[Jason Atwell]

One of the mid terraces i do, which is on the street behind where i live, has been broken into. The woman who lives there is a friend of my brother in law, he rang me yesterday to say, she is now staying at her boyfriends and has dropped the money off with him, even though shes not living there she wants me to carry on doing her windows.
Fine i said. But also the police will be coming round to MY house to eliminate me from their enquires! 
Any one else had this problem, not worried, just dont like the thought of the police knocking on the door.

[groundhog]

Not had it happen to me, but a neighbour of mine told me that a police officer told her that nearly all window cleaners have a criminal record! 

[marc al]

  I was cleaning the windows on a fairly large Medical Center at the weekend, Ialways do this job early on a Sunday morning as it is easiest.
 
  Anyhow, I was up on the roof merrily singing away to my walkman when I felt a tug on my pole hose, looked round to see a copper at the top of my ladder pulling on the hose to get my attention. Someone had called to say there was someone on the roof.

  He laughed about it and said that as there had been several attempted breakins there recently they respond double quick - he was mighty ped off though when I pointed out the three dorma roof lights that were open and in a very concealed position.

   Marc

[bumper]

I know what you mean ,every time i go to prison and they know im a window cleaner, i have to clean all the little square windows with poo all over them

[jeff1]

Not had that happen, but going back a couple of years I had a customer who was a Lord, and both him and his wife were killed in a road traffic accident, after a few days there daughter phoned me and asked if I could go along and clean there windows for the funeral the next day.

So off I go, when I got to the property I discovered they had been burgled   I quikly phoned the Daughter who unknown to me was at her parents solicitors at the time of the call,
she went almost into shock, and behind my back to the solicitor started to accuse me of the burglary,saying all wc are the same, but she was soon put right by the solicitor,
when he found out who there window cleaner was.

The solicitor told her in no uncertain terms that a lot of window cleaners are tarred with the wrong brush, and that he could vouch for this paticular window cleaner, as I was a member of his family  and that I had represented the security trade for over 15 years.

I recieved a full and written  apology from her with a cheque for £100 to say thank you, for cleaning her parents home for the past six years.
I almost sent the cheque back out of pride, but after a conversation with the solicitor I decided to keep the cheque and enjoy it.

One thing that I do now is carry with me, (and wouldn't be a bad idea for you guy's to do the same) is crime prevention leaflets,

If I clean a customers house, and there not home, and if they have left any downstairs or easy accessible windows open. with my windows have been cleaned today ticket I attach a leaflet and post it into the customers home, Letting them know about open windows, some of them take no notice but its supprising how many do, I even take it on myself to close the winows over so it just looks closed.

I have seen over the years the stress and trauma it has caused people, and now being a window cleaner I don't want to be on the list of suspects.

Make an appointment to see your local crime prevention officer and explane your trade, and the amount of windows  you see left open, they are more than happy to give you a bundle of crime stopper leaflets and some helpful advice to give out to your customers.

[windows_chepstow]

I'm lucky, I've not had any of the above problems.  A few of my customers have even hidden keys for me, so that we could gain entrance to their property to clean the insides; while they're out at work.

One of my customers does this every few months.

[reah]

Hey
i get that as well tosh.
I even have back gate keys to get in the back.
Problem is remembering whos who.
Ita a bit like the quiz through the key hole.

[pjulk]

I had the police round the day after i changed van.

Apperantly there was a buglary in a road i clean and it happened to be the day i cleaned windows on that road.
As i only just got the van it had no signwritting.
But my T-Shirt did say on the back in huge letters WINDOW CLEANER.

Got home that day and the police turned up and said you were at such and such a road today and was seen going round the back of houses into the gardens.

He said well there was a buglary in that road today.

I said yes i was in the gardens of my customers and do every month as im a window cleaner and clean houses along that road.

He said i know you are a window cleaner we have already checked up


So i said to him why on earth did you come round waisting yours and my time then if you know what i do
Or did you think you would come round and blame me because i happen to work in that road.

I said i have window cleaner plasted all over my back and turned round and showed him so i take it the people who rang you saying about me can't read

No no nothing like that he said but i have to follow up any reports.


