[domestic bliss]

For those of you that read my previous thread of Never again.
I did a marching out clean for the RAF everything was up to standard except for the oven, i have scince found out that it should have been done professionally ie stripped down etc....
I just did a normal oven clean as you would at home, this has never been a problem even on end of tenency's however the RAF are more paticular.  Not only did i get a hole load of grief from this paticular customer and he talked to me as if i was something he had trod in he deducted £10 off of my invoice and has now sent me another invoice of his own of £37 accompanied by a snotty letter for an oven clean that he reckons he had to have done bearing in mind he'd actually approved the clean when i had finished it.
What would you do???  It is really upsetting me as i have never had problems like this before

[*Chris Browne]

Its been said many many times before, when you have finished a job like that  GET IT SIGNED OFF!!! Get something in writing when you have finished!! put it down to a lesson learned, but don't worry to much about it, we have all been there!

chris

[Prestige1]

Don't worry about it, it won't be the first nor the last, I had a complaint the other day for not putting the fridge magnets back on the fridge in the right order after cleaning?? kind regards Phil

[handyali]

some people are unbelievable arent they ?  :

[domestic bliss]

But would you refund the money he is asking for??

[Derek_Walker]

You only need to refund the amount that you quoted for cleaning the oven, as the rest of the job was satisfactory.

If you did not quote separately then I would just pay it and put it down to experience, the cost is negligable compared to getting someone in to clean it professionally.

This will be experience gained, I have done work for the MOD and they go through the house with a fine toothpick to make sure it is up to standard when soldiers leave a property.

Do not spend time worrying about this as these things can happen, life is too short to get stressed out over small problems.

Good luck

Derek.

[Phoenix]

Dear Domestic Bliss,

I,m ex forces and moved in and out of a number of married persons quarters.

The March out standards are extremely high.  Carpets normally have to be cleaned, most people redecorate, kitchens and bathrooms have to be absolutly spotless, I've even known the person inspecting the property to wear white gloves!

They pay special attention to fridges & Cookers.  They have to be stripped down and everything has to be spotless.

In this case did the client expressly give you a spec for the cooker?  Personnally I would give him the £10 off the invouce for the cooker, but no way would I pay the other £37 for him to get in a professional oven cleaner.

Service personnel do get fined if the property is not up to standard, or there is damage exactly the same way as a tenent in a rented property.

I suppose lesson learnt, try and get a detailed spec next time.  The best people to clean forces service properties are Ex-forces wives, they would have done it mant times before.

regards

Graham

[domestic bliss]

The details were to clean the cooker i said i would but i do not take them apart.  He said originally this was ok and on looking at it after he said it was fine.  Clearly MOD thought different!!
I am not going to do any marching out cleans again i will stick just to my weekly domestic cleans it's less hassle and my customers are always happy.   Lesson Learned!!

[Phoenix]

Hey don't let the bu**ers get you down.  If the rest of the house was OK with no complaints, he had the OFF day not you.  When and if you do the next one just tell them that you don't take the cooker apart. 

This type of work can be quite regular as forces personnel move around a lot.

Stick at it

Regards

Graham

[lynngc]

graham,
i agree with every word you have said,

the forces wives make the better of cleaners.

having been one myself, many years in quarters,and cleaned many  other married quarters and single accomodation block rooms, the forces standards are very very high

for every speck of dust, mark, smear found the march out officer gives a sum of £ 2.00.

The moneys then go to the new tenants, as they have to clean it up.
it's daft the way they opperate.  They are very particular with their cookers though, iv'e known personnel to buy enamel pain, and spray there whole cooker brilliant white. then buy new rings, just so they would not get fined.

i once dropped bleach in my own quarter on a brown carpet, oop's!!!!!   turned orange.  pmsl.   out came the dark foundation for skin and it blended in lovley, just did not wash that bit of carpet. LOL.

good luck to all who tacke forces accomodation.  it's a hard graft.

lynn

[Paul Kettless]

^{The details were to clean the cooker i said i would but i do not take them apart.  He said originally this was ok and on looking at it after he said it was fine.}

I think that this speaks for itself, now way would I be paying any extra monies to him. It is just a shame that you did not get the job signed off. I do not do this on domestic work, but always on commercial and carpet cleaning for this very reason.

I would right back to him on the the lines of whistle for it

Regards
paul

[Derek_Walker]

looking at the details now, I would have to agree, do not pay.

[Kelvin]

I can only reiterate what others have said.  I am not an ex-forces wife....but was in the Navy myself!!  The standard of march outs (out musters in the Navy) are notorously high.  I now run an oven cleaning company and have done a number of cleans for personnel moving out of Married Quarters (MQs).  I know the standard required and our service easily surpasses that.

As has been said, get a local professional company, it really does pay not to have that hassle.

Kelvin