[AuRavelling79]

I regularly did a 30's detached for £20 for Mrs N and back in spring her car got dented by us which we fixed at a very reasonable cost of £100.

All seemed amicable but just before going in August Mr N phones and says he would like to cancel our services and as he caught me on the hop in the middle of a job I quickly but politely agreed and cheerily said no worries, extremely busy, I've got too much work on anyway, thanks for playing bye! see you around ... sort of thing.

I didn't get clever or cocky or shirty but put it down to the damaged car and wrote it off to experience without asking why.

So a couple of days later I'm doing the next door neighbour's and see a ladder man working on Mrs N's Gaff.

This is the painfully slow chap with the orange trainers and the 1991 Volvo estate I've mentioned working opposite me and because I'm sad I timed him as I'm working the road and he takes 90 minutes. (Two of us took 12 mins) I acknowledge him but don't get into a convo and that's that.

Anyway it irked me, especially losing it to a trad man in the middle of all my custies and so I wrote on my comp slip that if they wanted to go back on the books let me know and I would see what I could do.

I attached a "fact sheet" entitled "choosing your window cleaner" highlighting the dangers of ladder falls (google bath window cleaner fined £2000) and being properly insured and health and safety and fines and upvc frames being cleaned and really laid it on thick about why a properly used wfp is better and that a conscientious wc who is recommended is best and do you want just anyone tramping across your tiles looking in your bedroom windows etc. and what about those squeegee marks and smeary leaded lights and grit on the front door cills etc.

No response and I afterwards thought I'd been a bit of a chump banging on about a £20 account.

Fast forward two months and I notice the cills are a bit dirty and wonder whether the new wc is due but think no more of it.

This afternoon I get a text from Mrs N.

"Hello Malcolm, please can we restart our wc contract again? Every 8 weeks as before? And if so can you let me know when you will next be doing (our) Road?
Thank you, (first name) N, (address)"

What shall I say?

[8weekly]

Yes. You were quite keen before to have her back, so why the debate? Personally I would have just waved bye bye.

[windymiller]

Say yes but there has been a small increase in our prices since i last cleaned. Your new price is now £40 

[supernova77]

I would probably ask them why they cancelled in the first place and then take it from there.

Andy

[CLEANCARE WC]

No problem mrs "N" I have recently adjusted my prices (this second) your new price will be £24   

[AuRavelling79]

Yes. You were quite keen before to have her back, so why the debate? Personally I would have just waved bye bye.

Nevertheless I have a decision to make.

[trippyboy]

just pass her details on to me mr gold,i'll do err

[keyser soze]

No problem mrs "N" I have recently adjusted my prices (this second) your new price will be £24   

+ 1

[HampshireWindowCleaning]

I think it's a bit out of order that you used dirty tactics to get the trad guy sacked so you could nick the job back.

[robertphil]

Always  good to hear of the orange trainer man!   its a real art  to work painfully slowly aND do a sh/tty job ,you cant fake that sort of talent

[AuRavelling79]

I think it's a bit out of order that you used dirty tactics to get the trad guy sacked so you could nick the job back.

Dirty tactics ...  

Just pointing out the pitfalls of using a certain type of window cleaner ... i.e. one who might be uninsured, using unsafe work methods and doing a shoddy job.

And I don't know if I want the job back.

[barry mallett]

You forgot . Signing on , and drinking on the job as well gold .

[Geoff]

Dump the slag.

[Spruce]

Always  good to hear of the orange trainer man!   its a real art  to work painfully slowly aND do a sh/tty job ,you cant fake that sort of talent

 

[Spruce]

Malc has offered to take her back, convienced her he should be her window cleaner, so he needs to honour that IMHO. If he was happy with the price he was charging her before it went pear shaped, then my advice would be to stick with it.

Sometimes customers need to experience bad before they appreciate the good.

[SherwoodCleaningSe]

You should factor in many things before you decide to take her back on. Will you be prepared to be dumped at a moments notice again. 

You might also want to calculate an increase in price, how will you do this.  Think of the various incidents that would be factored into this.

1. The £100 car repair of the damage that you caused.  If she's only every 8 weeks at an increase of £5 it's gonna take you at least 3 years to get your money back.

2.  Cleaning the previous window cleaners soap off and the dirty sills.  That's at least double first clean.

3.  Ink and paper on the note that you posted through her door, ok she never asked for it but she must of known how you would react to the trad volvo based ladder monkey with orange trainers, it's like red rag to a bull.

4  The time you've spent writing above said note and also time spent speaking about her on this forum.  Seeing as all window cleaners earn on average £1000/hr thats gonna take a few cleans to work off unless you are a very fast typist and therefor not wasted too much time.

5.  Dignity, this is really priceless however seeing as you once drove around in a volvo estate that might have already gone before the incident.

I'm sure you will consider all of the above and say Yes Mrs N ill be round in December and the price is £20.

Simon.

[H20cleaning]

''Dear Mrs XXX, I am around your area as of the 13th of next month, I would be more than happy to take you back onto the round at a discounted price of £15.00, however after each clean I would like to receive a happy ending.'' look forward to seeing you 
should do the trick

[DeLuce]

Always  good to hear of the orange trainer man!   its a real art  to work painfully slowly aND do a sh/tty job ,you cant fake that sort of talent

That's great  It'll keep me going for the next couple of weeks 

[johnny bravo]

ask her why,        she might start licking her lips.    know what i mean.       lol

[pure tech]

Malc has offered to take her back, convienced her he should be her window cleaner, so he needs to honour that IMHO. If he was happy with the price he was charging her before it went pear shaped, then my advice would be to stick with it.

Sometimes customers need to experience bad before they appreciate the good.

Good advise