[NWH]

I’m loving being weeks behind at the moment they all need cleaning and by the time I’m anywhere near caught up the better weather will be round the corner,winter-terrible weather and being on time don’t mix well.

[SB Cleaning]

I would be more inclined to hold fire at the moment rather than jump the gun because of skipping the odd clean.

Why?
It's a rubbish excuse for skipping a clean, I would dump straight away.,no point in hanging onto customers like that,  there's plenty more work out there that's decent.

[NWH]

What dump because someone skips one clean ? 

[deeege]

Then they’ll be a lot of people that will be dumping lol I wonder how many will be saying another dump for saying this and that in 6 months,I would be more inclined to hold fire at the moment rather than jump the gun because of skipping the odd clean.

Last summer you were saying we’d all be getting loads of cancellations in Autumn, didn’t happen. In the autumn you were saying the cancellations would start to come in winter, hasn’t happened. Now it’s going to happen in 6 months time?

It must be an awful existence being such a pessimist.

[dazmond]

Then they’ll be a lot of people that will be dumping lol I wonder how many will be saying another dump for saying this and that in 6 months,I would be more inclined to hold fire at the moment rather than jump the gun because of skipping the odd clean.

Last summer you were saying we’d all be getting loads of cancellations in Autumn, didn’t happen. In the autumn you were saying the cancellations would start to come in winter, hasn’t happened. Now it’s going to happen in 6 months time?

It must be an awful existence being such a pessimist.

I agree....I've picked up a few decent jobs since I started back on the 3rd Jan and no skipped cleans at all without a good reason.... 😄

Nigel is turning into a proper doom and gloom merchant!🤣

[Bungle]

I have to agree with Nigel to an extent.  Give them 3 strikes before thinking about dumping. Times are hard for some people unlike us millionaire window cleaners. It's not like when you get a cancellation it's a whole days pay lost is it. Who has their car cleaned if it's p!$$ing down with rain.? Who cleans their own windows when the weather is cr4p? We are a luxury!

[NWH]

⬆️ exactly we are a luxury 3 strikes and you’re out lol.

[dazmond]

I have to agree with Nigel to an extent.  Give them 3 strikes before thinking about dumping. Times are hard for some people unlike us millionaire window cleaners. It's not like when you get a cancellation it's a whole days pay lost is it. Who has their car cleaned if it's p!$$ing down with rain.? Who cleans their own windows when the weather is cr4p? We are a luxury!

If a customer comes out with 'can you skip mine as its going to rain tomorrow' or any other stupid,lame excuse get instantly dumped....
It's never stopped me from improving/refining my round over the last 30 years...

[AuRavelling79]

Then they’ll be a lot of people that will be dumping lol I wonder how many will be saying another dump for saying this and that in 6 months,I would be more inclined to hold fire at the moment rather than jump the gun because of skipping the odd clean.

Mad as a box of frogs.

[AuRavelling79]

I have to agree with Nigel to an extent.  Give them 3 strikes before thinking about dumping. Times are hard for some people unlike us millionaire window cleaners. It's not like when you get a cancellation it's a whole days pay lost is it. Who has their car cleaned if it's p!$$ing down with rain.? Who cleans their own windows when the weather is cr4p? We are a luxury!

If a customer comes out with 'can you skip mine as its going to rain tomorrow' or any other stupid,lame excuse get instantly dumped....
It's never stopped me from improving/refining my round over the last 30 years...

Exactly. Who wants to plan a day's work which might not happen?

[Bungle]

I had one last week. Couldn't have them cleaned as she wasn't home and dog would go mad. She's a 3 monthly who I fit in whenever I'm in the area. A nice £25 job. I put her on the 'finished' list. No going back. Then she texts me a  couple of days later saying she's working from home most of this week and can I fit her in. I texted back that I'm in the area on Friday and will fit her in. In my eyes she's an extra £25 on Friday. If all my customers were like her I'd have big problems but fortunately they're not.

[Bungle]

I have to agree with Nigel to an extent.  Give them 3 strikes before thinking about dumping. Times are hard for some people unlike us millionaire window cleaners. It's not like when you get a cancellation it's a whole days pay lost is it. Who has their car cleaned if it's p!$$ing down with rain.? Who cleans their own windows when the weather is cr4p? We are a luxury!

If a customer comes out with 'can you skip mine as its going to rain tomorrow' or any other stupid,lame excuse get instantly dumped....
It's never stopped me from improving/refining my round over the last 30 years...

Exactly. Who wants to plan a day's work which might not happen?

Book more than you can handle in and hope some cancel. Some days I hope some cancel. How some say they don't get any cancellations at all is beyond me. Along with the just turning up and clean brigade.

[AuRavelling79]

I have to agree with Nigel to an extent.  Give them 3 strikes before thinking about dumping. Times are hard for some people unlike us millionaire window cleaners. It's not like when you get a cancellation it's a whole days pay lost is it. Who has their car cleaned if it's p!$$ing down with rain.? Who cleans their own windows when the weather is cr4p? We are a luxury!

If a customer comes out with 'can you skip mine as its going to rain tomorrow' or any other stupid,lame excuse get instantly dumped....
It's never stopped me from improving/refining my round over the last 30 years...

Exactly. Who wants to plan a day's work which might not happen?

Book more than you can handle in and hope some cancel. Some days I hope some cancel. How some say they don't get any cancellations at all is beyond me. Along with the just turning up and clean brigade.

I'd rather prune out the 'lame excuse' brigade. I train them when I take them on. It's lame excuses like rain, freezing, it's gonna rain, gonna freeze etc. that I prune out.

