[koopmaster]

I was rushing on Thursday and wrote out my invoices for a few houses before I actually got to their houses.

So I got to a (double in a row) set of houses and had 2 tickets, made the FATAL mistake of putting in ticket no 1 into the letterbox,  walked over to house no 2 and did the same, with the intention of cleaning house no 2 and then 1.

Sooo, start cleaning house 2 and the lady comes out and starts a full discussion about her gutters cleaning and we book it in for the next day (even putting a alarm in my phone to remind me)  then finish cleaning house 2 and walk back to the van and FORGOT to clean the first house...

got a text from the customer the next day "sorry we are cancelling the window cleaning.)
they where bad payers but to me that's no excuse for not actually cleaning the windows.  I have heard that happening before but in my 3 years I have never done that,  I think of it as fraud or cheating and that's not who I am.

About a minute after I got the text I thought back and realized my mistake and text-ed them back saying that they don't need to pay and that I was distracted and actually forgot to clean them. 

lesson learned....

[deeege]

That old chestnut. Atleast you came up with a good excuse!

[Dave Willis]

Every other month I don't clean any houses - just put the slips through. That way you get loads of time off.

[Bay View WCS]

I was rushing on Thursday and wrote out my invoices for a few houses before I actually got to their houses.

So I got to a (double in a row) set of houses and had 2 tickets, made the FATAL mistake of putting in ticket no 1 into the letterbox,  walked over to house no 2 and did the same, with the intention of cleaning house no 2 and then 1.

Sooo, start cleaning house 2 and the lady comes out and starts a full discussion about her gutters cleaning and we book it in for the next day (even putting a alarm in my phone to remind me)  then finish cleaning house 2 and walk back to the van and FORGOT to clean the first house...

got a text from the customer the next day "sorry we are cancelling the window cleaning.)
they where bad payers but to me that's no excuse for not actually cleaning the windows.  I have heard that happening before but in my 3 years I have never done that,  I think of it as fraud or cheating and that's not who I am.

About a minute after I got the text I thought back and realized my mistake and text-ed them back saying that they don't need to pay and that I was distracted and actually forgot to clean them. 

lesson learned....

I feel for you mate -that sort of thing would really bother me - thinking that they thought that I was a rip of merchant or something.  A similar thing happened to me once where I had cleaned the uppers and was going to go back to do the bottoms but the custy got me talking - so I clean forgot (no pun  ) to finish the job!  He was a neighbour and mentioned it the next day - luckily he knows me and that it was a genuine mistake but your has cost you a job too.

Gutted for ya but what can ya do eh?

[SeanK]

I wouldn't worry too much about it, the person who never made a mistake never made anything.
Put it this way I guarantee you will never do it again and you only lost a rubbish customer to learn this lesson.
Most decent people would have give you the benefit of the doubt after you explained the circumstances so
I wouldn't let it ruin your day.

[Perfect Windows]

I've missed the side of a house completely.   Did the back, walked past the side (with its big conservatory), did the front, wandered back to the van.

The customer was laughing when she phoned me to tell me.  She still takes the mickey every time I go.  That's what a customer you want to keep would have done.  You've lost someone who doesn't deserve to be a customer.

Vin

[Dave Willis]

Vin, were you the guy with the stained front door trouble a few weeks back? Wondered what the outcome was - sorry if it wasn't you.

[Perfect Windows]

Vin, were you the guy with the stained front door trouble a few weeks back? Wondered what the outcome was - sorry if it wasn't you.

It was me; they're on holiday but taking it up with the door supplier when they get back.

Vin

[Mike #1]

Lesson learned I only put payment cards in after completion . Mike

[koopmaster]

yes lesson learned,  on the plus side I got 2 rich houses the same day so lost £7 and gained £55 a month.

[davids3511]

I've missed the side of a house completely.   Did the back, walked past the side (with its big conservatory), did the front, wandered back to the van.

