardless ground floor flat no access issues, one other text back saying Gate unlocked and he's BACS and pays up no problem, the other one unfortunately had a hospital appointment but she never lets me down.

This Morning I get a text from the £30 job saying "Ricky it's pouring down here can you do them next week?" I told her I was aware of the forecast last night and I certainly won't work if it's pouring down as I don't like getting wet but it's going to clear up she insisted I left them. Then I get a phone call from the neighbour saying can you do mine next month as the rain will bring pollen down from the trees

on to the glass so one wanted next week and one next month so I still had to go to the others as I told them I was coming I'm not going back to them 2 jobs again it's such a shame but they said the previous guy stopped coming I always take that statement with a pinch of salt I've been fuming all day :delusional:  
I find a lot of ''the last guy just stopped coming'' around here... There have been a couple of misfits who it has become clear they stopped going to because they were becoming a pain in the rear end but there are a few genuine people.

What I don't get is, why don't they tell the customer they aren't coming back? I went to one today and the previous guy was honest and said my round is full and i'm not coming this far up anymore. They respected him for that and didn't have a bad word to say about him. On the other hand I had a call from a customer via Google who thought I was another company. Elderly sounding lady who asked ''have you forgotten me love?''. After a brief conversation we established she had called the wrong window cleaning company but she decided to get me out to clean for her. I haven't been to quote yet but this has been my only win from an otherwise disastrous Google Ad campaign.

How much do you pay Yell? Is it worth it now they aren't printing the book anymore?

 
I find a lot of ''the last guy just stopped coming'' around here... There have been a couple of misfits who it has become clear they stopped going to because they were becoming a pain in the rear end but there are a few genuine people.

What I don't get is, why don't they tell the customer they aren't coming back? I went to one today and the previous guy was honest and said my round is full and i'm not coming this far up anymore. They respected him for that and didn't have a bad word to say about him. On the other hand I had a call from a customer via Google who thought I was another company. Elderly sounding lady who asked ''have you forgotten me love?''. After a brief conversation we established she had called the wrong window cleaning company but she decided to get me out to clean for her. I haven't been to quote yet but this has been my only win from an otherwise disastrous Google Ad campaign.

How much do you pay Yell? Is it worth it now they aren't printing the book anymore?
Some clients I have have just dropped without notice and they got the message, reason being they would skip cleans multiple times for no valid reason apart from it looks like rain and they ain't that dirty this time #getbent 

Yell is waste of money mate no one uses it these days hardly its google and Fb and those are the ones to work and can both be done for free or a small layout like £2 to boost a post, I had a client share a fb post to closed residents fb page of a big development I bagged 4 jobs yesterday and 2 to be quoted today once they organise photos for a quote. 

Make sure you get clients to do a fb review after you have finished a job if possible, this will help as well 

 
I find a lot of ''the last guy just stopped coming'' around here... There have been a couple of misfits who it has become clear they stopped going to because they were becoming a pain in the rear end but there are a few genuine people.

What I don't get is, why don't they tell the customer they aren't coming back? I went to one today and the previous guy was honest and said my round is full and i'm not coming this far up anymore. They respected him for that and didn't have a bad word to say about him. On the other hand I had a call from a customer via Google who thought I was another company. Elderly sounding lady who asked ''have you forgotten me love?''. After a brief conversation we established she had called the wrong window cleaning company but she decided to get me out to clean for her. I haven't been to quote yet but this has been my only win from an otherwise disastrous Google Ad campaign.

How much do you pay Yell? Is it worth it now they aren't printing the book anymore?
Some people can't deal with confrontation.

It could also be that even although there were still a good couple of cleans in the area, dropping the dross meant the remaining few just weren't worth the effort or cost to clean. Yes, I believe you should communicate your issues to these customers whether they are good or the dross, but that's me. I've seen numerous examples of cleaners who promised to turn up even when phoned but never did.

