[EZclean]

do this one estate, nice mixture of bungalows and semis. some ex council type semis.
i noticed on the front living room window a silicone seal was loose hanging on the frame, about 2" long, but not long enough to dangle onto the glass, ..... better be careful with that i thought to myself, dont want to make it worse.
 brushed the frames and caught it.... big loop now on the glass.
customer comes out: WHAT THE (NASTY WORD) HAVE YOU DONE
me:  it was already hanging down mate, to be fair, by a few inches and i've just caught it and pulled it a bit more. if it wasn't loose already it would have been impoosible for that to happen.
customer: FOR (NASTY WORD) SAKE (storms in the house)

i haven't collected it yet.

what would you have said and done? 
would you take the blame?

[LWC]

I would of pulled the rest out

[LWC]

...and then after that i would of gone round all the other windows and pulled them out to.

[LWC]

...then i would have soaped up all the windows and left.

[gerard mcmanus]

I wouldn't take the blame, however I would put my hands up to making the problem worse and if they hadn't swore would have bought a small tube of silicone from home base and repaired it myself. However if they where abusive, I don't return don't call, don't answer there calls, don't tell them I wont be back, don't take there money, don't take anything to do with them what so ever I just walk and that's that.

There is fortunately nicer people out there and these types are in a minority, so I definitely wouldn't worry about not having there business.

I broke a £30 plant pot a few months ago now, and it was first clean so the guy didn't know me. I knocked his door and put my hands up to it and apologised, he just said don't worry, these things happen. I have since given him free cleans to its value, and he is a very good customer of mine.

So for a poxy bit of silicone which is easily repaired, its is certainly not ok to start giving people verbal abuse about it. Nobody should be putting up with that.

[EZclean]

LOL @ LWC

ive done that before with a plant pot, and given free cleans but the customer really wanted to pay, but i wouldn't accept. i think if he would have been ok about it, i would have offered a free clean or even bought a tube myself for them to do, cos i dont know how to repair.
i felt bad at the time cos she's a lovely customer (it was boyfriend who was in at the time) and they may not have known about it already coming away. (so thought i'd done it)
but there is no reason to react so angrily, so now i'm thinkin i wont go back. or maybe i should buy a tube.
or maybe when she came back told him to stop going on about it...

[gerard mcmanus]

Send them a letter offering to correct the problem, however mention due to the over reaction and verbal abuse there account has been suspended. If they pursue it send someone else out, another company maybe even a Glazer and take the bill on the chin to maintain your reputation.

However make it clear that if they are intending to pursue you for reimbursement they must contact you in writing and you will select a company to do the work, as they wont shop around, if you can get your pal to go out that would be better as its not a hard job, squeeze the tube, run it round the edge then press it in with a small piece of card board.

[gerard mcmanus]

You could just imagine the wife when she gets that letter, if she wasn't there at the time "what did you fkucnig do, you tw@t"

[LWC]

Just go and collect the money mate, whats the worst thats going to happen?  Worst buy a tube of silicon...

SHe might not even say anything, and if she does just apologise, say it was coming loose and you had helped it a bit by mistake. By not returning makes it look like you are at fault.

No point running from something you aint done fella, i had one the other day, and this is worse, i had done some pressure washing and was so careful not to flick gravel up by puting wood down on borderd etc, but you cant help the odd one. So i get a phone call the week after saying he'd got the lawn mower out and one of the stones had flicked up and smasehd the patio window. I was like oh no...worrying, so i went around expecting trouble, and the guy said "dont worry matt, all been sorted, the insurance are fixing it" and i didnt fancy going to his.

Go round mate, dont worry 

[Glyn H]

Woud not have cleaned the window in the first place.
When collecting would have explained why the window was missed.

[Gleaming windows]

Because there was 2" of mastic hanging down?

[Alistair@AWC]

Repair the silicone and drop the customer!

