[MJH]

Fair comment squeaky, if its better for you to do it that way then play, i have wfp bungalows before all my work varies slightly

[Wayne Thomas]

Some customers tell me I'm quick on the job (window cleaning that is), I reply: "yep, I'm paid by the job, not the hour", lol

[dave0123]

Couldnt you of just show her some of the window were its dried??

thats what i have done with the ones that come out say arnt you going to dry them off?? then saying is it magic water i just show them on the bottoms were parts of the windows have started to dry. they seem ok with that then

[AuRavelling79]

Roger - don't let them intimidate you mate - this is how it should go:-

Yummy Mummy turns up etc. -

You go round and from your clipboard you hand her a typed up sheet explaining the system and how you leave it wet "to dry naturally to a clear finish". As she reads this you price it up and say:-

"Your windows haven't been cleaned for a while Mrs. X so my rate will have to reflect that" you point to your table of rates which show different rates depending on heaviness of soilage.

e.g £20 shows £30 for first clean/£40 for heavily soiled.

You tell her that for monthly cleans you will charge (say) £30 for first and then £20 monthly or £25 every other month - which would she prefer?

Then when she moans you have taken less than an hour for your £30 you say as Shiner etc above have responded. If she's really awkward then take her money and tell her that upon reflection she does not fit the profile of customer that you require and good day!

I don't fancy you Rog   but you're a good looking guy with presence - use it and walk tall and act confident. Believe in yourself - you're a v. good w/c and it pains me to see you selling yourself short.

Sermon over!

[steve.ternent]

I have had all the above, you can't please everyone! I tried the "doing down's" with traditional method's to stop the bleating!...I say don't bother!  If people don't like the pole system you will loose them anyway!
Paint can come of wooden frames... but it would have to be loose anyway!
As for water on the meter, us a pump/filters and DI resin and use the rain water it's free and there's no waste! (when you compare TDS readings 330/tap water to 30/rain it makes sense!)
Regards Steve

[Sir Squeaky]

Couldnt you of just show her some of the window were its dried??

thats what i have done with the ones that come out say arnt you going to dry them off?? then saying is it magic water i just show them on the bottoms were parts of the windows have started to dry. they seem ok with that then

Yep, did that too.

Next...?

[Wayne Thomas]

I'm not trying to be funny, but when I quote any new job, I clearly ask how often they would like them cleaned before I give them a price which reflects the duration. Also if the windows & frames are disgustingly dirty I tell them up front that I will charge 1&1/2 to 2 times the value of the quote as an initial price to reflect the extra time spent cleaning. That way, if the customer decides to cancel after the initial wash I haven't spent the extra time & effort trying to refresh their disgustingly dirty window frames up to scratch and sold myself short on my regular earnings.
I also explain that I use the waterfed pole method, not the traditional method for cleaning windows when I quote their price so they know what they are letting themselves in for and can expect the windows to be left wet to 'air dry'.

[mark dew]

i've only had 1 customer say i was very quick and i agreed with her. Smiling broadly while i held my hand out. 

[geefree]

She said her last window cleaner dried them and she doesn't like paying £20 for wet windows.
At that she decides on every other month (yet another one )



what do you mean squeaks.... thats good innit.

[chris@c.m.s]

Rodger if you take cheques then just give them the option of sending one in an SAE when the windows have dried. if you trust the system then so will they.

[chrismroberts]

Yet another annoying new job today.

I was working in a nice village when a yummy mummy pulls up in her Range Rover Vogue.
Asks me to come and do her windows.

Great I thought, lots of money, should be a nice job...

I get there and it's a large bungalow.
I price it at £20 (could have been higher for some of you, but a good price for me.)

I take about 45 minutes on it, and there's some really dirty frames to scrub.
I also squeegeed off a few big panes to avoid mucky runs and save making a bad impression, but tell her I won't need to in future.

When I've done she say "less than an hour?!!"
"Some of them are still wet!"

I explain the system again.
She said her last window cleaner dried them and she doesn't like paying £20 for wet windows.
At that she decides on every other month (yet another one :)

I wipe a few more panes off to try and please her (she hadn't yet paid me).
Then she inspects every one again.

I've now been over an hour, so much for the £20 being a good price.

If she does have them done again (which I doubt) they'll only take 30-35 minutes.
That will definately lose me it.

Sick of my luck.

Someone once said to me "That was quick".  I replied "Yes.  I'm getting pretty good at this."
Someone complained recently that I earned too much money and that I got through the work too quickly.  Makes me feel like asking them if I'm supposed to go more slowly or whether I should stop and read the paper half way through.

Its always from the ones with 6 Mercs, a fleet of BMWs and an Aston sitting on the drive isnt it? You feel like turning round to them and saying... "well I think YOU earn too much money"

[groundhog]

I don't seem to get this problem, I don't even bother explaining about wfp with them most of the time, I find a bit of harmless flirting works wonders, Some of us have it and some don't I guess!! 

[niceandclean]

I don't seem to get this problem, I don't even bother explaining about wfp with them most of the time, I find a bit of harmless flirting works wonders, Some of us have it and some don't I guess!! 

Like it 

[Paul Coleman]

Roger.  You seem to be operating things the way that I used to years ago.  I used to offer them too many choices.  You can't let customers bully you into getting their own way all the time with price/frequency/method or you will eventually end up with no business or one that isn't worth having.  These days I offer a 6 weekly service across the board apart from £50+ jobs where I am prepared to discuss 12 weekly (N.B. this is for domestics.  I treat commercial a bit differently).  Furthermore, if there is an access problem, I get this resolved to my satisfaction either before starting, or at worst, before commencing the second clean (sometimes there isn't enough warning for a customer to get a spare gate/padlock key prior to my first visit).  I just tell them that if they make things reasonably easy for me by paying within a reasonable time, allowing good access, and paying me a decent rate, they need never again enter the treadmill of having to seek out another window cleaner.  I also go in with a positive attitude (mostly) even if I'm feeling a bit down on the inside.  I know you've had some personal problems recently that can pull you down and I know it can be difficult doing a "heads up" in such circumstances (been there myself) but it's important to try and separate your business from this.  People can sense when someone is a bit down on their luck and some of them will metaphorically kick a person who is giving off negative vibes (for want of a better word).

DON'T ASK WHAT THEY WANT.  TELL THEM WHAT YOU OFFER.

I once had some guy trying to beat my rate down.  When I wouldn't budge, he accused me of having a "take it or leave it attitude".  I informed him that he had a "something for nothing" attitude.  It wasn't my finest hour but it needed saying. 

[Londoner]

Yummy Mummy + Range Rover + Big Bungalow in the country. Any sign of green wellies?

Sounds like you found a difficult customer, thats all. That sort usually are.

[simon knight]

Yummy Mummy + Range Rover + Big Bungalow

I would have said: Don't worry about the wet windows, any chance of some sex before the old man gets home?

[Londoner]

And I can guess what she would have said.

[simon knight]

And I can guess what she would have said.

She's probably gagging for a bit of rough.

[Londoner]

Yeah, but not that rough.

[simon knight]