[Plankton]

Sometimes I let people away with late payments for one reason or another. This is one customers response-
Hi Alan,
I've Received your note about you discontinuing your services due to slow payments! "Slowest I've ever had" to be honest I feel that's quite an unfair statement.
Firstly I've paid you several times via bank transfer and have never received a receipt or confirmation of you receiving the payment.
Secondly I never knew if u had done my windows or not anyway as they never looked any cleaner. I also noticed you missed my property on two occasions as I my dog was in the garden - instead of chapping the door and allowing me to bring her in. And lastly regarding the payments you have to appreciate that it's been the summer holidays and I've only actually seen you in the street once So can't really pay you when you've not been around to pay! (I work night shift therefore I'm home during the day) Perhaps if your service was more punctual payment would have been also.
Kind regards

Me-
Hi xxxx,
The times you have been missed has been due to the fact you were overdue payments not because there was a dog in the garden. I always had to remind you to pay for the previous cleans and gave you more time to pay than anyone else ever had. I have stopped cleaning other houses after they were late in paying twice in a row so I feel I have been more than fair.
Your previous online payments are as follows
28/10/2014 paid £28.00 four cleans
08/04/2015 paid £22.00 three cleans
15/07/2015 paid £14.00 two cleans
If you could consider that I am running a business and like yourself have a young family with constant needs, so without regular paying customers I would be in trouble.
Due to the volume of small payments I don't send an invoice for domestic window cleaning, gutter cleaning and pressure washing customers will receive an invoice via email or by post.
I have recently passed work on to another window cleaner in a different area and I'm looking to take on another 30 customers without losing any of my current customers so I would be more than happy to continue cleaning your windows if you agreed to pay within 14 days.
Best wishes Alan

[Mike #1]

I would'nt touch with a barge pole , I have recenetly just dumped one of my wifes bosses because she messed me about with payment .

[Plankton]

I'm normally quick in dumping them but this one should have been dumped last August! 

[SeanK]

I have a policy of not doing another clean until the previous one has been paid for, out comes Mrs Messer... excuse me
you missed mine the last time you where here... yes that's because you still hadn't paid for the previous clean.... a bit of
debating followed with me trying to be as polite as possible.... Mr Messer then comes to the door and says You cant be that
desperate for a bit of window cleaning money do you need to know where the nearest food bank is.
The politeness ended there and then a lot of swearing followed and needless to say they are no longer customers of mine.
Yes my gut also told me that I should have dumped them a few years ago but sometimes when you have got every other
house in the street you let one away with things just to keep the whole street.

[AuRavelling79]

Had one yesterday I dumped. Always late and 8 weekly and me not been paid.

I knock the door "Hi Mrs M. before I start you owe me for last time, just checking you agree with that?".
Mrs M. "You not been 'roun' "(- indo-chinese accent)
Me: "Well I always leave a slip and Mr M usually drops the money round eventually but not this time."
Mrs M. "You did not reave srip or I wood haf paid you but you not roun for ages."
Me: "I always leave a slip Mrs M. But you are always tardy in paying me."
Mrs M. "Well I check wiv my 'usban he might hav pay"
Me: "He hasn't Mrs M."
Mrs M. "Well you clean now anyray."
Me: "I need paying for two cleans then before I start."
Mrs M. "You creen, I check."
Me: "Sigh. Let's forget it Mrs M ... "

I walk off and leave her and do her neighbours.

[capn sparkle]

I have a policy of not doing another clean until the previous one has been paid for, out comes Mrs Messer... excuse me
you missed mine the last time you where here... yes that's because you still hadn't paid for the previous clean.... a bit of
debating followed with me trying to be as polite as possible.... Mr Messer then comes to the door and says You cant be that
desperate for a bit of window cleaning money do you need to know where the nearest food bank is.
The politeness ended there and then a lot of swearing followed and needless to say they are no longer customers of mine.
Yes my gut also told me that I should have dumped them a few years ago but sometimes when you have got every other
house in the street you let one away with things just to keep the whole street.

Spot on with the first paragraph  - I'm 2 monthly - can't comment on the rest 'cos it would make my blood boil!! Grrrr.

[capn sparkle]

Is just me?

When you've dumped one out of say 6 in a row - they never look you in the eye?

[Smurf]

I tend not to get into a debate how people should or should not operate their business as is up to the individual.
However If cleaner have given customers the options to pay and they don't pay promptly then they should be asking themselves are they really worth the hassle or not?