[clean]

I would have filled his mouth with silicone if he had spoken to me like that 
PK 

[AuRavelling79]

I've read all the above posts and agreed with each one as I came down the page!

Now thinking about it:-

Did the guy direct his "F" ing and blinding at you or just at the situation that he's got to stump up for more work which he knows is his responsibility really? (After all if my frames are poorly maintained and a bit of putty falls out then it's down to my poor maintenance and this bit of silicone is no different in my opinion)

If it is possibly down to frustration then I would give him the benefit of the doubt, go and collect and bring the subject up by saying something like:-

"I saw your reaction when that old perished strip of silicone came away from your window and guessed you were having a bad day and so let it pass."

If he or his girlfriend brings the subject up to apologise then say exactly the same thing. If he brings it up to hold you responsible say exactly the same thing and add:-

"It's obviously you or your landlords responsibility - imagine if I took my car in to the car wash and a bit of door trim was hanging off; I wouldn't blame the car wash would I?"

If his response is unreasonable after that then walk away!

[weetot]

...and then after that i would of gone round all the other windows and pulled them out to.

[weetot]

Just send the goodfellas round!

[EZclean]

I've read all the above posts and agreed with each one as I came down the page!

Now thinking about it:-

Did the guy direct his "F" ing and blinding at you or just at the situation that he's got to stump up for more work which he knows is his responsibility really? (After all if my frames are poorly maintained and a bit of putty falls out then it's down to my poor maintenance and this bit of silicone is no different in my opinion)

If it is possibly down to frustration then I would give him the benefit of the doubt, go and collect and bring the subject up by saying something like:-

"I saw your reaction when that old perished strip of silicone came away from your window and guessed you were having a bad day and so let it pass."

If he or his girlfriend brings the subject up to apologise then say exactly the same thing. If he brings it up to hold you responsible say exactly the same thing and add:-

"It's obviously you or your landlords responsibility - imagine if I took my car in to the car wash and a bit of door trim was hanging off; I wouldn't blame the car wash would I?"

If his response is unreasonable after that then walk away!

thanks that makes sense to me.
the car wash is a good way of looking at it.

[EZclean]

you really should be more careful Adi!

 

i know!
 if i'd have stuck to my normal policy of not cleaning frames for free = no problem
 :

things i do for nice customers

[Clive McDonald]

In every life a little rain must fall..

Two days ago storming through my list we came on a side street a couple of hundred metres from where i live. I have about five jobs out of the thirty houses.

The job on my list is an eight weeker £12 with cons and i've done it once. I'm always very thorough and include the cons gutters etc so that it's always easy when i come back.Anyhow there's a guy up a ladder either prepping the frames or cleaning them.He has what looks like a tin of water, a paint brush, and a rag.
The jobs already over a week overdue, and i see that i can't do it because of him, but get out of the van anyway to find out when it's best to come back.
He extremely agrressive"What's it got to do with you?"
"I'm the window cleaner and......."
"you ain't. I clean these windows and every house around here.Don't bother calling at any of the other houses..."
The excahnge was a bit fuller than this.I said "are you sure?"  and rang the bell.
Before the lady of the house could answer the door he shouted down fom the ladder."the reason i clean them is it's my house." She answers door. He shouts down "This pratt tried to stop me cleaning my own windows."
Me to her "thats not so. I guessed there was some decorating going on and wanted to know when to come back."
She's making hand signals for me to come back in two weeks, he's shouting abuse.
As i leave he shouts that he is going to go round all the neigbours and tell them what a dreadfull window cleaner i am.

Clean other house further down and as i drive back past he is throwing daggers at me with his eyes.

[gerard mcmanus]

I had a neighbour who lives below my customer tell me to get off his property, and was being a right prat, when I refused and told him I was cleaning his neighbours windows and have a right to access, he wasn't please but I just carried pn.

It was one building with a shared land all around, one flat up stairs and his at the bottom.