[pylofm]

Went to a lady her 2nd clean and she said that she had discussed the frequency of cleans with her neighbour(who we clean as well) and they had decided that they were not happy with the 8 weekly that we had all agreed and that she now wants us to call back in 10 weeks and not 8...and then after that she will call us when she want us there....

My g/f then told the lady that we had all agreed on 8weekly and that was our deal, we would give her a date and we also agreed that we would put them as the 1st customers of the day so they would not have to wait in for us....

The g/f re-explains that we have various routes (area's) so that would not be possible...and remineds this lady of our agreement....

The lady then says ok, I'll have my windows done the next time as per the agreement (8weekly) and then she would decide when she wanted it done next....The g/f then hands this woman her bill with the words 'LAST CLEAN' in the space where her next clean date would be....and then tells her that her neighbour had suggested this 'flexi' working but agreed to just have her windows done 8weekly as agreed.....The womans face was a picture !!!

Then went onto another customer...this was for a first clean...we do the house...all ok, then he comes out saying he wants all the woodwork done in the price...g/f tells him, that'll be extra.....his wife kicks off saying that we should do all the woodwork, facia's etc....G/F tells them that we were engaged to clean the windows....anyhow the guy then goes on to say that his brother has a w/c cleaner that will do it for less and do all the woodwork and that he does'nt think that the windows will dry anyhow....so he'll go for the other w/c

So we thanked him for his custom and that is the last we'll see of him...

Point is...it is not nice to lose customers and especially as none of the reasons were about our quality of work....people say do not take it personal but it is....

We like to recieve good quality & service for the money we pay and as such we like our customers to recieve the same....so yes it does hurt a little..

Sorry just need to vent off a little.

Thanks for being here and being a shoulder to cry on

[Toff]

I think you can do your best  but people see and believe what they want its always the same customers that moan about different things. I'm always late and always making excuses i have too much work for one person i don't like to let them down, now i just let it go over my head. They would be lucky to see me every two months and are greatful when i turn up.

[stephen d]

my rule is -if you get awkward customers(ie ones that always find something to moan about-however good a job you do) get rid of them asap. for every bad one theres 20 good ones.

[AuRavelling79]

Here in Britain - every two months is generally the maximum gap between cleans for regular domestic work. Stick to your guns and don't be bullied.

[thewindowcleaner1]

If longer than 4 weeks add a % to the cost as it will take a little longer because of the time gap.

As long as YOU know your doing the job right then show this by not letting the customer bully you

"The Customer is always right-- Unless you say they are wrong"

[pylofm]

Thanks for the replies...it's good to have a whinge and know that others know what we are thinking/experiancing....


Cheers
Dave..

[EasyClean]

Stick to your principals and beliefs and don't be bullied around as it's not worth the hassle. Imagine you're a rhino with a tough exterior and nothing will get past you.

[john tomkins]

Dave,
Think I'm about 6 weeks behind you,   next week I'll be going into my 2nd cleans (all 1st at the moment and it's hard going) sort of waiting for the enivetable "loss". Gave it all my best with the 1st cleans like you, then to have them drop out when it gets easier has gotta  be gut wrenching.... But, this is life as a window cleaner, we just gotta get on with it and smile 

[geefree]

This aint half putting me off.... i never expected to lose customers or sit at home to wait for people ringing to cancel,....i have not done one with wfp yet , but i will shortly..

i did not see any posts when starting up... from the wfp guys on here saying we would lose customers so i am a bit dissillusioned at the mo,...

oh well i can only find out the hard way. :

[Archy136]

Of course you lose a few. No one ever said you dont. There is maybe 5% of windows its not suited for.( though i never lost this amount)You either do them with ladders or you give them up.

The thing is you gain many more than you lose.

