[Shrek]

Anyone have a zero tolerance on this? Iv had a few recently and tbh I can’t be arsed with them anymore. Late payments , ignore payment reminders. Iv just had one guy asking me to knock the price of my windows cleaned card off his bill as I put it up £1 😂 wtf 

[Spruce]

Anyone have a zero tolerance on this? Iv had a few recently and tbh I can’t be arsed with them anymore. Late payments , ignore payment reminders. Iv just had one guy asking me to knock the price of my windows cleaned card off his bill as I put it up £1 😂 wtf 

I personally think we are going to get a lot more of this in the future in this current economic downturn. We might  have to change our business model to suit.

Those who don't adapt may find they lose. Maybe a good example is the number of high street stores in recent years who didn't take their business online believing that customers wouldn't shop that way.

My personal opinion is that we have to look at each case and decide how to proceed.
In some cases window cleaners might even have to consider doing one off cleans on an as and when basis. Customers would pay a premium and they would be done when the Windie was working the area. Payment first into their bank account before the work is done.

There are always going to be messers in our customer base. Good customers can become messers through a variety of reasons. Messers very really become good customers.

A windies tolerance levels also play a major factor in how they feel with these customers.  What I might tolerate you might not.

[Shrek]

Good point - however I feel most customers have more money in their pockets these days due to not going out but still working. I have started my price increases again even though I originally thought I wouldn’t , so far , the response has been great and most people can afford an extra £1 on their bill. Some have been £3, 1 has been £10 and have accepted. I’m certainly not waiting until we are out of the recession. I can’t have customers on the books who can’t afford my services

[Jonny Swirljet]

I've had a few customers who put me on hold when the lock down started, fair enough. I've also had a few customers who have said "Not this time, we'll let you know when we want you to come again"
I think it's going to get worse before it improves.

[H2GoKent]

do what pays first, so if you have messers you can't rely on, be less reliable for them.
They can be your 'back up' work for when you find you've finished all your 'good' work, same with people who pay slowly

When i'm organising my week I do all my most profitable work first, then do the messers etc if I get time. Then following week I do the same again,  and the messers get left til after the good stuff again! After a month or so I might get to them when I'm ready to do them, or they might not, or they find someone else willing to put up with them.
So my round refines itself in a way

Best of all put your prices up, if you've got enough work then charge more, make the best use of the hours you want to work.
I put up with people, just charge them more with a smile on my face
Except for gardens covered in dog poo, I will not do those houses

[Shrek]

I do think I need to lose a few anyway , I usually have around 5 days spare each month to do add ons or chill. Iv now got 2 days , so if I have a few bad weather days this month , then il fail my regular work and can’t fit in any extra add ons at all unless I start working Saturdays

[Shrek]

Apparently a recession is determined by a significant decline in economic activity over a few months.
Now my thinking is that people HAVE money , they are just not going out and spending it. The amount of customers that have bought hot tubs or have been doing their house up amazes me. I spoke to a plasterer last week and he told me I just can’t keep up anymore , he’s got that many jobs coming through now it’s doubled to the amount before lockdown. I think it’s a false alarm , just like the police chief telling us that crime figures have gone down over lockdown- well obviously! No one has been going out!!

[Spruce]

Good point - however I feel most customers have more money in their pockets these days due to not going out but still working. I have started my price increases again even though I originally thought I wouldn’t , so far , the response has been great and most people can afford an extra £1 on their bill. Some have been £3, 1 has been £10 and have accepted. I’m certainly not waiting until we are out of the recession. I can’t have customers on the books who can’t afford my services

People who habitually are bad payers have long since been weeded out from our round - the ones who didn't have any money but had plenty for cigarettes and drink.
I have tightened up on payment lengths and if a payment is still outstanding from the previous clean then they don't get cleaned again. At one time I would go to 2 cleans.

As has been stated earlier on other posts, things will get worse when there are no more furlough payments and people will have to take the financial hit themselves for each 2 week lockdown their area is subjected to.

Apparently a recession is determined by a significant decline in economic activity over a few months.
Now my thinking is that people HAVE money , they are just not going out and spending it. The amount of customers that have bought hot tubs or have been doing their house up amazes me. I spoke to a plasterer last week and he told me I just can’t keep up anymore , he’s got that many jobs coming through now it’s doubled to the amount before lockdown. I think it’s a false alarm , just like the police chief telling us that crime figures have gone down over lockdown- well obviously! No one has been going out!!