Paul

[www.mrgutters.co.uk]

hi all


yeah same happened to me my first ever customer i canvassed agreed the price and when the builders were done i could clean the house large semi £7.00 (ha ha ) anyways i go there on the monday and like she said there would be money under a certain pot for it was not there so i didnt clean , then get a call in the evening saying that the police would like to question me as the builders wages were stolen and my money was gone too , so she assusmed i took my dosh and broke in and took the builders , after alot of hoo ha all was cleared up... it poooped me out


shawn

[macc]

Some years ago about 5 i think, had a customer who i had done about fof about 5 years at the time. Their neigbour ive known since i was 10ish cause they are JW's & so is my mum, so they know me well. Anyway, did their windows & left. Got a phone call from the old bill they got done over, the guys who broke in left an ear print,  :, am i prepared to give them a DNA sample, the husband insists, (to**er) but the wife said no way was it me, so did the neigbour that knows my mum & of me.

Well, of coarse the DNA & finger prints came back clear, i might not be a JW but i was taught right from wrong.

Had a phone call from his wife a few months later wondering why i've cleaned their neighbours but not theirs, said i will call in to explain when her husband was in, so we arranged a time.

Turned up, explained i'm not a theif, i'm trusting & honest, gave him a piece of my my (she was right behind me) & told him if he accused me of being a scum bag again id brake his nose.

Macc

[groundhog]

Threatening to break his nose probably convinced him that you are!!!!

[Bonzer]

I once turned up on a very hot day and cleaned a house - when I got round the back I found one of the patio doors had completely shattered leaving a very large hole in the glass. I did the job as normal,apart from the broken door, and assumed (stupidly) that the heat had caused the window to expand thus causing it to shatter.
I went to collect a couple of days later and they had the police around there while when I knocked. The customer was in tears and explained they had a burglary. Because they stayed away in london for work, they had only just discovered it. I told them it had been done at least a day or two earlier. I was half expecting to be questioned about it but they didn't bother with me at all.

[macc]

Threatening to break his nose probably convinced him that you are!!!!

Hedgehog, i'm not a thief & not a scum bag, i know most of my customers trust me but i thought it was out of order that he insisted on my DNA being tested. I have nothing to hide, i've no criminal record but he was bassicaly saying it could be me.

I take offence he could have thought of me that way. My dad was a scum bag, buglary, armed robbery, drugs to murder, dead at 43.

Kacc

[groundhog]

Kacc I hope I did not affend you but I think that threatening to break the mans nose was a bit much, especially when you consider that the poor man had just been burgled, which is a very traumatic experience! If you had visited his property around the time of the burglary, then of course you are going to be a suspect    I must admit though that I would not want to clean his windows again after that, unless of course that he offered a full apology.

Sorry to hear about your Dad mate, thats bad!

Hedgehog.

[macc]

Hedgehog. No offence taken.

I've learnt from his mistakes mate, i'm not saying i'm squeaky clean, i've had my share of fun & i've had some large times, but what my dad got up to made me realise that lifes not for me.

Work hard & play hard. Thats my motto.

Kacc

[dai]

Not had it happen to me, but a neighbour of mine told me that a police officer told her that nearly all window cleaners have a criminal record!  Angry
How do the police know what you do for a living? How could anyone make that statement? I am one of the many thousand window cleaners without a criminal record. I am not known to them and apart from the many bobbies I clean windows for, the police have no idea what I do for a living. Dai

[groundhog]

Dai, I am afraid that if one of your customers gets burgled, one of the first questions the police will ask is do you have a window cleaner? and you will almost certainly get a visit. Not fair I know, but unfortunately true

[WavieDavie]

Well, maybe this is where licensing comes in.

Unfortunately some of my customers have been burgled over the years, but I've known nothing about it till I turn up for our next clean to find the fingerprint silvery stuff on the glass.

The police have certainly never contacted me as a suspect, but they've maybe asked the client for my name, checked that I'm licensed, and eliminated me from their enquiries.

To be honest, they'd ever recognise me from the picture on my licence anyway!

[groundhog]

Dave how does the licensing work in Scotland?

[WavieDavie]

Basically, it's a tax on legit window cleaners!

Different regions charge different prices, some police it - most don't, I've been asked for my licence twice since I started back in nineteen oatcake. And once was when the police were having a crackdown on rogue workmen - I'm kitted out with my workbelt, carrying ladders, name and phone number plastered all over the van . . . Doh!

Nobody, apart from council employees in the licensing dept, knows you're supposed to be licensed.

Am I sounding a bit cynical?