[colin bird]

thanks for reading,is it me or are more customers locking back gates ? im finding i have to text a lot more cutomers to unlock gates, compared to a couple of years ago,which is time consuming and can have a big effect on your earnings due to when you turn up gate is locked.grrrrr

[Bungle]

Agree. I find it a ball ache texting the night before plus you give them an excuse to tell you to leave them as they are still clean 

[colin bird]

Agree. I find it a ball ache texting the night before plus you give them an excuse to tell you to leave them as they are still clean  

agreed ! i often lose a few jobs due to havingto text ! but if you dont text they get the knock if you only clean the front,its a no win situation,fair play to the guys that dont text,im also findingthat on a lot of new builds you have to go through the garage,due to this thay want to be in more grief ffs

[Walter Mitty]

I'm trying to move away from pre-notifying once more.  For years I only had about 5 jobs where I did that - even then I begrudged it.  I even used to turn work down rather than have the hassle.  Gradually the numbers have increased.  I've had to be a bit less picky due to gaps in my work (they only appeared due to losing a lot of commercial work).
A few weeks ago though, I reached a tipping point.  I've had a particular customer for a few years who has been persistently unreliable with leaving access.  He caught me on a bad day and it could have escalated.  It ended with him telling me to f o and me saying that I would be delighted to go. I don't need such aggro.  I just want to earn my money in the least stressful way.  The neighbour dumped me too next visit (no notice) so clearly he got to them (some of the first guy's windows can only be cleaned from next door).  It was stressful working for the neighbour too as his wife always seemed to have a dig about something or another.  There were so many rules attached to that job I was glad to lose it.  This has led to me dropping two other pre-notifying jobs very close by as I just can't be hassled with it all.
Windowe cleaning is simple and low stress.  Some customers complicate it and make it high stress.
I need some more work but I'm not prepared to put my head through the wringer to get it.

[colin bird]

fair play to mick kent thats why he does mostly fronts,no grief !

[colin bird]

I'm trying to move away from pre-notifying once more.  For years I only had about 5 jobs where I did that - even then I begrudged it.  I even used to turn work down rather than have the hassle.  Gradually the numbers have increased.  I've had to be a bit less picky due to gaps in my work (they only appeared due to losing a lot of commercial work).
A few weeks ago though, I reached a tipping point.  I've had a particular customer for a few years who has been persistently unreliable with leaving access.  He caught me on a bad day and it could have escalated.  It ended with him telling me to f o and me saying that I would be delighted to go. I don't need such aggro.  I just want to earn my money in the least stressful way.  The neighbour dumped me too next visit (no notice) so clearly he got to them (some of the first guy's windows can only be cleaned from next door).  It was stressful working for the neighbour too as his wife always seemed to have a dig about something or another.  There were so many rules attached to that job I was glad to lose it.  This has led to me dropping two other pre-notifying jobs very close by as I just can't be hassled with it all.
Windowe cleaning is simple and low stress.  Some customers complicate it and make it high stress.
I need some more work but I'm not prepared to put my head through the wringer to get it.

hi mate hear where your coming from,i have a customer that i have to phone the night before because she has a dog ! as if she out i cant clean,i also have to still climb the gate,when i get a few more customers im going to sack her,which will be nice for me .

[Bart Olin]

just undo   or climb   

[dazmond]

i only have a handful of "text night before" customers every week.hardly any of my customers properties have access issues.(about 20 jobs out of 300+ jobs).these customers are good as gold most of the time too.

i dont take any new customers on if they have access issues either these days.

[Perfect Windows]

We text or call everyone, every single time we clean.

Works for us.

Vin

[davids3511]

I have to text the night before for about 30% of my customers. It's very rarely a problem. If you start having trouble with a customer, its very simple, dump them and replace.

What some of you guys seem to be advocating is not taking them on in the first place which makes no sense to me. I've 100's of text night before customers who are good as gold.

[colin bird]

just undo   or climb   

some gates are to high and can't climb garage doors

[colin bird]

i only have a handful of "text night before" customers every week.hardly any of my customers properties have access issues.(about 20 jobs out of 300+ jobs).these customers are good as gold most of the time too.

i dont take any new customers on if they have access issues either these days.

I'm not going to take customers on from now with access issues

[colin bird]

I have to text the night before for about 30% of my customers. It's very rarely a problem. If you start having trouble with a customer, its very simple, dump them and replace.

What some of you guys seem to be advocating is not taking them on in the first place which makes no sense to me. I've 100's of text night before customers who are good as gold.

