Clean It Up
UK Window Cleaning Forum => Window Cleaning Forum => Topic started by: lee_dewing on December 21, 2016, 07:23:43 am
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Got a customer.
Husband and wife.
Cleaned their windows for about 7yrs.
You know the type makes teas and coffees.
Always makes some chat, recommended me to others (although that's never come to anything ;D).
Basically owes 3xcleans £54.
Husband is a mortgage broker had a mental breakdown 18 months ago but been working from home.
Always paid.
This October wife texts me to say husband has unexpectedly gone away and its easier to pay cash.
So October clean done knock for cash told, money will be transferred.
Text wife November"lee window cleaner coming tomorrow"
"great will pay you cash"
Same knock no money, will transfer!
All the same December clean, wife says in all day will pay cash definitely.
Politely said to wife yesterday"oh I thought you were paying cash today"
::)roll see her face twitching"I transfer money been so busy"
Guessed husband has pee'd off in October but before you know it see owes £54.
So what do you think polite text reminder end of 1st week in January.
Then a week later polite letter.
Then Thomas Higgins letter a week after that.
I only ask as this customer has been long-term and obviously wife's hit troubled times.
When do you not feel sorry anymore in this position.
Merry Christmas 🎅 everyone.
Have a nice break all.
Lee.
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Good looker ?
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Run it like a business, feeling sorry for customers gets you into a position where you are working for free.
In the past , if a custy hasn't paid by the end of the month , I txt ' hiya , can you transfer window cleaning money please? Any problems, please let me know '
After 3 late payments , I knew something was wrong, £25 custy . The first 2 months he said really sorry I forgot, 3rd month - really sorry we just can't afford it anymore, we've seen an extendable pole with a squeegee on it in Aldi for £19.99 😂😂😂😂🤣🤣🤣🤣
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Leave it a couple of months wait until she gets in touch with you which she will eventually it's happened to me before when windows start looking dirty she will be chasing you for them cleaning and will probably pay you in full
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Good looker ?
Depends if you like pretty petite women. :-X ;D
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Jk999
Yep I suppose, not contact.
Then when in road next NOT CLEAN pop payment reminder through door.
"silence is golden"
Then Thomas Higgins.
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first of all i wouldnt of gone to 3 cleans at £18 a pop(2 cleans without payment max).
id keep chasing it every time im around cleaning the other houses around hers or send her a text reminder every week until she pays.
2 of my customers have been evicted recently(2 cottages next to each other through no fault of their own!)as their landlord hadnt been paying the mortgage! ::)roll they were paying a grand a month each too in rent. :'(
sometimes you dont know whats going on in peoples/customers lives. ::)roll
also i find sometimes when a partner leaves the other one is either crap at sorting their finances out as their partner used to do it all or their just absolutely skint/in debt etc. ::)roll
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Agree with all that Daz.
Yep usually don't go over 2 cleans.
More fool me. ::)roll
But seemed harsh slamming on the anchors after 2 cleans, with years of history (should not be to friendlily, but don't want to be curt with people).
In 13 years I can honestly say I'm surprised if I've lost more that £50.
That's usually down to the customer dying.
(not gonna chase that).
Even though xmas tips sliding of still quids in.
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2x only is my rule. 1x if the customer is already a bit dodgy.
On the positive side I've also had dodgy customers become good ones.
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If she's a looker say I take cash transfer or kind 😂
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If she's a looker say I take cash transfer or kind 😂
Nah, get your money first.
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Pay no attention to the bitches on here, when they are not blowing about their impressive incomes they're crying about
loosing peanuts. lol.
I think you know when somebody is being genuine and it then becomes a case of trying to get blood out of a stone, going by your
info I would let it go, shake her hand, wish her a happier new year and ask her to pay when she can, and maybe she might pay you back someday when her situation improves.
Either way you wont be making somebodies horrendous year even worse for the sake of a few quid, like you said how often does
it happen.
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Pay no attention to the bitches on here, when they are not blowing about their impressive incomes they're crying about
loosing peanuts. lol.
I think you know when somebody is being genuine and it then becomes a case of trying to get blood out of a stone, going by your
info I would let it go, shake her hand, wish her a happier new year and ask her to pay when she can, and maybe she might pay you back someday when her situation improves.
Either way you wont be making somebodies horrendous year even worse for the sake of a few quid, like you said how often does
it happen.
+1. It's only 50 quid, the goodwill it MIGHT create is well worth that.
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Pay no attention to the bitches on here, when they are not blowing about their impressive incomes they're crying about
loosing peanuts. lol.
