[simbo]

hi all
had a feww first cleans today, which as you know can be time consuming, anyway last but one house ,little old lady just about on her feet. This house would be a ten or twelve pound house for me so charged ten but only do 8 weekly.
the lady told me how a bloke saying he was window cleaner had been some time before took money first then just got in car and went, anyway as i am nothing like this got the job so started work. Next the man next door came out and asked a few questions about me and mentioned what had happened to lady before, thats fine i said very comendable i said "caring about neighbour" took my time as i always do with old dear. When finished thought i would get next door to come and chreck my work, which he did, was happy so on my way i whent to next job.
About one hour later my phone rings and very irate old dear on phone telling me i had not cleaned windows at all and i had just pretended, that the other neighbours had taken photo's of me pretending, she was going to take further and all sorts
at this point i am dumb struck, as this is something i would never do to anyone, anyway conversation ended nowhere as she reckoned i could not have spoken to neighbour as he was at work. My only conclusion is she must be a little senile or something and if anybody took photo's even better for me .
this has not only anoyed me but quite upset me, and will call on neighbour tomorrow for a chat
sorry for long story but wanted to get off my chest

[24-7 S C Services]

Hi Simbo,

Yep, definitely senile I think lol.

I had this job 2 months back. First clean WFP, so I explained the frames and ledges would be cleaned in addition to the glass. Customer was impressed with that.

Anyway, 2 weeks after I cleaned it, they phoned to complain the ledges had not been cleaned. I assured her that they had, however (customer always right ((NOT)) I apologized and promised they would be cleaned on the next visit. The conversation ended with her explaining they had just got back from a 2 week holiday, they went the morning I cleaned the windows.

Well on the next clean, I made sure everything was done (like I always do) and took pictures to prove it. Went home and waited for the phone to ring. Thankfully I didn’t.

You would have thought the customer would know, even though you clean the ledges, they wont stay clean for 2 weeks whilst you on holiday.....


Andrew

[windows_chepstow]

Simbo,

I put a post up recently about one of my senile customers, and it seems I'm not the only one to have them.  One of my customers didn't even recognise me as her window cleaner and I basically got told to 'bugger off'.  I'd only just about cleaned most of her bungalow, so I spoke to her neighbor about it; asking if Mrs 'such and such' was okay.

Now, before I clean I see her neighbor first and she 'escorts' me the few feet to the senile ladies house.  The neighbor pays me and she gets the money back from the 'doddery' lady's relatives.

Why not go and have a chat with the neighbor, and ask him to speak to the little old lady?

Personally, I wouldn't get upset.  Just give her a miss from now on and put it down to experience.

[thewindowcleaner1]

Yep I had one once,
was cleaning the insides and she was telling how some local lads were just walking in and taking things, Iwas concerned about this, any way she then said that she needed to pop next door and would I be ok to carry on,

several minutes later I heard the door and the lady walked in with another woman took one look at me and screamed asking who was I and what was I doing there, luckly for me the other woman was from next door and reconised me...
made me jump though..

O and there was never any local lads just walking into her house..

[bumper]

yes, i had a old lady come out and give me 3 pegs, my mate said that all your customers are old biddys, and you will not have a round  left in a few years,were's all your totty,ive never known a round like it,he said lol

[CWCS]

 :)Hi Simbo, sorry for laughing but it reminded me of something that happened to me not so long back, cleaned a twelve story block of flats top to bottom, most pay whilst iam cleaning, collect the rest when iv'e finnished, had to go to the top floor for last remaining payment flipped a coin with my workmate for who should go, I lost, got to the flat and knocked a frail voice came from the spyhole "go away I dont no who you are" I replied "window cleaner darling" where upon she let out a spine tingling shriek "go away go away Ive called the police", I just smiled to myself and left, but never told my mate same happened next clean he went this time though his face was a picture when he came back, P.S dont clean that flat anymore, think you should put that one down to experience mate.

[simbo]

thanks all,
Will have to go to see neighbour though, cos if she has done this before "did anybody rip her off before" like she says because neighbour believes her on that one , but did it actually happen. Anyhow this is a new area for me that i will surely pick up work in but not if i don't nip this in the bud quickly.
still gobsmacked even now though, i work damn hard to get good price work and do top price job do not need this.
cheers all

[Mike_G]

Yep its happened to me as well, spoke to people at window whilst cleaning it and they swear blind i did not clean it when collecting money!

[windows_chepstow]

Yep its happened to me as well, spoke to people at window whilst cleaning it and they swear blind i did not clean it when collecting money!

