[Jay Le Huray]

I have been doing a small close for several years now and there are 6 houses in it, out of the 6 I clean 3 of them and 1 of them is an indian women

the houses are not big houses so I only charge £12 each,

so to cut to the chase it seems there is a new guy in the area who has just started up as a trad cleaner and is out canvasing

so today I get a call from the indian women and it goes like this

mrs p:  "hi jay we are going to give this new window cleaner a go with his ladders as he is cheaper than you, if we are not happy with him we will give you a call and take you back on".

me: "well mrs p, you have the right to use whoever you want and I wish you good luck with your flyby  night cheap cleaner,
however if and when he lets you down or you are not happy with his workmanship then please do not call me as I will not be taking you back on.....
over the years I have been cleaning your property I have been loyal, punctual and a trustworthy window cleaner,
during the course of this time there has never been any complaints from you with regard  to the service I provide".....


long pause

me: "I would like to remind you that I do run a business and not a charity and I do expect my customers to treat me in the same way that I treat them..... with respect and loyalty, so once again good luck and goodbye mrs p"

mrs p: oh jay i'm sorry you feel that way, goodbye


CHEEKY WOMEN

[Walter Mitty]

I say that at least she was honest about her reason - it makes a change.

[slap bash]

You are absolutely right not taking her back just for a few quid she might get off.I would have done the same.

[Ian101]

bet she goes out of her way to get the other 2 for "her window cleaner"   

[Jay Le Huray]

bet she goes out of her way to get the other 2 for "her window cleaner"   

no a chance there as the other 2 are much better customers including tea stops

[Perfect Windows]

Really?  I'd try to persuade her about reliability and better the devil you know, etc, then If she still said she was off I'd just say, "OK, when (I wouldn't say "if") they stop coming, give me a call and we'll pop you back on the round".

It either costs money or time to get a new customer, so why waste it?  The other guy will probably stop coming and you want to leave her a simple way back.  You're cutting your nose off to spite your face.  If she does come back, you'll have her for life.

Vin

[Mick Kent]

Its only 1 customer, shrug your shoulders and get on with it, its easy to replace with a better paying customer.
For every 10 customers we lose we easily gain 30. As long as your customer base doesnt ever drop each year then your winning.
You cant please them all.. Especialy indian customers as they all want it done for peanuts bar a few.

[wfp master]

forget & replace.

[paulben]

Tell them your not like Cliff Richard you don't do come backs

[Tom-01]

Its only 1 customer, shrug your shoulders and get on with it, its easy to replace with a better paying customer.
For every 10 customers we lose we easily gain 30. As long as your customer base doesnt ever drop each year then your winning.
You cant please them all.. Especialy indian customers as they all want it done for peanuts bar a few.

Ummm naughty Mick I'm telling Tosh...

[no way Jose]

unlike perfect windows I would certainly not go down on my knees for someone dropping me after years of loyal services for no other reason than saving a few quids!!!
it only ever happened to me once and when after using the other windy once ( who was a bit cheaper) she texted me trying to make me feel like she was doing me a favour by taking me back ( by the way she was a business lawyer. So not short of a few quids!) I just texted back: thanks for the offer nevertheless I think it's better to part company.
 

[Tom-01]

unlike perfect windows I would certainly not go down on my knees for someone dropping me after years of loyal services for no other reason than saving a few quids!!!
it only ever happened to me once and when after using the other windy once ( who was a bit cheaper) she texted me trying to make me feel like she was doing me a favour by taking me back ( by the way she was a business lawyer. So not short of a few quids!) I just texted back: thanks for the offer nevertheless I think it's better to part company.
 

I can see Vins point, but I think I would have the hump myself. But thats probably because I may take it too personally - whereas Vin is thinking business-wise, which is good. I agree with his bit about having a customer for life after though.

[Jay Le Huray]

Really?  I'd try to persuade her about reliability and better the devil you know, etc, then If she still said she was off I'd just say, "OK, when (I wouldn't say "if") they stop coming, give me a call and we'll pop you back on the round".

