[H20cleaning]

A newish customer about 6 cleans i have done.

Says to me tonight " is there anyway you can leave them for the next 3-4 months as i go away a lot in the winter to visit family etc"

I said "no its fine we are a proffesional business and you can either set up direct debit, leave the money with a neighbour or i trust you to give me it when your back:)"

" ooh well i dont really speak to my neighbours, and i prefer to pay cash "

"Ok not to worry i will have to remove you for good then "

"Why? Are you willing to loose a customer for the sake of a few months"
 

At this point i was getting angry....

"Its fine we have plenty of loyal customer who want our service 12 x a year, and i will replace yours with another customer who wants their windows cleaning all year round"

"Ooh ok then just keep coming and i will let you know when i go away, nothing is organised yet"

God i hate them! First one in a couple of years

[LT carpet cleaning]

You got angry? Sounds like you have a problem.

[SB Cleaning]

You got angry? Sounds like you have a problem.

+1

[C o z y]

 Harder to find a windy, than it is to find a customer. Knock next door, or further down the street until you find a replacement.

[Steven Biggs]

As soon as the custy says could you leave them over the winter . My response would be " I can't do that , but I can put you on my 8 week list at a price of  £££ 20 % . Giving you 6 cleans per year , saving you £££ over the year "  custy will always say that's fine , she's happy you will probably have a custy at a good price for life .i love these opportunities to put more on the 8 week round .

[Clever Forum Name]

I don't understand this. The customer explained why they don't want you until next year.

What % of customers do this? We have around 5 that do this. Is it really that hard to just say yep see you in March.

The time and energy you wasted would have probably been another a house. Then my time for replying and your time for writing this post

[SeanK]

I think some guys think if they allow one customer to do this then everybody else will want it, I have a few
that do this and it helps because I always have a few who want an extra clean over Christmas and they tip well
for the privilege.
Sometimes you need to take a step back and ask yourself if you are cutting off your nose to spite your face.

[Window Lickers]

I have found CIU has had a positive influence on my business and also a negative one at times. I pick up pinters from guys on here, sometimes those arent necessarily the best pointers. This could be one of the less desirable ones - to bin a custard who has a request of this nature because Ive read on here that someone has done it and it seems like a good idea at the time. It aint necessarily so.

[Spruce]

I don't understand this. The customer explained why they don't want you until next year.

What % of customers do this? We have around 5 that do this. Is it really that hard to just say yep see you in March.

The time and energy you wasted would have probably been another a house. Then my time for replying and your time for writing this post

^^ spot on Pure.

We are bursting at the seams so a customer that genuinely cancels in winter to restart in Spring is a great help to us with shorter working days. At least we know that in the meantime we haven't opened the door for another windie to get a foothold in. We also know that the customer isn't bad mouthing us to their neighbours for being rude, aggressive and impolite.

Even if they did want to cancel you permanently on the pretext of stopping for the winter (we had a few of these) due to money issues etc. then so be it. Holding onto a customer with threats never has a good ending.

[dazmond]

the OP totally handled this wrong IMO.lets not be too harsh on him though as he s only a young lad who still lives at home with his mum!

im like spruce and a lot of others on here.very well established,experienced and plenty of work.

i have a few customers who dont want them cleaning for a few months over winter.its only 2 or 3 out of 350+ accounts so i just say fine see you in the spring!give them a month when you ll start back again so another windy doesnt end up cleaning them though.

theres a window cleaning company who are always trying to get more work on a estate i virtually exclusively clean.they clean 2 properties at present.me 70+.dont give them any encouragment!!

[gary999]

Hey whats happened to dump spit in their faces and replace with
the whole street

Glad to see some common sense for a change on this subject

[Mike #1]

I have 1 custy who goes to Australia for 3 months and i dont find it an issue , Custys who want me to call back in 4-5 month springtime may or may not get a second chance still debating this as we are in changing times .

