[Neil Grainger]

Hi All

How many of you work for Friends and Family,

Asked last friday by next door neighbour if I would clear up a bathroom spill at their 84 year old mothers house.

So got their and what I found was not just a spill but a mess all around the landing and bathroom, it had been their for nearly a week with just towels put over the top. Cleaned up but left brown marks in the carpet that I could not remove.

If this was just a normal customer how many of you would have walked away or carried on as I am just trying to getting a feeling about whether i should have done it or not. Carpet was recked and needed replacing but knowing my neighbours that would not happen.

Thing is the have not even offered any form of payment


Just want some views on this.

Cheers

Neil

[jasonl]

I  do loads for friends and family, rarely is payment made or offered, I always have a rider......... (a list of demands, commonly used by pop stars when doing a gig).
My riders have varied from cream and scones, at my mothers house, to a pair of jeans, at a friends house, to sexual favours, er that was at my house , in about 1998 while I was still married. My advice is to always ask for something, even jokingly, however wierd, I recently asked for 4 slices of cheese on toast from someone who could not afford a clean. Doing this creates some kind of value to your service and a talking point so the people who you cleaned for tell others who do pay, plus I am of the opinion that I have a responsibility to help others.

[rambly]

I travelled from Lincolnshire to the Alltech roadshow in Hertfordshire and then onto Essex to clean mum-in-laws carpets for a home made steak pie dinner (its the best).

Also did the local church as a freebie for the best kept village competition.

Might get my reward in heaven - but wont know anyone!

 

[Steven Edwards]

bless you my child 

[craigp]

hi Neil,

even though its a nieghbour you should expect to be paid, but maybe discount for them, must say bit of a poor show if they've not offered, imo.

ive done work for nieghbours and they insisted on paying me at my normal rate, and asked me not to discount for them.

[Mike Osbourne]

A belief in Karma keeps me sane. Some people just take, take, take and then want some more. :

[calmore]

I always ask for beer or wine as payment, and leave it up to them how many bottles they buy.

At the end of the day I spend my money on beer and wine and this way it saves me having to go to the supermarket and queue up to buy the stuff!