[Shane sharples]

I'm thinking of dumping a few, can't be arsed with the 'don't do it if I'm not in ' people and the people who 'go away ALOT' then expect me to clean for the same price as monthly even if they've not been done for 3 months 😡

[GAZZA B]

what about this then,
did a regular customer yesterday, a very nice lady i have been cleaning for over three years now never a problem, got out of the van and her door opened and she said, why do you always come when I am having my dinner? I then said as a joke, window cleaners always coming at the wrong time,  she then said I have no money can you leave them? I said don't worry I will do them and you pay me next time. she then said, did you not here me don't clean them!! and next time come before or after lunch so I am not disturbed!!
you just don't get some customers sometimes, I went back to the van and put dumped next to her name. 

Gazza 

[Ian101]

what about this then,
did a regular customer yesterday, a very nice lady i have been cleaning for over three years now never a problem, got out of the van and her door opened and she said, why do you always come when I am having my dinner? I then said as a joke, window cleaners always coming at the wrong time,  she then said I have no money can you leave them? I said don't worry I will do them and you pay me next time. she then said, did you not here me don't clean them!! and next time come before or after lunch so I am not disturbed!!
you just don't get some customers sometimes, I went back to the van and put dumped next to her name. 

Gazza

hindsight / after event is a wonderful thing - would have said don't worry I wont be coming back at all.

maybe in a few months time she will realise you never coming back 

[samson]

Never look back mate, just keep moving forward 

[chris turner]

I have a policy of not doing another clean until the previous one has been paid for, out comes Mrs Messer... excuse me
you missed mine the last time you where here... yes that's because you still hadn't paid for the previous clean.... a bit of
debating followed with me trying to be as polite as possible.... Mr Messer then comes to the door and says You cant be that
desperate for a bit of window cleaning money do you need to know where the nearest food bank is.
The politeness ended there and then a lot of swearing followed and needless to say they are no longer customers of mine.
Yes my gut also told me that I should have dumped them a few years ago but sometimes when you have got every other
house in the street you let one away with things just to keep the whole street.

This reminds me of a customers comment last year.
I was halfway through cleaning the windows and the guy comes out and says, 'I'm off out, I suppose you want paying before I go'. He then hands me a £50 note and says 'there you go, at least you can eat tonight'',with a smirk like he was donating to charity.
Needless to say I was fuming inside and nearly flew into a rage at the posh ****.
But as its a 6 weekly £50 job who also tip very handsomely at Xmas the rationale side of me managed to stay calm and be polite.
Theres still a lot of folk who view us windies as scum, poor scum in fact. Iv had one or two wealthier clients who iv felt have been very patronising in there remarks towards me, like there really doing me a favour by letting me clean there windows.
Then there was a couple of ladies last week who work in an office of a health centre I was cleaning. They were quizzing me on what I earn, is this my full time job etc. They were both shocked when they realised I earn more then them.
They thought most window cleaners were just guys looking to earn a bit of extra cash to make ends meet!
Looking back I now realise that guy must of thought the same thing.
My response to the ladies was " I have a sign written van, logo uniform, £1000s worth of the latest equipment, 300 customers to manage on my own. That's alot of effort just to make a few extra quid, wouldn't you agree?".

[Walter Mitty]

I have a policy of not doing another clean until the previous one has been paid for, out comes Mrs Messer... excuse me
you missed mine the last time you where here... yes that's because you still hadn't paid for the previous clean.... a bit of
debating followed with me trying to be as polite as possible.... Mr Messer then comes to the door and says You cant be that
desperate for a bit of window cleaning money do you need to know where the nearest food bank is.
The politeness ended there and then a lot of swearing followed and needless to say they are no longer customers of mine.
Yes my gut also told me that I should have dumped them a few years ago but sometimes when you have got every other
house in the street you let one away with things just to keep the whole street.

SNIP--
Theres still a lot of folk who view us windies as scum, poor scum in fact. Iv had one or two wealthier clients who iv felt have been very patronising in there remarks towards me, like there really doing me a favour by letting me clean there windows.
SNIP--

This is a peculiar phenomenon.  I have found that the better I view myself and my work, the less bothersome such people are - and the less it seems to happen at all.  Indeed, I sometimes wonder how much of this was real and how much of it was just inside my own head.
Project an image of genuine self-esteem (not phoney arrogance) and people mostly respond to that in kind.  Project an image of being unvalued, and people respond to that in kind too.  It doesn't always follow of course but it seems to work for the most part.
I always try to communicate with people as equals.  Money and status are mirages IMO - whether that be the huge country mansion, the run down council estate or tent city.  I have met wonderful people and schmucks in all levels of society - to the point that I don't really regard them as levels these days.

