Clean It Up
UK Window Cleaning Forum => Window Cleaning Forum => Topic started by: Suffolkcleaners on March 17, 2014, 04:15:27 pm
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Time for a rant... Had this custie I cleaned for a few years but the problem was (as I'm sure some of u go through the same s***)they keep the back gate padlocked. It was agreed that I would text them the night before and they would leave open and leave the cheque under a plant pot(which was never left). Time and time and time again I would text and the gate was still locked.. SO sometimes I would just do the front and other times they might be in(only the wife)but husband controls the money so she could never pay.. So maybe 2 or 3 cleans would go by without payment.. Anyway the last time I cleaned (sometime last year) they owed me 3 cleans and I text him to say can you please leave under plant pot around the back and he agreed.... Get a call from him during the day I was scheduled to clean and he said he is going out now and doesn't want to leave cheque under plant pot cos it was a windy day..... WTF!! the plant pot weighed a ton(it was a solid ceramic plant pot)
Anyway luckily I was just around the corner so I got in car and rushed to the house and just caught them getting in car and he paid me the cheque in person.... Anyway I thought 'NO MORE'.... So I stopped going..
Approx 10 months later I get a text saying ' Hi,you used to clean my windows and they are filthy and was wondering if you are in business still' So I basically told him the reason I stopped coming and he said he agreed with the points I made and didn't realise that was the reason I stopped coming.
I then basically said I will need payment on the day or if you can leave money out or cheque... He then says he doesn't like to leave a cheque out and I'm thinking... why the hell didn't you say that.... He said leave me your bank details and I can transfer at which point I said '' My bank details were always on the bill and any previous bills I put through your door'' Obviously thinking to myself why the hell didn't you transfer previously.
So we have left it as I will resume next time I'm in area and he says he will pay within a few days of me doing it or if I could come on a Tuesday or Thursday cos his wife is home(although she never paid anyway)
I now(as I'm hitting a point in my life where it's zero tolerance now)will give him one more chance and if one payment is late(as in not paid before the next clean)I will dump with immediate effect.
Now am I being harsh? I just find the longer that I've been in this game the less patience and tolerance I have to late payers :-)
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Whether you think you're being harsh or not is irrelvant...
You're obviously not happy with this customer and so by starting again you'll only start cleaning his windows with a negative outlook of said customer from the beginning.
So if anything minor happens, in your head you'll just get more miffed...
Basically i'm saying that seeing as he's already pi55ed you off, you'll just find it easier to get pi55ed off with him again so why put yourself through it?
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same as don :)
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Whether you think you're being harsh or not is irrelvant...
You're obviously not happy with this customer and so by starting again you'll only start cleaning his windows with a negative outlook of said customer from the beginning.
So if anything minor happens, in your head you'll just get more miffed...
Basically i'm saying that seeing as he's already pi55ed you off, you'll just fund it easier to get pi55ed off with him again so why put yourself through it?
+1
Once a PIA always a PIA
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WHY TAKE HIM BACK ON!?
I am annoyed just after reading the story, typical customer who does not RESPECT or APPRECIATE what you do.
Years ago I would put up with crap like this, not any more.
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Agreed. I can't think of any customer that's gotten on my moobs that've transformed into a good customer after I've dropped them and then taken them back on.
It's easier just to find more customers.
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Sounds like he does not value your efforts to keep his windows clean so cant be arsed to pay for the service.
Unless your short of work the answer is ..... NEXT CUSTOMER PLEASE !!!
Zero tolerance has worked for me for last 2 years ............ but you still go the odd good customer going bandit or the newly canvassed stuff not wanting to play the game ;)
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I think I will say to him that I need him to leave cheque out or I won't do it-simple as ::)roll
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If you wanna keep him. Prepayment. Only way.
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Have text him saying
Hi... Have reflected on our conversation and I'm afraid the only way I will agree to clean the windows is if the gate is guaranteed to be unlocked, I will text the night before and the cash or cheque left out..... I am a small business and have loads of customers who are happy with this arrangement... I'm sorry to sound harsh but this is how I work. If your happy with these terms then of course I will resume(afterall u have known me a few years now-so shouldn't be a problem with trust)but if these terms do not suit then I'm afraid it's best to find another window cleaner... Sorry if that's abit harsh but the amount of times I previously put bills through the door(with bank details on)and it still didn't work. So payment on day if u want to proceed.. Kind Regards.......
Is this ok? Well too late now already sent ::)roll
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Time for a rant... Had this custie I cleaned for a few years but the problem was (as I'm sure some of u go through the same s***)they keep the back gate padlocked. It was agreed that I would text them the night before and they would leave open and leave the cheque under a plant pot(which was never left). Time and time and time again I would text and the gate was still locked.. SO sometimes I would just do the front and other times they might be in(only the wife)but husband controls the money so she could never pay.. So maybe 2 or 3 cleans would go by without payment.. Anyway the last time I cleaned (sometime last year) they owed me 3 cleans and I text him to say can you please leave under plant pot around the back and he agreed.... Get a call from him during the day I was scheduled to clean and he said he is going out now and doesn't want to leave cheque under plant pot cos it was a windy day..... WTF!! the plant pot weighed a ton(it was a solid ceramic plant pot)
Anyway luckily I was just around the corner so I got in car and rushed to the house and just caught them getting in car and he paid me the cheque in person.... Anyway I thought 'NO MORE'.... So I stopped going..
Approx 10 months later I get a text saying ' Hi,you used to clean my windows and they are filthy and was wondering if you are in business still' So I basically told him the reason I stopped coming and he said he agreed with the points I made and didn't realise that was the reason I stopped coming.
