[Smurf]

Pro-Smart can I ask what was the price of each clean?

Sure - £25, why?

Thanks, just wondered as was a lot of grief you went through for 3.5 years trying to get paid on time that's all.

You seem to have a lot more patience than most as I'm sure many would have binned that bad paying customer and replaced within the first year.

 

[SeanK]

Pro-Smart can I ask what was the price of each clean?

Sure - £25, why?

Thanks, just wondered as was a lot of grief you went through for 3.5 years trying to get paid on time that's all.

You seem to have a lot more patience than most as I'm sure many would have binned that bad paying customer and replaced within the first year.

It took him 59 days to get paid for the second clean 99.9% would have ended it there. 

[LT carpet cleaning]

No one in their right mind would read that waffle.

You did!!! 

I really didn't. The length and lots of numbers meant I cba. Same as your customer I assume.

[AuRavelling79]

No one in their right mind would read that waffle.

You did!!! 

Ha ha! So true.

So did I actually and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Keep posting.

The responses in this thread have made me analyse why I sometimes type up these kind of letters and send them. I think that if someone can string a few words together and enjoys doing so then our line of work is a bit limited as to where you can use that skill.

Also there is sometimes a bit of reverse-snobbishness going on in the back ground because I believe that some customers look down on my line of work and I can take it personally and I want to show "how clever" I am. So I may come across as a bit of a numpty by writing a carefully worded letter that "puts them in their place".

Other times I feel more secure about myself and either walk away and don't respond until they ask if I am going to do their windows (which isn't the most professional way but from which I derive some level of "flouncy" satisfaction when I refuse.).

I have to say I would not let that amount of debt build up (pro-smart's) and never clean after two cleans are done and I have not been paid.

[LT carpet cleaning]

No one in their right mind would read that waffle.

You did!!! 

Ha ha! So true.

So did I actually and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Keep posting.

The responses in this thread have made me analyse why I sometimes type up these kind of letters and send them. I think that if someone can string a few words together and enjoys doing so then our line of work is a bit limited as to where you can use that skill.

Also there is sometimes a bit of reverse-snobbishness going on in the back ground because I believe that some customers look down on my line of work and I can take it personally and I want to show "how clever" I am. So I may come across as a bit of a numpty by writing a carefully worded letter that "puts them in their place".

Other times I feel more secure about myself and either walk away and don't respond until they ask if I am going to do their windows (which isn't the most professional way but from which I derive some level of "flouncy" satisfaction when I refuse.).

I have to say I would not let that amount of debt build up (pro-smart's) and never clean after two cleans are done and I have not been paid.

I doubt any customer feels "put in their place" after receiving a letter full of waffle and bs.

[8weekly]

No one in their right mind would read that waffle.

You did!!! 

Ha ha! So true.

So did I actually and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Keep posting.

The responses in this thread have made me analyse why I sometimes type up these kind of letters and send them. I think that if someone can string a few words together and enjoys doing so then our line of work is a bit limited as to where you can use that skill.

Also there is sometimes a bit of reverse-snobbishness going on in the back ground because I believe that some customers look down on my line of work and I can take it personally and I want to show "how clever" I am. So I may come across as a bit of a numpty by writing a carefully worded letter that "puts them in their place".

Other times I feel more secure about myself and either walk away and don't respond until they ask if I am going to do their windows (which isn't the most professional way but from which I derive some level of "flouncy" satisfaction when I refuse.).

I have to say I would not let that amount of debt build up (pro-smart's) and never clean after two cleans are done and I have not been paid.

I doubt any customer feels "put in their place" after receiving a letter full of waffle and bs.

No, but I suspect many would feel "outgunned" on the intellect front. He is in South Bristol. 

[Johnny B]

I don't bother with writing letters to customers I have dropped. If they want to use my services again, I tell them why I stopped calling, politely but in a way that they know I'm no longer their fool.

I've mentioned many times before on here of an ongoing situation where I cleaned a small semi in May 2012, for which to this day I am owed 12 euros. It was a first clean as well!  She has approached me on numerous occasions recently (even calling across the road in the town centre from her car) saying she wants me to clean her windows again.

I agree that I will ... when she pays me what she owes plus the fresh clean in advance. Still no money (doesn't worry me), so still no clean. Her windows will be minging by now!

John

[Spruce]

I'm sorry guys but there's nothing brilliant about that letter other than to make the sender look as if he's been wounded
deeply by the fact that the customer cancelled.
The only thing missing would be a violin playing a sad tune in the background while its being read out.
If a decent customer cancels and its not because of a problem with you then thank them for their custom and move on.
If a messer cancels then good riddance to bad rubbish is all they need to hear or better still don't even reply.
Sorry if this sounds harsh.