[Helen]

Gazza, its not only wfp that loses customers! What do you mean you never expected to lose customers?What did you think would happen whem someone moves or worse still leaves this world! Every business from IBM to the smallest loses customers at some point! The main trouble WC's have is the publics perception of Window Cleaning. It IS getting better, but that is down to how you run your business. We put out confirmation letters to all new domestic customers. It is not a contract, but some see it as one and treat it as such, so that is good, others just bin it and then when they query something I refer to them to it. Not our fault if they didn't read it and missed something important. Stephen said it all earleir in these posts, if you get continual awkward customers for whatever reason, bin 'em, go and find some good ones there are plenty out there. We usually give the newbies 3 attempts to adjust to our ways, serial whingers we call them, and after that off they go! Remember all, it is YOUR business, not the customers and they take on your terms as they would have to with banks, ntl, credit cards etc etc

[geefree]

lol,

i said wfp...losing customers you knew that helen...!

i am not stupid...

What i am doing is getting some form of wfp system now,... while the time is right.... to get it right whilst i have the time...and get used to it rather than change over or use it as and when, .. when i have a lot of customers.. ie, slowing me down whilst i get to grips with it,,,

I do treat this as a business, .. and as such, want to minimise the potential loss of a customer base as well as finding lots of ways to gain custom.

In any business , loss of customers is one of the main concerns,... after you had gained them through sheer hard work!

so steering clear of ways which will possibly give any business a bad name , and losing customers is a sure fire way to gain a bad name.... has to be a major concern,....

So,.... treating  wfp, as an option which may or may not help my business , is what i am doing as a trial... not to use all the time at all.....

so when i hear people saying they have lost customers through wfp it concerns me... nothing to do with them moving away or anything like that.....it could have been any add to, to my business... and again, in the same way i would be weighing up the pros, and cons

If i ran a successful fish and chip shop and changed the fat i used, and people started drifting away... i would change it back,

but to get my reputation back up, and those customers back would not be so easy.

losing customers after knocking doors every night is something i want to avoid, and i know i will gain new ones as well,

but please dont make my concerns seem stupid and irrelavant....

i was not aware, as a newbie that there were so many pitfalls and customer complaints regarding wfp... thats all,

and i aint knocking it,

i just want to learn everything.

and i will.

Regards

Gary.

[Helen]

You are referring to this as you WILL lose from using WFP, maybe you will, maybe you won't...who knows. Even if you do your job to 110% every time,you will lose customers where you trad, you will lose customers who you do that little but extra for! You will lose customers, because they say you left a gate open and you didn't!, you will lose customers, because "you thought you were doing them a favour"! You will lose customers, because they didn't believe that you would come back month after month after month! You will lose customers when you least expect to! You will lose customers, because "that other one" charges £1 less than you! You can put all the hard work in the world into it and you will still lose customers unexpectedly that's life. AS with all "tools" of any trade, the "answer" to getting it right is practise, practise and practise some more, on your own if necessary until you get it right. You have an advantage, being relatively new, that you can use WFP straight away on new customers, as long as you have prepped them correctly when taking them on. Converting is much more difficult. Some customers will not accept WFP even if their windows are suited. Then bin 'em. WAHR clearly states that ladders can only be used if NO other alternative exists. If you think that this would give you a bad name, then don't, as you are following the legislation and guidelines within the industry. Your concerns aren't stupid or irrelevant and of course you are right to have some, but don't let other peoples experience put you off, it may not just happen to you. There are many many pitfalls with using any method of doing anything within any industry, but there ARE many many benefits too!
You will only start learning once you get out there & do it

[Paul Coleman]

This aint half putting me off.... i never expected to lose customers or sit at home to wait for people ringing to cancel,....i have not done one with wfp yet , but i will shortly..

i did not see any posts when starting up... from the wfp guys on here saying we would lose customers so i am a bit dissillusioned at the mo,...

oh well i can only find out the hard way. :

Gazza.  Keep working at it and it will come right eventually - whichever method you use.  It took me two years to have what I considered a full workload (all trad in those days).  I could have got there more quickly but I stopped doorknocking after about 9 months or so.  I didn't have a full workload but I didn't need one back then as my outgoings were minimal.  I don't have a full workload now either but I earn far more with a three quarter workload than I used to with a full one as I've let bad work go whether that be through poor access or low prices.
Just trust in yourself and it will turn out fine.  Get a day or few out with some experienced WFPers (and tradders too as you are still doing that).  This forum is fine but you will learn more from working along with others as well.  I suggest you do it while you still have plenty of spare time.

