[Aquakleen Restoration Services]

Hi all,

Did a quote a few weeks ago and job was today. Arrived and no one at home. She was just a young lass - quite flighty Id say. Anyway I dont have a problem with cancellations, its when they dont even bother calling you to cancel is what boils my blood!

Anyway put a biz card thru her door and will give her a few days to call if it was a genuine lapse of memory. If not am going to send her a bill for £50.00 (my minimum call-out charge) and see what happens.

The job was just in same town as me so no great loss but i dont need this. From this day forward I will be starting to call everyone the evening before to remind them of the job the following day.

John.

[Joe H]

John
I do that , if booking more then a few weks in advance then I ring.
Sometimes "they" ring me which is great.

[Robert Watson]

Hi John, Could you give me a call.
07973 222 154
Cheers
Rab.

[davep]

Must be that jinxed Prowler John 

[Doctor Carpet (Ret'd)]

Yes Joe I do that as well.

But have you every phoned to say you are on the way, spoken to them, and found they have forgotten and won't be back in time or even worse, said yes they will be in by the time you get there and then never turn up.

It's happened to me

[gwrightson]

I cleaned a flat for a lady last friday, her partner asked if I would clean a house he had been renting out,......... desperate to get it cleaned so he could rent out again.
Could I do it Monday morning?  after a little shuffling about and aranging an early start I agreed 7.30 monday morning.
waited untill 8am no show, rang a contact number i was given and the lady answers.
I explained I was waiting and she replied " I shall get him to phone you, but at the moment I have just gone onto the beach in Spain"    

not heard any thing yet :

Geoff

[Mike Osbourne]

I take a deposit when I think they are flighty. I always say Have you got a calender or a diary handy? when booking.

Had a recent spate of these and the deposit concentrates the minds I feel.

[Barry Livingstone]

Davep dont say that ....i think Rabby just bought it lol....

[Aquakleen Restoration Services]

Yes Rab has offered the full amount. And he has got a right bargain I can tell you!

[Neil Williams]

If not am going to send her a bill for £50.00 (my minimum call-out charge) and see what happens.

Good idea, even if you get a phone call at least you'll feel better after getting it off your chest.
I had a problem with our council who won't cut back trees and shrubs at our back after numerous calls etc, so one Sunday afternoon I spent an hour cutting some back myself and sent them a bill for £50 + vat. That got a response within 48 hours believe me.

[Aquakleen Restoration Services]

I quote on almost all jobs I do now so I think the idea of obtaining a small deposit is a good one although I think a phone call the night before is equally as good!

[Mike Osbourne]

I quote on almost all jobs I do now so I think the idea of obtaining a small deposit is a good one although I think a phone call the night before is equally as good!

No it isn't.

If you go and quote and they are all keen you get the deposit. From there on in they are committed, if they bow out there is a very good, genuine reason.

If you call the night before they may well have forgotten and you get the OH I was meaning to call you... can we rearrange.

The deposit is to pre empt a cancellation, not to have a token payment if they dip out.

[Derek_Walker]

I do not call people up when a job has been booked, once it is in the diary it is written in stone, in all the years I have been carpet cleaning I have had about 3 or 4 not actually being in when I got there. I can live with that, I could not live with spending money on phone calls when not needed.

Learnt from a Yorkshireman with Scottish ancestry.

[Shaun_Ashmore]

Wasn't me was it?

I don't call them the night before as it gives them chance to cancel, IMO to do it properly you send a card with date and time of appointment with a scotchgard sticker on it (never miss an oportunity to sell extras) and terms of cancellation.

The extras would pay for admin costs over the year but who has got the time?

Shaun

[Derek_Walker]

Shaun,

Your second name isn't a shortened version of Ash-Claymore is it?

[Aquakleen Restoration Services]

Ill be personally posting an invoice letter through her door today and I will let you all know what happens. John

[Dennis]

My turn today!    Ignorant barstewards.
Luckily this is the first time, literally, for years and was only a few minutes away.

It's funny I had a "gut" feeling something would happen, I must have been carpet cleaning too long!

On the way back home I stopped at a crossing to let a couple of dozen toddlers cross and they all started waving as they went over so equilibrium is in balance again. 

[Aquakleen Restoration Services]

Well posted my letter today through her door so will see how it goes!