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"Can we leave it this month" AGAIN

Cardiff1990

New member
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13
Location
Cardiff
Customer on the round who has her windows cleaned every 6 weeks (£15 Clean)

skipped the last 2 cleans. ("can we leave it this month")

Explained the situation about regular cleaning only

"i can find another window cleaner if you like"

Before you ask, shes gone

:banghead3:

 
I had another wanting to go from 4 weekly to 12 weekly last night. Funny how some of us have these hiccups on here and others pick up work left right and centre and never lose any work!! Not naming any names but it always seems to be the odd couple of posters.

 
I seem to be finding a few leave it this month's and had around 5 cancellations due to customers re-jigging their finances. 

People tend to review finances at the start of the year and we are the bottom of the list when it comes to necessity.  

Spring will soon be here !!!

 
Don’t take is personally it’s better to skip a clean than lose it all together it’s a funny time of year we probably get 5+ a week do the same but it’s only really December and January when it happens just part of the job ?

 
Interesting reading.  I'm just starting, I understand the theory about just skipping a clean to keep the customer but where does everyone draw the line?  I mean how many cleans can they skip before it becomes a first clean job again?  

 
Interesting reading.  I'm just starting, I understand the theory about just skipping a clean to keep the customer but where does everyone draw the line?  I mean how many cleans can they skip before it becomes a first clean job again?  
When I started a few years ago I would take it up the ar*e because I needed the work. Now my tolerance level is pretty low. If it happens once, but they’re a good customer and if there’s people close by whos window’s I clean then I may let it slide. If they have a good reason then I’ll let it slide. But I have had plenty who have said “can we leave it this time” and so I just never go back lol I’ve also had people borderline begging to have me back when this has happened lol it’s all down to your own personal tolerance level. 

As as to when it becomes a first clean again, it depends on where it is. I have one bungalow that’s close to loads of trees and I used to clean it every 4 weeks and it was like a first clean each time. On the other end of the spectrum I have 8 weekers that I hardly have to scrub as they don’t get that dirty.

 
Interesting reading.  I'm just starting, I understand the theory about just skipping a clean to keep the customer but where does everyone draw the line?  I mean how many cleans can they skip before it becomes a first clean job again?  
Each customer will be different.  If they skip a clean then I'm more tollerant of this, especially in winter as a skipper means I have one less to clean to catch up my backlog. I'm always behind as I have far too much work, so I'm not going to be the 'kettle calling the pot black.'

 
I had another wanting to go from 4 weekly to 12 weekly last night. Funny how some of us have these hiccups on here and others pick up work left right and centre and never lose any work!! Not naming any names but it always seems to be the odd couple of posters.




We all get the occasional pain customer but I think you weed them out fairley quickley when doing the quote I stress to them it’s a 4 or 8 weekly servjce and we clean in all weathers with in reason , if they hesitate at that then they arnt a customer I want , if ones have a genuine reason not to do them ie building work going on replacing windows, decorating etc that’s fine , we very rarely loose a customer unless they die or move , we are just about up to capacity with the number of customers we want most jobs now we turn away Ime only intrested in doing bigger commercial work that’s the only reason I keep the website going to try and attract that type of customer , maybe Ime lucky there is a great need for more cleaners in this area , all the ones I know are in the same boat as me with too much work , that’s not boasting it’s just a fact of life , I think where you live maybe there is a far greater number of cleaners compeating for work , that’s not the case down hear 

 
I have information on my website which new clients are made aware off to read prior to signing up, I don't accept doorstep cancellations unless building work or bereavement otherwise they get billed for the clean I had one yesterday told me he was going to be sanding down and re-painting the wooden fascias it was +2 with real feel of - 2 and today it was +1 and snowing I had never met this guy turns out he is the father of the chap who signed up 10 months ago and has been spot on and no issues but the middle of winter to paint outside not having it. 

I will use my discretion on certain jobs depending on the client or circumstances but @Cardiff1990 if someone is skipping 2 consecutive cleans then I would bin them as they aren't wanting a regular service. 

 
I had one on Tuesday that told me she is going back to work full time, and if I want to keep her as a customer, I would have to do her windows on a Saturday.

I asked her why she doesn’t work weekends.

Her reply was she chooses not too.

My reply was, well that makes two of us, nice knowing you 

 
Two in a row and they are gone, unless extensive building work etc sends a message out to the other in neighbourhood if your a fair and decent person all your customers will respect and treat you with the same courtesy.

life is too short for them customers don't treat you with the same dignity let them go.

I had one on Tuesday that told me she is going back to work full time, and if I want to keep her as a customer, I would have to do her windows on a Saturday.

I asked her why she doesn’t work weekends.

Her reply was she chooses not too.

My reply was, well that makes two of us, nice knowing you 
Enjoyed reading that ? ?????? will use that myself if the occasion arises.

 
I had one on Tuesday that told me she is going back to work full time, and if I want to keep her as a customer, I would have to do her windows on a Saturday.

