[craig jwc]

Last time i came across something like Rich posted i left a note through her letter box and closed the doors.

Think the kids got a right going over going by what she told me the next time i saw her.

I'm surprised how many people are quite happy to leave their door keys for me, especially on 1st cleans.

Craig

[Easyclean Windows]

Let them know if your with the federation and that you have a legal team and insurance companys that will back you up in a court of law.Then tell her youll take HER to court for wrongfull accusations....it works every time...oh and drop in the fact that youll put them on the "black " list and will never be able to get a fully insured if at all another window cleaner

[steve k]

have a look at this for a real laugh...!!!

http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=187076

[Londoner]

I hear some terrible stories about previous window cleaners. I guess we all do from our customers. I would love to hear what they say about me ( or maybe I wouldn't !) . The point is we are all vunerable to this sort of thing. Keeping yourself as far away from the image of the casual cowboy as possible is about our only option.

[cybersye]

have a look at this for a real laugh...!!!

http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=187076

yes that did amuse me!
cant believe how many tight people there are out there!
I'm honestly priced;  "thats the price...........honest!" lol
Simon

[abacus]

Hi        I have have found that people like to think they know who did somthing its better than not knowing its called compartmentalising (if I've spelt it right) the mind works better when you put things away in a box and file it. The best way I have found to deal with it is to ask her if it turned up or not, tell her that she should report it to the police and that you are very upset that she thought it was you and how much sleep you lost watch her face reden as she tells you it was left next door.Tell her in all your years window cleaning you have ever taken so much a penny  on a drive And if she really thinks it was she can get another window cleaner  but be gracious in excepting her appology it will come it always does  people dont mind hinting they do not like direct confrontation.       best of luck and remember the customer is alway right--unless  they're wrong

[huntercontractors]

Get this there is a guy in my area who has been window cleaning years and is a smack head.
he turns up to clean peoples windows when he feels like it, sometimes he "forgets and goes twice a week" when i am canvassing all his cusotmers moan and tell stories of him robbing stuff out of garages yet won't switch as he charges £3 for a three bedroom detached £4.5 with cons
people never cease to amase!!

[dustycorner]

When i first started i used to get really frustrated with customer perceptions of window cleaners. Now i  just think you daft prat

I answer to no one,my work schedule varies to suit my needs and i earn more than most who look down there noses.

Who wants to work in an office structured breaks, inane talk about last nights tv. not me

Cheers Mark.

[dai]

There will always be a certain number of domestic customers who think like this.

Hmm, £10 for cleaning the windows, I could do them myself but I can't be arsed,
I keep meaning to do them but never seem to get round to it. I'm lazy that's my problem.
 The window cleaner comes and he's only here 10 mins. £10 for 10 mins,
God I wish I could earn £10 in 10 mins. £60 an hour, 40 hrs a week, Bloody hell! He must be on £2400 a week. £124800 a year. The robbing sod.
I'll do them myself.
But they are in a mess and need doing, I'll do them tomorrow, forgot, can't tomorrow, promised the kids a day out.
I'm a lazy sod, just putting it off.
No I'm not, I just have more important things to do. I work hard all week, don't I deserve a break. Yeah, and the kids come first.
 Sod the windows
PLEASE MR WINDOW CLEANER, CAN YOU PUT ME ON YOUR LIST?
We all have customers like this. Dai

[Chris Cottrell]

There will always be a certain number of domestic customers who think like this.

Hmm, £10 for cleaning the windows, I could do them myself but I can't be arsed,
I keep meaning to do them but never seem to get round to it. I'm lazy that's my problem.
 The window cleaner comes and he's only here 10 mins. £10 for 10 mins,
God I wish I could earn £10 in 10 mins. £60 an hour, 40 hrs a week, Bloody hell! He must be on £2400 a week. £124800 a year. The robbing sod.
I'll do them myself.
But they are in a mess and need doing, I'll do them tomorrow, forgot, can't tomorrow, promised the kids a day out.
I'm a lazy sod, just putting it off.
No I'm not, I just have more important things to do. I work hard all week, don't I deserve a break. Yeah, and the kids come first.
 Sod the windows
PLEASE MR WINDOW CLEANER, CAN YOU PUT ME ON YOUR LIST?
We all have customers like this. Dai

this is soooo true

[Pro_Clean]

I got blamed for breaking a upstairs window with my GF pole and brush, funny how the hole was round, like a stoned had been thrown at it, and she wanted ME to pay for it :

[macc]

Hey Squeaky I'm a scouser, but I'm not a thief

i knew there must be ONE. 

