[AuRavelling79]

As a general rule if someone tells me not this month I tell them I don't work on that basis. If they don't agree they are history.

Now - if I have a really top dollar custy say an easy £25 half hour job then I might just cut them some slack if they have a half decent reason once a year. But the following are instant drops:-

"They're not dirty"
"I haven't got any money" (I accept online and cheques in the post so shouldn't be an issue)
"Not this time"
"It looks like rain"
"My dog died/I'm not feeling well/the parrot goes mental/my lazy sod of a son is still in bed"

I usually consider:-

"Putty's still soft from decorators"
"I'm having new windows in a couple of weeks"
"Decorators' are painting them next week"
"My husband has just died and they're coming to take him away today"

If they phone in advance I usually consider a one off "not this time".

My "compass" gravitates to instant drop and so my custies are well trained.

[Tom White]

A good few years ago I put on my chits that I've had a spate of 'Not today, mate' type refusals from customers and that I drop them.  That led to a spate of customers trying to wind me up.

Tomo, a local window cleaner (and member of this site) can vouch for what I had on my chits, because he wet his pants laughing at it.

[window11]

half and half really then.

i know im way to slak though, look out !! lol
bet i lose at leat 10 toomr haha

[prestige cleaners]

sounds like my wife, she can stand up for herself when she wants to. we were cleaning a big hair dressers for a while, then one day a new manager decides hes bringing in his old window cleaner from a different shop he covers (cheaper) we both turn up at the same time, then as im setting up he explains what hes done, so i just pack up and return to the van, but my wife wouldnt let it go and stormed in and demanded petrol and time wasting money, he said no (this in front of a load of custies having their hair done) and she just stood there until he handed some money over.   

[alanwilson]

dirty windows - that is classic mate

tell your missus she's just like mine!

My wife doesn't work with us (she'd wind me up) but thats exactly what she's like, normally she's really quiet and easy going lass but if something annoys her enough you'd better get out of her way - I do!

[Paul Coleman]

sounds like my wife, she can stand up for herself when she wants to. we were cleaning a big hair dressers for a while, then one day a new manager decides hes bringing in his old window cleaner from a different shop he covers (cheaper) we both turn up at the same time, then as im setting up he explains what hes done, so i just pack up and return to the van, but my wife wouldnt let it go and stormed in and demanded petrol and time wasting money, he said no (this in front of a load of custies having their hair done) and she just stood there until he handed some money over.   

Now I know it sounds a bit nasty but I'm sure another way of handling that would be to leave it a few weeks, book a lengthy, elaborate hairdressing appointment over the phone, then just not show up.  Of course he would have to be informed afterwards what had happened and why it happened for it to be effective.  Sometimes that's the only way some people can learn empathy, by having it imposed upon them.
Of course you would have to make sure it wasn't one of those "rent a chair" setups to ensure that the loss didn't fall upon someone else.

[Steve CM]

I was talking with a local window cleaner yesterday. I asked how he was gettiing on.

He said "Ok, wish it would stop raining though as i can't get all me work done. How are you going?"

I said "Fine. The only thing that stopped us working flat out was when we had the deep snow"

He said "what your customers allow you to clean in the rain?"

I said "Of course they do. We have a set of guidelines we work to, if they don't like it then they find another window cleaner. I don't remember the last time i got a please leave it this month because of the rain"

He said "oh right......"

I noted before about how well he seems to get on with his customers and i said to him that i think there is a fine line between being matey and being there as a professional. Its the same as the couple in question. They are confident in their work and their business so they potray that 'no nonsense' to the customer which in turn probably gains them some respect. You will get the arseholes stamping their feet but then their easily replaced. I've had it myself many times.