Clean It Up
UK Window Cleaning Forum => Window Cleaning Forum => Topic started by: AuRavelling79 on October 23, 2012, 04:32:26 pm
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Sorry it's a bit long winded - if I knew how I'd draw a diagram! ;D
The properties:-
A row of 1970-ish 3 storey town houses with a block of three flats attached to one end.
I clean 5 out of 8 of the terrace and the middle flat on the end. Plus one detached house opposite.
If the custies are in I take the hose through the house and do the backs; if the immediate neighbour is in I drop the hose and pole over the fence, walk back through and do the next property.
Every one cooperates and it works well; until today.
At the backs at the end with the block of flats attached I have the following to clean:-
The immediately adjoining town house to the block of flats I don't clean but have their permission to use my ladder to go through the garden to the next town house if the owners (Mr S) of said house are out and the backs want doing.
So I clean my custy (Mrs M in the flats) hop over two low fences and clean Mr S's rear windows.
Mrs M sees me and tells me off:-
Mrs M (Remember she is my custy too.) "You shouldn't be doing that ..."
Me "It's ok, the owners have given me permission to go through."
Mrs M "But you shouldn't climb over the fence..."
Me "I've used my gate ladder so I won't damage it and the owners have said I can go through"
Mrs M "But they only rent it ..."
Me "Do you own it?"
Mrs M "No, but you should only use our gardens (the communal garden for the block of flats I guess she means) to access our windows"
Me "What harm am I doing? Is the fence yours?"
Mrs M "No but we've (flat owners?) had a meeting and you should only use the main gate to access and exit our property, not the other gate or the fence."
Me "Mrs M, I'm just trying to do my job properly, the householder lets me go over the fence, your neighbour lets me go over the fence and it is their fence, they're low and I'm doing no harm, what is the problem?"
Mrs M "You should only use my (the communal flats) garden to clean my windows and you should stick to my path and not go onto the gravel to do that."
Me "So you want me to stand directly beneath your window, looking into your neighbour's below who doesn't have his windows done and not to stand on your gravel; and when I've done that I mustn't go over the adjoining fence which belongs to the neighbour's house to clean Mr S's windows?"
Mrs M "Yes."
Me "That doesn't seem very neighbourly to me Mrs M; I'm simply trying to carry out a service causing the least disruption and I feel you're being obstructive for no good reason."
Mrs M "Well we don't want you climbing over the fence from our property."
Me Shakes head and walks away.
So I've learned not to do an immediate dump so as I can either not go back, or carry on, or see what my mood is next time it happens.
Dan the Man advises I just carry on and wait for her to moan again and if she does, dump her. But of course when I do that I have no legitimate reason to go into the flats communal garden. That's not a huge problem as 4 times out of 5 the custy (Mr S.) is in and I can take the hose through. I could just do the fronts.
Wha-joo-lot-fink?
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Tell her you don't like the look of her curtains, they are giving you sore eye's and to stop talking to your ear's like that. They are your ear's and you don't want them talking to like that. Futhermore, unless she changes her curtain's, you will not be back.
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I'd carry on if she complains again, dump.
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Tell mrs M to find something more important going on in the world to moan about...
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Dump the lot and get some easy access jobs. I don't even do link detached houses or any house where the customer has to be in.
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Tell her you don't like the look of her curtains, they are giving you sore eye's and to stop talking to your ear's like that. They are your ear's and you don't want them talking to like that. Futhermore, unless she changes her curtain's, you will not be back.
We need a like button !
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your new lad has a better ,fresher perspective-id take his advice on these matters , your own eyes are jaded from years of underhand customer abuse
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Sorry Gold, I set out with good intentions of offering you some sage pointers vis your dilema. However I didn't find my way far past "Sorry" and by the time I had come across "long winded" I had lost interest almost entirely.
