[Duke]

I'm toying with the idea of setting up a WC support website...you know, chat room, message board etc etc. I was thinking (after a few recent bad paying customers) it's about time we named and shamed bad payers. I realise that I could get into a wilderness of legal or technical problems....but frustration with customers who just refuse to pay or avoid paying is coming to a head. I think, if it was workable in some way, I would like to see a database of bad payers (genuine cases) freely available to any cleaner, maybe localised, a sort of Union. Here's how I'd like to see it....Customer applies for window cleaner...cleaner checks blacklist...name/address on it...no'one touches with barge pole (let alone WF Pole...lol) .....just a bit of a daydream really I suppose....but wouldn't it be great....

[Mike_G]

Good idea concerning bad payers they are no good to any of us.

[windakleena1]

I SUPPORT THAT IDEA FULLY!!!
When you first start you are like the 3rd coming of jc , but after a while they take liberty"s. Fortunately thats only a tiny proporation of my customers , as for the mick takers.....SHAME EM !!!

[Grafters Cleaning Services]

name them and shame em! great idea but would only work on a national data base as we all work different areas of the country.

[Staybright]

I think thats a great idea, as you can tell the customer too !! imagine there faces they will hate it !!

Rob

[matt]

Nope

dont do it

data protection act will come into play

not worth the legal hastle

[Duke]

works for people like Experian though....that's how credit checking is done...

[ladysmudge]

shame you cant name and shame employers that dont pay staff

[matt]

works for people like Experian though....that's how credit checking is done...

yes BUT they pay for the requirements of thr data protection act

its been looked into(not for aWC'ing but another reason) and its a legal minefield

[Duke]

hmm, might still go for it anyway...if only to get up their noses...   I reckon that in the last 2 years, I must be owed at least £150...ok, not a great amount I suppose, but then, I'm in business, not a charity.....sods...

[gaza]

them bad payers
 if they were docked half hr of their wages they would be the first one in the office,I now do 1 clean if not paid when I come round next time they dont get done,when they do pay, I charge them £1 or £2 more cus the extra work for the next clean  ,bullfrogging but it works,cus they get the message dont mess with me,or you will be in trouble

[Duke]

good for you Gaza.....idiots......they don't deserve good reliable service ! We sell ourselves on that point  'A good dependable, reliable service'....huh, nobody said anything about unreliable customers....and in my book...there's more of them than us !

[matt]

hmm, might still go for it anyway...if only to get up their noses...   I reckon that in the last 2 years, I must be owed at least £150...ok, not a great amount I suppose, but then, I'm in business, not a charity.....sods...

seriously, its a legal minefield, you will fal foul of the data protection act and thats it, you will be in court with a massive fine

its not worth the heartache

[Duke]

I dont actually see why...I may be accused of libel or even slander,,,but that wont stick if I can prove it's the truth...only if they can prove it isn't......anyway, still in the thinking about stage....If that's true, and there really is nothing we can do about people owing us money (apart from reporting them to a credit agency..and that's how people get on blacklists) then the signal goes out it's a free for all...why pay for anything ? Let's all live in a free world ! Sod it, I'm just off to do my shopping...without paying for it of course !....

[AuRavelling79]

With bad payers its good for your blood pressure to suss out whether they're just disorganised/lazy - in which case train 'em. (Politely explain that you will need paying up to date plus the next clean before you carry on. Then if it happens again tell them you want three months up front. I've got one customer who pays me six months up front!... Or put them on standing order.)

If they are yanking your chain on purpose get them to pay up what they owe - part on civil terms and don't go back.

[matt]

ive got a customer who pays 12 months in advance

i get a bumper week that week, then do it for free all year

[andy]

actually! you can do a black list. First of all, you can black list houses not people.
when you get a new customer, ask them how long have they been living there and have they used a window cleaner before you on the same premises.

If there new owners or tenants you can un black list houses off the black list.

but to do this, you must look on the black list to see what date it was black listed. example:-

1 sunnyfield pk
flat 1a

on 07-05-04 was blacklisted by

STRIKE WINDOW CLEANERS LTD
(OWNER) DAVID PETERS
TEL:- 0207 6451231

SO, if your customer moved in after that date, you can request the web owner or site admin to un black list them, But the site registed window cleaner must state that there are new owners of the property with out saying and names.

THIS WOULD LEAGALLY BE OK!

If anyone could laberate on this section it would be very much appreciated.

ANDY
ASH WINDOW CLEANERS

[Londoner]

You are always going to get them but after a while you start to recognise the signs.
If you get a house in a street that is already well served saying that she can't get anyone it should ring bells.

The best advice I can offer is at the very first sign of trouble just walk away and cut your losses. Don't get all annoyed the world is full of windows and its not worth losing sleep over.

The best thing is that they can only knock you for about a tenner at most.

My mate is a plumber and when he gets knocked it can be for thousands. And it does happen, more often than you think. Someone gets him in to do a new bathroom and then afterwards says "its not my house you have to see the owner for the money."
 Then it turns out that the owner is abroad at the moment etc etc.
Its an organised scam and very common. You probably find the bloke who put in the kitchen  and the bloke who built the bedroon units all got turned over the same way.

No, believe me getting clobbered for a tenner only hurts a little bit and you can always book them a taxi for 4.30am to go to the airport if you wan't revenge.

[gaza]

ang on a mo whats the taxi driver done wrong,your only being the same as your customer,being an ex taxi driver Iwould be annoyed to say the least.

[matt]

it would also be VERY wrong to find the phone number out and list it on a GAY contact website

that would be VERY wrong