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Lowering the tone!

Tango

Well-known member
Messages
1,072
Location
Dirt. Planet Dirt.
Got a text this evening - rather late at nearly 9pm.. client doesn't want me cos christmas week and they have people staying with them. To quote the start of the message "Prefer you not to come".

What?

Okay, fair enough it's chrimbo, overspent? sure that's fair enough i'll come again another time but because you have people staying with you? - What is that about!!! It's like i'm apparently lowering the tone and / or inconveniencing them / they don't want to be associated with a window clearner... screw that, i'm not a bit of dog poo. Binned.

Place was under priced anyway. So's their neighbours (far bigger) but at least they appreciate me!

 
Got a text this evening - rather late at nearly 9pm.. client doesn't want me cos christmas week and they have people staying with them. To quote the start of the message "Prefer you not to come".

What?

Okay, fair enough it's chrimbo, overspent? sure that's fair enough i'll come again another time but because you have people staying with you? - What is that about!!! It's like i'm apparently lowering the tone and / or inconveniencing them / they don't want to be associated with a window clearner... screw that, i'm not a bit of dog poo. Binned.

Place was under priced anyway. So's their neighbours (far bigger) but at least they appreciate me!
I would not read too much into it...they may be too busy with hassle of Xmas and relatives etc....give people some slack sometimes is sensible thing...and bet you sometimes prefer or not prefer visitors/tradesmen etc if inconvenient to you!!!

 
I would not read too much into it...they may be too busy with hassle of Xmas and relatives etc....give people some slack sometimes is sensible thing...and bet you sometimes prefer or not prefer visitors/tradesmen etc if inconvenient to you!!!
Too busy to have someone walk round the outside of their house for 10-15 mins??

They’re messers, bin them ??

 
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Too busy to have someone walk round the outside of their house for 10-15 mins??

They’re messers, bin them ??
The customers are our bosses....when you work for a business you will have someone like a manager over you....when you are self employed window cleaner EVERY customer is your boss. Sometimes binning is right...but you have to replace the binned...and sometimes binning effects your reputation in the locale

 
Depends when you intend on turning up, xmas eve will be last day that people want anyone turning up, anything in between these days most people won't find acceptable, i personally wouldn't want anyone at my house unless it was an emergency such as an issue with the boiler or something. 

 
Yeah I see where you’re coming from Mike but I like to think of myself as my own boss. I’m in the unique position that if I’d like to bin one of my “bosses” I’ll only be say £10-20 worse off a month which is nothing in the grand scheme of things. It also then gives me the chance to replace them with another “boss” that won’t mess me around. 
It’s been mentioned on here many times but I think it is all about setting your stall out at the quoting stage. 
I come every month and you’ll get 12 x cleans per year, I’ll text you the night before I come, I expect any side gate to be unlocked, windows closed, no dog ?, paying on the day in cash if you’re home or within a week by bank transfer if you’re out etc etc (Not as blunt as that but you get the idea!) I tell them this by email or text and they agree to it. It’s not rocket science it’s like 8-9 simple things that if you can’t  follow I don’t want you on my round.  I’ll go back to this if I’m ever messed around which is rare nowadays. 
I’m not saying I never getting anyone miss a clean but it’s rare and they give what I believe to be a valid reason. The reason could be complete bullshit (how am I to know) but I know that the other 20 times I’ve been they’ve been great. 
I can remember I started binning messers off after I only had maybe 80 customers because I knew how I wanted my business to work going forward and minimise all stress. It just made me more determined to go and get some more great customers. 

 
My last day is tomorrow and even this I was a little uneasy with.  I don't think it's them looking down on you, it's more that they want to relax and don't want anybody, not just you the window cleaner, getting in the way.  

Kids will be about at some houses, spilling over into the garden / patio with new toys, dogs, uncles out the back having a cig, neighbours popping around for a few drinks, can be anything going on and some houses will be really busy, so much so they will be literally spilling outside.

One of my Aunty and Uncle has 4 kids and about 10 grandkids, when they decide to 'pop up' the house is rammed so much that inevitably they go outside for more space.  

