Dog poo & long grass.

Another windy kindly passed me one of his customers recently - awesome guy, I like him a lot. He did warn me she's a good payer but can be a bit problematic at times. I've had problems all my life lol so it's nothing i'm not really used to and figured I need the cash, of course I'll do it.

So, turned up, she's not there. No worries, I'll crack on. Front lawn was worse than ours! Not to worry though.,. I don't mind that..got the windows done and eventually felt the squelch of doom as i trod in some dog diarrhoea. Lovely! Now i know why my fellow window wasn't overly keen - especially as you have to then trundle (literally) round the houses to get to the back yard lol. 

Anyway.. undeterred I got to the back gate to find a heavy suitcase blocking it. Called customer who eventually answered in a rather snotty tone saying she's abroad and it's costing her a fortune. Sorry.. YOU DIDN'T TELL ME!!! If I'd have known I probably wouldn't have gone.. but i digress. So I've left an invoice, no idea if it'll get paid, my comrade said she's a good payer - normally transferring funds the same day so I'll give her chance there and be patient.

Anyway.. whats the method for dealing with dog dumpings? I've got a spare plastic box in the car and today invested in disinfectant and a surface spray for future use (and water obviously lol) but I'd rather avoid the dumps on my footwear in the first place - without binning the customer.

Any ideas?

Tango

Dump the dumpers.

I have a length of hose with a long spray wand thing and antibac in the van for such problems but I get rid of dogsh## customers as I don't deal with it very well.  Barf

Inspect the area before every clean if it's there either position yourself and the hose where it wont touch it or sack them off.... Getting it everywhere is just not worth the hassle....

You guys do raise the same point... dump the custy. I don't really like that thought as it's not in my nature to be so self serving but i must 'fess it did take forever to clean my boot, then the trip to get disinfectant, clean everything down etc. Does kinda seem a bit of a faff.

I don't like talking badly of these areas as they're people too but it is a large council estate that this custy lives on and I could do with a reliable reputation in the area in case there is anymore work but I must admit i've so far only been knocking non council areas and getting far nicer customers / gardens to deal with.

Obviously every situation is different. I had a house last week with it all over the yard so I refused to pass it to get round the back so done what I could. She was apologetic however.

I had one the other day I extended the pole and stay clear of it all. 

I got caught out a few weeks back. Did a house I know has no animals.. Anyway I didnt check the ground and I stood in it... Might of been a neighbours cat...

Pass it on to another window cleaner just starting up, he’ll be really grateful 

I’ve messaged customers about it before and they always come back super apologetic and promise it won’t happen again. Saying that, it’s only been when it has gotten on me or equipment have I brought it up, often it’s not much so can just dodge around it. 

Explain that you can't clean if there's dog dirt in your work area as some jobs you have to walk through houses and the pole hose has a life on its own. Decent customers will appreciate this, those that don't then, for your own health, get rid. 

A lot of my customers have pets,and so occasionally you will come across some pooh, I just look out where I am going.They EMPLOY ME to clean their windows, not to act like a jumped up politically correct dumb public servant saying what or how they should keep their property and how soon they clean their pet mess up!!!.

Its when the garden yard is covered in it and its very hard to find one clean spot to stand on. 

THL4KEL said:

Its when the garden yard is covered in it and its very hard to find one clean spot to stand on. 

Click to expand...

Surely that is a once in a blue moon situation.

This is a sore subject for me at the moment, as every morning this week a German shepherd has been squatting in the middle of my front lawn and having a massive dump.

To make matters worse, he’s started to bring along his dog ?

When quoting for any new jobs , if there is dog mess in the garden then depending how bad it is , I just say sorry I cannot expect my staff to work negotiating all the dog poo , and explained about getting it on the hose etc , if they say it will be cleaned up for when we do the windows then I will take the job on but if we turn up and it’s poo city then we do t do the job and they are removed from the round , we never go back to any ex customers regardless of what they promise, maybe ime lucky but there is no shortage of work where we are . 

If I go to a job and there is maybe a small amount out of the way or the I believe the client may have genuinely missed that's fine if it's like a minefield I walk away and inform the client as to why I don't enter gardens for H&S reasons and it getting on my hose which I have to handle, I had one 3 months ago and the garden has been spotless since making them aware,

I really don't understand why some people bother getting a dog if they can't be bothered to look after them and exercise them sufficiently so they don't need to do anything in the garden it takes no time at all to train a dog, rather than them having to let out the door and do their business in the garden. ? 

My thoughts exactly. Dogs need to be walked. Not doing that is cruel. 

Shouldn't this topic be dealt with on the other WC forum " clean it up" !!!!!!