It either costs money or time to get a new customer, so why waste it?  The other guy will probably stop coming and you want to leave her a simple way back.  You're cutting your nose off to spite your face.  If she does come back, you'll have her for life.

Vin

yes Vin really..... I have a huge round and I don't have time for messers, my round is growing on a weekly basis, last week I picked up an extra 22 customers and this week so far ive picked up another 3
im not just a window cleaner im also a business man

I don't think a customer who thinks they can treat me as a nobody and take me on and drop me when it suits them is good business,
there are hundreds of people outhere who want a good reliable service and that is what my business is supplying

like many on here I have had a few culls on my round with time wasters (the not today brigade)
and in due course they have been replaced with good customers and good payers

in a nutshell I have and will continue to educate my customers  

[Walter Mitty]

Over the years I have lost and regained a number of customers.  Sometimes people lose ther jobs and cancel - but no-one has ever been upfront about getting it cheaper.

I tend not to put prices up as often as I should but I justify that lack of assertiveness to myself as them getting a loyalty bonus.  Simple answer is that if they break the loyalty part of the bonus and want to return, the job is quoted as if brand new - i.e. at a rather higher rate.  If they do it again, same thing.  At some point they might get wind that I'm doing it cheaper for the neighbours so that'sa when I roll out the spiel about loyalty bonus.
You wouldn't keep changing jobs and expect a long service bonus, would you?

[wfp master]

[

Really?  I'd try to persuade her about reliability and better the devil you know, etc, then If she still said she was off I'd just say, "OK, when (I wouldn't say "if") they stop coming, give me a call and we'll pop you back on the round".

It either costs money or time to get a new customer, so why waste it?  The other guy will probably stop coming and you want to leave her a simple way back.  You're cutting your nose off to spite your face.  If she does come back, you'll have her for life.

Vin

not true. cost you  nothing for some one to phone asking for a window cleaner. or asking you when your working or another customer passing on address to you. word of mouth. ect ect.

[heath verrall]

Forget her and move on .

[SeanK]

I would have wished her all the best and walked away, if she had been a good trouble free payer and I still had room then
I would take her back at a later point.
There's nothing cheeky or personal in how any of us choose to spend our money.

[Spruce]

Really?  I'd try to persuade her about reliability and better the devil you know, etc, then If she still said she was off I'd just say, "OK, when (I wouldn't say "if") they stop coming, give me a call and we'll pop you back on the round".

It either costs money or time to get a new customer, so why waste it?  The other guy will probably stop coming and you want to leave her a simple way back.  You're cutting your nose off to spite your face.  If she does come back, you'll have her for life.

Vin

I agree with Vin and SeanK.

Your customer has a right to chose whoever she wants to clean her windows. If the new arrangement works out then great, if it doesn't then again its up to her what she does next. If she contacts you, you have the right to refuse her business. Threatening her with your being a loyal supplier and not taking her back is blackmail.

If you were running a franchising window cleaning business then you would think differently.

As a window cleaner you have the right to buy a carbon fiber pole from a number of different suppliers. If you had a Gardiner SLX but chose to replace it with another make, you would expect that to be your right. If Alex started to threaten you by refusing to sell you his brushes for your new other make C/F pole, how would you feel?

You are doing the same thing to your now ex customer, just in a different context.

[*Hector*]

shoot her......

then take an ad in the paper saying that this is what happens when you sack the window licker.....

You will probably keep all you other clients then.. 

[davids3511]

[

Really?  I'd try to persuade her about reliability and better the devil you know, etc, then If she still said she was off I'd just say, "OK, when (I wouldn't say "if") they stop coming, give me a call and we'll pop you back on the round".

It either costs money or time to get a new customer, so why waste it?  The other guy will probably stop coming and you want to leave her a simple way back.  You're cutting your nose off to spite your face.  If she does come back, you'll have her for life.

Vin

not true. cost you  nothing for some one to phone asking for a window cleaner. or asking you when your working or another customer passing on address to you. word of mouth. ect ect.

If course its true if your actively building your business. Every gained customer has an associated cost.