Clean It Up
UK Window Cleaning Forum => Window Cleaning Forum => Topic started by: CLEANCARE WC on June 21, 2011, 09:26:03 pm
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I had a call last week in response to one of my leaflets someone wanting conny roof clean, nowhere near my work leaflet was delivered to his house in my area but he owns another house, anyhoo.. phones up again this morning asking when im coming (told him id have a look today) i explained im working nowhere near him and i would look on way home, he says "will you be able to do it then i have a woman coming tomo pm to take a photo of the garden cos im selling the house"
i said no sorry cant do it today to which he replys "well can i borrow an angled brush to do it myself" WHAT THE HELL ???
This isnt a reg custy ive never met him :o I decided to leave him hanging by this point i realised he was a complete idiot messer who wanted a last minute job and for next to nothing probably.
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Well deduced. I reckon you're bang in the money there old boy ;)
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I would've checked that his conservatory roof wasn't a big massive thing and then stated a £60 minimum charge, to hear how desperate he was.
Houses sell for hundreds of thousands of pounds, and he may consider £60 a small price to pay for a window cleaner who'll come out at short notice, but the potential return of some nice pictures for the estate agents window and a possible better opportunity at selling his house.
I don't automatically snub one-offs; for example I've got a small three-story town house booked to do; it's a rented property and part of the tenancy agreement for them prior to moving out is to have the windows cleaned.
I've charged £40 and they agreed; and it'll take about 20 minutes, and it's within a clump of houses I already clean.
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YOUR well out of order! You should have told him that you'll drop everything and get that pole & angle brush straight around - plus pure water if needed FOC (free of charge) Inell ;D ;D
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I would have don exactly what tosh said....no one is going to be able to do it at that short notice! If he didnt want it doing, fine, he isnt a regular custie so you wouldnt loose anything! Charge the idiot through the nose ;)
Danny
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I would've checked that his conservatory roof wasn't a big massive thing and then stated a £60 minimum charge, to hear how desperate he was.
Houses sell for hundreds of thousands of pounds, and he may consider £60 a small price to pay for a window cleaner who'll come out at short notice, but the potential return of some nice pictures for the estate agents window and a possible better opportunity at selling his house.
I don't automatically snub one-offs; I've got a small three-story town house booked to do; it's a rented property and part of the tenancy agreement for them prior to moving out is to have the windows cleaned.
I've charged £40 and they agreed; and it'll take about 20 minutes, and it's within a clump of houses I already clean.
i agree with all that tosh and would of liked to help him out, had he mentioned last week that he needed it done by today. it was when he asked to borrow "an angled brush" it got wierd and even if i had driven about 5 miles out of my way and gave him a quote he might not of wanted to pay..basically it was too much hassle today.
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YOUR well out of order! You should have told him that you'll drop everything and get that pole & angle brush straight around - plus pure water if needed FOC (free of charge) Inell ;D ;D
;D
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YOUR well out of order! You should have told him that you'll drop everything and get that pole & angle brush straight around - plus pure water if needed FOC (free of charge) Inell ;D ;D
sod that!!!
I'd have droped all my work that day and gone and done the job for free! and i'd probably give HIM a a few quid while i was there! ;D
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You tight git!
Just lend him your SLX, tell him to keep it as long as he needs it, then just leave tell him to leave it in his front garden and you`ll pick it up when you`re passing.
Come on, he is selling his house.
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I would've checked that his conservatory roof wasn't a big massive thing and then stated a £60 minimum charge, to hear how desperate he was.
Houses sell for hundreds of thousands of pounds, and he may consider £60 a small price to pay for a window cleaner who'll come out at short notice, but the potential return of some nice pictures for the estate agents window and a possible better opportunity at selling his house.
I don't automatically snub one-offs; I've got a small three-story town house booked to do; it's a rented property and part of the tenancy agreement for them prior to moving out is to have the windows cleaned.