The customer was laughing when she phoned me to tell me.  She still takes the mickey every time I go.  That's what a customer you want to keep would have done.  You've lost someone who doesn't deserve to be a customer.

Vin

I don't get that they don't deserve to be a customer unless you are referring to the poor payment record. He billed for a job and walked off without doing it. Binning him was the right thing to do from the customers side. Yes, there was a distraction but to totally forget to do the house was shabby and he doesn't deserve the job. Harsh I know, but he needs to look at his working practises, he didn't even realise until AFTER they cancelled and had a think about it. How many others has he missed?

I'm not getting at Koop here, I'd hold myself to the same standard and yes I have missed the odd window myself in the past when the phone rings or someone talks to me.

[Window Lickers]

Too many blinkers on some guys. Doesnt deserve to be a customer lol. What an opionated and arrogant load of garbage. Lots of people try to hide their own failings by pointing the finger at others and trying to hide behind what they want to portray as the fault of others; it's simply lack of people skills.

[8weekly]

Too many blinkers on some guys. Doesnt deserve to be a customer lol. What an opionated and arrogant load of garbage. Lots of people try to hide their own failings by pointing the finger at others and trying to hide behind what they want to portray as the fault of others; it's simply lack of people skills.

That's why we're window cleaners. 

[Window Lickers]

 

[Johnny B]

Ok, it was a genuine mistake, and unfortunately the customer was unhappy enough with the situation to have dicontinued with the service. It doesn't make them a bad customer, just a dissatisfied one.

How many of us on here dump a customer with whom we are dissatisfied? It may come as a surprise to some, but we can't reasonably expect all customers to dance to our tune, then bleat about it when the tables are turned.

Just don't take it personally. We win some, we lose some.

John

[SeanK]

Ok, it was a genuine mistake, and unfortunately the customer was unhappy enough with the situation to have dicontinued with the service. It doesn't make them a bad customer, just a dissatisfied one.

How many of us on here dump a customer with whom we are dissatisfied? It may come as a surprise to some, but we can't reasonably expect all customers to dance to our tune, then bleat about it when the tables are turned.

Just don't take it personally. We win some, we lose some.

John

Yes we have all dumped customers but we at least give them the chance to explain and sort out the problem before doing so.
These gutless wonders dumped him before hearing why he had billed them and not cleaned the property.

[Plankton]

Some folks are hard to please and some are just itching for an excuse to complain or cancel as there life requires this sort of dramatic circumstance to arise to give them something to moan about.

[Perfect Windows]

I've missed the side of a house completely.   Did the back, walked past the side (with its big conservatory), did the front, wandered back to the van.

The customer was laughing when she phoned me to tell me.  She still takes the mickey every time I go.  That's what a customer you want to keep would have done.  You've lost someone who doesn't deserve to be a customer.

Vin

I don't get that they don't deserve to be a customer unless you are referring to the poor payment record. He billed for a job and walked off without doing it. Binning him was the right thing to do from the customers side. Yes, there was a distraction but to totally forget to do the house was shabby and he doesn't deserve the job. Harsh I know, but he needs to look at his working practises, he didn't even realise until AFTER they cancelled and had a think about it. How many others has he missed?

I'm not getting at Koop here, I'd hold myself to the same standard and yes I have missed the odd window myself in the past when the phone rings or someone talks to me.

What I'm saying is that if I came home, there was a slip saying my windows had been done and they clearly hadn't been touched, I wouldn't just dump the cleaner.  I'd call and, like my customer, probably just laugh if they were suitably embarrassed about it.  It's such a huge mistake that there's nothing else to do.  Someone who just dumps without a call or a question isn't going to keep you for long anyway.

If I phoned them and they tried to say they'd done them, it's a different story.

I'd argue that missing a house is much less suspicious to a customer than missing their bathroom window.

Vin

[dave the rave]

i have walked up to an house met the owner in the garden been paid,had a talk then walked off without cleaning the windows .only to get phone call saying i did not clean the windows ,customer then said don't worry about just keep the money blamed himself for distracting me .