[Ian101]

Do a house customers shop once a month at a fiver ... 2 big panes of glass outsides only .. more of a favour really but on way home .. last month Mrs Patel from newsagents over the road from this shop wanders over and says how much for her shop windows and 6 windows of her flat above shop plus one small window for the hairdressers they sublet some floor space to .... tells her £10 .. all ok asks me to clean hers when I do the other shop ... oh and can I give her a receipt for the £10 (not a problem) ... so think shes a proper customer.

anyways today was her 2nd clean, goes into shop and shes not there ... Mr Patel says no come back next week so tells him sorry only in area once a month so today or not at all ... you come next month says Mr Patel ....... errrr no says me as far to busy to be messed about ..... so says whats wrong with today ermmm Im closing the shop ..... what at 4.30 says me .... errrmm yes ... ............. no problem I tell him just give me the tenner as I dont need u to help me I can do it all by myself  .... NO NO NO u come back next month ................................. NO Mr Patel you need to find a new window cleaner ... bye bye

Not too bad as only 2nd time been caught in 18 months.

Yes they were minging and yes should have perhaps charged her double .... btw Mrs Patel was hiding in the back of the shop.

.................... however the hairdresser hears all this going on and outside asks me  how much just to do her 1 window in and out tells her 4quid ... no she says make it a fiver once a month please 

[CLEANCARE WC]

some people! I bet you save more than 50% off your time from the £10 deal= win.

[bobby p]

youve been lucky if its only twice in all that time. i can Honestly say ive been done over by every single Injun  ive ever cleaned for . i still have about  a dozen on my round and i bet you a million rupees they will all do me over Before i can drop them !

Im no racist ,proven by me having plenty of sub-continent customers,but they really are wily,dirty beggars who never tip  or say hello

[CLEANCARE WC]

youve been lucky if its only twice in all that time. i can Honestly say ive been done over by every single Injun  ive ever cleaned for . i still have about  a dozen on my round and i bet you a million rupees they will all do me over Before i can drop them !

Im no racist ,proven by me having plenty of sub-continent customers,but they really are wily,dirty beggars who never tip  or say hello

I can live with no tipping but the constantly trying it on over the price AFTER the deal has been done is a real ball ache.

[richard jagger]

It part of there culture to haggle .I have one just brought his new wife from the Punjabi, Cleaned once and the same started so I said to her its regarded as an insult to folks in the U K to haggle and Brits will loose respect for her. That stopped her in her tracks.

[JSMC]

go in and haggle in one of their shops and then ye will see how much they like to haggle. Mone yis their god not allah i'm afraid LOL

[mci services]

I was stopped by an injun while cleaning on the high street, he wanted the new takeaway shop doing but it couldn't be done until 3.30 pm. but it was on my way home, and I knew the shop so gave a price there and then

on the first clean he refused to pay me the full amount and told me £3 was ruddy good money for my time and I should take it, told him I would soap up his windows and walk away if he didn't pay the agreed price, he did pay and I never went back, about three weeks later he was back up the high street looking for a window cleaner, I could see him getting refused from one cleaner to the next and then he had the cheek to ask me again, I refused

I left it a while and then spent a few hours in the pubs either side of his shop and passed the word, he is now closed down due to lack of business



I don't think I had a direct effect in that but I certainly didn't help

[JSMC]

had a few problems with these fellas.

[windiewasher]

ive had a few like it
saying not this month or we will tell you if we want them doing next time.
I just tell them forget it and find someone else!

[DG Cleaning]

Happened to me a couple of weeks ago, injun guy comes up to me while i'm cleaning a few doors up, asks me to do his house. Asked him if its was.a.regular clean to which he replies " let's see how you go" windows were minging took ages and he stood and watched me till the last window then hid in the house and sent his wife out to pay. She took my card and said she would call but never has. Nothing against injuns but I thought this would come (used to work with loads in Australia) luckily told him a slightly higher price than normal to cover the extra time spent. Thing is If he had been up front about a one off clean I would have done it, he didnt need to try and con me.

[Ian101]

Hi Stan went to give him pre printed invoice b4 I started as thought they may get iffy ... Took invoice back and ripped it up though

[Scoop]

Really interesting reading all your replies.

Slightly different problem in my neck of the woods.

I am a very tolerant person. But there is a limit to the number of times that even I am prepared to be fork-lift trucked about.

Hence now, whenever I am approached by an 'Eastie' with the exact words "Howw much you charrge clean binss?", my standard reply is "Sorry mate, my goldfish has just been arrested" and then I carry on.

I reckon I'm quids in 

[dazmond]

luckily not many(none!) of the eastern type of people where i work.im not racist either but i would just plain refuse to have any of them as customers.messers most of them.its just part of their culture to haggle and be careful with their money.

a guy i used to work for many years ago had nothing but hassle from them.dump em and dont take any of them on a customers.

[Paul Coleman]

Like many others here I deplore racism so the following must not be taken as such.
It's very unusual to find a white English customer who haggles.
However, it seems to be much more commonplace for someone of Asian/African origin.  This doesn't make them bad.  It's just more ingrained in the cultures.  Unfortunately, especially when they are dealing with a sole trader, the price is more closely related to the sole trader's income so it's easier to take it personally.

Some examples:  I did a couple of shops, a hotel, and a couple of houses for a family of Asian descent.  I got so peed off with them trying to knock down the price, I ended up cancelling the lot.  Average value a bit over £100 a month.  If that sounds a bit extreme, you don't know what I went through.
Another time I did a shop for the owner.  Quite a small job - £5 outside only.  After a few visits I was asked to clean one of the inside windows (free).  I did it for goodwill.  Of course, that became part of the (free) job.  Price was still OKish though so no real problem.  Then I was asked to clean the inside of another window (free).  Did it but this was definitely only a one off.  Then the job was reduced from 2 weekly to 6 weekly so took a bit longer each time.  I put up with this as I had other work very close by.  The tipping point came when I was stopped from cleaning due to the Christmnas decorations ON THE INSIDE.  I pointed out that the original quote was outside only anyway.  So that one ended.
Did a quote for a house recently.  They seemed undecided as to have regular or one off (which nearly always means a one off or cancelling after 2-3 cleans).  So I gave two quotes (one off 50% higher).  She asked for a one off but wanted it cheaper.  I said good-bye.  In fairness, at least they were honest about it.
To balance this up, I have never had an Asian or African bump me for the money, whereas plenty of white English people have (including three coppers that I'm aware of).  Nor have I had the hassle of them haggling AFTER I have done the job.  Also, I have a number of Asian/African customers who are delighted to pay the price and don't haggle.
So, with Asian/African customers the chance of a haggle is around 30% (though close to 100% with shopkeepers).  With white English people it's maybe 1%.

[dave0123]

I don't have any on my rounds because they are all shocked when i give them the price lol. I had one up to a couple of months ago they were both doctors not short of money at all and they haggle over 50p if possible its all ready under priced.

best to try and stay away from them they will give u too much grief