[giftedk]

Hi all just thought id have a little rant about people.
Knocked on a door the other day to catch a customer who hasnt paid for a couple of months, as hes never been in when ive gone to collect. The bloke answers the door and says "oh the backs wasnt done (when they definetly was as i remember all the tree sap on them) and i want to cancel, so does next door and i think the two opposite". Now this fella has been nothing but a nuisance ever since ive cleaned hes windows, and has also told me that hes mate is a window cleaner. (me thinking this the reason why he getting them to cancel) So i tell him not a problem and will be more of a pleasure to remove him and next door from the rota, but ill wait to see the other two across the road.
sunday comes and i get a phone call from him saying ive been to see the other two and they want to cancel aswell, so i reply fine and put the phone down on him as i can feel myself getting wound up and
avoid giving him a mouthfull down the phone.
Now ive been window cleaning for 9 years and know you win some you loose some theres plenty more custy out there, but this bloke is going out his way to wind me up. why make it his business getting people to cancel?

Ive had enough of people taking the p### out of us window cleaners, and im starting to loose faith with this job.
I just think that people dont take us serious and that we are looked downupon (ie people continously note being in when  you say your gonna collect, and oh cant i pay double next time?)

Im taking the day off today as i am still abit cheesed off with people, but i just had to get this off my chest and see if anyone else ever feels like this

[MLS]

Hi mate.

I've been doing this since 1991, and yes I get fed up with the job and customers too from time to time, BUT, you've probably got too many decent, reliable customers on your books to worry about the few idiots that are out there.

It does make me laugh when people assume that it's okay to pay you at the end of the month, even if that does happen to be four weeks away, but I guess we just have to grin and bear it.

Like I said, we've got too many nice customers to sit and worry about the fools who think we do this part time to subsidise our dole money.

Enjoy your day off and start again tomorrow full of enthusiasm, at least 'til lunch time anyway   

[giftedk]

thanks for that i will try 
Hi mate.

I've been doing this since 1991, and yes I get fed up with the job and customers too from time to time, BUT, you've probably got too many decent, reliable customers on your books to worry about the few idiots that are out there.

It does make me laugh when people assume that it's okay to pay you at the end of the month, even if that does happen to be four weeks away, but I guess we just have to grin and bear it.

Like I said, we've got too many nice customers to sit and worry about the fools who think we do this part time to subsidise our dole money.

Enjoy your day off and start again tomorrow full of enthusiasm, at least 'til lunch time anyway   

[Helen]

go on get it off your chest, we all have days like this from time to time! As for your Mr "i've got a mate..." let him go, but seriously as for the others that he thought he would cancel. my opinion of the professional thing to do here is to speak to them yourself!It is your business not his. This can be one of the downfalls of collecting too, envelopes left for payment are a much better idea, with a dealine for payment, then if it doesn't come in you phone and remind them! It is all too easy to think oh. i'll go and collect that tomorrow as sometimes tomorrow doesn't come.

[windowwashers]

Hi mate.

I've been doing this since 1991, and yes I get fed up with the job and customers too from time to time, BUT, you've probably got too many decent, reliable customers on your books to worry about the few idiots that are out there.

It does make me laugh when people assume that it's okay to pay you at the end of the month, even if that does happen to be four weeks away, but I guess we just have to grin and bear it.

Like I said, we've got too many nice customers to sit and worry about the fools who think we do this part time to subsidise our dole money.

Enjoy your day off and start again tomorrow full of enthusiasm, at least 'til lunch time anyway   

We charge them a late fee if payment is not made within 21 days (that seems to sort out most and the ones that dont pay in time get the payment late fee of £2.50 added to there bill,
it is 28 days for Commercial and £5 late fee if not paid in time.

I used to have the same problem with about 30 customers since the late fee was introduced I have now about 4 late payments a month so it works 

I did have a few people moan about it but all I said, was this was to stop the people that forget to pay, I have bills and wages to pay to that seems to do the trick.

