[markymark]

First customer at 8am is the office of a friends cousin. They're minted but tight as the proverbial,  and always ALWAYS late payers. The work is underpriced as I put the quote in on the back of getting my oaws on their rental property empire - which worked for a couple of years before they went with the summertime ladder and bucket brigade, leaving me with a big house full of awkwardly accessible velux and awkward pole pitches. All in all a right p.i.t.a which, coupled with the fact they seem to think they are doing me a favour by allowing me to clean their house and office, has left them hovering on the drop list. I caught Mrs P.i.t.a today and after a moan about cobwebs on the inside of her lounge velux (20' up, no sensible access) said "I don't think it's working". Within a second of those words leaving her mouth I agreed with a sizeable grin. Invoice is going in tonight with a third reminder for the outstanding invoices, along with a polite 'dumped' notice. 
Ok, I'm a couple of hundred down a year but my god does it feel better. 9:30 on a monday morning has seldom felt soooooo sweet!

[Johnny B]

It used to hurt me that I would have to drop a p.i.t.a. customer. I used to see myself as a failure for not being able to get them to see that if I treated them fairly, they would feel good about reciprocating. Naive perhaps, but I love the job I do and when customers appreciate my service.

Nowadays, I feel good about dumping the dross, who are too stupid to realize what they have lost. Egocentric? I don't believe so, because I have had to struggle hard to change my thinking from one who used to have no self worth at all, to someone who at least has some.

John

[H20cleaning]

Some people get caught up in making so much money, that when they have to pay it out, they much prefer the cheapest job.
But what they forget is 90% of water fed pokers are fully insured, reliable and trust worthy, however only there are some people that cant be trusted.

[Ian101]

Ive got one on back burner currently simmering away. Had been a good customer for 2 years.

Pub £30 in and out takes just on an hour plus their house around the corner at £16 which takes 25 mins so ok price wise (well for me)

Both jobs monthly but about 6 months back turns up at pub and out she comes "leave em this time as bar lad has run karcher window vac over them" ......... "but still do the house" ........

so did as she asked and thought dump the pub as she will be getting bar lad to do them from now on .... so few months on she collars me and says you not be doing the pub and their filthy so says thought bar lad was doing them with karcher ?? ........... " no want you to do them" so does em.

Few months later turns up at pub and out she comes with "leave em this time but you can do the house" ...(wow really gee thanks) so tells her I don't work like this and wont accept on the day cancellations and offer to go bimonthly on pub for her which she accepts.

Due this week and will text her to tell her Im doing the pub ... if she says leave pub this time then either gonna block her number and drop both jobs or do house and tell her pub is now £60 on an as and when basis.

Oh and to top it all last visit she tells me that another window cleaner had quoted £24 to do pub ... so tells her to go with him then if she wanted to ... "oh no was just saying"

Don't think she really fits into my customer criteria after reading all this but will see tomorrow or Wednesday  

[Paul Coleman]

Even though I'm a bit light on work right now, I still won't do painful jobs unless they are priced VERY high.  I'm currently cutting them a bit more slack than usual until I re-build a bit but not at the cost of doing work that I hate at prices that I hate.

[bobplum]

your headline and my image did not  match

[G Griffin]

But what they forget is 90% of water fed pokers are fully insured, reliable and trust worthy,

I didn't know that.

[AuRavelling79]

Ive got one on back burner currently simmering away. Had been a good customer for 2 years.

Pub £30 in and out takes just on an hour plus their house around the corner at £16 which takes 25 mins so ok price wise (well for me)

Both jobs monthly but about 6 months back turns up at pub and out she comes "leave em this time as bar lad has run karcher window vac over them" ......... "but still do the house" ........

This is where  would have dumped her.

so did as she asked and thought dump the pub as she will be getting bar lad to do them from now on .... so few months on she collars me and says you not be doing the pub and their filthy so says thought bar lad was doing them with karcher ?? ........... " no want you to do them" so does em.

Few months later turns up at pub and out she comes with "leave em this time but you can do the house" ...(wow really gee thanks) so tells her I don't work like this and wont accept on the day cancellations and offer to go bimonthly on pub for her which she accepts.

Due this week and will text her to tell her Im doing the pub ... if she says leave pub this time then either gonna block her number and drop both jobs or do house and tell her pub is now £60 on an as and when basis.

Oh and to top it all last visit she tells me that another window cleaner had quoted £24 to do pub ... so tells her to go with him then if she wanted to ... "oh no was just saying"

Don't think she really fits into my customer criteria after reading all this but will see tomorrow or Wednesday  

See the bit I've added in red above.

[gary999]

Yep you cant beat a early morning dump!

[Susan Dean (1stclean)]

dumped a ring ahead today , only got four left now I hate them would rather do a walk around at cheap money then take anymore call aheads

[Ian101]

Ive got one on back burner currently simmering away. Had been a good customer for 2 years.

Pub £30 in and out takes just on an hour plus their house around the corner at £16 which takes 25 mins so ok price wise (well for me)

Both jobs monthly but about 6 months back turns up at pub and out she comes "leave em this time as bar lad has run karcher window vac over them" ......... "but still do the house" ........