I think you know when somebody is being genuine and it then becomes a case of trying to get blood out of a stone, going by your
info I would let it go, shake her hand, wish her a happier new year and ask her to pay when she can, and maybe she might pay you back someday when her situation improves.
Either way you wont be making somebodies horrendous year even worse for the sake of a few quid, like you said how often does
it happen.
OMFG SeanK, that's, like, your third sensible post this year.
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Good looker ?
;D
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Are they perky or bouncy?
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I had 1 the husband left her right in the lurch with no money etc she owed me £150 I said forget it I'll start again from now and pay me when you can I just thought it would ease her stress at least a little,I still do them and now all paid up. The point is if you go in demanding your money etc they might just say what are you gonna do take me to court,the softly softly approach sometimes works but not always.
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Pay no attention to the bitches on here, when they are not blowing about their impressive incomes they're crying about
loosing peanuts. lol.
I think you know when somebody is being genuine and it then becomes a case of trying to get blood out of a stone, going by your
info I would let it go, shake her hand, wish her a happier new year and ask her to pay when she can, and maybe she might pay you back someday when her situation improves.
Either way you wont be making somebodies horrendous year even worse for the sake of a few quid, like you said how often does
it happen.
That was a good post. Note the usual boasters saying not to let it get to 2 owes or else chase every minute of the day.
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Very similar to some of the posts on here. You know her situation better than us.
Ive had very similar with some customers who after years of being a great customer their situation changes and all of a sudden things change. Depending on the circumstances, i offer my service every 8 wks instead of every four and this has worked out well for them and then it all picks back up again.
You have to judge the situation carefully and perhaps apply the golden rule; treat others as you would like to be treat. Might be suprised how this does you well
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It's only half an hours earnings after all. As long as the other 44 pay up that day you'll hardly notice it.
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I clean my customers and then I text them for payment a few times before next clean is due. If they haven't paid before next one is due I would text them again and tell them they need to pay to continue the service. If after 4-5 reminders and no payment then I would send a small claims court notice giving 14 days to pay.
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Exactly Dave I would say more like an hour actually lol 😂
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I would want paid for the service you have provided. She promised she would pay you, if she was that strapped for cash she had every opportunity to cancel your services when you text her prior to cleaning her windows.
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I would set up some form of a payment plan.
Then clean them once a week and get her in loads of debt.
Agree £5 for "The works" and you have your wicked way with her for years.
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she might be waiting for you to say I ALSO DO XTRAS ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D
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Pay no attention to the bitches on here, when they are not blowing about their impressive incomes they're crying about
loosing peanuts. lol.
I think you know when somebody is being genuine and it then becomes a case of trying to get blood out of a stone, going by your
info I would let it go, shake her hand, wish her a happier new year and ask her to pay when she can, and maybe she might pay you back someday when her situation improves.
Either way you wont be making somebodies horrendous year even worse for the sake of a few quid, like you said how often does
it happen.
Good post SeanK
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Pay no attention to the bitches on here, when they are not blowing about their impressive incomes they're crying about
loosing peanuts. lol.
I think you know when somebody is being genuine and it then becomes a case of trying to get blood out of a stone, going by your
info I would let it go, shake her hand, wish her a happier new year and ask her to pay when she can, and maybe she might pay you back someday when her situation improves.
Either way you wont be making somebodies horrendous year even worse for the sake of a few quid, like you said how often does
it happen.
That'll learn her. ::)roll
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apply the golden rule; treat others as you would like to be treat.
I like to be treated roughly and without compassion.
I'm kinky like that.
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i wouldnt want to write off £54 TBH.keep paying her a visit when your cleaning the neighbours windows.ive had to write off £39 in total this year compared to £6 last year.
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Hi Daz.
I won't write it off.
I'll send a letter a couple of weeks before I'm due.
I.e. Noticed you haven't paid, please pay.
Then when in road cleaning neighbours I'll miss her out and put letter through not so polite.
Can't clean windows till debt cleared.
7 days to pay otherwise Thomas Higgins will be collecting on my behalf etc etc.
It's a shame fallen out with even neighbours in the past because I stopped cleaning their windows as they just don't pay.
It's funny how people get angry with you.
In effect they are stealing from you😁
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99% of the time people do not intentionally not pay. In this case you are even aware of the circumstances. My philosophy is, and always has been do not clean windows for free, ever, for any reason, but in this case that's not what you would be doing, you'd be granting a loyal customer leeway on a debt that she has found herself unable to pay.
Obviously I don't know the intricacies of your relationship with this customer but on the face of it I'd be inclined to let the debt slide, for a wee while at least.
