[Davew]

It's going to rain tomorrow. Had two like that today bugger! They really don't know we need to earn a living. One guy wants it done only when it's nice and sunny! Whens that - once a year?

[jeff1]

Those 2 customers would be right at the top of my list 

and when 2 better one's came along I would bin them both, you need to make a living and there not helping? :

[gsw]

dropped!!!

they only get 1 chance and thats when they are on holiday...... and thats only if i cant get access to the back!!

[Helen]

Just bin 'em and when they contact you in a few months time and say "you haven't been for a while", just say well each time i put you on my days work list it rained!

[Grafters Cleaning Services]

bin em

[LSB]

i dont take cr8p from my customers !
but , unfortunately its not compulsory !
i dont have a 'zero tolerence ' or '3 strikes ' and your out policy ,
i do keep an eye on who lets me down ( or tries to ) ,
then i have a polite conversation , resulting in less ' not today ' , change to 2 monthly , or then dropped !
seems to work , as most customers have it done most of the time !

[pylofm]

I had one this week....firstly she did not answer the door when I rang...(back gate is supposed to be open on clean day)...so I did the front and the silly woman tried to creep up stairs (in a pink coat!!!) I saw her and rang the bell again...she then proceeded to say its bad weather today (had not rained) and then said it had only been 5 weeks since her last clean...told her that it was exactly 8 to the day which she denied...she then open the back gate and when I had finshed (she accused me of not cleaning the front) she paid me and said the windows were not that dirty...my previous clean card was on her table and it indeed did say this day was her scheduled day...

Now I just told her that I did not appreciate her aviodance and accustations and that it was best that I never cleaned for her again...

Now this is the woman who when I cleaned her conserv roof (opaque type) nuts when I charged her 6 quid (yes, yes I had been going about a month and it was not that big).

Answer....I now have a gap in my round for that area..each time I go to that area until the slot is finished...I'll use the time to put out leafets to fill the gap.

DROPPED....LIAR, TIMEWASTER AND VERY CHEAP!

Someone on this forum did advise me that in the first couple of years is when you get mucked around the most as you will have taken on some other w/c's cast-offs and general nutters...this gem of info is 'flowering'

Much of the advice from the past year is starting to come very true...I bow down to the forums wealth of experiance.

It does'nt matter which country you are in people are people.

  Dave.

[Paul Coleman]

I'm going to drop two from the back end of today.
It's a very difficult area to park and I only manage to clean by running most of my 100 metre reel out.  Anyway, today I did the front tops.  Went to the back and there was a new patio (not green) that was yet to be pointed.  He stopped me because he said the windows would get messed up from the pointing (like I haven't got a telephone).  He wanted me to either come back in two weeks or just do the front and charge half (which would have been way less than my minimum charge).  Anyway, I completed the front, went to his neighbour's house to clean, and then he walked off down the road.
When I get his neighbour's cheque I will write to both to cancel - and say the front only clean free of charge with my compliments.
When a job is tricky anyway (due to parking etc), I don't give second chances.  Shame about the neighbour but I sense that her daughter who lives next door could be trouble.  Sometimes you just get a nose for it when you've been W/Cing a long time.

[Majestic]

Quite simple really
Not today , then not again.
I started my busines to be my own boss and not messed about .
There are more people out there needing window cleaners , than there are window cleaners

[Stevie G]

bin em! let the "i only work in the sunshine brigade"have em.

[Clive McDonald]

I used to add to these threads saying give them another chance, now I'm comforming more to the view of the forum. I,ve had a couple tell me they didn't arrange to have them cleaned.
"But you rang me up and I cleaned them?"
"Yes but I didn't agree to them being done regularly."
In future when they say I'll let you know how often i want them done, they are insistent that I do them, but not in when you do, I shall be less trusting.

Shiners and others comment about feelings, I think it's your ego more that anything (me anyway).

[Tosh]

Quite simple really
Not today , then not again.
I started my busines to be my own boss and not messed about .
There are more people out there needing window cleaners , than there are window cleaners

I just thought I'd highlight John's top advice and add the following:

It's a lot more difficult for a domestic customer to replace a good window cleaner, than it is for you to replace a bad customer.  And, as is the norm once you've been going a few years, you won't have to replace them anyway, since you'll have far too much work to cope with in the first place.

Also, at the point of contact where you quote for a job, be tactful, but ensure you state your terms and conditions clearly; some lads even have their terms and conditions printed out and give them to any new customer.

If it's once every 4/6/8/12 weeks; or every calandar month; that's what it ruddy well is. 

And if you're late, well the weather is to blame!

[pylofm]

I long for the day when I have what is a near full round and am only seeking to replace bad payers/customers/access etc with better.

