[Paul Coleman]

I had a phone call yesterday from someone who had seen my (free) ad in Thomson's.
To summarise, the service she wanted was as follows:-

Windows to be cleaned once or twice per year.
I would have to pre-arrange calling to do the quote AND to do the clean as she didn't want her husband to know about it until afterwards (she said he was tight).
She also wanted a very competitive price.

Before she mentioned the bit about working around her husband being in (and after establishing that it was a run of the mill sized house) I said I wasn't prepared to supply such an frequent service but would be prepared to do a one off (I have gaps in my workload so why not I thought).  Without seeing the jobI stated that my minimum charge would be £20 but it might be higher once viewed.  Then came the bit about "by the way, there's a conservatory at the back" (like it's just a mere conservatory that hasn't been cleaned for years) to which I stated the minimum would be £30.  Both these minimum prices brought gasps at my "high" pricing.

In the end, I left it that I would only come round and quote properly if she discussed it first with her husband and that it would only be a one off.  The next move is hers.  I didn't want a once or twice a year job on my books anyway and I certainly didn't want to turn up somewhere and her husband ended up coming home unexpectedly and sending me away with a flea in my ear (or worse).

I'm starting to wish I had just said "No thanks" and left it at that.  I suspect I won't hear from her anyway.

[Andy@w.c.s]

Morning Shiner
We had the same thing
Got this job and called and cleaned every month
hubby was a teacher and a right tight git with it
we had been cleaning for about six months when she says ,can you not come now untill the school holidays are over as he doesn't know i have a window cleaner and will go off on one 
We turned up one day and started cleaning , she was out and he was in the garden around the back ,needless to say we know dont clean it anymore
strange how some people live and what they put up with :

[Lizzy]

Hmm.....like any person, no matter what gender they are, should have that sort of power over someone else.    Surely thats from the dark ages and is so far from equality.   
Also, the lies!    If you have to lie about window cleaning, what else can be lied about.  Doesnt sound like a trusting relationship to me.

[Paul Coleman]

Hmm.....like any person, no matter what gender they are, should have that sort of power over someone else.    Surely thats from the dark ages and is so far from equality.   
Also, the lies!    If you have to lie about window cleaning, what else can be lied about.  Doesnt sound like a trusting relationship to me.

I quite agree.  In situations like that there would be a danger of me being used as the latest weapon in a dodgy relationship.  I had enough of being used that way as a kid when I had no say in the matter.  I'm 50 these days.  I now have a say in such matters.

[simon knight]

Drop it like a red hot brick Shiner!

Here's what'll happen: You'll do the work, he'll come home just as you've finished...tell you to sling yer hook and you won't get paid!

All this aggro for £30?...that you'll most likely not get!

Tell her to poke it!

[Paul Coleman]

Drop it like a red hot brick Shiner!

Here's what'll happen: You'll do the work, he'll come home just as you've finished...tell you to sling yer hook and you won't get paid!

All this aggro for £30?...that you'll most likely not get!

Tell her to poke it!

Not getting paid due to them arguing about me hadn't occurred to me.  In fact, I wouldn't put it past some people to do it as a put up job to get a free clean (yes, some people really are that devious).
I don't think she will be phoning back anyway but I will decline to quote if she does.  I could do with some more work but I'm not THAT desperate.

[simon knight]

GOOD

[xxmattyxx]

I had a fairly similiar one recently, I was out knocking, and asked this guy if he had a regular window-cleaner etc, he didn't bt seemed quite keen to have one. I gave him a price, he said he'd speak to the missus and they'd get back to me. Anyway, a week later I was passing the place so stopped and popped in to see if they'd had a chance to chat about it.

She came to the door and I explained who I was. She also seemed rather keen. So, we got into talk about frequency of visiting, payment regime etc. Then she said she didn't want them cleaned as regularly as every 5 or 6 weeks, so I asked her how ften she wanted them done. She every 4 months, once in August, once in December and once in April.

Oh really !!    methinks.

Sometimes you just get the feeling theyre not kosher.

The sort where you phone 'em up the day before to ensure access and they say 'Oh, not today, ta'

Matt

[NWH]

I would have told her no over the phone,i don`t like going over 3 months unless it`s massive.

[Paul Coleman]

I would have told her no over the phone,i don`t like going over 3 months unless it`s massive.

Under £50 it's 6 weekly for me.  If they don't want that, I currently offer a one off as I have gaps in my workload.  Once those gaps disappear, the offer of a one off will disappear with them.
I used to say I would only give a less frequent service (12 weekly) if a job was £100 or more but there are some very well paid jobs around for under £100 so I have dropped it to £50.  I do make sure that I price them VERY well though to make it worth my while.  I do have a couple of exceptions to this but I have been doing them a long time and I feel it would not be right to welch on a long established deal.  I earn pretty well from them anyway.