[Paul Coleman]

go on get it off your chest, we all have days like this from time to time! As for your Mr "i've got a mate..." let him go, but seriously as for the others that he thought he would cancel. my opinion of the professional thing to do here is to speak to them yourself!It is your business not his. This can be one of the downfalls of collecting too, envelopes left for payment are a much better idea, with a dealine for payment, then if it doesn't come in you phone and remind them! It is all too easy to think oh. i'll go and collect that tomorrow as sometimes tomorrow doesn't come.

My thoughts exactly.  Unless the circumstances are exceptional, I only accept that a job is cancelled if the customer themself lets me know.  I would write to the other three reminding them of my contact details and informing them that I will continue to provide my regular service unless they contact me to cancel it.  However, I would only do that if I particularly wanted to keep the jobs.

[simbo]

the one thing i have found is you need a thick skin in this job,if messed about now i just let them go as there are too many good customers to bother with the bad. I think after a while you can spot a bad one a mile off as you just get a feel about it. I must admit this is the best and worst job i have ever had but i will stick with it as long a i keep getting better priced work, sometimes though i wonder what the hell i am doingwith all the crap weather and bloody "spiders" everywhere
simbo

[SherwoodCleaningSe]

I had a similar thing happen to me about 7 years ago.  An old Biddie said that I'd left run lines down the window, totally impossible as her windows were lead light around the edge so you had to cloth them up afterwards.  A couple of times after she drops me and gets 2 others to do too.

I've got plenty of customers in the same road, right opposite.  One of them told me last time I was around that the lady over the road wanted me back after 7 years.  Well if it was a case of just her stopping me I may have gone back and I stress may.  But seeing as she got her 2 neighbors to stop me then no way am I going back and I decided to tell her to her face, the look on her face was a delight.   Gave me a slight feeling of satisfaction.

If I was you I would check with the other customers personally, he might just be saying they don't want you and they don't know anything about it.

Simon.

[matt]

i had a very similar thing aswell

2 years ago i had booked a customer in for the insides of the house, we had a bit of a crisis the weekend before i was due and i had to take th wife into hospital on the monday, now it was a serious thing, so i took her to hospital and missed the appointment to do the insides

i had the week off because of what had happened and the next week  i go around to explain

she it out, i clean the outsides and leave a note

i then get sent the cheque and a snooty note saying " how let down she was, how hurt she was that she had moved all the things from the window cills and i hadnt arrived

i phone her and try to explain

she hangs up

now its 2 years on and she is still trying to get customers to cancel me

a few cleans ago , she comes out and tells me " i would do that house, they are not happy with you, you havent been for 13 weeks "

i reply " i have, i did it the day before i left for disney the exact date was blah blah blah, they even sent me a cheque"

she sayd " well im telling you to not clean them"

i reply " when you buy this house, then i will listen to you, BUT till then, i will only hear you"

she shouts " they dont want it done, im going to get the whole village to cancel you "

i reply " carry on love"

she storms off

now this is over 2 years since it happened, i dont think she is going to let it lie

funny enough, i spoke to the lady of the house who she was saying she doesnt want it done, she is happy with my work and said ignore the lady

you win some, you lose some, thats the nature of this game

[Paul Coleman]

i had a very similar thing aswell

2 years ago i had booked a customer in for the insides of the house, we had a bit of a crisis the weekend before i was due and i had to take th wife into hospital on the monday, now it was a serious thing, so i took her to hospital and missed the appointment to do the insides

i had the week off because of what had happened and the next week  i go around to explain

she it out, i clean the outsides and leave a note

i then get sent the cheque and a snooty note saying " how let down she was, how hurt she was that she had moved all the things from the window cills and i hadnt arrived

i phone her and try to explain

she hangs up

now its 2 years on and she is still trying to get customers to cancel me

a few cleans ago , she comes out and tells me " i would do that house, they are not happy with you, you havent been for 13 weeks "

i reply " i have, i did it the day before i left for disney the exact date was blah blah blah, they even sent me a cheque"

she sayd " well im telling you to not clean them"

i reply " when you buy this house, then i will listen to you, BUT till then, i will only hear you"

she shouts " they dont want it done, im going to get the whole village to cancel you "

i reply " carry on love"

she storms off

now this is over 2 years since it happened, i dont think she is going to let it lie

funny enough, i spoke to the lady of the house who she was saying she doesnt want it done, she is happy with my work and said ignore the lady

you win some, you lose some, thats the nature of this game

Then the ex-customer is either a disgrace to humanity or has some mental/emotional disorder.  I find it amazing that someone can be so self-centred that she put her inside windows before your wife's health.  OK I can understand her being p'd off at first about her wasted effort but still being p'd off when she finds out why you didn't show up is ridiculous.  Even more ridiculous is keeping it going after so long.
I think she must have some kind of personality disorder surely?