I hear what you saying but sometimes I text and they not this time it may rain, but yes I will be going along the lines and say to them it is not viable for me to clean you windows if you do not  open your gste

[Bungle]

I had one last night. An old biddy who I have to phone so she can leave gate unlocked. "can you come next week" is everything all right I ask. "Medical issues" she says and then clunk as the phone goes on the hook   well she ain't dead, so she could have left the gate open. I'll leave her til next month as she'll be off route if she wants them done next week.

[SeanK]

Never text or phone the night before, never have problems with access and never get stressed.
Plus have never dumped a good paying customer because of a locked gate.
Colin with the amount of stress this seems to be causing you, would you not be better finding a safe way of getting
over gates and bin the texting.
I have a set of multi purpose ladders and a pole hose extension so that I don't have to put any reel
hose over the fence.
One minute extra and no hassle.

[slap bash]

I have lost two customers lately for opening there gate and going ahead with the clean. Its amazes me what people want  for there money an appointment to open gate. In both cases its the woman who are full of it. They just have no understanding of you being a business and all the reminders to leave gate puts up the cost.

[slap bash]

I have been doing this  malarkey for 5 years and I must just be getting old BUT I AM sick of people and all there crap. I am just having  good clean out of customers.So are just full of it for the sake of it, not real problem except they are neurotic.Unhappy bitches. No more mr Nice guy.

[Walter Mitty]

One of the things that bugs me is the "pretend to forget" brigade.  It seems to be that some of the customers with access issues deliberately "forget" to leave unlocked as a way of controlling the frequency of the cleaning.  I do get past some gates by leaning over on a stepladder and using a crowbar to hook around the bolt.  Unfortunately, some bolts are too far down or some people padlock them.
If a job becomes the equivalent of a short notice cancellation because of no access, it can mean that the day's takings are down as it may not be possible to do a replacement job that day.  OK, it may just be, say, £12.  Get one of those every day and it's £60 a week - £3k a year.

[Darranvps]

ARE THEY TRYING TO TELL YOU SOMETHING?

[SeanK]

For locked gates and more www.youtube.com/watch?v=C_nz3QeWfv4

[Walter Mitty]

ARE THEY TRYING TO TELL YOU SOMETHING?

If they are, they should just come out and say it

[kempy]

It is annoying .
I use a "A" frame

[PoleKing]

Charge full price whether they remember or not.
You'd be amazed how many persistent forgetters start to remember when they're paying full price.

[Positivity]

Had one fitted a gate a few months ago then texted me to say "since we fitted the gate you have only cleaned the front but charged us the same price".
Replied "I use a ladder for gates if you take a look you will see ALL the house has been cleaned and has been since the gate was fitted."
"Not happy with you climbing the gate you might have an accident, in future if you let me know you're coming I'll leave the gate open."
Been hassle ever since, thinking of dropping her.
Why can't they leave us alone and just get on with it!!

[David Kent @ KentKleen]

What on earth did window cleaners do before mobile phones? 
We never text, never have cancellations and never have access issues as all vans carry ladders for access purposes. Happy days. If gaining access with ladders is too difficult they simply get the fronts done and the backs cleaned at a premium rate if you catch them in. I like it simple. 

[SeanK]

What on earth did window cleaners do before mobile phones? 
We never text, never have cancellations and never have access issues as all vans carry ladders for access purposes. Happy days. If gaining access with ladders is too difficult they simply get the fronts done and the backs cleaned at a premium rate if you catch them in. I like it simple. 

Unfortunately Dave WFP has brought us a new generation of shiners intent on making a simple hassle free way of making
a living as difficult as possible.

[8weekly]

What on earth did window cleaners do before mobile phones? 
We never text, never have cancellations and never have access issues as all vans carry ladders for access purposes. Happy days. If gaining access with ladders is too difficult they simply get the fronts done and the backs cleaned at a premium rate if you catch them in. I like it simple. 

Unfortunately Dave WFP has brought us a new generation of shiners intent on making a simple hassle free way of making
a living as difficult as possible.

Er, how is sending a text more hassle than getting off ladders to get over a gate. 

The problems the above people have is with the customers, not the gates. 

[Walter Mitty]

What on earth did window cleaners do before mobile phones? 

Indeed, the bulk of my round was built before mobiles were about - or were very sparse too.

[David Kent @ KentKleen]

When I started window cleaning 24 years ago (have not cleaned constantly for 24 years), we worked a 'patch', EVERY house had a concrete out house that you HAD to split your ladders to get over. Wooden ladders and a damp scrim dry scrim technique. Old cottage style metal framed windows. Happy stress free days.
I stress more now (not over locked gates  ) that I only clean about a weeks worth of windows every 4 weeks!!
 