Cracking idea to offer to put them on a 8wk schedule and see what they say 

[Ian101]

I have 1 custy who goes to Australia for 3 months and i dont find it an issue , Custys who want me to call back in 4-5 month springtime may or may not get a second chance still debating this as we are in changing times .

Cracking idea to offer to put them on a 8wk schedule and see what they say 

8 week schedule and if your travelling Mrs Jones I will email you if I spot owt wrong with your house ................. plus you now can pee in grid in peace and quiet 

[Spruce]

I have 1 custy who goes to Australia for 3 months and i dont find it an issue , Custys who want me to call back in 4-5 month springtime may or may not get a second chance still debating this as we are in changing times .

Cracking idea to offer to put them on a 8wk schedule and see what they say  

We have 1 who are off to New Zealand for the winter to visit her daughter. Last clean next week until Spring. Nice people and I'm happy to accommodate them.

I think that when you are building a customer base you are inclined to take things like this as a negative. That was my experience anyway.

[trippyboy]

Dump 

[C o z y]

I think some guys think if they allow one customer to do this then everybody else will want it, I have a few
that do this and it helps because I always have a few who want an extra clean over Christmas and they tip well
for the privilege.
Sometimes you need to take a step back and ask yourself if you are cutting off your nose to spite your face.

It's like that for me. My Brit customers are mostly under 30 and everyone knows every other bod on MOD estates. So word spreads fast here.If I allow one or two of these girls to have 4 cleans a year, I'll have about 20% of the rest wanting it too.
Even though my Brit custies are limited to four areas in Germany, I have to provide a service. To do that well, there have to be limits and expectations.

I still find customers easy to replace, as the Brits move every couple of years to new places. I've found that giving an inch and having some take a yard, is just not worth the effort. Would you still allow people to change the service to suit them if you had 50% more work??

I'm not arrogant in any way with customers. They get 6 weekly cleans, that's it. This service costs "x". Want to change? Get the other guys to do it. I know the saying "customer is king", but you can only serve so many of them, when they start moving limits around, I find it easier to get a new custy instead. No need to be nasty etc, what I'm saying is, why try to fit everyone's need?

There are millions of people who want or need your service. All you have to worry about is to get as many as you can manage within your catchment area. Start fitting their wants and quirks into your business, and where do you stop?
I could understand it if customers were hard to get and keep, but not as just part of the service. When I get new custies, I don't say "It's a six weekly service, unless you get fed up of us tipping up every six weeks, and decide to change to eight weekly, or even as and when you need it. Also, just drop the service in winter, as windows stay clean then, and when we come back in spring, we'll happily scrub away for three times longer to get the gunge off the frames etc. PLEASE be a customer, please".

Works for me.

HTH

[8weekly]

Omg, I totally agree with cozy. I offer an 8 weekly service. Like it or get someone else.

[*Hector*]

Omg, I totally agree with cozy.

Be careful mate.... That was how Bateman started.... A simple agreement with Cozy... and now look.... they have to get a room everytime they meet on here.. 

 

[slap bash]

I had one this week saying she cannot have her window cleaned regularly as she is skint still asked if I knew what that ment. Later in the day went to Costas coffee and low and behold who was in the queue in front of me. Mr Skint. Taking all her brood for coffee  sarnies and cakes. Her bill was 42 pound. All I said was SKINT and smiled.

[johnny bravo]

i have a few who do this,   seems they are trying to keep a bit back for xmas,   usually from end of oct.  till march time.      they then phone up at xmas week asking to do them,     i say ok,       it seems i dont have the time to do them,  oops so sorry.         leave them with dirty windows unlike there neighbours.

some ask ,  what do you do for work in the winter,    some seem to think we stop for winter,      wouldnt that be great,      if only.

if i get new customers near them usually i wont go back.

imagine most of your customers asking you to stop cleaning there windows from October  to  March.

DISASTEROUS.