[AdamSouth]

read this on another tread from the shiner

Too many of them are locking their gates and wanting me over the flat roof.  If a flat roof is unavoidable no problem but a fair bit of the access issues are being caused by people not wanting to trust me with the gate key or a number for the combi lock.
No trust > bad access > no clean.  No wonder they struggled to get a window cleaner.

What i do if they lock their gates and don't want me to have a key is get their mobile number and then the night before the clean text them to unlock the gate. cost me 10p but get to clean the whole house and thats a bonus. still a bit to trust can go a long way

anyone do it different??

[Moderator David@stives]

I just clean the front.

I dont want the bother of having to remember to phone people the night before.

If it is a £10 job i charge them £7.00 to do the front which is a better earner for me time wise.

[Paul Coleman]

read this on another tread from the shiner

Too many of them are locking their gates and wanting me over the flat roof.  If a flat roof is unavoidable no problem but a fair bit of the access issues are being caused by people not wanting to trust me with the gate key or a number for the combi lock.
No trust > bad access > no clean.  No wonder they struggled to get a window cleaner.

What i do if they lock their gates and don't want me to have a key is get their mobile number and then the night before the clean text them to unlock the gate. cost me 10p but get to clean the whole house and thats a bonus. still a bit to trust can go a long way

anyone do it different??

i used to do the phone call method years ago.  Here are a selection of the things that would happen:-

1) I would phone up, and speak to the owner.  I would get there the next day and it would still be locked anyway.

2) They would refuse to leave it unlocked even when I did phone and would try to get me to arrange a time and day when they would be in.

3) After taking the time to phone them I would be met with "Leave them this time please".

4) Those who have no voicemail service (and there are still plenty around) would be hard to contact.  On one occasion I recall finally making contact around 9.30 pm as they had been out earlier and got told off for phoning so late.

A combination of the above (and probably incidents that I've since forgotten) eventually peed me off so much I decided to put a blanket ban on such work.
I have been going over flat roofs with my ladder until recently and haven't minded too much but, with the advent of WFP, it can mean that there is a lot more equipment to carry over and I don't want to do that.

So Adam, it's not just about the 10p it's about the aggro.  Bear in mind that I first introduced this rule into my business when relatively few people had mobile phones.

Also, why should I take on aggro work when I can have a full round of non aggro work.  Having said all the above, I do still have three customers who I do phone (briefly) but I know I can rely on them to leave access and they have been customers a long time.

Hey, I even had someone who asked me to phone them beforehand and then refused to give me their number.  Work that one out LOL.

[AdamSouth]

i don't ring them i just text them, got all the numbers on my work phone and got the message already saved

"Please unlock your gate, will be round in the next few days, thanks the window cleaner"

only thats 2minutes when i get home, normally do it when i'm on the bog. if they don't do it i only do the front it they fault. don't charge more but maybe have to start. so far ok but will have to see

[Sarah Sarill]

If we cant get access without ladders then we do the fronts only.   Customers are used to it now and understand why.

Sarah

[brett walker]

I have keys to the gates or numbers to the electric gates

I only ring them if its a well paid job

I have explained to customers before if i ring you the night berore or early morning and it rains or i do not get round for some reason i cannot be responsible for your gate being open all day.  Obviously if they lock their gate they are security concious so they should give you a key and trust you as you are their established window cleaner.
When i have asked for keys they give me a funny look, i say to them i want a key for your gate not for your house. :

Brett

[windows_chepstow]

I phone them to ask them to leave their gate unlocked; even if it's a small job; if I remember.

If I remember to phone them, I ask them to leave the cash in a strategic place 'round the back'.

Only once have I had a customer who wanted me between 2.00pm and 2.30 pm - and refused to leave the gate open - and she's now an ex-customer.

If I don't remember to phone, I clean the front only and charge over half the price.

Mostly though, I'm daft enough to 'heave' myself over a gate and open the bolt from the other side.

[Londoner]

Round these parts its commuter land and loads of houses are high security compared to even a few years ago.

People don't want to give out their keys, bsides which the growing number of extensions means that access is a problem in any case.

Two solutions which suit me are the early morning call (before they go to work) and Saturdays.
Both are "by arrangement". I suppose evenings in the summer could work the same way
Otherwise its a real problem and its getting worse

[master cleaner]

if it is a paddlocked gate i tell them the week i will be there and if it isnt unlocked i do the fronts only if they complain i tell them to fit a combination lock some do some dont , the first time i fall off a gate could cost me a lot of lost earnings so there isnt a problem i will not climb over

gary

[pjulk]

If the gates bolted i just climb over and undo it.
If its padlocked i only do the fronts.

I have a coouple i ring well the wife does i hate ringing people but that is just to leave there money out.

I used to have some i had to ring for the gate and it really peed me off when i get there and its still locked.

Most of those customers are now looking for another window cleaner.

Any new customers i take on i tell them if it locked it don't get done.

Paul

[preston powerblast]

A lot of my susties have two bolts on their gates top and bottom they always leave the bottom one undone so I just open the top.
But if they are both locked I do fronts only and charge for a full clean.