[Tom-01]

So we worked yesterday as usual but it rained a bit at times and brought all the Saharan dust down with it.

I’ve had one customer contact us to say her front windows are awful (backs are fine) and could we do the fronts again, she’s happy to pay.

I said it’s fine we will do them again FOC. Long standing very good customer never any issues.

Another one has messaged highlighting three big windows, to which I explained it rained after we cleaned and it’s the dust residue left on the glass.

At which point do you decide whether to re-clean or not, charge or not..? Otherwise half a day will be spent fannying about going back going over windows again.

Any thoughts?

[NBwcs]

I guess it's a numbers game, not all your customers will ring and ask you to do them again but if you do go back and do it again foc, you could be making a rod for your own back. The Sahara dust events are thankfully rare but only go to reinforce the preconception that  cutomers have that "rain =dirty windows".  I'm hoping the upside to it will be new enquiries.


Edit.. I would certainly draw a line in the sand (pun intended) date wise and only consider complaints from customers who were actually cleaned yesterday, the day of the dust downpour then take it on an individual basis. Ie, if you were working on one estate for much of the day and you go back to one, then the flood gate could open, or at least cause bad feeling from those you don't redo. Individual properties, then maybe..

[Smudger]

Yes we were hit pretty badly here - I’ve had over a dozen customers ring asking for an extra clean

Not bad that since the beast from the east

Darran

[Arnold Palmer]

The phone should be busy next week...

[Ggh]

Aaaaaaaaah, was this yesterday? Explains a lot.

[Tom-01]

I guess it's a numbers game, not all your customers will ring and ask you to do them again but if you do go back and do it again foc, you could be making a rod for your own back. The Sahara dust events are thankfully rare but only go to reinforce the preconception that  cutomers have that "rain =dirty windows".  I'm hoping the upside to it will be new enquiries.


Edit.. I would certainly draw a line in the sand (pun intended) date wise and only consider complaints from customers who were actually cleaned yesterday, the day of the dust downpour then take it on an individual basis. Ie, if you were working on one estate for much of the day and you go back to one, then the flood gate could open, or at least cause bad feeling from those you don't redo. Individual properties, then maybe..

Some good points there. I went back to the one who offered to pay again and did them FOC, just the fronts.

The second one I just explained about the Saharan dust and waiting for a reply.

If I’d got my car cleaned yesterday I wouldn’t be able to get a free re-clean.

[tlwcs]

Nothing here in Staffordshire

[Jay Le Huray]

I had to do a con roof today  as it was covered in it and I've just got home and our glass table in the back garden is also covered in it

[Richard iSparkle]

So we worked yesterday as usual but it rained a bit at times and brought all the Saharan dust down with it.

I’ve had one customer contact us to say her front windows are awful (backs are fine) and could we do the fronts again, she’s happy to pay.

I said it’s fine we will do them again FOC. Long standing very good customer never any issues.

Another one has messaged highlighting three big windows, to which I explained it rained after we cleaned and it’s the dust residue left on the glass.

At which point do you decide whether to re-clean or not, charge or not..? Otherwise half a day will be spent fannying about going back going over windows again.

Any thoughts?

if you had your car valeted and it rained afterwards would they do it again for free?

its one thing if it was raining when you cleaned them, its another if it happened afterwards

[NWH]

Played havoc with my Sinuses today that dust.

[dazmond]

I'd go back and redo the odd window if the clean was yesterday however I have had customers contact  me after 3 or 4 days or a week after a clean saying their windows are dirty(after a named storm for example).....in these instances I never go back and just say I can't control the weather!(which is true!)

[JandS]

It's your choice to have car valeted.........some customers will not have been in and mine don't know when I'm coming anyway unless they have a locked gate.

[Bungle]

I guess it's a numbers game, not all your customers will ring and ask you to do them again but if you do go back and do it again foc, you could be making a rod for your own back. The Sahara dust events are thankfully rare but only go to reinforce the preconception that  cutomers have that "rain =dirty windows".  I'm hoping the upside to it will be new enquiries.


Edit.. I would certainly draw a line in the sand (pun intended) date wise and only consider complaints from customers who were actually cleaned yesterday, the day of the dust downpour then take it on an individual basis. Ie, if you were working on one estate for much of the day and you go back to one, then the flood gate could open, or at least cause bad feeling from those you don't redo. Individual properties, then maybe..

Some good points there. I went back to the one who offered to pay again and did them FOC, just the fronts.

The second one I just explained about the Saharan dust and waiting for a reply.

If I’d got my car cleaned yesterday I wouldn’t be able to get a free re-clean.

No, because you would have made a decision to get it cleaned in cr4p weather. Our customers on the other hand are at our mercy.

[NWH]

You are mad if you take a van-car to a hand car wash,I used to take both car and van to them the wrap perished and the wheels and chrome on the old car pitted like mad.
Have you ever wondered how they get the dirtiest of wheels clean in a couple of minutes,brick acid it’s lovely if you sit in a que in one when they spray the wheels prior to having it cleaned it gives the acid longer to soak in to the alloys lol,dreadful places.

[NBwcs]

More Sahara dust forecast for tomorrow in the south and south east. We also had a day last week when alot of black bits came down in the rain, possibly localised as its very arable round here. These incidents happening in quick succession only go to  strengthen the customers perception that cleaning in the rain isn't good. I wonder if climate change means we're going to see more and more of this. I'm lucky I live in one of the driest parts of the country, hence I can choose not to clean in the rain without causing too much loss of income.

[NWH]

And that’s why you want to be cleaning windows with 🥵 water you can’t control it coming back due to weather but it’ll clean it off better,once you’ve gone hot it’s got Ya.

[NWH]

I’ve lost count of how many cold cleaners I’ve made redundant customers so sceptical well madam let me clean them and I’ll come back later so you can verify you’ll pay me,works every time “what you use hot water “I didn’t know that the other bloke just squirted and drove off lol.

[High-Tower]

I wonder if climate change means we're going to see more and more of this. I'm lucky I live in one of the driest parts of the country, hence I can choose not to clean in the rain without causing too much loss of income.

I wonder about how climate change might affect us in the coming years. Shorter wetter winter's might see us forced into becoming a seasonal service, and will hotter drier summers affect how dirty and how often windows will need cleaning?

[NWH]

Not in our lifetime matey I don’t think.

[NWH]

Window cleaning has changed massively since I first started traditionally when winters were winters,I can remember going round the back of some houses when I got back round the front the scrim was frozen solid hanging out of my pocket lol.
I think it’ll be the next couple of generations of customers that’ll change things more than the weather.