I could no way be cleaning the windows with a load of people about.

I'm just taking the 2 weeks off but I'll be getting the van sorted, putting in hooks to hang equipment on, tidying up the exterior, maybe get some sort of branding.  I'll get my accounts ready and also look at getting branded uniform.  Also getting round to installing a water butt that I bought 4 months ago.  So I'll not be on holiday as such, I'll be just not window cleaning.

 
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Yeah I see where you’re coming from Mike but I like to think of myself as my own boss. I’m in the unique position that if I’d like to bin one of my “bosses” I’ll only be say £10-20 worse off a month which is nothing in the grand scheme of things. It also then gives me the chance to replace them with another “boss” that won’t mess me around. 
It’s been mentioned on here many times but I think it is all about setting your stall out at the quoting stage. 
I come every month and you’ll get 12 x cleans per year, I’ll text you the night before I come, I expect any side gate to be unlocked, windows closed, no dog ?, paying on the day in cash if you’re home or within a week by bank transfer if you’re out etc etc (Not as blunt as that but you get the idea!) I tell them this by email or text and they agree to it. It’s not rocket science it’s like 8-9 simple things that if you can’t  follow I don’t want you on my round.  I’ll go back to this if I’m ever messed around which is rare nowadays. 
I’m not saying I never getting anyone miss a clean but it’s rare and they give what I believe to be a valid reason. The reason could be complete bullshit (how am I to know) but I know that the other 20 times I’ve been they’ve been great. 
I can remember I started binning messers off after I only had maybe 80 customers because I knew how I wanted my business to work going forward and minimise all stress. It just made me more determined to go and get some more great customers. 
Have no issue with where your coming from, and at end of day you are your own boss even if you work for a employer, you can always leave if do not like something. My approach is slightly more lax than yours it seems, but I like it, and as long as both of us do not get  get stressed out with our customers behaviour then "horses for courses".

 
@Chris34 my thoughts exactly, what I did last week was proper crack on and completed my work in 4 days, I then did most of today's work last Friday, I am going out for a couple of hours or so today and I am all done, I tried on Saturday and couldn't get parked in the street I needed to be in, I don't think I have any hope of getting straight forward parking or reasonable access on a housing estate I could do more work on because there will be cars all over with most people now been on holiday. 

 
The customers are our bosses....when you work for a business you will have someone like a manager over you....when you are self employed window cleaner EVERY customer is your boss. Sometimes binning is right...but you have to replace the binned...and sometimes binning effects your reputation in the locale
They will never be my boss...

I just provide a service they can have if they want.

Same reason I changed to wfp without mentioning it to any customer.. I just started cleaning them differently. 

 
To be honest this close to Christmas I don't give a toss about skippers. 

Cut them some slack this time of year not going to get all the weeks work done anyway so couldn't care less how many skip. 

I worked today, no one about at all. All finished, all up to date but a list as long as my arm of business relate tasks to do over the Christmas holidays. 

 
i would just let it slide...its xmas!.......i too did my last bit of work til the 6th jan today.........good day,no rain and another £10 in tips to take my tally to £457 this year which is surprising as most customers pay online these days but still insisted on giving me a cash tip (and a card in some cases!)......happy days!

happy xmas to all of you!a nice 13 days off now!!?

 
i would just let it slide...its xmas!.......i too did my last bit of work til the 6th jan today.........good day,no rain and another £10 in tips to take my tally to £457 this year which is surprising as most customers pay online these days but still insisted on giving me a cash tip (and a card in some cases!)......happy days!

happy xmas to all of you!a nice 13 days off now!!?
Fair play, beat me,£390 was mine. Down on last years ?.

Got some nice wine, a bottle of Baileys, tin of roses and a box of after 8 mints.

All this Christmas food, I’m concerned, so weighed myself earlier, might have to go on a diet ?

38FB7346-1A1F-481E-9A92-D1585FDC6982.png

 
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They will never be my boss...

I just provide a service they can have if they want.

Same reason I changed to wfp without mentioning it to any customer.. I just started cleaning them differently. 
The customer employs YOU...you decide whether to fulfil that obligation or not.

 

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