[Alfa]

Hi Guys

I just wanted to know if any of you have had a cancellation of an appointment minutes before the cleaning was going to take place. It happened to me twice in the space of 24 hours. Today I had a booking in central London (Congestion charge £8) at 7. I woke up at 5 ready to begin my jurney only to get to destination and being told to go away. I was shocked because the lady even called me yesterday to tell me that she will need me instead of 8 - 7 because she had something to do. I was there promptly at 7 ready to begin and she said she had a bad day and closed the door. So now I am paying the charge for West End, petrol,time, nerves..................
Yestarday the same think. A booking at 15:30. Just on the road at 15:20  the lady called me to say that she remembered that she had an appointment at the hospital. That was again a long distance from the place where I am.
What will you do in that situation? Any advise? I know I can't do anything but.....

First time happened to me but it realy made me angry...

 

[KLEEN-ZONE]

I would charge them for the job, unless 24 hours notice was given

Steve

[Mike Halliday]

she'd already had a bad day by 7 in the morning what had she done?.... pooed the bed!!

if I'd paid a congestion charge I would have banged on the door and at least got that money out of here .

mike

[Alfa]

How will you charge them? Just send the invoice? I am sure she would lough only. I will have a glass of cold water instead.

[Mike Osbourne]

I had a spate of these very annoying at the time.

Now I'm waiting for the electric man to carry out 'essential upgrades' to my electric meter. They said they would be here this morning. :

[spindle]

i would send the invoice regardless and explain the reason for invoice

and add the congestion charge.................

they may pay they may not.........if they do then you have had a result

no harm in trying

[Mike Osbourne]

Your more likely to get her heavily saturated sanitary towel in a jiffy bag.

[PaulKing]

great you have DNA and then you can claim for.... something that means cash .

[Karl Wildey]

thats carpet cleaning life

[Neil Williams]

i would send the invoice regardless and explain the reason for invoice
and add the congestion charge.................

I would go with this, along with a very short explanation letter.
It would cost you 10 minutes on the pc and a 2nd class stamp. You have nothing to lose at this point.
Not had any of these for ages, thankfully. The last time it happened I had to call the Police in when the husband got all threatening after I turned up to do a pre booked clean.

[The Great One]

Hi

Got to one today, paid parking, rang bell, no answer, waited 20 mins as I was 10 mins early.

No show

Came home

Found out I was a week early!

Doh! :

Regards

Martin

[Spot On cleaning]

Turned up at customers house at 9am as arranged. She came to the door in her nightie and said that i had made a mistake, and i must be at the wrong house. I went next door to speak to her neighbour who i knew had recommended me to her, to see if he could suggest where this customer might live as i thought i had made a mistake.

I tried 4 houses in the street before giving up and going off to my next job. The woman came on the phone in the afternoon saying that she could not have the work done as she was going off on holiday with her daughter. She tried to make out that the job was tomorrow morning and that it wasn't her who came to the door in the morning. She had obviously escaped from somewhere secure.

[Aquakleen Restoration Services]

This is a continual problem that we all have had at one time or another - and it is exceedingly frustrating! I have been debating wether or not to send out letters but will probably will start now with all new customers.

[Mike Osbourne]

I do letters after this happens and then I think it's not going to happen again.

My latest idea is to have appaintment cards made up, write out there and then and tell them to stick them on the notice board.

The key is to have printed on there cancellation terms. Dentists went through this loop years ago with no shows, now they charge for <48hrs notice and they tend to get a full diary.

[V_Purcell]

Just build it into your pricing, it is a cost of doing business.