Probably the best thing to do is get up and wash something. Just be sure that every day you get out of bed and wash stuff...............it works for me... ;)
I saw your old trolley the other day, it has a good home at a stable, with a steady supply of fit young honies who tug it about twice daily. I hope I get such a good retirement.
foggy day.
L
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Dump the lot and get some easy access jobs. I don't even do link detached houses or any house where the customer has to be in.
agree or is it "bump" never understood that
add up the collective value and this week end go out and canvass that amount and dump,sell or select the ones you can do without any hassle
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take some cake for her next time n mix in some wacci bacci .it works every time.but give it her at her front door .by the time u get round the back .she will be sleeping .or dancing to guns n roses ;D
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I just don`t understand these busybodies just to make life difficult.I just want to tell them to ......off.I had this guy wanting me to compensate him for washing his front door by mistake.then I had this women through obstetrical s in the ally were need to work through and when I fell and ended in A&E she fired me. I just don`t understand these pain in the but people.SO PEOPLE JUST WANT TO F YOU AROUND.
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??? its a wierd one perhaps a good paying customer but basically from what i gather she wants to stop you going over her fence for no good reason , in return making your life harder so for that reason i would dump as for the others turn em into fronts as you may not have access as she wont be a customer
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I carry a 3 ft peace of pole in me van
And lift the fence up, wedge it, and go under
instead of going over
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Interesting takes here folks - thanks. I like robertphil's "jaded" one and Paul Coleman's - they have the ring of truth to them!
I've no need to dump it all - it's compact. Worth £125 for an hour and 30 mins work for two men when I go through the houses. With no other van moves. So that equates to £41/42 per man per hour which is fine.
If I dump Mrs M I lose £12 and can still go through the houses when custies are home and do fronts only when they are not at two-thirds the price.
I think I'll just not do Mrs M's windows and wait for her to ask me why.
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I was going to say, just do the fronts at a slightly reduced price (or the same price).
They've created a problem, let them find a solution, agreeable to you both.
Don't dump, let them dump you, if it comes to it.
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Interesting takes here folks - thanks. I like robertphil's "jaded" one and Paul Coleman's - they have the ring of truth to them!
I've no need to dump it all - it's compact. Worth £125 for an hour and 30 mins work for two men when I go through the houses. With no other van moves. So that equates to £41/42 per man per hour which is fine.
If I dump Mrs M I lose £12 and can still go through the houses when custies are home and do fronts only when they are not at two-thirds the price.
I think I'll just not do Mrs M's windows and wait for her to ask me why.
That sounds like the right answer to me. When she stops getting hers done it may sort out the problem. ;D
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Interesting takes here folks - thanks. I like robertphil's "jaded" one and Paul Coleman's - they have the ring of truth to them!
I've no need to dump it all - it's compact. Worth £125 for an hour and 30 mins work for two men when I go through the houses. With no other van moves. So that equates to £41/42 per man per hour which is fine.
If I dump Mrs M I lose £12 and can still go through the houses when custies are home and do fronts only when they are not at two-thirds the price.
I think I'll just not do Mrs M's windows and wait for her to ask me why.
I would also do that, I dont like working for people like that. It seems they are only happy when they are miserable.
To make it sweeter I would knock all the remaining doors to see if any of them need a cleaner. When was the last time you asked them?
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Gold
You are just like one of my kids, they never listen
The lady said "no" they have had a meeting and have decided that they don't want you climbing of the gate simples.
It's there property and they can make any decision they like, even ones that may seem unreasonable to you.
She has made a decision, so respect that and find another solution, simples
Anyway you shouldn't be climbing fences at your age
Yeah but, yeah but, yeah but
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Gold
You are just like one of my kids, they never listen
The lady said "no" they have had a meeting and have decided that they don't want you climbing of the gate simples.
It's there property and they can make any decision they like, even ones that may seem unreasonable to you.
She has made a decision, so respect that and find another solution, simples
Anyway you shouldn't be climbing fences at your age
Yeah but, yeah but, yeah but
Do you think one of your kids doesn't listen to you because you don't take the time to understand their concerns, Dave?