I agree with you SeanK

[JackieW]

Dazmond said,

''as soon as a customer says "dont do them today cos its forecast rain tomorrow/later in the week "etc get dumped there and then''

I agree. I don't give them a second chance anymore.

[AuRavelling79]

@Hummer

Quite so - that's why I put speech marks around it.

[AuRavelling79]

Anyway I've dumped a £70 job earlier this month (a commercial quarterly).  UBER-FLOUNCE!

Shall I tell you what happened? Must you? Yes. Okay then.

I got a purchase order for four cleans specifying July/October/January/April and that I need to go in early to cone off half the car park. Therefore I email them a few days before saying when I plan on coming.

Earlier this month I did just that and back comes an email from my contact saying her manager says it's not worth it in the rain and to leave it until March. I fire back an email politely but candidly pointing out that I have a purchase order specifying  January and April and I would be happy to negotiate a change for next years purchase order but expected this one to be honoured.

Got a reply from my contact to the effect of "Oops sorry forgot about that, manager's not in let me speak to him and come back to you."

Two days later she comes back and says they'll cancel the original order and replace it with a new one specifying March and July.

They're dumped. They don't know it yet because they don't expect me until March and when they chase me up they'll get the following:-

Dear YYYY,

In 30 years of sales and running my own business I have always believed a purchase order to be a guarantee of an agreement between two companies or organisations. If one party wishes to change an agreement then they ask if that is possible.

As your manager has, with little notice arbitrarily cancelled my visit in January and sought to replace it with one which is advantageous to him I realise that any written communication, including purchase orders from "XXXXX" company is not worth the pixels it has been produced with.

Therefore please find someone to clean your windows who does not mind having their schedule messed about on the whim of some low level supervisor.

Yours flouncingly,

GOLD

 

That bit in red ... they've just emailed me with a new purchase order for March asking me to contact them to arrange a visit.

 

[Ian101]

Anyway I've dumped a £70 job earlier this month (a commercial quarterly).  UBER-FLOUNCE!

Shall I tell you what happened? Must you? Yes. Okay then.

I got a purchase order for four cleans specifying July/October/January/April and that I need to go in early to cone off half the car park. Therefore I email them a few days before saying when I plan on coming.

Earlier this month I did just that and back comes an email from my contact saying her manager says it's not worth it in the rain and to leave it until March. I fire back an email politely but candidly pointing out that I have a purchase order specifying  January and April and I would be happy to negotiate a change for next years purchase order but expected this one to be honoured.

Got a reply from my contact to the effect of "Oops sorry forgot about that, manager's not in let me speak to him and come back to you."

Two days later she comes back and says they'll cancel the original order and replace it with a new one specifying March and July.

They're dumped. They don't know it yet because they don't expect me until March and when they chase me up they'll get the following:-

Dear YYYY,

In 30 years of sales and running my own business I have always believed a purchase order to be a guarantee of an agreement between two companies or organisations. If one party wishes to change an agreement then they ask if that is possible.

As your manager has, with little notice arbitrarily cancelled my visit in January and sought to replace it with one which is advantageous to him I realise that any written communication, including purchase orders from "XXXXX" company is not worth the pixels it has been produced with.

Therefore please find someone to clean your windows who does not mind having their schedule messed about on the whim of some low level supervisor.

Yours flouncingly,

GOLD

 

That bit in red ... they've just emailed me with a new purchase order for March asking me to contact them to arrange a visit.

 

I await to see your reply ........... instead of dismissing out of hand u maybe want to charge extra £££££ as "due to their poor condition from not being cleaned thru winter" 

[AuRavelling79]

Ian; that is excellent advice - and having cooled down since January I had started to draft just such a letter last night. But now the sun is streaming through their dirt laden windows as I write I'll let them await my reply to the email - maybe send it late tomorrow afternoon or early Monday morning.

I'll think about the wording while I'm out today.

[NWH]

I just say when I quote if your not in you will get a ticket in the box you can pay me cash if your in or online if your not,I clean all year round and as long as it's not raining stair rods I will clean them are you ok with that. There initial reaction is enough to let me know where I stand,if I was deaf as a post and I handed them a leaflet saying all that the reaction would show me enough about them to know whether it's worth taking on.

[AuRavelling79]

Well I took Ian 101's advice and wrote back (more long winded and politely) that the windows were so messy, 5 months had elapsed and the price would be £100 not £70.

A week later they replied to say they agreed and sent me a new order through.

I'm quite happy with that.

[8weekly]

Well I took Ian 101's advice and wrote back (more long winded and politely) that the windows were so messy, 5 months had elapsed and the price would be £100 not £70.

A week later they replied to say they agreed and sent me a new order through.

I'm quite happy with that.

Mercenary! 

[Ian101]

Lol well done