[Stoots]

imo far too much conversation and fannying from the start on your part.

Should have been "hi, will be round to clean your windows tomorrow please can you leave gate unlocked, thanks"

her - can i have quarterly in future?

yes thats fine, thanks see you in 3 months

you - "hi, will be round to clean your windows tomorrow, please leave gate unlocked, thanks"

her - no reply

you - go clean them anyway, if can get to back bill her for front and tell her why

her - can i have  6 monthly?

you - no sorry, will remove you from round thank

bye

[nathankaye]

Sorry, I have to be blunt!
Your a full grown feller arent you. Why you on here looking for aproval!!??
The same desperate way in which it comes accross to the customers. And signing for any customers parcels is a massive NO NO in case your wondering. How wud u like ur bin cleaner to sign for your gardiner delivery of a new pole!! You numpty!! At end of day, you run a business. Its nice to have a professional relationship with the customers but never be fooled into thinking more than what we are. A service! Which they can drop whenever theg choose to! So treat it as such. Clean 2wks or 4wks if wish have some 8wks. But Man, take charge of your business and be confident of the excellent service you do. If she dont want it, some one else will!

[AuRavelling79]

Sorry, I have to be blunt!
Your a full grown feller arent you. Why you on here looking for aproval!!??
The same desperate way in which it comes accross to the customers. And signing for any customers parcels is a massive NO NO in case your wondering. How wud u like ur bin cleaner to sign for your gardiner delivery of a new pole!! You numpty!! At end of day, you run a business. Its nice to have a professional relationship with the customers but never be fooled into thinking more than what we are. A service! Which they can drop whenever theg choose to! So treat it as such. Clean 2wks or 4wks if wish have some 8wks. But Man, take charge of your business and be confident of the excellent service you do. If she dont want it, some one else will!

Get off the fence and tell us how you really feel.

[supernova77]

I hate customers like that!

Do you text all customers before their clean?

Andy

[Marc Stock]

Sorry, I have to be blunt!
Your a full grown feller arent you. Why you on here looking for aproval!!??
The same desperate way in which it comes accross to the customers. And signing for any customers parcels is a massive NO NO in case your wondering. How wud u like ur bin cleaner to sign for your gardiner delivery of a new pole!! You numpty!! At end of day, you run a business. Its nice to have a professional relationship with the customers but never be fooled into thinking more than what we are. A service! Which they can drop whenever theg choose to! So treat it as such. Clean 2wks or 4wks if wish have some 8wks. But Man, take charge of your business and be confident of the excellent service you do. If she dont want it, some one else will!

Flip me if that isn't a kick up the bum, I don't know what is.

[Walter Mitty]

I've lost two long-standing customers in recent months because they both started messing about in a way that looked like it would have been repeated.  I understood their needs, but those needs were not compatible with me running a viable business.
Customer 1 sent me away because he and his girlfriend were sunbathing in the back garden.  The conversation left me in a situation where I could be sent away from future cleans if I were to turn up if it's sunny.  Also, he wanted me to return the following week, by which time I would be working in another area a few miles away.
Customer 2 adopted a couple of dogs from the dog refuge.  I was sent away because she was concerned that I would upset the dogs because they had previously been mistreated.
Both jobs were ones where I set up just for them, though they were both within a quarter mile of other work.  Both jobs had been good customers who paid promptly by BACS.  Both customers wrote to me to drop me - quite a relief because I kept tossing it to and fro in my mind.  Customer 2 actually ended up paying me for the clean I didn't do (I didn't ask for it), so that gives an idea of how things were.
The trouble is, whenever I am sent away from a job with no notice, potentially that is money lost on that day because there may not be other work in the area that I can tack on to the day.  Sometimes it is possible, but I've still wasted a few minutes turning up and being sent away.
With both jobs, it wasn't so much about being sent away.  It was because the reasons given had the potential to become repeat reasons.  Customer 2 wrote saying that she had taken on another window cleaner.  I only hope he uses WFP as the decking at the back was lethal.
It may be that some window cleaners are happy to turn up and not be able to work.  I'm not.

[Perfect Windows]

Don't lose sleep over them.