 
Some clients I have have just dropped without notice and they got the message, reason being they would skip cleans multiple times for no valid reason apart from it looks like rain and they ain't that dirty this time #getbent 

Yell is waste of money mate no one uses it these days hardly its google and Fb and those are the ones to work and can both be done for free or a small layout like £2 to boost a post, I had a client share a fb post to closed residents fb page of a big development I bagged 4 jobs yesterday and 2 to be quoted today once they organise photos for a quote. 

Make sure you get clients to do a fb review after you have finished a job if possible, this will help as well 
Yeah I think some of the people who i'm on about probably deserved that. Round here there are a few that just don't. One I go to Makes me a brew, has the cash sat on the side waiting. Recommend me to everyone they know and leave me glowing reviews on social media for me. I reckon he stopped going because it just takes so long. The job is no longer than 25 minutes but you are there 45 minutes to an hour having a brew and piece of cake... Now I'm doing a manual job and burning more calories I got time for this haha.

 
Some clients I have have just dropped without notice and they got the message, reason being they would skip cleans multiple times for no valid reason apart from it looks like rain and they ain't that dirty this time #getbent 

Yell is waste of money mate no one uses it these days hardly its google and Fb and those are the ones to work and can both be done for free or a small layout like £2 to boost a post, I had a client share a fb post to closed residents fb page of a big development I bagged 4 jobs yesterday and 2 to be quoted today once they organise photos for a quote. 

Make sure you get clients to do a fb review after you have finished a job if possible, this will help as well 
I am getting most of my new work from the Yell ad when I ask the customer how they got my number most say reviews on  Yell I am ranked 1st on page 1 on Google in one area directly under that is the Yell listing a lot are clicking on that and see me top of that list as well it all adds up my Website has links to all my media including a facebook page I was getting more from that at first but Yell listing has overtook it now. 

 
I am getting most of my new work from the Yell ad when I ask the customer how they got my number most say reviews on  Yell I am ranked 1st on page 1 on Google in one area directly under that is the Yell listing a lot are clicking on that and see me top of that list as well it all adds up my Website has links to all my media including a facebook page I was getting more from that at first but Yell listing has overtook it now. 
Fair play mate if the work is coming in and you have reviews on yell, I have a free add on yell and the other free options and ensure they are updated accordingly. But only had 2-3 calls in 18 years.

County Durham Lad

 
Fair play mate if the work is coming in and you have reviews on yell, I have a free add on yell and the other free options and ensure they are updated accordingly. But only had 2-3 calls in 18 years.

County Durham Lad
 
I ranked pretty high on Google thanks to Yell but i've had nothing from it. I have more reviews on there than anyone else local but with them dropping the book from now on I think it will die a death.

@Iron Giant you were right about Google Adwords. So far i've spent £55 and had 2 phone calls.... both from the same lady and she was looking for another company  :1f644:

In fairness I'm due to go and quote her after they let her down but if it wasn't for the free voucher I would have knocked this on the head already. I just need it to reach £100 so it only costs me £25.

 
Your rankings and reviews can be high and you may still struggle to have work flowing in through free or paid advertising.

I have ranked #1 on Google for years and dominated half the first page plus on Facebook for a number of years in terms of named town and window cleaner/cleaning


But it hasn't meant a constant stream of work.

County Durham Lad

 
Your rankings and reviews can be high and you may still struggle to have work flowing in through free or paid advertising.

I have ranked #1 on Google for years and dominated half the first page plus on Facebook for a number of years in terms of named town and window cleaner/cleaning


But it hasn't meant a constant stream of work.

County Durham Lad
 
I think as strange as it sounds, people bypass me because my reviews are 5* and go for the guy with 4.9* instead. The wife runs an eBay business selling jewellery. She was at 100% feedback for ages but as soon as she got one negative and went to 99.9% her sales soared haha.

 
Your rankings and reviews can be high and you may still struggle to have work flowing in through free or paid advertising.

I have ranked #1 on Google for years and dominated half the first page plus on Facebook for a number of years in terms of named town and window cleaner/cleaning


But it hasn't meant a constant stream of work.