[pylofm]

Gazza, despite me being a little down about losing a couple of customers....I have had chance to think about it all and hey...thats life...

Perhaps I did not explain the WFP process to the chap clearly enough (despite verbal and an explaination letter!) and as for the lady who wanted 'flexi' cleaning...hey it was tops only and we are not going to jump through hoops for that!!.

All in all, our customers do realise that we put alot of effort and time into their property...but at the end of the day..we are just the window cleaners.

No magic toys or big words will change that....but having said that..We will continue to do the best job possible for a fair price when we say we will do it....if this is not what the customer wants...then either we or they will say goodbye.

Do not be put off by WFP...I truely think it is a very usefull tool and I activley look for properties/customers that it will serve best....

I had call to do trad today on one of the properties...great...it served it's purpose...but when it did'nt...back to the wfp...its all about using the best tool for the job and where possible I go for the wfp first...

Do let my whinging put you off...you know as well as I do, that I am as wet behind the ears re: w/c as you are...did we not start on the same date...

Good luck

Dave.

[windows_chepstow]

Guys,

It's only been (nearly) four years since I started window cleaning, and from what I remember, when you first start you make a massive effort to get a lot of customers quickly.

In doing so, you take on many 'bad apples' and it really used to annoy me when I'd routinely undercharge on an account, clean years of filth from their windows and frames; then have the customer attempt to change the terms and conditions on me.

It still annoys me too.

I can lie awake at night thinking of ways to get them back; eggs on their windows/carpet tacks thrown onto their drive/a punch in the face/hanging them by their thumbs/etc.

But I never do any of this.

However, once you get your round sorted; this takes time; you'll drop the bad customers as they crop up and your good customers will keep you ticking over nicely, and as time goes on; you'll rarely experience the unthinking tight-wads that you find when you first start up.

Don't let it get you down.  As has already been mentioned, for every bad customer, there's twenty (at least) good customers waiting for you.

Stick to your guns, and compromise only when the terms and conditions remain in your favour.

[mark dew]

Its hard not to take a cancellation as a slur on your work but look at wfp as weeding out those potentially awkward
customers.

[neil100]

Gazza its only Natural that you are Concerned about switching to wfp, I went through the mill of emotions when I wonderd if I would devaste my round by switching to wfp.

I have allways hated loseing a customer, its an Unusual feeling that I dont like and I have never gotten used to. Even if you were to get 10 new customers a month and you where to  lose one customer a month. My mind dwells on the one I have lost.

So when I went wfp thats what started to happen, Older customers are the worst, OHHHHH the drips. I lost a few because of wfp. So for the first time in my  Business I wrote down every customer I lost in a given month and I also wrote down any new customers and compared at the end of each month weather I was still earning more.

Every month this year I have allways gained more work then I have lost. In sept I lost 6 customers worth £63.00 but gained 30 new ones worth £362.50, So I'm up £300 of net new work. But If I did not write it down I would swear I had a bad month loseing 6 customers.

You will find your round will ebb and flow like liquied, the positive approach is to make sure your round keeps growing. You will be fine mate.

Nel.

[geefree]

cheers guys,

for the uplift...

helen,  you know my concerns,  and i aint giong to answer in an essay again, cos it takes me ages to type ... cant beat a chat face to face...

but i do understand the help your giving.. thanks.


gary.

[lee_dewing]

hi Pylofm.
I have read your old and recent posts with great intrest.
I to have a freedom trolley been using for about 5 weeks just going back this week now on 2nd clean Holding my breath, customers either say nothing or moan. Had a few say they love wfp nice clean frames just got to keep replaying the ones of encouragement in my head.

I have about 300 customers now I picked up £40 of new work yesterday people just come up to me not bragging. I been w/c 3years (2 for someone else)

In time your have more work than you can handle (trust me!) I can send you a wfp letter i made up sorry only use hotmail at library if you text me your address i will post.
That lady that wants windows done as and when you could say i'l do them when ever suits you but I charge double for this service. I always like to put the customer who's being akward in an akward position
Lee