[steve k]

macc...you are seriously taking the pxxx and offending me...so you...like so many others...think all people from Liverpool are thieves?
why???...show me the proof behind your reasoning

[dai]

Don't get upset Steve. I only live 35 miles from you and I'm a Liverpool fc fan.
If they really believe all scousers are thieves, and that we Welsh guys really fancy sheep. Well, what can you say, if your happy with who you are, and I am. They can laugh at me all day if it makes them happy.
You know that people with low self esteem are always looking for others to take the pi55 out of. Chill man, I've read enough of your posts to understand your an OK guy.
Some people cast their hook and wait in eager anticipation for someone to take the bait. Dai

[steve k]

your right Dai...but honestly mate it seriously annoys me.
This thread is about other peoples perceptions of us as window cleaners and how annoying it can be when they treat us as if we are out of work ex. convicts doing a bit of cowboy beer money work on the side.
It feels 10 times worse when some people on here appear to have "perceptions" about anyone from Liverpool.
I`ve said it before, a joke and a wind up is fine, but when the Liverpool wind ups are ALWAYS about being a thief, it is really out of order and insulting.

[windows_chepstow]

Geordie wind-ups normally revolve around being 'thick'.  (I'm a Geordie).

We all have perceptions based on how people look, their sexual orientation or their ethnic origins, football team they support, car they drive, school they went to, occupation they do, etc and so on.

It's human nature to stereo-type people, but does it really matter?

The brighter person realises that these perceptions are false; or at least is able not to let them cloud their judgement.

PS.

To Steve K,

I had a 'blast from the past' call on me unexpectedly.  She's a female soldier, a corporal and she arrived with a friend from Liverpool; Jenny.

When Jenny went upstairs to the use the toilet, I followed her to make sure she didn't nick any of Wor Lasses jewelry.

She took it in good humour.  You should too.

We all know that Scousers aren't all thiefs; even if you lot do all wear shell-suites.

[steve k]

Tosh, should all the window cleaners on here who have posted about customers perceiving them in a bad light (this is what the thread is about after all) just take it in good humour???...NO!!
Neither will I EVER take in good humour, perceptions of me, my family, friends being thieves because we are from Liverpool.
Good humour??...the only person finding it humourous is the person making the insult.
I can assure you..the poor girl who had to put up with it AGAIN, was in all probability biting her lip and thinking "what a prxxx" but putting a smile on her face because she was embarrassed and didn`t want to upset the situation her friend had brought her into.
I don`t care if this bores people, as long as people carry on with offensive remarks about theft, I`ll carry on protesting.
Imagine the same perception was about the North East and I quite happily posted on here that you and your wife are probably thieves...??

[The Fox]

Steve k has a valid point

Were ever we come from people from other parts of the country will make jokes about it. I am from Yorkshire with the flat cap, whippet and a tight arse image, my wife is from the fens so she is labelled an inbred with six toes, she is also in a wheelchair and has been called a cripple to her face (which I find very insulting). Welsh and sheep, Geordie’s being thick, the list goes on.

If you are from Liverpool you are called a thief, well I think that’s a big difference from being called thick or a tight arse.

I started this thread because one of my customers implied I had stolen a parcel. (It turned up by the way)

I found this very insulting and with all the other problems that I have at the moment I nearly packed window cleaning in.

I have being called a lot of things in my life which I have taken with a pinch of salt. The implication of being a thief did affect me.

For people from Liverpool classed as being thieves all the time even if people are joking is insulting. Just like I found it insulting, about the implications about the missing parcel. They get it all the time; I have only had it once.

I’m no saint I have took the P*** out of a lot of people including scousers and thieving, (Which I apologies for)

As you get older you learn, I will still take the P*** out of scousers but never imply they are thieves.

 

Kevin

[busydaffodil]

Imagine if someone on here posted continually saying your OH shags sheep, continually being called stupid (Even though my spelling & punctuation is excellent compared to most on here) and that we all have green wellies & stringless tennis rackets.
Welsh people could easily take offence.....and occasionally I do get annoyed.  Not annoyed at the actual comments as i KNOW theyre not true.  I get annoyed at the continual barage of what is considered "Welsh Bashing".

I dont bite on forums like this though......as allowing anyone to know your weak points, empowers them....."Knowledge is power".  No-one has power over me.
  
You've now allowed total strangers to know your buttons....expect  them to be pressed often!

[Paul Coleman]

Imagine if someone on here posted continually saying your OH shags sheep, continually being called stupid (Even though my spelling & punctuation is excellent compared to most on here) and that we all have green wellies & stringless tennis rackets.
Welsh people could easily take offence.....and occasionally I do get annoyed.  Not annoyed at the actual comments as i KNOW theyre not true.  I get annoyed at the continual barage of what is considered "Welsh Bashing".

I dont bite on forums like this though......as allowing anyone to know your weak points, empowers them....."Knowledge is power".  No-one has power over me.
  
You've now allowed total strangers to know your buttons....expect  them to be pressed often!

I think the best way of disempowering others in this regard is an ability to laugh at oneself and show that it doesn't bother you (even if it does).  I accept that there must be times when the humour wears a bit thin though.  Kevin Keegan probably didn't help the cause much a few years ago when he made some humour up about his car wheels I think - and he actually comes from the area.  Interestingly, I've never yet met a tight Scotsman.