[AuRavelling79]

I do three regular jobs for a small management company.

1) A block of six two storey small flats I put up from £50 to £60 after 5 years
2)A semi from £20 to £25 after 4 years
3)An old 4 storey house divided into 4 flats after 5 years from £45 to £60

1) is an easy one hour job 2) is about 25 minutes and 3) is about an hour but can be an hour and twenty when parking is difficult and I have even driven back at a different time or used a backpack as I might be too far from the back to run a 100m hose.

Now the management company has to get approval from the tenants and it's Number One that has said they are going to get other quotes - not the semi or difficult one I really put the price up on!

If they change then I shall drop the lot because in my mind number 1 is what makes me believe 3 to be worth the bother. 

[Richard iSparkle]

when ever people leave  we say to them..

"if we can help in the future please give us a call, we'd be happy to have you back as a customer of ours.."

did it last night with a lady who got a quote of us for £13 and emailed me back saying she had had a more responsible quote of £6 a clean off another window cleaner so they are going with him instead and her 30 neighbours are all too.

i found that really irritating, but took a moment and thanked her for letting me know and said if we can help at all in the future to let us know.

dont get involved in their games. look after your own mood and leave it open for them to come back.

[AuRavelling79]

when ever people leave  we say to them..

"if we can help in the future please give us a call, we'd be happy to have you back as a customer of ours.."

did it last night with a lady who got a quote of us for £13 and emailed me back saying she had had a more responsible quote of £6 a clean off another window cleaner so they are going with him instead and her 30 neighbours are all too.

i found that really irritating, but took a moment and thanked her for letting me know and said if we can help at all in the future to let us know.

dont get involved in their games. look after your own mood and leave it open for them to come back.

Do you think the 30 are ALL likely to jump ship? That's quite a statement to speak for 30 neighbours.

[Matt.]

If ur smashing £300 days out everyday why would u be bothered 😂😂😂

As u would say dump and move on

[Bungle]

when ever people leave  we say to them..

"if we can help in the future please give us a call, we'd be happy to have you back as a customer of ours.."

did it last night with a lady who got a quote of us for £13 and emailed me back saying she had had a more responsible quote of £6 a clean off another window cleaner so they are going with him instead and her 30 neighbours are all too.

i found that really irritating, but took a moment and thanked her for letting me know and said if we can help at all in the future to let us know.

dont get involved in their games. look after your own mood and leave it open for them to come back.

Do you think the 30 are ALL likely to jump ship? That's quite a statement to speak for 30 neighbours.

Sounds like the local busy body.

I lost one last weekend. Nice woman, Xmas tip, always paid on time, £15 4 weekly. I've only ever dealt with her. Last time I cleaned I noticed a bloke sitting down at the kitchen table, got no acknowledgement from him so just cracked on. Saturday I get a text saying "Hi, xxxxx has had a Karcher bought for him for his birthday and we're going to use that and save for our wedding so we won't need you anymore." I didn't even reply.

1) is saving £180 max over a year going to make a difference on the cost of a wedding?
2) is Karcher man actually going to bother cleaning the windows?
3) has he actually got a Karcher?
4) feck em it's bullsh#t

[james peters]

just my opinion.
I very much doubt the other guy will be able to reach the velux windows .
if he could he would have invested a lot of money in that pole and would be experienced enough to know that he cant charge £25
he may not have even seen the velux windows when he quoted.
he may not have even quoted by visiting , it could have been a flyer with a general price list.

I think this customer will return
it is very annoying when a long term customer does this . it devalues all our hard work

[wayne 77]

She will return when he cant do the skylights.
All new customers pay a first clean price of £ xxx then will be £32   
Welcome back

[dazmond]

what im miffed about is ive cleaned her windows for 9 years,never put the price up before,shes often said what a great job i do of the windows,in fact she got me 2 of her neighbours on board too and cancels over a £2 pay increase.... ......these people are wealthy not skint....and to top it off to say shes had another cheaper quote but stayed with me (as if she was doing me a favour)doesnt sit well with me.....

does she honestly think i should never put the price up?i had a customer many years ago who said if i put his price up he ll cancel....sure enough i put them up a quid(from £5 to £6)like you have to do eventually..and he cancelled and found a window cleaner who charges him a fiver...he probably still does! .....he blanks me now and has done for many years(i still clean all the houses all around him)...

there are some strange people about.....

[LBWCS]

I wouldn’t take her back on principle. It’s insulting when they don’t value your service. They either want you or they don’t. My experience is that the cheaper ones won’t do it for long as it’s under priced so they become unreliable and then stop. If they ever ask to return I either put the price up higher (say £35 for her) for my inconvenience. I take great pleasure then  But I also would just say forget it she’s not worth thinking about. I’m sure the rest of the price increases have more than covered the loss

[wayne 77]

Its happens to us all, when you see her smile and greet her with respect like a true professional.
   

[deeege]

My money is on her receiving a flyer recently with a generic price on (our area have just had a big drop with prices advertised).

Some people are just idiots though, live in an expensive area, nice big house, no doubt nice cars, possessions etc etc and then go and let some unknown onto your property to save yourself from paying an extra 25 pence per week. What an idiot.