IMO the most important statement on here.  Customers come and customers go.  If you have a good reason (as you do) for dropping them, drop them and forget them.  I don't know how long you've been in business but when I started I was worried with everyone who cancelled us and worried if I had to drop someone.  Nowadays, I have to push the franchisees to adopt that attitude.  Hold onto the good ones, they are solid gold but the bad ones will either drop you or you them; they aren't worth a moment's worry.

Customers: They are as leaves in the wind.

Vin

[ascjim]

Never ask if you can clean the windows! Tell them!

Our text from CP:

Dear Customer, we will be arriving tomorrow to clean your windows or gutters. Regards, The PureWash Team. 07521573165 | 01392 409119 |  www.purewash-sw.co.uk | THIS IS AN AUTOMATED MESSAGE. PLEASE DO NOT RESPOND.

[Steven Biggs]

Had one similar to yours gold . Picked em up just as they were moving in the new house . All smiles yes clean em every 4 weeks lovely . Turns up 4 weeks later , new gate on the back locked up . So I cleaned the front and wrote on the slip the price . Got a text . Access to the rear windows will only be available Tuesday and Thursday between 2pm and 5 pm . Please do not call any other times . .  ;Dyeh  right .

[Blackadder]

I have one of those custy's at the moment, big house once a month, then it was 8 weekly,  then quarterly, when the quarterly came up in November, he was like 'what with the weather, can we leave it for a couple of months '


GOODBYE.

[dazmond]

had one yesterday "can you leave them til april now(monthly clean £20) and dont clean them at all in winter in future as its not worth it,just every now and then when i think they need doing".this is on a row of 12 houses(most of them monthly cleans)

he was in a rush so didnt get chance to reply(its was also pouring down with rain).

so im gonna tell him i can offer him a 2 monthly frequency(at a higher price) all year round or a monthly clean in spring/summer and 2 monthly in winter.im not just stopping in winter!take it or leave.

he s been messing about changing frequencies for a while now.thing is its an easy £20 for 25 mins work right near a compact run of other well priced jobs.

if he wont accept one of the above i wont hesitate to dump him though.

[Walter Mitty]

I got a note with payment saying - (no please) "No cleaning before 11 am and only call Tuesday to Friday." I just never went back. In fact being the tetchy git I am I called in the road at 9 am and "deliberately" missed them out. Out comes Mr. "I've got my tackle in budgie smugglers so don't call" and asks me to clean.

Sorry mate it's 10.30. Not supposed to do yours before 11 am  and I'll be gone by then. Maybe next time. (Or never.)

I bet you really enjoyed the bit that I've reddened.

[Johnny B]

I got a note with payment saying - (no please) "No cleaning before 11 am and only call Tuesday to Friday." I just never went back. In fact being the tetchy git I am I called in the road at 9 am and "deliberately" missed them out. Out comes Mr. "I've got my tackle in budgie smugglers so don't call" and asks me to clean.

Sorry mate it's 10.30. Not supposed to do yours before 11 am  and I'll be gone by then. Maybe next time. (Or never.)

I bet you really enjoyed the bit that I've reddened.

I did. It's a personality flaw of mine which I work on when I feel more secure about myself; which isn't often enough! 

Did you remember to flounce Malc?

John

[lee_dewing]

Hi  Marc I've signed for customers parcels

I only have one customer I do every 3 month's, that's for a good days money.

Was offering bi-monthly but even stopped doing that now unless its £50 upwards.

I suffer with confidence and you can get a verbal kicking on here

Since having Nat do my website it's been a real boost it's made me realise my worth and not afraid to increase my prices, dump custies.

Never took to much poop from custies.

I think the more frequencies you offer the more difficult life becomes.

I only offer monthly 90% of the time the odd bi monthly and quartely are odd ones in roads where I don't have any other work.

I can't see the point in saving customers money when I'm getting regular enquiries, I do even filter these down before I quote with a couple of questions.

I know its your business Marc but I think giving pre fixed dates for next clean is stressful but I won't work in rain unless really necessary.

Lee.

I text quite a few but now repeat offenders for locked gates are asked for a key or there sacked.

Got 3 I will probably lose,  cleaned for 7 years due to a burglary in the road they've all padlocked up.

I have climbed over in the past rather than lose money but they are not the easiest to get over!
Not risking my legs, ankles anymore.

Left said customers notes about keys, think I will add the option of 75% charge as one if the guys said for padlocked  gates.