At the moment it hurts to dump a customer but I have and as much as it hurts I would rather be gone with them than have them bugger me around more than I am prepared to take.

Very quicky I am learning that this is my business and whilst I try to be a professional and provide good quality service..I am not prepared to give up my dignity.

Dave...

[Davew]

Yeah I'm at a similar point - I can't yet afford to dump them I've just had a very bad week - earnings wise, with not enough customers when I do get overwhelmed they are going to be the first to go!

[edd]

Luckily we`ve got half a round too much !!! so picking and chosing is all we do
anything that only slightly pi..es me off is fogotten about and move on to the next
big job and enjoy

ALWAYS give terms and conditions when you start and remind them periodically
and things should go better BUT i`ve always said look like a pro and you will be
treated like a pro i`m always telling the custys that they are on trial anyway seems
too work ha ha  cause we`ve got too much work anyway , most of them are 4 weekly and most don`t get done 8/10 weeks anyway what i should do is only keep the good ones and bin the rest . Our lastest trick is £12 minimum and thats it pay or go no messing just remember your the BOSS not the custy

[Paul Coleman]

I used to add to these threads saying give them another chance, now I'm comforming more to the view of the forum. I,ve had a couple tell me they didn't arrange to have them cleaned.
"But you rang me up and I cleaned them?"
"Yes but I didn't agree to them being done regularly."
In future when they say I'll let you know how often i want them done, they are insistent that I do them, but not in when you do, I shall be less trusting.

Shiners and others comment about feelings, I think it's your ego more that anything (me anyway).

It may have been about ego at one time but I reckon it's more about sound business decisions these days.  The jobs I referred to were often very tricky to park at and they were only just about worth doing if I didn't get any messing about.  Now the messing about has started from one of them, I no longer wish to work at that house.  It's not worth going there just for the other one. - though I smell trouble ahead anyway.

[Llaaww]

Quite simple really
Not today , then not again.
I started my busines to be my own boss and not messed about .
There are more people out there needing window cleaners , than there are window cleaners

MMMmmm

[LWC]

i have always been like, oh thats ok ill see you next month, but when it happens sooo many times you get tired dontcha!

fortuanlty i have got rid of my worst round for that, somebody gave me about 10 customers, 8 are good and pay up or send the money promptly

theres one ive never caught in, and only one it once, and theres one, went the first time when the KNEW i was coming that week and said not today, we've done them ourselves, you shouldve come earlier, nothing bugs me more than customers doing their own windows

went again yest for second, thought id give em the chance, "hiya how are you"
"no not today, the wifes out and i dont know what she wants" (who wheres the trousers here?)
"ermmmm ok...."
"she'll be back in about 15 mins, come and ask then"
"ok"

went round the corner to do another generally pigged off, she came back, i finished the one round the corner, said hi and drove off! HA! showed them 

[Russell Macdonald]

Those 2 customers would be right at the top of my list 

and when 2 better one's came along I would bin them both, you need to make a living and there not helping? :

I would not wait till 2 came along to replace them,  ,

Dumped on the spot.

[vwm]

all my customers have signed a form saying that they wish there windows to be cleaned on x rota and should they wish to cancel need to within 14 days (they are given a date when i am due next) or i will charge them full amount.  

some asked why they need to sign and when told that i am ped off with customers saying not today and that i am losing out because i have many waiting to take there place on our very busy round , if i can be bothered to turn up i expect to work should the custy not want it that day its still going to cost them or look for another w/c/

to run a professional, reliable window cleaning business you need terms and conditions and they need to be yours not the customers.

over the last 6 mths i have give away 10k of work seems alot but but under one of my terms i pushed work from 6 weekly to 5 weekly and with the new work i have picked up which is priced so much better i have now more turn over and custys that dont give me grief. even 4have 4 day in the 5 weekly rota free  which i am using to build the round up even more .
i also dont beat round the bush with prices any more and when they say "my last w/c charged £x"  very little i reply that i cant compete with that price and walk away they soon ask well how much and whwn i tell them they fell on the ground.  right your last w/c charged you a tenner (me £20) he hasnt turn up now for 6 mths (hes not going to got better work) but most of the time they are lying about price and i even told one this., i went out and price up this farm complex and when i gave him the price he said ummmmmm bit dearer than the last and showed me one of the invoices ( a tenner dearer) but said he was happy with it .  anyway got home told wife and the child minder pointed out that it was her dad who cleaned them so when he came to pick her up i had a chat. found out his price was for doing a lot less than what i priced for and told me even at his price for about 4 houses left was hard work as he would check over you on every window and was very fussy. so i went back to see customer and ask him what the invoiced covered and when he replyed the same as what you have priced for i just said i dont work for lyers  and said bye.