Isn't that an easy remedy.  Just say okay then, show me a dirty window.  Of course a bird could've 'Rhubarbed' all over one, but in general they'll be clean.

Last winter a customer asked me 'If I'd been?" when I came collecting money.  I think I'd forgotten to shove a note through her letter box.

I took a step back and invited her to have a look around.  Her door and sills were easily seen as being clean, although it was too dark to check the windows without switching lights on and stuff.

She coughed up.

[steve k]

I have an old boy who has a small flat I clean at £5.00 a month. Each time I go he pays me £4.00 with a big smile as though I am the only person he has seen all month.
"It`s £5.00 mate, I told you last month."
Now the smile goes and he is reaching for the mallet behind the door as though I am about to kidnap him.
"it goes up every time" he snarls
He gives me the extra pound at which I feel really guilty but I cannot help thinking they are up to some mind game tricks these old ones...!

[Mike_G]

It would be nice to say show me the dirty window but by the time they showed every mark and we say to them "thats on the inside" we would have cleaned the window again and be on our way.

[matt]

without sounding hard and uncareing

bin them

i used to have a few old dears who would say "who are you" or "they havent been cleaned" or "im not paying that much" every single time

so i got enough work and binned them, they can hastle some1 else now, my lifes to short for crap

[Grafters Cleaning Services]

i have one old dear on my round the same,
i knock the door then start cleaning
she then comes to the door and says "what are you doing"

to which i reply "i'm the window cleaner"

"how much is it" she says
so i tell her, this happens every month i go there,
i'm used to it now though.

[Paul Coleman]

without sounding hard and uncareing

bin them

i used to have a few old dears who would say "who are you" or "they havent been cleaned" or "im not paying that much" every single time

so i got enough work and binned them, they can hastle some1 else now, my lifes to short for crap

There was a guy whose windows I used to clean for £6.50.  It was grossly underpriced even at that.  He always gave me a fiver and waited for his change.  I always said "It's £6.50 please".  One day he called me a robbing bas****. I accepted the fiver and said I wouldn't be doing them again.  Six months later I was cleaning his neighbours windows and he asked me to clean his.  He called me by name so it was hardly forgetfulness.  By that time I had learned the biggest word of all.   "No !!" .

Yesterday, a woman asked me to clean hers.  I said no to her as well.  When she asked why I explained that it had always been harder work getting her to pay than it was cleaning the windows.  I also told her that I had never been paid for my last clean (3 years ago - I've got a long memory for stuff like that).  She "threatened" to get someone else to clean them.  I just suggested that she get someone who is prepared to keep coming back to do doorstep collections.  I'm not talking senility on her part either.  She is probably only 40ish (hope she's 30 and I've just insulted her LOL)

[Thecleanerservice]

it's the nature of our work, if we do domestic then we will always be cleaning windows for a lot of old folks that are losing their marbles.
I've had loads of experiences over the years..Some good, some bad, mostly funny looking back.
I went to one old boy's place I'd been cleaning for about a year, old metal frame windows, he accused me of breaking one of his windows, which anyone could see had been broken for years.  I told him my policy, If I ever do any damage I let my clients know straight away, then it's always been easiest to sort out, anyway he would't have it.  About ten minutes later he came out clutching a flyer from some lottery scam telling him what he could win(you know the sort of junk I mean).  He says to me "I won't be needing you anymore I've just won a million!!"
So I just said well done took my payment and never went back.
Poor old bloke, I saw him about 3 months later living inside an old senile folks home that I clean!  Sad ain't it, he's still indirectly paying me to clean his windows!!
Pj

[liscannor]

I do 6 houses at the end of this Close and all of the people in them seem to be at war with each other. I know this from what they are saying to me. I half dread going in there each month but they are all together and easy. So I act the diplomat and soom in out as fast I can.

[simbo]

hello all
i did go back again and spoke to the next door neighbour who then went to have a word with the lady, afer a few minutes lady came and said sorry as some of the double glazed paines are full of condensation and sheepishly asked if i would do them gain next month. I did wonder why she would want the windows cleaned when i did them but hey got paid and have increased my chances of picking up more in this street.
cheers paul

[mgcleaning]

I had an old lady on the books for two and a half months. The first time i cleaned her windows( with wfp) was the first time they had been in a couple of years and she was happy with the job.
four weeks later i go back and do them again
two weeks later she phoned me and said not to come back cos idid a bad job last time. i did go back to check it out only to find that they were minging ON THE INSIDE

[gaza]

dont worry about going senile cus you wont remember going there

 gaza { it mostly happens to the clever people so Im safe )

[Thecleanerservice]

Hi I know who you are, but would you mind telling me...Who am I?