Clean It Up
UK Window Cleaning Forum => Window Cleaning Forum => Topic started by: AuRavelling79 on September 27, 2013, 08:43:22 pm
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I regularly did a 30's detached for £20 for Mrs N and back in spring her car got dented by us which we fixed at a very reasonable cost of £100.
All seemed amicable but just before going in August Mr N phones and says he would like to cancel our services and as he caught me on the hop in the middle of a job I quickly but politely agreed and cheerily said no worries, extremely busy, I've got too much work on anyway, thanks for playing bye! see you around ... sort of thing.
I didn't get clever or cocky or shirty but put it down to the damaged car and wrote it off to experience without asking why.
So a couple of days later I'm doing the next door neighbour's and see a ladder man working on Mrs N's Gaff.
This is the painfully slow chap with the orange trainers and the 1991 Volvo estate I've mentioned working opposite me and because I'm sad I timed him as I'm working the road and he takes 90 minutes. (Two of us took 12 mins) I acknowledge him but don't get into a convo and that's that.
Anyway it irked me, especially losing it to a trad man in the middle of all my custies and so I wrote on my comp slip that if they wanted to go back on the books let me know and I would see what I could do.
I attached a "fact sheet" entitled "choosing your window cleaner" highlighting the dangers of ladder falls (google bath window cleaner fined £2000) and being properly insured and health and safety and fines and upvc frames being cleaned and really laid it on thick about why a properly used wfp is better and that a conscientious wc who is recommended is best and do you want just anyone tramping across your tiles looking in your bedroom windows etc. and what about those squeegee marks and smeary leaded lights and grit on the front door cills etc.
No response and I afterwards thought I'd been a bit of a chump banging on about a £20 account.
Fast forward two months and I notice the cills are a bit dirty and wonder whether the new wc is due but think no more of it.
This afternoon I get a text from Mrs N.
"Hello Malcolm, please can we restart our wc contract again? Every 8 weeks as before? And if so can you let me know when you will next be doing (our) Road?
Thank you, (first name) N, (address)"
What shall I say?
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Yes. You were quite keen before to have her back, so why the debate? Personally I would have just waved bye bye.
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Say yes but there has been a small increase in our prices since i last cleaned. Your new price is now £40 ;D
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I would probably ask them why they cancelled in the first place and then take it from there.
Andy
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No problem mrs "N" I have recently adjusted my prices (this second) your new price will be £24 8)
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Yes. You were quite keen before to have her back, so why the debate? Personally I would have just waved bye bye.
Nevertheless I have a decision to make.
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just pass her details on to me mr gold,i'll do err
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No problem mrs "N" I have recently adjusted my prices (this second) your new price will be £24 8)
+ 1
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I think it's a bit out of order that you used dirty tactics to get the trad guy sacked so you could nick the job back.
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Always good to hear of the orange trainer man! its a real art to work painfully slowly aND do a sh/tty job ,you cant fake that sort of talent
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I think it's a bit out of order that you used dirty tactics to get the trad guy sacked so you could nick the job back.
Dirty tactics ... ::)roll
Just pointing out the pitfalls of using a certain type of window cleaner ... i.e. one who might be uninsured, using unsafe work methods and doing a shoddy job.
And I don't know if I want the job back.
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You forgot . Signing on , and drinking on the job as well gold .
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Dump the slag.
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Always good to hear of the orange trainer man! its a real art to work painfully slowly aND do a sh/tty job ,you cant fake that sort of talent
;D ;D ;D
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Malc has offered to take her back, convienced her he should be her window cleaner, so he needs to honour that IMHO. If he was happy with the price he was charging her before it went pear shaped, then my advice would be to stick with it.
Sometimes customers need to experience bad before they appreciate the good.
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You should factor in many things before you decide to take her back on. Will you be prepared to be dumped at a moments notice again.
You might also want to calculate an increase in price, how will you do this. Think of the various incidents that would be factored into this.
1. The £100 car repair of the damage that you caused. If she's only every 8 weeks at an increase of £5 it's gonna take you at least 3 years to get your money back.
2. Cleaning the previous window cleaners soap off and the dirty sills. That's at least double first clean.
3. Ink and paper on the note that you posted through her door, ok she never asked for it but she must of known how you would react to the trad volvo based ladder monkey with orange trainers, it's like red rag to a bull.