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I had one owed me three cleans every time I went there was an excuse not to pay me so I stopped doing them didn't ask for money one day she pulled me up said you haven't cleaned windows for 4 months I said it's because you owed me 3 lots cheeky git said oh you should have told me :D
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I had one owed me three cleans every time I went there was an excuse not to pay me so I stopped doing them didn't ask for money one day she pulled me up said you haven't cleaned windows for 4 months I said it's because you owed me 3 lots cheeky git said oh you should have told me :D
I'd agree with that.
To most people, clean windows is pretty low on their priorities in life and rightly so. We are bottom of the heap (best place to be if you ask me).
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Also, if her husband is/was a mortgage broker she'll see a Thomas Higgins letter for the empty threat that it is.
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I only allow two cleans then on third leave a bill only saying clean suspended until account bought up to date, most people then settle next day if not I cancel clean and replace with new customer.
I never bother with difficult customers
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Also, if her husband is/was a mortgage broker she'll see a Thomas Higgins letter for the empty threat that it is.
Don't think solicitors letter is an empty threat; there are a few Windies on here that have successfully got there money with this letter or by taking it to small claims court.
Reason I posted is just knowing when to go from nice to not nice😉
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If I get given the runaround for payment, I just stop cleaning. I don't write the debt off, but patiently bide my time by waiting to be asked to clean again. When gently reminded that they still owe me money, the ball is in their court. They may be going through hard times and the last thing they need is me adding to that. If they pay up I take them back happily enough. If they don't I just leave it with them to see the error of their ways! No stress, no unpleasantness and no ammunition to damage my reputation.
John
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Also, if her husband is/was a mortgage broker she'll see a Thomas Higgins letter for the empty threat that it is.
Don't think solicitors letter is an empty threat; there are a few Windies on here that have successfully got there money with this letter or by taking it to small claims court.
Reason I posted is just knowing when to go from nice to not nice
Going to court for £54 is a waste of time for everyone involved.
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Also, if her husband is/was a mortgage broker she'll see a Thomas Higgins letter for the empty threat that it is.
Don't think solicitors letter is an empty threat; there are a few Windies on here that have successfully got there money with this letter or by taking it to small claims court.
Reason I posted is just knowing when to go from nice to not nice
Going to court for £54 is a waste of time for everyone involved.
Exactly, even worse if you suspect the person is having money problems as the best you will get is a miserable weekly sum
that's not worth collecting.
Your never going to win when chasing small amounts but at the same time its hard to let somebody off the hook who has taken
you for a mug/ride, it then becomes more about teaching them a lesson not letting them win than a sensible business decision.
I cant understand why Lee is so eager to chase this woman somethings not adding up with his story.
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Also, if her husband is/was a mortgage broker she'll see a Thomas Higgins letter for the empty threat that it is.
Don't think solicitors letter is an empty threat; there are a few Windies on here that have successfully got there money with this letter or by taking it to small claims court.
Reason I posted is just knowing when to go from nice to not nice
Going to court for £54 is a waste of time for everyone involved.
Exactly, even worse if you suspect the person is having money problems as the best you will get is a miserable weekly sum
that's not worth collecting.
Your never going to win when chasing small amounts but at the same time its hard to let somebody off the hook who has taken
you for a mug/ride, it then becomes more about teaching them a lesson not letting them win than a sensible business decision.
I cant understand why Lee is so eager to chase this woman somethings not adding up with his story.
Yep agree, completely pointless going as far as court for such a measly sum.. The op has some blame himself for letting get like that in the first place. As you say Sean its hard letting somebody off or writing a debt off but at the end of the day its a bit of water and some time that's been lost here and a lesson learn't not to do as many cleans without payment no matter who the customer is. But going to court or the threatening of court action is just stupid.
How about a simple letter allowing the debt to be paid over a number of months if it cant be paid in full if that fails just put it down to experience and replace the customer with a new one and move on.
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I only do one clean now, chase late payers by statement and text.
The worst I can lose is one clean.
In the past my last attempt was to send a letter stating that I only clean the windows and at the end of the month the accountants would take over the control of the debt. The accountants would immediately pass the debt to their DCR agents, debt recovery agents who would be the next contact.
This contact would be a demand for approximately £110, purchase of debt, search fees, interest, administration etc, Failure to pay this would result in court action.
All bull but a final attempt and it worked in all but one case.
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With regard to bad payers I try to be fairly relaxed so as not to bother my dickie ticker.
Had a guy that moved owing me £15. It cost me the twenty minutes of my time that I cleaned his windows.