This is where  would have dumped her.

so did as she asked and thought dump the pub as she will be getting bar lad to do them from now on .... so few months on she collars me and says you not be doing the pub and their filthy so says thought bar lad was doing them with karcher ?? ........... " no want you to do them" so does em.

Few months later turns up at pub and out she comes with "leave em this time but you can do the house" ...(wow really gee thanks) so tells her I don't work like this and wont accept on the day cancellations and offer to go bimonthly on pub for her which she accepts.

Due this week and will text her to tell her Im doing the pub ... if she says leave pub this time then either gonna block her number and drop both jobs or do house and tell her pub is now £60 on an as and when basis.

Oh and to top it all last visit she tells me that another window cleaner had quoted £24 to do pub ... so tells her to go with him then if she wanted to ... "oh no was just saying"

Don't think she really fits into my customer criteria after reading all this but will see tomorrow or Wednesday  

See the bit I've added in red above.

Yep .... only for their previous 2 years of good behaviour they stayed on the books

[David stewart]

Had an interesting one this morn myself!
Right, last wed got a text from existing customer with a name and number of a friend of hers. Give her a bell and she says she's absolutely desperate for a regular window cleaner and no one else seems to last  
Anyway she also wants gutters, fascia and soffits cleaned so I tell her il call on Thursday to price it up, call round and agree on price and a 4 weekly window clean, i tell her il be there monday morn to do the job, excellent!
Anyway, I roll into the yard this morn to find a chap power washing the yard, asks him what's happening here then to which he responds he's been there over the weekend cleaning the roof, gutters, fascia etc and he's just finishing power washing  the yard. Obviously I'm over the moon with the lack of phone call to explain that she had booked in someone else to do the job.
As she was at work I didn't have the pleasure of giving her a piece of my mind on how i left today free to fit her in therefore leaving me down on work as i could have booked other work in her place (I know it's a no no on the forum but I text quite a few of mine the night before). I want to call but I don't think I could keep my cool but I'm hoping she rings begging for her windows to be cleaned so I can tell her to stick her 4 weekly clean where the sun don't shine.

[PoleKing]

Had an interesting one this morn myself!
Right, last wed got a text from existing customer with a name and number of a friend of hers. Give her a bell and she says she's absolutely desperate for a regular window cleaner and no one else seems to last  
Anyway she also wants gutters, fascia and soffits cleaned so I tell her il call on Thursday to price it up, call round and agree on price and a 4 weekly window clean, i tell her il be there monday morn to do the job, excellent!
Anyway, I roll into the yard this morn to find a chap power washing the yard, asks him what's happening here then to which he responds he's been there over the weekend cleaning the roof, gutters, fascia etc and he's just finishing power washing  the yard. Obviously I'm over the moon with the lack of phone call to explain that she had booked in someone else to do the job.
As she was at work I didn't have the pleasure of giving her a piece of my mind on how i left today free to fit her in therefore leaving me down on work as i could have booked other work in her place (I know it's a no no on the forum but I text quite a few of mine the night before). I want to call but I don't think I could keep my cool but I'm hoping she rings begging for her windows to be cleaned so I can tell her to stick her 4 weekly clean where the sun don't shine.

The trick is to stay cool ime.
When she calls, just say something like: 'you're not the sort of customer i want' Keep it short and sweet. It's much more professional than ranting. And it will probably irritate her a bit more.

[jk999]

Dave tell her you want call out charge before you even consider doing the windows

[Pete Thompson]

Once a messer, always a messer.

I allow customers just one single "leave them this time" before they enter the dropzone.  Unless of course there's a valid reason, like construction work on the house etc.

Life's too short to tolerate messers

[8weekly]

Once a messer, always a messer.

I allow customers just one single "leave them this time" before they enter the dropzone.  Unless of course there's a valid reason, like construction work on the house etc.

Life's too short to tolerate messers

"Not this time" is an immediate dump now. It just isn't worth reasoning. It's just, "sorry I don't offer an on demand service. I am sure you can find one." Job done. If they say - which I have had "ok, you can do them if you want" it's a spit on the ground too! 

[David stewart]

I'll be asking for a down payment for larger jobs from now on 

I use a three strike rule for weeding out messers, had what was a great customer for quite a while turn into "not this time the grandsons coming to power wash the yard on Saturday", have had that the last two months and was passing last night and the yards still minging so I doubt she's for the scrap heap too 

Ps contrary to the current form on CIU, I didn't go straight out and pick up 3 new cleans, sorry lads I've let the team down 

[J.D]

Boys your a moaning bunch !

[markymark]

Ha ha! Bunch of auld women us!
Just waiting for the offending halfwit to pay her invoices before I mail here with "As the current working relationship is not working,  as from  x date I will no longer be able to clean your windows."
Even writing it now gives me a nice cheesy grin 
Moan moan moan!

[PoleKing]

Ha ha! Bunch of auld women us!
Just waiting for the offending halfwit to pay her invoices before I mail here with "As the current working relationship is not working,  as from  x date I will no longer be able to clean your windows."
Even writing it now gives me a nice cheesy grin 
Moan moan moan!

I get more satisfaction from just not turning up anymore.