[Tosh]

You just phone your local police station.

We did when we were threatened; the police were really good; honest!

[groundhog]

we know about your daughter; we know what school she goes too...'.

This kind of threat would make me really mad!! I'm not sure that I would be able to stop myself from doing them some serious harm!!!!!!!!! They are SCUM!!!  

[elite mike]

You just phone your local police station.

We did when we were threatened; the police were really good; honest!

tosh

i will be down there next week we will have to have a chat

give you a bell

[Tosh]

Anytime, Mike, but all this happened about seven years ago!  I was just offering advice and sharing what happened to me when I first started up.

All my local window cleaners are great; even the one's from the 'Forest' (even the inbred ones with pointy heads that're married to their sisters (usually)).

[elite mike]

god i hate my sister tosh

[sparklebright]

Scumbags. 

Call the police in, that's their job. You can set your home phone not to take calls from withheld numbers if you like, so you'll have a number...

hi sparklebright

how do you do that then

Sorry I don't know
Mate of mine did it on his home phone, I think it's a BT thing, I'm sure all phone operators do it if you ask.

[mark dew]

Scumbags. 

Call the police in, that's their job. You can set your home phone not to take calls from withheld numbers if you like, so you'll have a number...

hi sparklebright

how do you do that then

Here are the service codes for bt.

http://www.telephonesuk.co.uk/network_codes.htm#BTCDIV

[elite mike]

cheers mark

[seandyer2003]

I have had some threatening calls after leaflet drops, but not bothered, it makes me laugh, im not a big guy, but i aint scared of anyone so i just laugh and besides i got a big irish family, so wed all go after em haha

Best way like ronnie says is just keep on with your business, and you will grow and they will shrink with there bad business acumen, anyone who tries to build by threatening people is never going anywhere , they are too small minded too, take all his custies

[davids3511]

I had loads of threats in the beginning too but nobody ever wanted to meet up with me to discuss it.

The way I look at it is that if they are crazy enough to do you serious harm then they are unlikely to be window cleaners. They would be drug dealers, loan sharks or bank robbers (hopefully anyhow).

[elite mike]

I had loads of threats in the beginning too but nobody ever wanted to meet up with me to discuss it.

The way I look at it is that if they are crazy enough to do you serious harm then they are unlikely to be window cleaners. They would be drug dealers, loan sharks or bank robbers (hopefully anyhow).

lol

[pjulk]

Christ i must be lucky or most of the window cleaners on here live in the wild west.

I have never had any problems.

[AuRavelling79]

Had this happen once by phone and once in person while out working (both times about ten years ago) never since.

It is increasingly rare but always be prepared:-

Verbal on the phone:

1. Use "we" or "us" instead of "me" or "I" and give the impression there are more then one of you.

2. Be polite and firm but take no nonsense.

3. Tell them you have noted the exact time and date of the call and will report it to the police as a threat.


Face to face:

As above and if they don't back down immediately then do call the police.

[Sir Squeaky]

Both the idiots who threatened me stopped cleaning windows a few years ago; but one of them has started up again recently.

Blimey, wasn't him was it?
I'm surprised by that.

[colley614]

Hi Mate,

Don't let the threats scare you mate. I have leaflets that I post every 12 months round a massive business park in my area. Last time I did the leaflets drop a guy telephoned me threatening me saying it was his patch, my honest opinion is I think he's scared of my water fed pole system on the leaflet as he has the most dangerous looking old ladders that I have every seen.

I'm waiting for the day I turn up to leaflet and all the units are dirty because his ladders have collapsed on him!

[Craig 72]

Blimey,I'm shocked by this thread I must admit,especially by the things Tosh said happened to him.Being a newbie (christ I hate that word) I expect a quiet word by any existing guys working in the same area but I never imagined actual physical violence could be a real threat.I just started in the leafy villages near where I live so I'm not expecting to be kneecapped just yet but it's an eye opener.Can't help but picture two window cleaners facing each other with their fingers twitching by their holstered squeegees,spaghetti western style.

[davids3511]

I had one once where I told him to mark the doors of his customes with a big red X. He said 'noI can't do that, that's just stupid', it never dawned on him I was being sarcastic.