[Tom White]

Picked up a large commercial job that's been under renovation and they originally wanted it cleaned this coming Monday.  Great no problems.  Then it was changed to them wanting it cleaned today, which was a problem since Wor Lass and Wor Little Un had planned a day out shopping and there's no way they were going to change the plan.  So that's the first mess about.

The second was after I'd cleaned the front of this establishment starting at 7.00 am this morning - even though I had earlier suggested they have the facias and gutters washed down - the owner decided the spanking clean glass and frames contrasted with the dirty stuff above it.  So he asked me to do these too, which meant I had to go over the glass again because of all the dirty water running down onto the already clean glass.  2nd Mess about.

Then around the rear, there's two walls of glass - quite a big job in itself - but also loads of smelly builders cutting stuff and power tools etc.  So I said I'd return to clean the outside once they naffed off about 5.00 pm (on a Friday).  3rd Mess about.

Also got the insides of this area to do too, but they can wait till tomorrow.

Being self-employed, I'm just not used to getting messed about; it's like being employed again! 

Thanks for letting me whine.

[PoleKing]

Don't worry about it Tosh.
Mess arounds like that used to wind me up.
I just charge accordingly now.
Certainly makes me feel better.

[bobplum]

Try cleaning the inside of a glass doorway and then watch a guy with a buffer type of machine come along and "key" the concrete floor ready for the tillers and he watched me clean the glass

[Darranvps]

Be a professional and stop acting like an amateur.

When the customers see you as a dog they will treat you like one.

Become a Master and be masterful and talk to the customer ON or above their level 

[AuRavelling79]

Have you got that "knot in the stomach" feeling that they may not pay when and how much they agreed to? 

[Arnold Palmer]

Man up Tish. Charge him for the reclean and every time he messes you about.

[Darranvps]

Man up Tish. Charge him for the reclean and every time he messes you about.

 

[pdale]

ODAAT and this too shall pass 

[AuRavelling79]

I got messed about on Thursday.

Mrs K, a surgeon's wife, who follows us about nit-picking:

She has a large detached house with old ally windows and some Georgian internal doors and two sets of patio doors which her kids rub their noses and sun cream on, all set in a couple of acres of land which has her parents in law housed in a separate bungalow. They are from a culture which besides its many good points likes to negotiate and be demanding.

I thought I had Mrs. K  finally trained and earlier this year when the second bungalow was finished her parents in law came on stream as separate-paying customers.

So the house is £30 every 8 weeks, the bungalow is £14 every eight weeks. Every sixteen weeks they have the insides done at an extra £37 and £16 respectively.

So one visit should be £44, the other £97.

Last time she asks me to do an extra internal which is priced a little higher but takes about half as long again as the outsides. But she says her parents in law don't want theirs doing as they're away. So I gain £37 which adds an hour (two men mind) but lose £14 and save 15 minutes.

It was a light week last week and I bit my tongue and did it but I am intending to dump her.

It's the whining and the following about and having to move furniture by the windows and now the parents in law saying leave it this time which has got under our skin.  

I'm torn between tipping up next time and saying the parents bungalow is £20 this time as they left it last time - no different work to that scheduled -  or just dumping.

I'll see how the mood takes me as the time approaches.

[PoleKing]

I got messed about on Thursday.

Mrs K, a surgeon's wife, who follows us about nit-picking:

She has a large detached house with old ally windows and some Georgian internal doors and two sets of patio doors which her kids rub their noses and sun cream on, all set in a couple of acres of land which has her parents in law housed in a separate bungalow. They are from a culture which besides its many good points likes to negotiate and be demanding.

I thought I had Mrs. K  finally trained and earlier this year when the second bungalow was finished her parents in law came on stream as separate-paying customers.

So the house is £30 every 8 weeks, the bungalow is £14 every eight weeks. Every sixteen weeks they have the insides done at an extra £37 and £16 respectively.

So one visit should be £44, the other £97.

Last time she asks me to do an extra internal which is priced a little higher but takes about half as long again as the outsides. But she says her parents in law don't want theirs doing as they're away. So I gain £37 which adds an hour (two men mind) but lose £14 and save 15 minutes.

It was a light week last week and I bit my tongue and did it but I am intending to dump her.

It's the whining and the following about and having to move furniture by the windows and now the parents in law saying leave it this time which has got under our skin. 

I'm torn between tipping up next time and saying the parents bungalow is £20 this time as they left it last time - no different work to that scheduled -  or just dumping.

I'll see how the mood takes me as the time approaches.

GoCardLess!!!

[Window Lickers]

Nothing happens in Gods world by mistake.

 

[Window Lickers]

When the customers see you as a dog they will treat you like one.

+1

[Tom White]

Have you got that "knot in the stomach" feeling that they may not pay when and how much they agreed to? 