[dazmond]

I have a policy of not doing another clean until the previous one has been paid for, out comes Mrs Messer... excuse me
you missed mine the last time you where here... yes that's because you still hadn't paid for the previous clean.... a bit of
debating followed with me trying to be as polite as possible.... Mr Messer then comes to the door and says You cant be that
desperate for a bit of window cleaning money do you need to know where the nearest food bank is.
The politeness ended there and then a lot of swearing followed and needless to say they are no longer customers of mine.
Yes my gut also told me that I should have dumped them a few years ago but sometimes when you have got every other
house in the street you let one away with things just to keep the whole street.

SNIP--
Theres still a lot of folk who view us windies as scum, poor scum in fact. Iv had one or two wealthier clients who iv felt have been very patronising in there remarks towards me, like there really doing me a favour by letting me clean there windows.
SNIP--

This is a peculiar phenomenon.  I have found that the better I view myself and my work, the less bothersome such people are - and the less it seems to happen at all.  Indeed, I sometimes wonder how much of this was real and how much of it was just inside my own head.
Project an image of genuine self-esteem (not phoney arrogance) and people mostly respond to that in kind.  Project an image of being unvalued, and people respond to that in kind too.  It doesn't always follow of course but it seems to work for the most part.
I always try to communicate with people as equals.  Money and status are mirages IMO - whether that be the huge country mansion, the run down council estate or tent city.  I have met wonderful people and schmucks in all levels of society - to the point that I don't really regard them as levels these days.

brilliant post mate.i couldnt agree more.

[chris turner]

I have a policy of not doing another clean until the previous one has been paid for, out comes Mrs Messer... excuse me
you missed mine the last time you where here... yes that's because you still hadn't paid for the previous clean.... a bit of
debating followed with me trying to be as polite as possible.... Mr Messer then comes to the door and says You cant be that
desperate for a bit of window cleaning money do you need to know where the nearest food bank is.
The politeness ended there and then a lot of swearing followed and needless to say they are no longer customers of mine.
Yes my gut also told me that I should have dumped them a few years ago but sometimes when you have got every other
house in the street you let one away with things just to keep the whole street.

SNIP--
Theres still a lot of folk who view us windies as scum, poor scum in fact. Iv had one or two wealthier clients who iv felt have been very patronising in there remarks towards me, like there really doing me a favour by letting me clean there windows.
SNIP--

This is a peculiar phenomenon.  I have found that the better I view myself and my work, the less bothersome such people are - and the less it seems to happen at all.  Indeed, I sometimes wonder how much of this was real and how much of it was just inside my own head.
Project an image of genuine self-esteem (not phoney arrogance) and people mostly respond to that in kind.  Project an image of being unvalued, and people respond to that in kind too.  It doesn't always follow of course but it seems to work for the most part.
I always try to communicate with people as equals.  Money and status are mirages IMO - whether that be the huge country mansion, the run down council estate or tent city.  I have met wonderful people and schmucks in all levels of society - to the point that I don't really regard them as levels these days.

I absolutely agree with that, problem is there are still people that don't and who look down on others that are "less fortunate". To some money = power and in their eyes their better then others.
It use to wind me up but as you say, as long as you value yourself and what you do, that's all that matters.

[JandS]

How can they pay you if they aren't in when you call or when you collect.
I have customers who go 4 and 5 months w/o paying regularly but they always pay eventually and also top up for next 3 months.

[AuRavelling79]

How can they pay you if they aren't in when you call or when you collect.
I have customers who go 4 and 5 months w/o paying regularly but they always pay eventually and also top up for next 3 months.

Is this a  genuine question? I will assume it is.

They can pay on line or send a cheque or drop it round my gaff.

[steven ainger]

and next time come before or after lunch so I am not disturbed!!

Gazza

Call at 7.30 in the morning, see if she's on that ??

[Smurf]

I had one batty woman say to me no you can't clean my windows as I've got people around sat in the back garden so come back another day,  My reply was sorry but I don't do call backs as I'm very busy so best you find yourself another cleaner.

.