I've charged £40 and they agreed; and it'll take about 20 minutes, and it's within a clump of houses I already clean.
i agree with all that tosh and would of liked to help him out, had he mentioned last week that he needed it done by today. it was when he asked to borrow "an angled brush" it got wierd and even if i had driven about 5 miles out of my way and gave him a quote he might not of wanted to pay..basically it was too much hassle today.
That's why you enquire over the phone as to how big his conservatory roof is - approx (just ask is it a small, medium, or big un') and then say a high number like £60 minimum charge - over the phone - to save a wasted 10 mile round trip.
It sounds like he was that desperate, he would've done it himself.
Sometimes, another tactic I use is to take the time to be totally honest:
"Look, I'll be honest with you, it's like this, I've loads of work on and if I came out to quote, you may say no - and that will be a wasted journey for me - and it's also a one off clean, so it's not like it's regular work; so to make it worth my while, my minimum charge will be £X if the property is as described!", and I'll then go onto to soften that with a bit of spiel about doing a top job and being experienced and fully insured.
A high percentage of the time they say "No thank you!", or "Can we get back to you?", but I do end up with a small amount of very well priced one-off cleans.
I think they're worth it.
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if he told me it was an urgent job before this morning he would of got it done, but to be honest i just wanted to get my reg work done today..i doubt very much he was the very big quick buck that got away. yep will prob state a min charge over the phone next time to seperate the wheat from the chaff..still think he was chaff ;D
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You tight git!
Just lend him your SLX, tell him to keep it as long as he needs it, then just leave tell him to leave it in his front garden and you`ll pick it up when you`re passing.
Come on, he is selling his house.
your the tight git g griffin!!!
If it was me i'd have GAVE him my pole AND my van, and few goes on my girlfriend why not? And i would have offered to go round his house on sunday morning to make him a top notch full english! :P
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You tight git!
Just lend him your SLX, tell him to keep it as long as he needs it, then just leave tell him to leave it in his front garden and you`ll pick it up when you`re passing.
Come on, he is selling his house.
your the tight git g griffin!!!
If it was me i'd have GAVE him my pole AND my van, and few goes on my girlfriend why not? And i would have offered to go round his house on sunday morning to make him a top notch full english! :P
Hmmm, you`re probably right; I was being a little mean but I hope your breakfasts are up to scratch.
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You have to learn to read their desperation. These types of one off can be worth a days pay if they are really desperate. "It's going to be expensive" should have been your reply, then his responce would have told you his state of desperation.
I'm sure if you had turned up and done it he would have paid whatever you invoiced him for.
There is no such thing as an awkward job/customer, simply an underpriced job.
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You tight git!
Just lend him your SLX, tell him to keep it as long as he needs it, then just leave tell him to leave it in his front garden and you`ll pick it up when you`re passing.
Come on, he is selling his house.
your the tight git g griffin!!!
If it was me i'd have GAVE him my pole AND my van, and few goes on my girlfriend why not? And i would have offered to go round his house on sunday morning to make him a top notch full english! :P
Hmmm, you`re probably right; I was being a little mean but I hope your breakfasts are up to scratch.
now you mention it im gonna have to pull out of the whole thing, as i just dont have confidence in my kitchen skills ;D
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Was doing a customers house yesterday 1st job of day and old bloke next door comes over and says do me a favour got bird poo on bathroom window and would I mind giving it a quick wipe but no money to pay as I'm a pensioner so for his cheek I said ok as a one off so does it then he says I will just take a look from the inside to make sure its all gone ..... Then tells me I missed a bit so does it again then he says how much do u charge ?? .... 10 quid I tells him ... 5 mins later he's asking me to the top 2 on front but got no money to pay u ... Told him I was too busy and to become a customer for anymore .... Must be going soft again
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Wow, Ian, I thought I was soft!
You sound a really good guy. Don't let them get away with that! He'll tell all his chums down at the day centre and you'll be a full time volunteer!
John.
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Had to do it for being so barefaced about it .... thought it was a test from up above and no dont mean Ionics ;D