Despite the fact that he's Oirish, he seems like a decent bloke.  I've charged them well too; it's nearly £2.5K a year this job, and local.  Also picked up a £25 every-six-week clean when I was there (a shop just opposite).

This first clean is a bummer though. 

Back tomorrow morning - with Wor Lass (her nose bleeds if she's got to work on a Saturday) - to finish off.

[Paul Coleman]

I do put up with a certain amount of hassle on a first clean if I can see it being a decent job once I'm on a roll.  Some types of first clean can be a hassle with the organising but it's useful to think of the slightly bigger picture - the subsequent low hassle cleans.

[Tom White]

I do put up with a certain amount of hassle on a first clean if I can see it being a decent job once I'm on a roll.  Some types of first clean can be a hassle with the organising but it's useful to think of the slightly bigger picture - the subsequent low hassle cleans.

Spot on.  And for this job I'm happy to go a bit OTT and do a top notch job.  Once they think "Hey, our window cleaners are wonderful", then I tend to slacken off and be more like my usual cowboy self.

[deeege]

I got messed about on Thursday.

Mrs K, a surgeon's wife, who follows us about nit-picking:

She has a large detached house with old ally windows and some Georgian internal doors and two sets of patio doors which her kids rub their noses and sun cream on, all set in a couple of acres of land which has her parents in law housed in a separate bungalow. They are from a culture which besides its many good points likes to negotiate and be demanding.

I thought I had Mrs. K finally trained and earlier this year when the second bungalow was finished her parents in law came on stream as separate-paying customers.

So the house is £30 every 8 weeks, the bungalow is £14 every eight weeks. Every sixteen weeks they have the insides done at an extra £37 and £16 respectively.

So one visit should be £44, the other £97.

Last time she asks me to do an extra internal which is priced a little higher but takes about half as long again as the outsides. But she says her parents in law don't want theirs doing as they're away. So I gain £37 which adds an hour (two men mind) but lose £14 and save 15 minutes.

It was a light week last week and I bit my tongue and did it but I am intending to dump her.

It's the whining and the following about and having to move furniture by the windows and now the parents in law saying leave it this time which has got under our skin. 

I'm torn between tipping up next time and saying the parents bungalow is £20 this time as they left it last time - no different work to that scheduled -  or just dumping.

I'll see how the mood takes me as the time approaches.

Mrs Khan?

[Johnny B]

Have you got that "knot in the stomach" feeling that they may not pay when and how much they agreed to? 

Despite the fact that he's Oirish, he seems like a decent bloke. 

Messing people about is in their culture. I know. I am in Ireland and deal with this sort of thing every day from them.

After nearly 3 years of taking it, I have got used to it and have learned to be flexible, yet maintain a professional attitude. This and an unwavering determination to succeed have enabled me to build my business from scratch in an economy-ravished land where new job opportunities are virtually nil for my age group (I am 52), and young working age people are leaving the country in droves.

John

[Tom White]

Messing people about is in their culture.

Nah, it was just me whining.  The 1st 'mess about' was that he changed the date for the initial clean to a day which Wor Lass had booked off; now he didn't know Wor Lass had something planned with Wor Little Un.  The 2nd 'mess about' was that he asked me to clean the gutters and facias after I'd done the windows.  He doesn't know that means the windows will get dirty again.  The 3rd mess about was that the builder's were still in.  He doesn't know that I don't want to trail 60 meters of hose right where they're working and that I need a bit of space.

He probably thought I'd be fine with ladders, it's high ground floor windows, not knowing I used a wfp.

Early on in the quoting phase he said he didn't mind if we charged him more for the initial clean because he did know it was a bummer.  He also increased the frequency of clean in my favour (high traffic areas fortnightly and everything every-six-weeks). 

I also ended up with this job because I had a bit of a general chat with him (about Ireland and mad Irish women like my ex wife) - thinking he was just shop floor staff - but later I found out through the manager that the Oirish guy was actually the owner, and not staff.

He's a good bloke; he got me a coffee, asked how things were going; friendly - just doesn't know a lot about window cleaning.  I'm just a whine when I'm tired.  

[Johnny B]

Fair enough Tosh. I have had 'customers' though who on an initial clean give me a tea, then have started messing me about about when they are going to pay me. On occasions the payment never materialised.

Hope this doesn't happen to you.

John

[AuRavelling79]

Fair enough Tosh. I have had 'customers' though who on an initial clean give me a tea, then have started messing me about about when they are going to pay me. On occasions the payment never materialised.

Hope this doesn't happen to you.

John

Yep, had this -

1st clean - minging wndows - "Great, I've been looking for a window cleaner! Ooh it's a hot day here's a pint of blackcurrant"
2nd clean - (8 weeks) "is it that time already?"
3rd time - "can you leave it this time?"