[NBwcs]

what im miffed about is ive cleaned her windows for 9 years,never put the price up before,shes often said what a great job i do of the windows,in fact she got me 2 of her neighbours on board too and cancels over a £2 pay increase.... ......these people are wealthy not skint....and to top it off to say shes had another cheaper quote but stayed with me (as if she was doing me a favour)doesnt sit well with me.....

does she honestly think i should never put the price up?i had a customer many years ago who said if i put his price up he ll cancel....sure enough i put them up a quid(from £5 to £6)like you have to do eventually..and he cancelled and found a window cleaner who charges him a fiver...he probably still does! .....he blanks me now and has done for many years(i still clean all the houses all around him)...

there are some strange people about.....

It always hits home more when its a customer you least expected it from. I lost a customer i've had for years , always very pleasant, always tipped at Christmas, then her husband asked me for a price for cleaning their conny roof, i quoted a very reasonable £35, which prompted a blunt almost rude text  from her dispensing with my services. Upon further questioning it became clear she really expected me to do it for next to nothing, clearly having no idea of what's involved (same sort of people who say "can you just wipe over the facias while your here, like its a 10 min job) and spurred on by cheapskate beermoney oddjobbers prepared to do it for sod all thus setting the bar from which everybodys  prices are then judged. There's a dickhead lurking in everyone, it just takes the right trigger to set them off.   As for taking her back Daz, in reality, i doubt she,'ll  ever ask you. If a customer feels strong enough about something to voice their disapproval then very few will lose face and come back with their tail between their legs if it doesn't work out, more likely to find someone else when this new bloke doesn't work out. You've got thicker skin than most on here Daz, you'll have forgotten about it tomorrow 

[֍Winp®oClean֍]

I can't believe you're making such a fuss over 2 quid on a £60 per hour job! Think I'd have sacked you too, cheeky git!😄

[dazmond]

what im miffed about is ive cleaned her windows for 9 years,never put the price up before,shes often said what a great job i do of the windows,in fact she got me 2 of her neighbours on board too and cancels over a £2 pay increase.... ......these people are wealthy not skint....and to top it off to say shes had another cheaper quote but stayed with me (as if she was doing me a favour)doesnt sit well with me.....

does she honestly think i should never put the price up?i had a customer many years ago who said if i put his price up he ll cancel....sure enough i put them up a quid(from £5 to £6)like you have to do eventually..and he cancelled and found a window cleaner who charges him a fiver...he probably still does! .....he blanks me now and has done for many years(i still clean all the houses all around him)...

there are some strange people about.....

It always hits home more when its a customer you least expected it from. I lost a customer i've had for years , always very pleasant, always tipped at Christmas, then her husband asked me for a price for cleaning their conny roof, i quoted a very reasonable £35, which prompted a blunt almost rude text  from her dispensing with my services. Upon further questioning it became clear she really expected me to do it for next to nothing, clearly having no idea of what's involved (same sort of people who say "can you just wipe over the facias while your here, like its a 10 min job) and spurred on by cheapskate beermoney oddjobbers prepared to do it for sod all thus setting the bar from which everybodys  prices are then judged. There's a dickhead lurking in everyone, it just takes the right trigger to set them off.   As for taking her back Daz, in reality, i doubt she,'ll  ever ask you. If a customer feels strong enough about something to voice their disapproval then very few will lose face and come back with their tail between their legs if it doesn't work out, more likely to find someone else when this new bloke doesn't work out. You've got thicker skin than most on here Daz, you'll have forgotten about it tomorrow 

i agree mate....ive had other customers over the years slam their door in my face when ive gone to put their price up and they never apologise or ask me back even if their desperate to have their windows cleaned again.....the funny thing is ive  got more and more of  their neighbours houses on my books as the years have passed so they still see me cleaning every month/every other month........

[Splash & dash]

When she phones back and wants you to start again tell her the price has gone up as she’s a new customer it’s now £40 . We wouldn’t take her back once a customer is an ex customer that’s exactly how  they stay

[Slacky]

What I don’t understand is how people can judge the circumstances others live their lives by.

If someone chooses to cancel on me they’ve done so for reasons only they really know. I can’t be bothered asking anymore, I know I do a fair job for the money I’m paid. I don’t feel guilty for the decent hourly wage I earn, it’s probably more than 90% of what my customers earn I imagine and they all seem pretty happy to pay. But if they choose to jump ship I don’t fret about why or question what their motive was.

If they want to come back at a later date, why wouldn’t you unless they’re notorious in not being co-operative as a customer.


Who cares?

[Slacky]

Those who moan about customers are probably more desperate for the work than they like to make out.

[dazmond]

Those who moan about customers are probably more desperate for the work than they like to make out.

That's absolutely not true in my case mate....if I was desperate for work after 28 years of trading I think I'd be doing something seriously wrong!

The last 10 years have been phenomenal for me in this game...a marked,steady increase year on year and I'm still refining....it never ends as you well know matt....

[Steven Biggs]

Egg em

[NWH]

If you price a job for £80’and it’s done quickly with no hassle if that job never goes up that sets alarm bells ringing in itself,this bloke has been cleaning the windows for the same price for years etc that would tell me that he was well overpriced in the first place.
It may make you cringe to put some good ones up but they need to go up at some point even if it’s 2-3% every few years,putting prices up every year or even every 2 years can seem to often with some jobs.