[Roy Harding]

You pull up at a house and the woman says "not today im just going out"

What do you do ?

I reply ok "I had a lady this morning ask me to clean hers, but I told her I could not as I was full. But if she wants it regular and you dont I will fit her in your slot".

The response is funny, oh carry on, and you will never have  a problem again.

What do you do?

Roy

[Sir Squeaky]

I haven't got a set response really.

I do like that one though, very difficult to argue with.

[windows_chepstow]

I have printed on my 'Your Window Cleaner Has Been Chits' (amongst other stuff)...

We have recently 'let go' a number of customers who have said to us (after we had carted our equipment to their house), 'Not this month mate'.

We find this frustrating and the customer permanently loses their regular window cleaner. 

This may appear a little harsh, but we clean in excess of 350 properties each month and turn away many potential customers; we are almost at full capacity.

Unless you have arranged other terms and condtions with us; we clean once per calandar month as we originally agreed.

I have had very little trouble with the 'not this month please brigade', since I put this on my chits.

I've had the odd customer say to me, 'not this month, mate'.

Followed by, 'Only kidding!'

But since last Summer, I've only had two customers attempt to changed the terms we originally agreed.

[rosskesava]

I've arranged our domestic customers into 2 types.

Those whose windows we just turn up and do with no previous phone call etc and those who I phone before hand.

If I've phoned to say we'll be there on whatever day and they say 'no' for whatever reason when we get there, then we never do their windows again and that is it.

I'm very polite about it and I give them another window cleaners leaflet. I never used to be like that and I was generally understanding and we'd go back another day but now..... we run a business.

There's 3 of us and time is money. That may sound a bit harsh but during the 1st 4 months of last year I kept records of time lost through that and similar things and the customer saying 'no thanks' happened 27 times and I reckoned that was about 10 hours lost time.

It's hard to work out in terms of money but I reckon on about £800 to £1000 worth and that is not only the lost money from the job but the time as I organise our route according to the work to be done. Wasted time in terms of working comes purely off our profit and is not only just wasted time.

Personaly I am not good at one liners so I just say it how it is and then 'goodbye'.

So far this year, and for the last part of last year, we've cleaned every window we turned up to do except one job - the owner was sadly erm.... deceased.

[pjulk]

I had two today,
One said can you change me to every 6 weeks please as they dont need cleaning every four weeks.
I said no as it throws all my work out.

I also had one say give it a miss this month.
I have been doing this customer for over a year and never had a problem.
So i said to him i dont work like that i clean every 4 weeks but i will miss it this month but i wont do it again.
Thats alright he said.
We will see.

If he does it again he is gone

I dumped a couple a few weeks back as they wanted EOM to which i said no.
Then last week one of them rang me up and said, I would like to cancel my window cleaning i have found someone who will do it EOM for £2 cheaper.
I said i have already removed you from my list a few weeks back when you asked to go EOM.

Paul

[pjulk]

Funny thing with window cleaning is you have it all going well.
Then all of a sudden you get some all at the same time who want it done at a differant frequency to that agreed.

Paul

[windows_chepstow]

From this site, I've also got the following on my 'chits'.

"We also offer an 'every other month' cleaning service.  This will cost you approximately 50% more than your current monthly price, but since you will be receiving 6 cleans per year, rather than 12; this will save you money and still guarantee you a regular, public-liability insured window cleaner".

I've had quite a few take me up on this offer. 

[macc]

i always say sorry but all my work is every 4 weeks.

im not a convieniance store.

if they wont a reliable window cleaner why cant we expect reliable customers.

it goes both ways.   

[24-7 S C Services]

Hi everyone,

OK, I am hard on my customers!!!! From the outset they are told I only offer a 4 or 6 weekly clean. When I issue a quote, they are priced on both cycles and the choice is then theirs to make.

The six weekly clean is usually 20% more expensive.

If I am told, no not this month, I kindly inform them, that they should seek another window cleaner, as we currently have a waiting list of new customers.

A good percentage of my 4 weekly cleans do go to 6 weekly and when they move to that cycle, the additional cost is applied.

I have however agreed to two separate annual cleans, but what would have cost them £25 a month, is now £100.


Many Thanks

Andrew

[brett walker]

I dont put up with this anymore they get 1 chance and if they mess me about i dont do them again.  Ive heard more excuses than hot dinners

I dropped 1 customer last week, his factory should be once a month his house outside once a month and his house inside and out every 2 months.  It was agreed that i would just have to ring him the night before been doing this but hes been moving the goal post  ???so everything gets done every 2 months, i tried to arrange with him last week and he said he will ring me when he wants them cleaned.
I told him this was not the agreement he told me ill ring you when i want them doing so i said  ' i wont be doing them again  goodbye' :

I have put up with people messing me about too much - no more they are easily replaced

Brett.

[Franky2020]

With my customer base nearly up to a level im happy with after 6 months as a wc, I am looking forward to being a bit more harsh on customers who change the goalposts and can pick and choose the customers who I want to clean for.

[Immaculate windows]

even tho i can't really afford to lose custom yet i will not be treated shabbily.
i just say no problem jump in my van and strike them off. another one always seems to replace them anyway, and with spring around the corner i know things are going to take off.

[pjulk]

From the outset they are told I only offer a 4 or 6 weekly clean

Andrew don't you find it awkward doing 4 and 6 weekly cleans.
As i would expect you are going to some roads twices in a month and do you find you are running about a bit.

All mine are 4 weekly but when i get back to them many look like they have just been cleaned.
But if i were to have 4 and 6 weekly cleans i think i might be running about everywhere.

Paul

[windows_chepstow]

Isn't 4 or 8 weekly better (or every calandar month or every other calandar month) simpler?

[rosskesava]

I don't understand why a customer is somehow wrong for not wanting a 4 weekly clean.

If as a window cleaner you don't want to accept anything other than 4 weekly, then that is your choice but it doesn't make the customer some type of enemy.

We have customers we do do 2 weekly, 4 weekly, 8 weekly and some have longer intervals. We price accordingly. All I need to know is when they want their windows done and is the price worth it.

I have never ever really noticed the difference in time taken of doing a customers windows 4 weekly, 8 weekly or 12 weekly except we charge more for 8 or 12 weekly. So when a customer says every 2 or 3 months I'm more than happy.

The only type of customer who gets my goat is the one who I phone and arrange a day who then says when we turn up that for what ever reason 'not today'.

Anyway, how often does a 4 weekly clean end up being 5 weeks, 6 weeks or longer?

Cheers

[Sir Squeaky]

Anyway, how often does a 4 weekly clean end up being 5 weeks, 6 weeks or longer?

Exactly.
I'm rarely 4 weeks to the day.

A few wet days or some skiving and it's often 5 weeks.
I think in 8 years I've had about 2 or 3 people ask where I've been.

It's more a case of being spot-on and people saying "you're due already?"
That's when you start getting "not this month".....

[Moderator David@stives]

I am bang on time every month ,even down to the time of day on a 4 weekly cycle
If i get a day behind that means i have twice as much to do the next day and always get it done.

[rosskesava]

Dave

I bet your wife's happy. 

[Moderator David@stives]

Very Happy

She is married to me so that says it all

[rosskesava]

I can believe it. It's good to be bang on time.