4 The time you've spent writing above said note and also time spent speaking about her on this forum. Seeing as all window cleaners earn on average £1000/hr thats gonna take a few cleans to work off unless you are a very fast typist and therefor not wasted too much time.
5. Dignity, this is really priceless however seeing as you once drove around in a volvo estate that might have already gone before the incident.
I'm sure you will consider all of the above and say Yes Mrs N ill be round in December and the price is £20.
Simon. :)
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''Dear Mrs XXX, I am around your area as of the 13th of next month, I would be more than happy to take you back onto the round at a discounted price of £15.00, however after each clean I would like to receive a happy ending.'' look forward to seeing you :P
should do the trick
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Always good to hear of the orange trainer man! its a real art to work painfully slowly aND do a sh/tty job ,you cant fake that sort of talent
That's great ;D It'll keep me going for the next couple of weeks ;D ;D
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ask her why, she might start licking her lips. know what i mean. lol ;D
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Malc has offered to take her back, convienced her he should be her window cleaner, so he needs to honour that IMHO. If he was happy with the price he was charging her before it went pear shaped, then my advice would be to stick with it.
Sometimes customers need to experience bad before they appreciate the good.
Good advise
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If you didn't want her back on the books, or were not sure if you did..
Why did you take the time and trouble to diss the other cleaner and his methods??
Was you ego so large that you just had to show off and get the custard crawling to you?
Man up.... you got what you wanted ..... now clean the trollops windows..
;D ;D
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''so I wrote on my comp slip that if they wanted to go back on the books let me know and I would see what I could do.''
I would first ask why they cancelled.
Depending on the answer to that question I would most likely ''offer'' to take the job back on but charge double for a first clean and maybe say my prices have gone up slightly to £22 or £24.
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£20.00 is 20.00, would buy a couple of pints ;D ;D
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If you didn't want her back on the books, or were not sure if you did..
Why did you take the time and trouble to diss the other cleaner and his methods??
Was you ego so large that you just had to show off and get the custard crawling to you?
Man up.... you got what you wanted ..... now clean the trollops windows..
;D ;D
totally agree! :)
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Id take her back on. Customers=money and i like money.
Plus it will annoy the trad guy seeing you do them again.
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I wouldn't ever bother posting about a £20 account. Your poverty disgusts me, Mr Gold.
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If you didn't want her back on the books, or were not sure if you did..
Why did you take the time and trouble to diss the other cleaner and his methods??
I didn't; I don't know the other cleaner or his methods - I just stated that certain cleaners were not properly insured, used unsafe methods, did shoddy work and might not have the best of track records. Also the consequences of what might happen if she used such a person. The customer for some reason has decided to either check him out or not use him. Probably saw sense as presented by me!
Was you ego so large that you just had to show off and get the custard crawling to you?
I think you might be confusing having a large ego with having some self esteem. Not my problem really.
Man up.... you got what you wanted ..... now clean the trollops windows..
I'm pleasantly surprised at how my little note went down, didn't realise I could be so persuasive ... I don't view her as a trollop, why would I? Still don't know if I want to clean her windows tho'!
;D ;D
;D ;D ;D
>Tosh
I was going to just say that poverty is a concept and relative but on reflection I have to agree - £20 is a disgustingly pathetic sum of money to work for. ;D
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In my first or second year of window cleaning a lady customer messed me about with payment and then gave me a 'not this month, mate', so I dropped her from my round.
A few months later a 'for sale' sign is outside her house and she sees us working and comes running out. With a big smile (unusual) she says, "Can you do me this month?" and I said, "I can't, I'm sorry, I've got to be somewhere shortly, but I will clean your house next month". She was happy with that.
Next month came around and she comes running out - smiling - "You're doing our house today?"
And I sez, "Sorry, mate, not this month!" Her shoulders slumped - she knew she'd been had - and she stropped off.
I love a bit of schadenfreude.
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In my first or second year of window cleaning a lady customer messed me about with payment and then gave me a 'not this month, mate', so I dropped her from my round.
A few months later a 'for sale' sign is outside her house and she sees us working and comes running out. With a big smile (unusual) she says, "Can you do me this month?" and I said, "I can't, I'm sorry, I've got to be somewhere shortly, but I will clean your house next month". She was happy with that.
Next month came around and she comes running out - smiling - "You're doing our house today?"
And I sez, "Sorry, mate, not this month!" Her shoulders slumped - she knew she'd been had - and she stropped off.
I love a bit of schadenfreude.
haha classic! I will have to remember this