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Really ! ;D
The lady said "No"
You have to work around that
What else is there ?
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I would comply with Mrs M and just do the fronts of the house in question. Tell the custy why you weren't able to access the backs, and let her sort it out with Mrs M.
Seems little sense in losing £125 worth of work for the sake of the back of one house imho.
John
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I would say the answer depends on if you want be "professional" or wind up merchant about it ;D
Professional then you would comply with her requests.
or
wind up...... you could do one of 2 things .... skip her and do rest (if thats possible)
or
skip her , do fronts of terraces and when terrace customers complain point them in the direction of Mrs S
If you can just do the terraces fronts and back then I would just do that and skip her as life is too short and hopefully too busy to try and accomerdate all customers.
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I think I'll just not do Mrs M's windows and wait for her to ask me why.
When she does ask I would explain that your round is full to capacity and due to the extra time it now takes you to do the rear of the terraces you no longer have time to clean her windows!
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I think I'll just not do Mrs M's windows and wait for her to ask me why.
When she does ask I would explain that your round is full to capacity and due to the extra time it now takes you to do the rear of the terraces you no longer have time to clean her windows!
Nice one! That's the one for me.
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Really ! ;D
The lady said "No"
You have to work around that
What else is there ?
Sorry Dave, I didn't notice your post at the top of the page 2 - you obviously haven't found time (understandably) to read the whole post and so I guess you "shot from the hip". I understand the need to work around "the lady" - I was simply working out the best way of doing so.
But thanks for your time even if I didn't find your reply as helpful as most of the others who took time from their busy schedules to offer advice.
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explain to that lady that if you honor her wishes that it will take you much more time and inconvenience and therefore every bodies prices will go up. let her know also that you will inform everyone that shes the one not playing ball which has caused your price change - that will get the neighbors talking lol
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Hi Malcolm
Your welcome, anytime
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Why not knock on her door an offer her a tract?
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Why not knock on her door an offer her a tract?
[/quote
????
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Why not knock on her door an offer her a tract?
Brilliant idea. May I suggest the one titled 'Would you like to know the truth?' ;D
John
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Gold
You are just like one of my kids, they never listen
The lady said "no" they have had a meeting and have decided that they don't want you climbing of the gate simples.
It's there property and they can make any decision they like, even ones that may seem unreasonable to you.
She has made a decision, so respect that and find another solution, simples
Anyway you shouldn't be climbing fences at your age
Yeah but, yeah but, yeah but
Do you think one of your kids doesn't listen to you because you don't take the time to understand their concerns, Dave?
No, it's because he says "simples" a lot.
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Why not knock on her door an offer her a tract?
Brilliant idea. May I suggest the one titled 'Would you like to know the truth?' ;D
John
;D
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I love arguing with people that tell my I can't do something where I just did ;D I would continue as normal and ignore her, you can't do that, yes I can look I just did ;D
had an old dear tell me I couldn't walk between cars without scratching them so I walked between them three times and said I just did ;D then continued with my work
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I remember a custy I had a few years ago. She lived in an upstairs flat. the lady on the ground floor (a retired spinster librarian with the usual expected level of people skills) owned the garden. She had plants, bushes and pots all over the place. She stood and watched my every move to ensure I didn't touch any of them (an impossibility). She would draw loud sharp intakes of breath whenever I touched anything. Furthermore, where I needed to place the ladders were bumps and mounds, meaning I couldn't place the ladders level. It was a royal pain in the rear and I suffered a few months of this before I told my custy I couldn't do it any more.
I also recall, while cleaning the house next door some time after, I saw her trip over the pots. I was shaking with suppressed laughter, but not suppressed enough for her to fail to realize that I had clocked the whole thing!
John
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Why not knock on her door an offer her a tract?
Brilliant idea. May I suggest the one titled 'Would you like to know the truth?' ;D
John
;D
Interesting thought chaps - perhaps you'd like to explain what it's about?