I then basically said I will need payment on the day or if you can leave money out or cheque... He then says he doesn't like to leave a cheque out and I'm thinking... why the hell didn't you say that.... He said leave me your bank details and I can transfer at which point I said '' My bank details were always on the bill and any previous bills I put through your door'' Obviously thinking to myself why the hell didn't you transfer previously.
So we have left it as I will resume next time I'm in area and he says he will pay within a few days of me doing it or if I could come on a Tuesday or Thursday cos his wife is home(although she never paid anyway)
I now(as I'm hitting a point in my life where it's zero tolerance now)will give him one more chance and if one payment is late(as in not paid before the next clean)I will dump with immediate effect.
Now am I being harsh? I just find the longer that I've been in this game the less patience and tolerance I have to late payers :-)
GO-CARDLESS......job done
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If you wanna keep him. Prepayment. Only way.
I agree.
And if the gate's locked it's their problem. Full amount for the fronts.
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Have text him saying
Hi... Have reflected on our conversation and I'm afraid the only way I will agree to clean the windows is if the gate is guaranteed to be unlocked, I will text the night before and the cash or cheque left out..... I am a small business and have loads of customers who are happy with this arrangement... I'm sorry to sound harsh but this is how I work. If your happy with these terms then of course I will resume(afterall u have known me a few years now-so shouldn't be a problem with trust)but if these terms do not suit then I'm afraid it's best to find another window cleaner... Sorry if that's abit harsh but the amount of times I previously put bills through the door(with bank details on)and it still didn't work. So payment on day if u want to proceed.. Kind Regards.......
Is this ok? Well too late now already sent ::)roll
Take it you're sorry for being harsh...?
think the terms you put down are fair enough, trust is a two way thing
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Not sorry as such but just abit polite me lol. Didn't want it to come across aggressive or anything... Isn't it funny how one problem customer can make us windies feel like s*** for the rest of the day... I know a lot of u will say don't let them but easier said than done... I swear they just see us as someone who cleans the dirt of there windows and no thought about the fact that we need paid.... What if they weren't paid at the end of the month?
Luckily most of my custies are great but again(from previous posts)funny how us windies sense a problem custie from the offset... and sometimes the signs aren't even obvious(must be a sixth sense us windies have lol)
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Time for a rant... Had this custie I cleaned for a few years but the problem was (as I'm sure some of u go through the same s***)they keep the back gate padlocked. It was agreed that I would text them the night before and they would leave open and leave the cheque under a plant pot(which was never left). Time and time and time again I would text and the gate was still locked.. SO sometimes I would just do the front and other times they might be in(only the wife)but husband controls the money so she could never pay.. So maybe 2 or 3 cleans would go by without payment.. Anyway the last time I cleaned (sometime last year) they owed me 3 cleans and I text him to say can you please leave under plant pot around the back and he agreed.... Get a call from him during the day I was scheduled to clean and he said he is going out now and doesn't want to leave cheque under plant pot cos it was a windy day..... WTF!! the plant pot weighed a ton(it was a solid ceramic plant pot)
Anyway luckily I was just around the corner so I got in car and rushed to the house and just caught them getting in car and he paid me the cheque in person.... Anyway I thought 'NO MORE'.... So I stopped going..
Approx 10 months later I get a text saying ' Hi,you used to clean my windows and they are filthy and was wondering if you are in business still' So I basically told him the reason I stopped coming and he said he agreed with the points I made and didn't realise that was the reason I stopped coming.
I then basically said I will need payment on the day or if you can leave money out or cheque... He then says he doesn't like to leave a cheque out and I'm thinking... why the hell didn't you say that.... He said leave me your bank details and I can transfer at which point I said '' My bank details were always on the bill and any previous bills I put through your door'' Obviously thinking to myself why the hell didn't you transfer previously.
So we have left it as I will resume next time I'm in area and he says he will pay within a few days of me doing it or if I could come on a Tuesday or Thursday cos his wife is home(although she never paid anyway)
I now(as I'm hitting a point in my life where it's zero tolerance now)will give him one more chance and if one payment is late(as in not paid before the next clean)I will dump with immediate effect.
Now am I being harsh? I just find the longer that I've been in this game the less patience and tolerance I have to late payers :-)
GO-CARDLESS......job done
+1
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Post his number on here, so we can abuse him ;D
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Don't get people to leave payment under plantpots. You are asking for trouble.
I am slowly rolling out gocardless. It does have it's disadvantages and limitations but is ideal for this kind of customer.
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Run Forrest, Run!
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If I dump a customer I never take them back on .
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Can't make a silk purse from a pig's ear mate. Bad custies never change. Just get a proper customer instead of mongs like him.
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To be honest, if it was me I'd probably say as long as the money is paid before the next clean and gate is open ill crack on.
Never let people's attitudes (within reason) stop you from putting their money in your pocket.
If he hadn't paid, don't clean them.
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Thanks guys and jonny I agree. He just text me and apologised for the amount of times he failed to leave the gate open and he has put a reminder on his phone each month to leave the gate open at the start of the week I'm due to come. He has also said he will set up a standing order for a certain date each month.... I suggested set it up for the first day of the week I'm due each month and he has agreed.
Maybe I was abit harsh? End of the day it's easy to just see it from our points of view,maybe he had stuff going on in his life and just genuinely forgot to leave gate open.
Anyway I think he knows now I will not tolerate it again so maybe he will turn into a good customer afterall. Time will tell. :)