If they have scaffolding up or digging out the drive and forgot to tell me they get a pass. If the decorator is working inside I don't accept that as an excuse.

Doorstep cancellations come in two kinds. Immediate dump or 'watching brief'. If the reason is understandable they get a pass. Two passes rarely happen unless they are years apart.

[Splash & dash]

I have to agree with Nigel to an extent.  Give them 3 strikes before thinking about dumping. Times are hard for some people unlike us millionaire window cleaners. It's not like when you get a cancellation it's a whole days pay lost is it. Who has their car cleaned if it's p!$$ing down with rain.? Who cleans their own windows when the weather is cr4p? We are a luxury!

If a customer comes out with 'can you skip mine as its going to rain tomorrow' or any other stupid,lame excuse get instantly dumped....
It's never stopped me from improving/refining my round over the last 30 years...

Exactly. Who wants to plan a day's work which might not happen?

Book more than you can handle in and hope some cancel. Some days I hope some cancel. How some say they don't get any cancellations at all is beyond me. Along with the just turning up and clean brigade.

We very rarely get a cancellation on the day unless it’s genuine  like decorating ,building work , or similar and that’s fine , I have never txt a domestic customer in over 24 years and won’t be starting anytime soon I have much better things to be doing with my evenings , I think it’s a case of setting out your stall from the time of quoting  let them know what you will be doing  , how you will be doing it and an approximate date , we work in all weather s within reason 12 months a year if they  hesitate then they aren’t taken on end of , then let them know what you expect from them , payment within xx days of clean ,access ,keys or codes for gates , etc , I think half the problems one’s experience is because they aren’t  straight enough with potential customers and the customer feels they can choose whether to  have the Windows  cleaned or not , like some add hock service , I used to get this years ago but since altering how I explained ti customers how we work it is very rare that we get this now .

[KS Cleaning]

I have to agree with Nigel to an extent.  Give them 3 strikes before thinking about dumping. Times are hard for some people unlike us millionaire window cleaners. It's not like when you get a cancellation it's a whole days pay lost is it. Who has their car cleaned if it's p!$$ing down with rain.? Who cleans their own windows when the weather is cr4p? We are a luxury!

If a customer comes out with 'can you skip mine as its going to rain tomorrow' or any other stupid,lame excuse get instantly dumped....
It's never stopped me from improving/refining my round over the last 30 years...

Exactly. Who wants to plan a day's work which might not happen?

Book more than you can handle in and hope some cancel. Some days I hope some cancel. How some say they don't get any cancellations at all is beyond me. Along with the just turning up and clean brigade.

Book more than you can handle in and hope some cancel🤣🤣 That sounds like mayhem to me. It’s just window cleaning, why some want to over complicate it is beyond me.
I am one of the ‘turn up and clean brigade’….turn up, clean, kerching🤑

[richard connett]

“It rained after last time you come”
The doorstep cancel and the  crap excuse would be enough too insult me.  I’d get rid there and then and feel  better afterwards as well knowing I don’t have to deal with him anymore

[robbo333]

I clean 8 weekly and text all my customers the night before, even the ones I have access to; we live in a modern age, I think it's polite to let them know I'm coming and that's how I work. Texting works for me very well, as about 80% of custys gates are locked and I can't be bothered to jump them anymore. Also, I LIKE the fact that texting can help weed out the crap, because then I can replace them with, hopefully, something better. After 12 years, I very rarely have any problems, however...

I had three scenarios this week:
1. Customer text me back, 'can we skip due to weather'. I've cleaned this about 4 times and each time there has been some niggly, annoying situation that makes it more difficult. I replied 'no problem', They are now dumped.

2. Customer text me back 'can we skip due to the weather'. Again, cleaned about 4 times.  He is a foreign gentleman with a terraced house in the middle of a row that I do. So I text him back saying that the service I offer is 'all year round' and he is more than welcome to skip, but if he does, unfortunately I won't be able to clean for him anymore. He changed his mind and asked if would continue to clean for him. I'm glad about that one.

3. A long standing customer asked 'if I could skip this time'. She is an excellent customer with a very good history. I can only assume that something has cropped up which she does not want to discuss. I said 'No problem at all' and I actually hope that she is ok. No doubt I will find out on the next clean.

I take each customer on their own merits and, to a point, I will give them the benefit of the doubt...but no P155 taking!

[NWH]

I agree as long as it’s not taking the P**s it wouldn’t bother me too much it’s just a case of up the road so to speak.it’s if you’ve made a special journey and it happens I would have something to say.

[james peters]

She is an excellent customer with a very good history. I can only assume that something has cropped up which she does not want to discuss.

Good point Robbo.
I have had this before where someone has skipped a clean , and then a month or two later they will tell me something , and the penny drops.

[Slacky]

I had one yesterday that boiled my pi$$.

I clean the windows on a village hall. The sort where they have kiddie winks play school every day.

So I finished cleaning the windows and needed to take a leak. So I knocked not the door to say I needed to use the loo, just a widdle, no lumpy things. The woman/carer/teacher whatever they're called nowadays answered the door, looked at me and said 'I don't think I can allow that, just let me ask'. She came back a minute later saying I wasn't allowed in the building for safe-guarding reasons. Cheeky bitch, I don't care what she thinks of window cleaners but im no threat to anyones precious sunbeams. What's wrong with letting someone take a leak and accompany them to the toilet door if things are that risky?

I drove away fuming. If I'd been a woman you can bet your arse I wouldve been allowed in. Note, a woman delivery driver had just delivered meals inside the building whilst I was asking at the door to be let in.

Perhaps I should've said I was having a period.

Or Id take a pi$$ round the back of the building in the kiddie winks sandpit.