I asked her why she doesn’t work weekends.

Her reply was she chooses not too.

My reply was, well that makes two of us, nice knowing you 
thats funny!why does she have to be in when you call to clean her windows?

we ve all had customers who skip a clean.its ok if its genuine reason but if its for no reason and becomes a habit i drop them,even worse if its a longer frequency clean!i dumped one the other day(after picking up a new job down the same street).theres 3 jobs down that road that are ex customers now due to messing me about.....when your running a business you need regular jobs not "every now and again" jobs...?

 
1 skip no biggie, more than 1 in a row without good reason: building extension etc then I sack them off. 

Got me to thinking with Tuffers other post. We have had 2 cancellations and sacked off another 6 since the start of thr year as they are repeat messers. 

We don't feel the loss however as we grow rapidly with canvassers out 5 days a week and our lead generation program we replace them in a heartbeat. 

It can be demoralizing losing a customer when you're starting up but grin and bear it, take it on the chin and move on. Wont be long before more come your way.      

 
Each customer will be different.  If they skip a clean then I'm more tollerant of this, especially in winter as a skipper means I have one less to clean to catch up my backlog. I'm always behind as I have far too much work, so I'm not going to be the 'kettle calling the pot black.'


I couldn’t agree more with this ??

 
Just bin them at the first sign of trouble.

I had one yesterday text me 10 mins before I got to her house "I need to cancel today's window cleaning as I'm going out now and can't leave the gate unlocked all day" 

There is nothing in her garden but flagstones, grass and the odd dog turd.

Told her unless she left it unlocked I couldn't clean her windows anymore. 

She chose to leave it locked but asked if I could come back next week before 2pm.

Yeh right.....the key to it is to get more work, get enquiries coming in and all the time and drop them as soon as they don't play ball. 

 
Binned one yesterday (felt good too). I quoted her a few weeks back when doing a neighbors hse. She called me over and said her last window cleaner didn't do a very good job so wanted to try me. I know the firm she was referring to and there are lot of people who are unhappy with them. I pick up loads of work from their shortcomings.  Anyway I stressed to her at that point that I clean all year round, including in the rain (within reason) blah blah....and she said "that's fine". 

So the day before, as with all my customers, (works well for me) I text her to say that I shall be with her in the morning to carry out her 1st clean. I even mentioned that drizzle was forecast but be reassured that it will have no effect on the outcome of the clean, in fact it will help me. She accepts that and says "see you tomorrow". Okay, I start the round next day and half way through the morning get a text from this woman who says, " Leave it today, its going to rain".  I text back reminding her of our original conversation and my text the previous evening about working in the rain, which she accepted. She said that it was her decision, she is the customer and that's that. I tell her that I am not a fair weather, once in a while window cleaner and that I can guarantee the result. She declines. 

Yes, I get that she is the customer but you cant let them mess you around. Everything was explained clearly to her at the start . I rearranged the whole round that day to accommodate her lengthy first clean and could have done several other jobs in her place had I known. 

So beware newbies, the odd ones are out there, waiting to mess with you for whatever reason.  You don't have to put up with it. 

 
It's the excuses that make me laugh.

Husband/brother/cat is going to do them from now on is my favourite.

We've had a cheaper quote is another 

Skint this month due to Christmas/holiday or dog in the vets.

The last 3 cleans you've done left marks so we want to cancel (why didn't you pipe up after the first one then)

Generally I hate customers, try to minimise contact with them as much as possible, I clean you pay that's as involved as I want to get 

 
Generally I hate customers, try to minimise contact with them as much as possible, I clean you pay that's as involved as I want to get 


I'm with ya on that my man. Don't get me wrong, I have a lot of lovely customers who I'm actually quite fond of. But if I could get away with just grafting all day without talking to a single person it would be a dream ?

 
She said that it was her decision, she is the customer and that's that.
She's right, it is her decision. I think a lot of people forget that. All we can do is explain the service to the best of our ability but this doesn't mean they don't have the right to cancel. I have a lot of respect for a cleaner that is willing to say sorry i'm not going to be coming back because of X, Y or Z. I always do unless the customer stops responding. For example one text back to her reminder saying can she cancel tomorrow as she won't be home. She has no gates and it was only the second clean. I explained she didn't need to be home etc but got nothing back, that one I can bin without having the conversation.

On the other end of the scale a lady called up who had me clean for her in May last year. She had gutters fascias, soffits, conservatory roof. I was competing against another local windy who isn't a nice guy so I did her a bargain and booked her in on 8 weeks. At the end of the clean I said I'll see you in 8 weeks and she said ''We'll let you know about the next date''.... That is the abridged version. I told her I wouldn't be cleaning for her again, her price was based on 8 weekly and she cancelled. She started trying to negotiate me up to a proper price, I told her I've lost trust in her as a customer and therefore cannot carry on.

I love a good rant on here about these types but I am as respectful as possible face to face. It's an art form being able to have a confrontational conversation without showing emotion or making it confrontational ?

 

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