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we all have to write off debts every year.£39 this year.£6 last year.
this year ive actually got more payments in than ive earned due to "rolling debt" plus my xmas tips which have been almost as good as last year.so im happy. :)
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Thats so true, the grief an anguish you give yourself over relativly small amounts is just not worth it, wipe your mouth, walk away and put it down to experance. as you have said she has previously been a good customer its a pretty good guess that some thing major has changed, niether she or you dont need extra stress and aggravation, she might get turned round and you get paid at some point, if not, well the world hasn't ended for anyone.
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I alway take the moral high ground.
This text that I've sent makes me feel better
Dear (whoever)
This is another payment reminder. It's not about the amount, I will happily write it off if you're experiencing financial difficulties/hardship
My round is full and I can fill your space with an account I don't have to chase.
Please let me know your intentions
Regards
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That's rather good tlwcs.
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Combat how do you make a living if you only do one clean and don't do again until you get paid .what happens if you do four or five estate s a week where most don't pay do you not clean them again till payment what happens if quite a few customers don't pay continually I mean a lot of people work not everyone is a bad payer some just can't help not being in . It would be my wish to have the perfect round where everyone pays on the day but it will never happen there is always gonna be a bad payer
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I work different army married quarters across Hampshire and Wiltshire.
Very few poor payers now. People usually pay on the statement. Persistent late payers get binned. Theres plenty to take their place.
Have had to demand that march out cleans are prepaid
Total bad debts for the year run at around 3%.
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I work different army married quarters across Hampshire and Wiltshire.
Very few poor payers now. People usually pay on the statement. Persistent late payers get binned. Theres plenty to take their place.
Have had to demand that march out cleans are prepaid
Total bad debts for the year run at around 3%.
That's very, very high. I doubt mine are more than 0.3%.
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Well £3 in every 100.
The vast majority pay within 7days by bank transfer. A few pay when I send a statement and a very few dont pay.
I do have a regular turnover of customers, they get posted quite often and a few naughty billies will move without telling me or paying.
But sometimes they get posted back. How embarrased are they when i visit for payment!
Try to stick to the officers houses now, bigger houses, more dosh, better payers.
Got to go now its Christmas and my son and partner are shaking their heads!
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Well £3 in every 100.
The vast majority pay within 7days by bank transfer. A few pay when I send a statement and a very few dont pay.
I do have a regular turnover of customers, they get posted quite often and a few naughty billies will move without telling me or paying.
But sometimes they get posted back. How embarrased are they when i visit for payment!
Try to stick to the officers houses now, bigger houses, more dosh, better payers.
Got to go now its Christmas and my son and partner are shaking their heads!
so if you earned 40k this year you d have to write off £1200(roughly) in non payment? ::)roll
thats a lot of money to write off.
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That's something like £30 + a week??
Your having a laugh if that's what your non payers are running at.
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That's something like £30 + a week??
Your having a laugh if that's what your non payers are running at.
I'm guessing maths isn't his strong point. ;D
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Maths is about right, working a realistic 40 weeks a year.
I will do a finance report on George and see what percentage bad debts are this year
40k Dazmond! I wish! I'm 66 now mate and work 4 days ( day 5 is for my 92 yr old mum)
Mind you when I start hitting 30 a day!!
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Actually 40k is 1000 a week or 200 a day.
1000 per week would lose £30.
I'd be very happy on 970!
Never going to happen on a consistent basis.
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Maths is about right, working a realistic 40 weeks a year.
I will do a finance report on George and see what percentage bad debts are this year
40k Dazmond! I wish! I'm 66 now mate and work 4 days ( day 5 is for my 92 yr old mum)
Mind you when I start hitting 30 a day!!
fair play but ive wrote off £39 this year and earned over 40k.last year it was £6!
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Looking at George mine have dropped to around 1 per cent this year.
My customer base is a bit different in that everybody moves frequently.
40 k Dazmond - you have been my mentor for years.
Most of my jobs now £18 some more and £14 is the minimum so good increase coming in 2017.
Just ordered new berghaus e xplorer boots. Wore the soles out on the others after years of dry feet. Thanks Dazmond
Happy new year.
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Maths is about right, working a realistic 40 weeks a year.
I will do a finance report on George and see what percentage bad debts are this year
40k Dazmond! I wish! I'm 66 now mate and work 4 days ( day 5 is for my 92 yr old mum)
Mind you when I start hitting 30 a day!!
fair play but ive wrote off £39 this year and earned over 40k.last year it was £6!
You mean you have turned over 40K. Not earnt. Big difference.
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He only earned £6 last year.