[SeanK]

What on earth did window cleaners do before mobile phones? 
We never text, never have cancellations and never have access issues as all vans carry ladders for access purposes. Happy days. If gaining access with ladders is too difficult they simply get the fronts done and the backs cleaned at a premium rate if you catch them in. I like it simple. 

Unfortunately Dave WFP has brought us a new generation of shiners intent on making a simple hassle free way of making
a living as difficult as possible.

Er, how is sending a text more hassle than getting off ladders to get over a gate. 

The problems the above people have is with the customers, not the gates. 

Cant really argue which is handier but put it this way how often do you get guys who get over gates and don't text experiencing
the above problems.
I had the same problem with customers when starting out so I know the annoyance involved, but not once did I blame the customer
as I know how easy it is to be forgetful. ( it didn't stop me calling them the odd swear word under my breath )
To be honest with the amount of specialist ladders now available its not hard to get over a gate easily, quickly and safely its
just pig headedness and lack of competition that stops some from even trying.

[richywilts]

One of the things that bugs me is the "pretend to forget" brigade.  It seems to be that some of the customers with access issues deliberately "forget" to leave unlocked as a way of controlling the frequency of the cleaning.  I do get past some gates by leaning over on a stepladder and using a crowbar to hook around the bolt.  Unfortunately, some bolts are too far down or some people padlock them.
If a job becomes the equivalent of a short notice cancellation because of no access, it can mean that the day's takings are down as it may not be possible to do a replacement job that day.  OK, it may just be, say, £12.  Get one of those every day and it's £60 a week - £3k a year.

my staff member got 4 of these the other day value approx 50quid of days taking reason being i never called as forecast heavy snow next day weather was fine sight very slight drizzle leave it please its raining i cant stand people like this

[Walter Mitty]

When I started window cleaning 24 years ago (have not cleaned constantly for 24 years), we worked a 'patch', EVERY house had a concrete out house that you HAD to split your ladders to get over. Wooden ladders and a damp scrim dry scrim technique. Old cottage style metal framed windows. Happy stress free days.
I stress more now (not over locked gates  ) that I only clean about a weeks worth of windows every 4 weeks!!
 

I suppose it's not so bad if you're using the ladder anyway; I didn't start to reduce the "link detached" work until after starting with WFP.
I dislike putting a ladder down from a flat roof because it makes harder work of a job and it's a potential safety issue too as you can't test how slippery the floor is from the roof.
I just think, why bother with the awkward jobs if I don't need to?  I had to start out on the jobs that no-one else wanted and now that I've been at it for a long time, I reckon let the newbies have those jobs that I used to just about tolerate.

[David Kent @ KentKleen]

When I started window cleaning 24 years ago (have not cleaned constantly for 24 years), we worked a 'patch', EVERY house had a concrete out house that you HAD to split your ladders to get over. Wooden ladders and a damp scrim dry scrim technique. Old cottage style metal framed windows. Happy stress free days.
I stress more now (not over locked gates  ) that I only clean about a weeks worth of windows every 4 weeks!!
 

I suppose it's not so bad if you're using the ladder anyway; I didn't start to reduce the "link detached" work until after starting with WFP.
I dislike putting a ladder down from a flat roof because it makes harder work of a job and it's a potential safety issue too as you can't test how slippery the floor is from the roof.
I just think, why bother with the awkward jobs if I don't need to?  I had to start out on the jobs that no-one else wanted and now that I've been at it for a long time, I reckon let the newbies have those jobs that I used to just about tolerate.

Or charge a premium for the up and over garage jobs.

[SeanK]

When I started window cleaning 24 years ago (have not cleaned constantly for 24 years), we worked a 'patch', EVERY house had a concrete out house that you HAD to split your ladders to get over. Wooden ladders and a damp scrim dry scrim technique. Old cottage style metal framed windows. Happy stress free days.
I stress more now (not over locked gates  ) that I only clean about a weeks worth of windows every 4 weeks!!
 

I suppose it's not so bad if you're using the ladder anyway; I didn't start to reduce the "link detached" work until after starting with WFP.
I dislike putting a ladder down from a flat roof because it makes harder work of a job and it's a potential safety issue too as you can't test how slippery the floor is from the roof.
I just think, why bother with the awkward jobs if I don't need to?  I had to start out on the jobs that no-one else wanted and now that I've been at it for a long time, I reckon let the newbies have those jobs that I used to just about tolerate.

I wouldn't take a job like that either as it sort of defeats the purpose of being WFP, I done a property for a few years and they
had an extension built which meant that I would have to cross a flat garage roof to get to the back.
I stopped doing it and noticed a traditional guy doing it last time I was in the area, this guy has a few guys working for him and
has been going for years so its not just newbies who take on this sort off work.
Every job has a price but some would be more suitable to traditional cleaners.