[kevin @ Ess]

in my first week of window cleaning, i picked up my first 6 houses all in one terrace.
next day, after i cleaned them i got a phonecall from another w/c saying i was stealing his customers!
i eventually got it out of him that he hadnt been for 8 months!!! and was only wanting to do them this time because his dole money was late.
but he went to each customer and gave them a sob story about how i was unproffesional, and taking food out his kids mouths.
day after that all six cancelled, and i was back to 0 customers!
but now i do 30 in that terrace's inc the 6 that cancelled.

another time i did a first clean, the customer paid me and enthused about what a wonderful job i did, so glad she'd found me etc.     the same day she sent me a letter that simply said:  "window cleaner,  dont bother coming here again.  thank you."

a thick skin is needed at times.

[windowwashers]

i had a very similar thing aswell

2 years ago i had booked a customer in for the insides of the house, we had a bit of a crisis the weekend before i was due and i had to take th wife into hospital on the monday, now it was a serious thing, so i took her to hospital and missed the appointment to do the insides

i had the week off because of what had happened and the next week  i go around to explain

she it out, i clean the outsides and leave a note

i then get sent the cheque and a snooty note saying " how let down she was, how hurt she was that she had moved all the things from the window cills and i hadnt arrived

i phone her and try to explain

she hangs up

now its 2 years on and she is still trying to get customers to cancel me

a few cleans ago , she comes out and tells me " i would do that house, they are not happy with you, you havent been for 13 weeks "

i reply " i have, i did it the day before i left for disney the exact date was blah blah blah, they even sent me a cheque"

she sayd " well im telling you to not clean them"

i reply " when you buy this house, then i will listen to you, BUT till then, i will only hear you"

she shouts " they dont want it done, im going to get the whole village to cancel you "

i reply " carry on love"

she storms off

now this is over 2 years since it happened, i dont think she is going to let it lie

funny enough, i spoke to the lady of the house who she was saying she doesnt want it done, she is happy with my work and said ignore the lady

you win some, you lose some, thats the nature of this game

talk about nut job, I would have said to her go to the doctors way before now, I am the nicesty person to all my customers, if they offend me I try and be nice they upset me, then I have every right to say what I think (which I normally do) I always say I am a straight talking person, if people dont like it then fair enough, I do ok regardless

hope your wife is ok look at the woman as a joke just smile that will wind her up more.

[mark dew]

unfortunately there isn't much we can really do without tarnishing our reputations. But if they've been a nutter to you, you can pretty much guarantee the neighbours have had it worse.
Cut these people out, pretend they don't exist and speak to the neighbours face to face to get their take on it. If they are not home pop a note in explaining what happened.

[Lakes and Pennine]

I had awkward custy who didnt like pole, said she never seen nowt so daft in all her life.
Her garden was one of those adventure gardens..stuff every where, plant pots ect, heaps of ashes. Dont know why she had windows cleaned (upstairs only) as most rooms were that cluttered with books you couldnt get in them.

She then tells me a W/C died when she was a kid, fell off ladder and hit head on stone in garden...just like hers. .

She always been awkward and I hated doing them. A few weeks later I got letter, no address, The following want to cancell you and hope you drop dead at the soonest opertunity, well not quite but you get my gist. There were 7 houses all around her. And we got on great with some of them. I Always reckon it was her who got them to cancell. I had just took over the round and put the prices up. But most of them were still a fiver, and one was 3,5. Good luck to the trad guys who break their necks on her windows...But I felt dead naff at the time. Still glower at all the houses when I go through the village