Yeh, a new customer who is an architect said that he has never been so busy with drawing up plans for house alterations. He believes it won't last. People sitting at home over lockdown are the drivers.

Paying for it is the problem. We have a customer who owns a large local heating and plumbing business. Its now 1/3 down, one 1/3 the day they start work and the final payment on completion.  The 2/3rds upfront payment covers materials and labour should the customer try to default on the final 1/3rd.

Remember, they were still polishing the brass of the Titanic and the band still played when it went down. So things may seem to be going on as normal but we still need to be vigilant to customer's changing circumstances.

In one area we have lost 50% of our customer base due to the lockdown.  These are mainly younger customers who work.  Had the same thing started to happen over the rest of the round then we would be in trouble. Most of our customers are an older retired set so the lockdown has probably improved their finances a bit.

[CozyTheBest]

Yes, i had face same problem.

[dazmond]

If it was a 4 weekly customer who is normally  good as gold then I'd say 'fine,see you next month'...

If it was an 8 weekly(or longer frequency)job I wouldn't go back personally...

[NWH]

What’s the final 1/3 for that plumber then pure profit lol

[Spruce]

What’s the final 1/3 for that plumber then pure profit lol

He didn't say and I didn't ask. I just drew the same conclusion as you have now.

[NWH]

You can be pretty sure that when that kind of payment setup is implemented all the costs will be covered,he may as well be saying that final 1/3 is my holiday or new car lol.

[SB Cleaning]

I think the windies who run a monthly service will get the most drop offs,windows just dont need cleaning that often especially with WFP...I have always run a 6weekly or 12 weekly service and I hardly ever get any messers.

As for people saying they can't afford it just get rid they are obviously living hand to mouth and can't afford the service.

[NWH]

I agree I’ve always said the same monthly’s will be put back it’s bound to happen I do some on a monthly although not many they aren’t that dirty.

[Stoots]

Well nothing has happened yet and it may never happen so just keep cleaning and moving forward until it does.

My main reason for dropping customers is that i hate doing the job rather than skipping or slow paying. I've a few of the latter but I let it slide as I like the job. I have a few that never skip and pay great but are just horrible jobs that I always leave till last or forget to do lol.

[NBwcs]

It's very easy to be swayed into certain actions by the behaviour of just a handful of customers which don't necessarily reflect the concensus of opinion of the majority. I've been taking a cautious almost negative view to the whole situation but have now bitten the bullet and pushed on with putting prices up. I'm 3/4 of the way through, expected to get grief but haven't except for one who is frankly a nob (land-rover, new mini countryman, and a camper an all on his drive yet he asked a couple of years ago to stop doing the door to save him a quid, Im sure you know the sort). I'm still expecting things to take a turn for the worse, particularly at the end of autumn/begining of winter but in the meantime I'm pushing on as normal, taking on work and getting the round in good shape. I really don't want custys who are going to mess around, other custys see it and it may copy. My advise is crackon as normal at least for the time being, I want to come out of this with a round of well trained custys, once you give them an inch they'll take a foot. Made the mistake in the past of letting someone go 8 weekly because of a sob story on the condition it goes back to regular in the future, but it never does.

[Spruce]

You can be pretty sure that when that kind of payment setup is implemented all the costs will be covered,he may as well be saying that final 1/3 is my holiday or new car lol.

No matter what the invoice says about goods remaining the property of the service provider until paid for in full, going in a ripping a new bathroom out or removing a newly fitted boiler just isn't going to happen.

He's had a few upset potential customers when they hear his payment terms but as he said, he's been caught too often in the past.

The only way we can obtain outstanding debt and keep our reputation in tact is to take them to the small claims court. Threatening them that we aren't going to clean their windows until the debt is paid isn't sufficient enough leverage.

[NWH]

A builder has received all costs except the last bit which is his bonus if it’s a 3 way payment split,if that’s not the case there would be no point in doing it because he still lose out I know this is true because I know loads of builders.
Get a quote from the vast majority of builders they give you a piece of paper with a number on some don’t include Vat when you say is that plus Vat they say oh no if I add Vat it’s X that’s a cash price,you say builders get had over but so do the customers it’s happened to us.
People say certain tradesmen earn X a day it’s complete nonsense they hide there costs or make up expenses,a hell of a lot of builders pull the wool and con customers.

[JandS]

My father and brother are both builders.....for big jobs they insist all materials are paid for every Friday plus a certain amount as their wage for the week.