County Durham Lad
 


Aye, we need to concentrate in a small area, I believe. I'm thinking of putting my card in my local supermarket 500yds away. I don't like travelling far as I get van sickness :1f602:  but in hindsight, do we really need to work far away? I have read all the threads and a common thread is working to far away. I just say, I only work in Paisley after last week. A woman wanted me to work 13 miles away and said you can see my house from your house. I replied, yes I can also see the moon from my house but try and get there! 

 
I think as strange as it sounds, people bypass me because my reviews are 5* and go for the guy with 4.9* instead. The wife runs an eBay business selling jewellery. She was at 100% feedback for ages but as soon as she got one negative and went to 99.9% her sales soared haha.
Might depend if you look flash as well in a flash motor, I've picked up more over a shorter period of time since I got rid of my series 5 L200 warrior and got me little second hand van  :1f602:

 
I think there comes a limit. If you rock around in too flashy of a van then they will think they're lining your pockets, if its too old they may worry you are as reliable as your van haha. I had a chap proudly tell me that the local window cleaner was full and he must be doing well because he bought a brand new transporter.... (They were telling me that £15 a month was too expensive for a 4 bed house and indicating he was cheaper than me)  :1f644:

My first thought was, well thats on a lease haha.... He went on to tell me how they have a friend in Essex who charges £1 a window. I was relatively glad when he never got back to me to book in.

 
A £1 a window seems to be the norm now. You could throw in the doors and a fiver for small conny and see how it goes. 4 bedroom detached and usually £15 seems right. Its good to be in a position to turn away work when they twist your arm for a cheaper quote. But what a feeling when you say, no thanks, just get the other guy to do it and walk away.

 
A £1 a window seems to be the norm now. You could throw in the doors and a fiver for small conny and see how it goes. 4 bedroom detached and usually £15 seems right. Its good to be in a position to turn away work when they twist your arm for a cheaper quote. But what a feeling when you say, no thanks, just get the other guy to do it and walk away.
Well i've seen this around a lot on the forum, £1 - £1.50 a window... Can't understand how we are getting to that and people are still out there charging £20-£25 for stuff I charge £15 for. On the other hand theres a big 'village' with 3000 new properties i'm trying to get into and theres a chap offering £11 for a 4 bed.

I went to a customer last night for example. 3 bed semi, 4 windows and a door at the front, 1 window and 1 door at the side, 1 door, patio doors and 3 windows at the rear. I charged £20 (regular clean price) plus another few quid for the first time round... So i'm way off!! At a quid a window that would have been £11?? Hours worth of work for the first clean.... I mean what do we count panes of glass because some of those windows are triple windows.

The guy who never got back to me came through facebook. His wife booked me for the quote and she was very very price conscious. They asked for a price several times prior to quoting. When I said the most I charge for a house is £25ish they went away and I had to chase them to actually do the quote. In fairness they were nice polite people. I explained it would be a few quid extra the first time and they did say that the local chap had quoted £25 a month. The guy he told me about was his window cleaner at his previous house but his round was full. It wasn't actually said ''he is cheaper than you'' but I took that away from the conversation. If I went with the rate of £1 per window they wanted he had 4 triple windows at the front. 3 triple windows, a patio door and a back door... so like £10??? Nah!!

 
You have to go for £30 an hour. So £20 seemed right for 3 bed semi. If someone is charging £11 then he will not be doing it right. He will just be cleaning the glass, no detailing and certainly no pvc cleaning. I don't think he will be there long or the customer will pull him up and you know what he will say:- "what do you expect for £11"

 
You have to go for £30 an hour. So £20 seemed right for 3 bed semi. If someone is charging £11 then he will not be doing it right. He will just be cleaning the glass, no detailing and certainly no pvc cleaning. I don't think he will be there long or the customer will pull him up and you know what he will say:- "what do you expect for £11"
Like this guy you mean haha  :1f644:

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