[Craig 72]

Been cleaning for just under a year now and so far customers have been generally good payers but I've had one this week mess me about.She's one of these people who whenever I knock never seems to be in so I've just left a card each time and it's built up to 3 cleans now.This last time I left a card saying politely that I'd like the matter resolved as I'm trying to get up straight with all my customers.I knocked on her house this morning and some girl answered the door claiming that she was her friend and she thinks that the she doesn't want me to do her windows anymore.I said fair enough but I'd still like my money.It's pretty obvious I'm getting stitched up.Where do I stand with people like this as I've had no experience of it so far?Is it just a case of accepting people can be tosspots?I was talking to another window cleaner who said he threatens bailliffs but surely legally we don't have a leg to stand on.

[DaveG]

To be honest mate, I would learn from it and walk away ..dont let it eat you up.

In future dont do a second clean til youve been paid. As you get more established youll find out who the messers are, but there are a lot more "nice" people than tossers

[daz1977]

i got some like that,  they are slowly getting dumped, do a clean tehn wont do an other till i get paid

the best thing is to just walk away, if she aint got the money,  u can only get money out of her by taking her to court and unless its a large amount it would be a waste of money,   

write the loss of as you can claim it agains tax as a bad debt

[ftp]

Get them all the time. Three missed payments and I normally get sacked when they eventually pay. By then I couldn't give a toss and am glad to lose them.

[jonnyald]

keep goin round in person till you get paid, daily if thats what it takes . knock at the neighbours to find out when they are there

 just before last xmas i let slide 4 cleans with one customer,he always had a charming excuse , then i spent much time knocking his door and eventually got paid in january . i learnt my lesson  and you will too me thinks

[JSMC]

personally i'd walk away but also let the neighbours know by a slip of the tongue LOL

[Jack Wallace]

personally i'd walk away but also let the neighbours know by a slip of the tongue LOL

I had this but in reverse, I took on a new custy who promised to pay online but never, I turned up the following month and was told "sorry hubby had PC problems but will sort it asap" so I did the clean.
Got talking to the neighbours who said "the last cleaner had loads of problems getting paid from them" so when the money never went in the bank I called to see why, I happened to drop into conversation that I had been warned by their neighbours and ever since then they cant seem to pay fast enough lol.

[Gav Camm lammy 283]

keep going knock it all the time or soap up windows
she'll get the message n pay you i once sparked sum
fella owed me 3 cleans then started coming it wiv his
mouth 3mths later he starts apologizing even had the cheek
to ask me to clean em again , me jus stood there shaking ma
head in disbelief

[weetot]

Just walk away mate, then when they are filthy and she wants them done again, take payment for the 3 cleans plus a 4th clean and promise you will do them some time this week..
Then just dont bother doing them.  She's messed you around. Walk.

[stfc]

1 customer didnt pay me,so egged his windows tops ,he was soon on the phone to me asking for me to clean them..

[dai]

As a last resort I have recruited the help of next door customers.
I say that I am having problems catching Mrs Jones next door in, I ask if it would be OK if I asked her to leave the money with the neighbour, they usually say no problem.
I then write a note to the offending customer saying that as I keep missing her could she please leave the money with the lady next door, I have spoken to her and she is happy for you to leave the money there.
This usually works very well as the bad payer doesn't want her next door neighbour to know she hasn't paid.

[AuRavelling79]

As a last resort I have recruited the help of next door customers.
I say that I am having problems catching Mrs Jones next door in, I ask if it would be OK if I asked her to leave the money with the neighbour, they usually say no problem.
I then write a note to the offending customer saying that as I keep missing her could she please leave the money with the lady next door, I have spoken to her and she is happy for you to leave the money there.
This usually works very well as the bad payer doesn't want her next door neighbour to know she hasn't paid.

If you've got to get older you might as well get wiser eh Dai? Good one.

[A & J Owen Window Cleaning]

just learn from this one if they dont want to pay they wont so only do once and collect money same day or give them 3 strikes and then get rid mate

[DaveG]

As a last resort I have recruited the help of next door customers.
I say that I am having problems catching Mrs Jones next door in, I ask if it would be OK if I asked her to leave the money with the neighbour, they usually say no problem.
I then write a note to the offending customer saying that as I keep missing her could she please leave the money with the lady next door, I have spoken to her and she is happy for you to leave the money there.
This usually works very well as the bad payer doesn't want her next door neighbour to know she hasn't paid.

Great idea Dai, shame the buggers into paying!

[simon knight]

As a last resort I have recruited the help of next door customers.
I say that I am having problems catching Mrs Jones next door in, I ask if it would be OK if I asked her to leave the money with the neighbour, they usually say no problem.
I then write a note to the offending customer saying that as I keep missing her could she please leave the money with the lady next door, I have spoken to her and she is happy for you to leave the money there.
This usually works very well as the bad payer doesn't want her next door neighbour to know she hasn't paid.

Great idea Dai, shame the buggers into paying!

Not just a "great idea"...it's inspired!

[Craig 72]

Thanks for the advice folks.I'll just chalk this down to experience then.Bloody annoying though,she seemed a really pleasant girl at first.Now she hasn't even got the courtesy to come to the door and speak to me in person.It's a small little cul-de-sac where I do 6 of 10 houses so I will be bump into her at some point.Think I'm too soft though frankly.I know people who would hammer on the door and have a slanging match but thats just not me.

[Jonathan Spencer]

Thanks for the advice folks.I'll just chalk this down to experience then.Bloody annoying though,she seemed a really pleasant girl at first.Now she hasn't even got the courtesy to come to the door and speak to me in person.It's a small little cul-de-sac where I do 6 of 10 houses so I will be bump into her at some point.Think I'm too soft though frankly.I know people who would hammer on the door and have a slanging match but thats just not me.

That is what I have done.  I have only had one bad payer.  Her neighbours started asking me why I did not do theirs anymore so I just told them the truth.  She did not come out of it looking good so it gave me a bit of satisfaction lol.

[dai]

There was one guy that really took the P and he was never going to pay.
I went to his house one day and knocked, I knew I wasn't going to get a reply, but it gave me enough time to push a sliver of bamboo deep into his Yale lock.

I have a problem with about three customers where only one of the partners will pay. the women just won't answer the door, it's so bloody annoying when you know for a fact they are in.
I often think about what kind of relationship they have where it comes to money. I wonder if their partners know that they are being set up to pay every time.
Do any of you have customers like this?

[daz1977]

had one like thsi which was a pain, use to knock and the women would pretend she didnt know y i was there, as ur hubby wanted the wc, when i went over to wfp she dumped me for leaving windows wet, said ok no problem and walked off

had one the other day, kids have been off school, and was cleaning this house when the teenage son comes out, r u from the council, no i said,  whos paying you then  your mum, i think,    she hasnt told me any thing about it, r u sure,  yea been doing it for months  oh ok, and walked off